Ross…There Is Bigger “Fisher” In The Sea

All reports point to Jeff Fisher taking the St. Louis Rams job.  On message boards fans are complaining that Stephen Ross has made this team a joke and that no well respected coach will come here.  Others believe it’s simply a matter of Fisher wanting to stay in the mid-west.  Others thank the stars that Fisher, a career .500 coach (20 games above actually) is not the answer for this team.

(We have a poll to wrap this up on the next page)

From the cheap seats that I am sitting in, Jeff Fisher choosing the Rams would be a good thing for the Dolphins.  The Dolphins have had only one “no name” coach in their history.  Tony Sparano.  Very few knew about him when Parcells was hired.  Prior to that, only Cam Cameron was the hot coordinator and while Cameron took quite a few shots on the chin, his GM Randy Mueller did him no favors.  If the Dolphins want an up and coming younger “Don Shula” the Fisher isn’t it.  If they want an “exciting” offense…Fisher won’t bring it.

Are there concerns?  Absolutely.  Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel tweeted that full control has been tossed on the table for Fisher as part of the wooing process so Ross is not going to let his first choice go without a fight.  No word on what Irelands’ duties would become.  A bigger question mark is who replaces Fisher if/when Fisher chooses St. Louis?

The Dolphins surely have made no waves or won fans with their current interviews.  Todd Bowles was a no-brainer but David Toub?  A special teams coach from a losing team?  Sure their ST’s are very good but for the Dolphins HC job?  Rumor’s abound that the team will interview Atlanta Falcons OC Mike Mularkey this week.  To see what Mularkey has done in his NFL career (and his time with the Miami Dolphins) go to the Miami Herald and read Armando Salguero’s non-opinionated factual article on the subject.

Joe Philbin of Green Bay has interviewed as well but will not be available for another week at the earliest due to the Packers playoffs.  The Phins have yet to reach out to Rob Chudzinski, a quarterback developing superstar or Brian Billick who some in the media maintain will not be interviewed because of Ross’ 40 million dollar overcharge by Wayne Huizenga when the Phins beat the Ravens to go 1-15.  Whatever.

The truth however is that the Miami Dolphins and Stephen Ros are better off without Jeff Fisher, there are bigger “fish” in the sea.

The Dolphins need someone who can inspire the team and the fans.  Jeff Fisher has the name but fans will grow increasingly tired of the run first ball control offense that was a staple of Fisher’s offenses in Tennessee.  Three years from now, fans will be over Fisher and calling for him to be fired without major improvement.  Anothe reason that Fisher may choose St. Louis over Miami.  His job security in St. Louis may last a lot longer especially given the potential of the Rams moving back to L.A.

Marty Schottenheimer is my tied for first choice but the Dolphins won’t likely reach out to him as he would represent only a short term solution, five years at best before the now 68 year old decides to hang it up.  Yet there is little doubt that he would turn the franchise around.  Problem?  He doesn’t work well with GM’s.  Jeff Ireland anyone?

Joe Philbin and Pete Carmichael are hot offensive names but in both cases their respective HC’s call the offensive plays and designed the systems.  In that regard, with neither being former HC’s, questions linger about their ability to manage a game.  Of course the same was said about their head coaches, Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton.

Perhaps the best option for Miami hasn’t even been interviewed yet and may not be interviewed.  In fact in an unofficial poll on Finheaven.com as many fans want Chudzinski as Jeff Fisher and far more than Brian Billick. 

Chud may not hav ethe superstar name but he will sell tickets.  Why?  Simple, he is a Miami guy and has a reputation for bringing high octane offenses to the teams he goes to.  His development of Cam Newton has not gone unnoticed in league cirlces and let’s remember that most of Carolina’s issues this year were on the defensive side of the ball.

Ross may or may not turn to a guy like Chudzinski if Jeff Fisher fails to land in Miami but Ross needs to keep in mind, as do fans, that money is not the end all for a teams success.  A good solid mind and a solid vision is.  Fisher has been the “been there done that” candidate who can come in with no learning curve.  Guys like Philbin, Carmichael, and Chudzinski have not.

Fisher has been a guy that instantly commands respect and likely would never lose a locker room if things went south, the same can not be said about the others.  However, Fisher also has to be motivated by more than money and that likely is the reason he will go to the Rams.  The Dolphins will have to then turn and swing at someone else.

Mike Mularkey has been there and failed yet the Dolphins and Jaguars think maybe he can turn it around in his second HC stint.  He very well may but Mularkey will not put people into the stands until he proves that the team can win.  In other words, Ross is going to get a long look at an empty stadium until this team makes the playoffs.

Ross has to take this slow and be methodical in his approach, only then will he be able to settle on a guy not named Fisher.  Ross wants the big name but big names don’t often translate to winning.  One thing is for certain, the Dolphins, Rams, Fisher, and whomever the next Miami HC will be, will be compared for the next five years side by side.

And Stephen Ross will either look like he got lucky losing Fisher or will be berated for not doing enough.

How will you feel if the Dolphins do not get Jeff Fisher?