Dolphins Hire OC, 2 GM’s Drop Out
By Brian Miller
May 20, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor talks with quarterback Michael Vick (7) during organized team activities at the NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Sunny South Florida may be a big time destination…I know because as we speak I’m trying to book a March beach house. While the tourists may enjoy the hot sunny weather it appears that the Miami Dolphins are no longer the choice franchise they were for so very long.
The Dolphins lost the opportunity to interview Baltimore’s Assistant GM Eric DeCosta when he decline interest in the Dolphins vacancy. The Dolphins have requested permission to interview Seattle Seahawks Scot McCloughan but Seattle denied the request on behalf of McCloughan who said he was not interested. Today, highly touted GM candidate Tom Gamble of Philadelphia opted to remain a back-up than take the starting gig in Miami.
The decision of three highly respected and talented “back-up GM’s” speaks volumes to the decline of a franchise that used to be the “it” destination. Years of bad decisions and management turmoil has left the Dolphins looking more like the Detroit Lions. It also means that owner Stephen Ross will once again likely turn his attention second and tertiary options to manage his team. A lot of this falls on his shoulders and the views of Dawn Aponte’s involvement and the rumors of the structure have not given the Dolphins job much glitz.
Adding to the issue is the fact that the new GM will at least for one year have no control over who his head coach will be…beyond that isn’t known as well.
What is known however is that the new GM will arrive after the new Dolphins OC. Today it has been reported that Eagles QB coach Bill Lazor has done an about face and has decided against taking the Detroit Lions OC job. It was widely reported last night that Lazor had accepted the job in Detroit. Apparently he figured he was done with cold weather despite the dome of Detroit. The coup if you want to call it that, will make for an interesting offense in Miami.
Lazor doesn’t call plays in Philadelphia but did a fantastic job with QB Nick Foles this season under Chip Kelly. He helped run an Eagles offense that was very productive and very fast. It’s not known whether he will bring some of that high potency with him to Miami. A bigger question is what will his experience bring to Miami’s Ryan Tannehill?
The hiring of Lazor does two things, it fills a major hole for the Dolphins and lets fans know that while things may not be all rosy in Miami these days, they are still preferable over the Lions.