Next Week On…The OC

The Miami Dolphins, specifically Tony Sparano, is on a search, a mission, ah hell, the dude is looking for a new OC.  With Dan Henning leaving by way of “mutual agreement”, Sparano is left without Bill Parcells close and personal friend and fan whipping boy.  Last week, after it was said that Sparano was staying, Sparano said he wanted to revamp the offense, make it explosive and exciting.

Was he just spitting words to appease the fans and the owner?  Or was that is plan all along?

He has a chance not to prove it.

What happens next will define the next year and likely two years of the Miami Dolphins. Sparano is in control here. He will hire his own OC for the first time since arriving in Miami and while the defense is set with Nolan, the offense will be entirely up to the HC.  Consider that this is the first time at the NFL level that Sparano gets to choose the style of offense that will be on the field.  No more Bill Parcells standing over the players or Dan Henning running that BP style of grinder football.  Sparano gets to call this shot.

The question is, will he?

The candidates for OC are wide open and honestly, I’m not going to spend time spitting out a bunch of candidates because frankly, there are none.  Not yet.  No power guys from another team or out of work former head coaches that immediately make sense.  Nothing.  No one has been mentioned yet and anyone that has is only speculating based on opinion of what the team needs and who may be available…in other words, opinion.

I think we all had enough rumor and false reports last week to last us through the off-season…well, at least until free agency starts, if it does at all.

So this isn’t about names and who will open up the offense, it’s about the style of that offense.

The Dolphins right now, are built in the style of nothing.  Ricky Williams is gone after Sparano was retained, Ronne Brown is heading towards the exit, is Chad Henne a better QB without Henning or will he be the same?  There is nothing.  No speed at WR, no physical offensive line.  The entire unit has no identity and doesn’t lean to one side or the other.

Which means that the next OC will immediately go under the microscope when he is announced.

If Sparano wants an exciting offense then he will hire that innovative coach to install it.  If not, he goes the other way.  The OC, much like Nolan last year, will have a lot of say in what this team does in the free agent market and at the draft in April.  Last year, Nolan came on board and the team went defense in the draft early and made FA Karlos Dansby an anchor to his scheme.  The same will hold true, or should hold true for the offense.

Once that name is announced, or for that matter names start filtering in that are interviewing, we will get a sense of direction that Sparano is going to go in.  That is when the real critiques will start.  This offense is stagnant and much of that blame has been placed on Henning.  Henning is gone now, Bill Parcells is gone now, Tony Sparano now has full responsibility.

And full accountability as well.