The NFL’s “Black Monday” has arrived. Last night the Cleveland Browns axed one year HC Rob Chudzinski, today the Vikings added Leslie Frasier to the streets and Washington did the same with Mike Shannahan. A few other coaches may be headed to the unemployment line sooner rather than later. In Miami there has been nothing.
That is probably a good thing.
This isn’t a race and simply canning your head coach to pacify the fans is not a smart way to do business. You may not like it but that is the reality of the situation. While word continues to bubble out of the training facility that “changes” will be coming, no one knows what those changes are and no one frankly is speculating. It could simply be one of those throw it against the wall and something is bound stick deals.
Questions surround Jeff Ireland’s future in Miami and while most of the “rumors” begin there they don’t end there. Joe Philbin hasn’t really been cited in the rumors but Mike Sherman has and it’s likely that when and if Sherman goes two of the Dolphins offensive coaches will be gone as well. Jim Turner the Oline coach and QB coach Zac Taylor. Both of him are related in some way to Sherman.
The Dolphins failed to make the playoffs for the fifth year in a row despite controlling their own destiny as early as a month ago and as late as last week. On Sunday they only needed to win as Baltimore lost. Instead the team finished out the season with back-to-back losses to not only division rivals but to teams out of the playoffs. They scored a total of seven points.
During post game interviews yesterday, Mike Wallace told reporters exactly what the Dolphins fans at home had been saying. The Jets played with more energy.
It was apparent that the Dolphins went through the motions and how exactly a team on the verge of a playoff birth can lay down two weeks in a row is mind boggling. Miami found a way.
There is no timetable for Stephen Ross. There are no head and shoulder HC candidates on the market that are looking to sign quickly. This isn’t like two years ago when Jeff Fisher was on the market. If the Dolphins do decide to move in a different direction it will be one taken with steps of caution. There will be a process and it’s not likely to include a full scale blitz on the teams staff.
If Ross has any inclination to fire Jeff Ireland, then he would be the first to leave. A new GM would be empowered to look at Philbin and make a decision on his future at that time. The biggest GM candidate on the market right now is former Colts head man Bill Polian. The Dolphins need a face to their franchise from the front office if they move Ireland. One that carries a certain weight of respect around the NFL. Whomever becomes the GM would likely sit down with Philbin and lay out parameters of change.
Of course this is all speculation as no one really knows right now what Ross is thinking. It would however be a surprise to see any major moves made today.