It's Not Supposed To Be Like This

A simple message to the youth of the Miami Dolphins…it really isn’t supposed to be like this. Seriously…it’s not.

Consider the youth of this team. Guys like Vernon Carey drafted in 2004…he has gone through 4 coaches in 4 years and 4 offensive systems/schemes. For guys like Ronnie Brown, drafted 2nd overall in 2005, 3 coaching changes and 3 offensive systems in 3 years. And fans wonder why this team is picking first in this years draft.

This is not to say that Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells made a mistake in canning Cam Cameron…or for firing 99.8 percent of the coaching staff that worked with him. Just that, there is youth on this team that have failed to succeed and continuity is one of those reasons. In Miami…there has been none.

If we go beyond the 2004 season we can trace back coaching changes there too. The offensive Co-coordinator changed from 2001 to 2002, again from 2003 – 2004 and every year since…including the two Saban years. That will be 7 offensive coaching changes in 8 years including this off-season. That is not replacing a line coach or a TE coach…that is changing an entire system. A concept. An offensive- coordinator.

The fans worry about the Dolphins QB carousel? There is not a QB alive that could work through this mess. Again, to guys like Brown and Carey, it is something they are used to. To guys like Ginn, Beck, Booker, and Satele, well they might as well forget about everything they learned last year. Even the speed of the game is going to change for them.

If there is good news, it appears that this regime will be around at least 4 years. With the future of the franchise entrusted to Bill Parcells and Parcells’ commitment to Ireland and Ireland’s’ commitment to the next HC…the Dolphins will finally have some continuity…but will that translate to the offensive side of the ball?

That is where continuity is needed the most. A defensive scheme rarely changes. If you run a 4-3 and change coaches…you still run a 4-3, same with a Tampa 2 or a 3-4. The verbiage may change and some stunts may change but overall…it is what it is.

The offense is different. You can hire a coach with the same philosophy but his playbook inevitably will different. A wide receiver may make one read in one system and the same play in another requires him to make a different one. A new OC may like bigger lineman or be more pass oriented, he may be more run oriented. Ball control, clock control, high-powered, high-scoring….all within the frame work of the established system. That is hard to reteach each and every year.

The Dolphins will hire a new OC this year…it will not be Cam Cameron in all likelihood, and then that new OC will put his thumbprint on the team. The question is will this new OC be a young hungry guy like Jason Garrett was for Dallas, or will he be a cream of the crop guy like Scott Linehan? A guy that will come in and leave the following year.

That is the biggest question that will surround this team once the HC is found, the coaches are hired and the draft is said and done. What will happen after next year?

It is pretty safe to assume that the talent level is going to dramatically increase this year alone. It will be the coaches themselves that will make the real difference. Cam Cameron came in and was given a few coaches to oversee. This coach will hire all new personnel that he wants. The last shake up of this magnitude was when Jimmy Johnson replaced Don Shula.

Don Shula had an Era. Jimmy Johnson and Dave W had whatever you want to call it, Saban and Cameron got nothing. Will Parcells be a footnote or an afterthought?

Either way, this off-season started off with a nuclear bomb at team headquarters and player are going to be learning a whole new way to play football…something that has a proven track record of success. It’s a good thing. It needs to be done now. With very few 3 and 4 year veterans on this team, the importance of change could not be more timely.

Still, the youth really should know that in the NFL…business or no business…this is not the norm. It really isn’t supposed to be like this.