Coaching is the Key – Part II

The 2010 Miami Dolphins had a tough, take-no-prisoners attitude on Defense and improved markedly. Now it’s time for the same improvement on Offense.

Concerning Chad Henne, why don’t we give him some actual coaching and a better offensive scheme for a change?  Try it out and see – I’ll bet even Dan Fouts or Joe Montana or Peyton Manning would have struggled with Dan Henning as the OC trying to insert running plays all the time.

Except for Steve Bush and Dave DeGuglielmo, every part of the Offensive Coaching Staff has been dismissed and replaced with new faces.  And this includes Tony Sparano, Jr. as the new Offensive Quality Control Coach.

Ok, so what happened last year on Defense?  What caused the changes there? You can contend that there were new players brought in and this is true.  But it was also a fundamental shift of Defensive Scheme to a “Robber” version of the 3-4 Defense that is played by the Green Bay Packers and a couple of other teams.  Mike Nolan was the difference.  Keeping the prior DC would not have created drastic improvement for this team.

And it makes sense.  If it works, you don’t change it much.  If it doesn’t, you make changes – big ones if necessary.  An evaluation of the Offense would conclude that the QB position is key to the production and not the addition of Brandon Marshall or the return of Ronnie Brown last season after his ill-fated injury.  Both failed to cause large-scale improvement.  The QB regression was what created the problems as well as the poor Offensive scheme and play-calling.  Pinpoint the cause: Dan Henning. Dan Henning hurt the offensive production instead of helping it; making it much less dynamic due to predictable calls and a stubborn refusal to innovate and create opportunities.  He especially did not design and run an offense that worked with the strengths of the players.  He scaled it backward in order to reduce the weaknesses of certain players.  And that was a fatal mistake for the once-again retired former coach.  And for the team last season.  Who’s to blame?  Dan Henning is certainly a big part of why the Fins had Offensive troubles.

Miami Dolphins 2011 Coaching Staff

(format courtesy: thephins.com)

Ok, we don’t know that the changes made with the coaching staff will absolutely turn things around, however.  But one thing we know for certain is that the offense ain’t gonna be the same one we saw last season.  I would submit to you that since the offense was #31 out of 32 teams, we have only one direction to go and that is UP.

I am waiting to see some signs of the type of offense and schemes and ideas that may get leaked from the training camp, once we have that.  And please note that I very much expect that there will be a training camp although could be shortened slightly (partly because the veterans don’t usually enjoy it anyway – although they very much want to win and are working-out together at local Miami gyms right now to some extent in order to stay in shape and stay together.

Fins Up!  It could be worse you know – you could be a

stinkin’

Jets fan.