…And We Wait…Still

Two nights ago I sat in a downtown Charlotte, NC  hotel room with my wife and my son. Our room overlooked the city. It was relaxing and pleasant and while it was nice to put the finishing touch on my son’s two week vacation from first grade, I couldn’t help but wonder what 2011 would hold in store for the Miami Dolphins.

Sure it was Charlotte and not Miami but the television and the town were abuzz over the latest on John Fox’s 9 year coaching career in Charlotte coming to an end. Which of course only made me think longer and harder about the current situation in Miami. A coach on the hot seat which seems to have cooled considerably, a running back tandem that appear to be going their separate ways, one of which, Ricky Williams, going out with a loud bang.

By now, we have all heard about Ricky Williams’ rant on a local radio show and how he pretty much has decided he is done with Miami. This coming only days after publicly proclaiming he wants to play for two more years and preferably in Miami…that bus has left the Davie compound for good. The real talk, is the head coach and this scene has almost become a bigger joke than the season that just past.

Take a little “forum” tour around the Miami Dolphins fan sites and you will see a lot of lost souls.  Faith is out the door when it comes to Stephen Ross and it left a long time ago for Tony Sparano in some cases and there is a daily exodus of supporters that seem to follow.  This is the new Miami Dolphins.  A team with no real future as the coaches that are retained, if in fact they are retained, will be here for one more season.  A lame duck season that honestly shows little promise of record improvement.

Sparano is an average coach coaching an average team with an average quarterback in a below average offense.  Dan Henning will be gone and early reports say that WR coach Karl Dorrell could be pegged as the next  OC.  The same coach who has done nothing with the teams ability to catch passes and run precise ingenious routes.  So if true where does his past warrant a promotion in the future?

Dolphins fans are waiting for word out of Stephen Ross’ mouth.  Their season ticket renewals are at the heart of that decision.  Will he fire Sparano and bring in a new HC or will he give these guys one more year to turn it around?  The meeting between Ross and Sparano went well, so well that one person has said that Sparano will likely stay, another says he will likely go.  I don’t know what or who to believe anymore.  I find the text’s funny though as they both have changed their minds twice already.  I think Ross has too.

Last night Ross got a front row view of what the stadium looks like filled to capacity and making noise.  Stanford won, and Ross was pulling for the Jim Harbaugh led Cardinals.  So were the 49’ers and the Broncos.  On the sideline, HOF QB John Elway clapped his approval too.  This is not to say that Ross will make a sticking pitch to bring that coach to Miami, it only serves to show Ross what the stadium could look like with a winning product on the field.

The Miami Dolphins are a team that will go only one way.  Down.  Next year the schedule is tough playing the AFC West and the NFC East.  They will not get a pass for Sparano any more than they will another HC.  The only thing that seems certain at this point is Jeff Ireland is staying, Bill Cowher is out, and Sparano is a giant question mark that seems to be teetering on staying in Miami.

Whether that is good or bad, is up to you.