Daboll Bandwagon? Not Yet, But Close

The Miami Dolphins have introduced their new offensive coordinator…officially.  Bucking a trend that Jeff Ireland eluded to regarding the holding of press conferences, Brian Daboll took to the podium, made a few statements, thanked Jeff and Tony for the opportunity, and answered a few questions.

Then, he headed “upstairs” to get “back” to work.

It’s hard to say whether or not this presser was for our benefit or theirs, meaning to try and cover up the black eye that has been hit on the franchises face since the seasons end, but it was a smart move by the Dolphins front office to put this guy in front of the camera and the media.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that there is a “Brian Daboll” bandwagon just yet, but it may be coming around the corner soon.

After watching the press conference live, I can say that I am more than a little excited about the direction this team may be going.  Whether they achieve it or not is a different story.

Continue to the next page for what I took away from this presser.

The local media got to ask their questions, us bloggers did not.  That’s o.k.  They will walk away with a recorded presser and I get to go off notes…like journalists used to.  Big smile there.

When the presser opened, Jeff Ireland seemed ready to show that he and Tony Sparano had a unified front.  He addressed the contingent of media in the small cramped room (it’s very small by the way), and then handed it over to Sparano, all business as usual, who said a few words and then passed it over to Daboll.

That’s when the fun started and the excitement built.

Daboll speaks very well but his facial expressions can make you laugh.  It almost seems as though he has a “press conference” voice and a regular voice.  I noticed this later when he made a quick reply to a question and then settled back into the deeper more enunciated tone.

But that’s not why this guy has some promise.  It’s the outline of his plan.

Daboll spoke  of using “Motions, shifts, and 5 wide sets”.  When was the last time you saw a lot of motion from Miami?  He also referenced on two occasions the use of the no-huddle offense.  So I guess we will be getting one of those.

He also spoke about moving personnel to the perimeters to do more damage, Davone Bess’ name was mentioned.  “Mixing it up”.  He also said that his offense would “Attack the weakness of the defense”.  So it is safe to wave good-bye to the Dan Henning philosophy of attacking their strength.

Daboll also spoke about the QB position.  He said that he has already began working on that, spending time on it.  Said he will spend a tremendous amount of time on the QB because that is the most important position on the team.  He stated that he would be sitting in on the QB meetings and in the film room with them.  Working on “Pocket presence, accuracy, and leading ability”  stuff he said is a major priority for a QB.

He said that he would be working with Chad Henne, then followed that with, “He is on our roster”.  He alluded to the team looking at free agency and the draft as well to find competition.  He also said that his system is a “QB friendly system”.  Something he no doubt has taken from the New England Patriots.  He also cited Brian Schottenheimer in NY as an influence as well.

Daboll would not directly disclose his plans but on several occasions mentioned that the offensive coaching staff were already working to improve the offense.  He said the needed to attack defenses and know when to slow the offense down and when to speed it up.  He also made reference to personnel in regards to free agency and it sounded as though the team will be taking some strong looks in that arena…but I caution, there was nothing directly stated in that regards, simply my interpretation of a comment he made during the presser.

One of the media members in the room asked about his OC tenure in Cleveland and mentioned the fans issues regarding his hire.  He spoke open and honestly about that, saying he was aware of it but also said that was his past and he was looking forward to moving forward.  When pressed a little more, Daboll made a slight reference to the personnel difference and mentioned Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess both by name.

Another reporter asked if he was grateful for a “second chance so quickly” after the failure in Cleveland.  He said “Excited” was the word, “not the other one”.

All in all, talking on a podium is all well and fine and it may make you feel good but what happens on the field is the real deal.

I came away from this presser somewhat excited because frankly, I haven’t heard an OC use terms like “5 wide”, “2-minute offense”, “spread”, and “motion” in quite a long time.  Brian Daboll may have a plan that on paper looks as though it may work.

I think many fans will be excited if what he says he wants is what appears on the field…successful or not.