Why Mike Shanahan might be best option for Miami

The Miami Dolphins will interview Mike Shanahan a 2nd time on Thursday. In December he apparently spoke with the team while they were in New York to face the Jets. He might very well be the best option for the Dolphins.

Shanahan is no longer a top coaching candidate and his last turn at the position resulted in a failed attempt in Washington. Reports ran rampant that Shanahan and owner Daniel Snyder butted heads often. In fact, Shanahan hated the selection of Robert Griffin, III in 2012. It was widely talked about that his preference was Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill hasn’t become a great quarterback but he has fared better than RGIII.

That is not however why he should be a top candidate for the Dolphins. What he brings to the team is.

When allowed to do his job, Shanahan knows how to develop talent. He knows how to motivate players and he is a leader. Shanahan has the experience to not only talk about bringing cultural changes to Miami but implement the pieces to make those changes possible. No other head coaching candidate today posesses the skill set that Shanahan has when dealing with NFL players as a head coach. He has been there and he knows what works and what doesn’t.

Miami wants success and there is no guarantee that Shanahan, Adam Gase, Chip Kelly, or Teryl Austin can bring that success. Miami needs consistency more right now. They need to find a coach who can coach and develop the players. Put them in the right position to make plays and the right position to succeed. Shanahan may come to Miami and fail. So could all the others. When it comes to the Dolphins there is simply no easy fix for the team.

Instead of talking about winning Super Bowls, Miami should be talking about the basics. Tackling. Play calling. And preparedness. None of those things have been a staple in Miami for a very long time.

Shanahan might be the big name. The one that everyone recognizes but his value to the team, specifically the Dolphins, is that he brings success with him. Players know he has won. A new head coach has to earn the teams respect. Shanahan will command it the minute he walks through the door and history has shown that if you are not on board, you won’t be here or play. That is what Miami needs right now. Winning is paramount but no head coach is going to come in and turn this club into a division winner. Not next year and not the year after. There are simply too many holes and too many issues within the team to make that happen.

This is why Shanahan is the right choice at this time for this team. He isn’t the young up and coming superstar but Cam Cameron once was. Joe Philbin was supposed to be. Tony Sparano was too. To some degree. A few years ago it was Mike McCoy who was the hot coach in play, his tenure in San Diego is thin right now. Miami needs a grown-up. Someone who can shake things up.  Someone who won’t ask the players to buy into his system but demand they do.

Shanahan also has ties to the original West Coast offense so the Dolphins offense wouldn’t change much. He also likes to run before he passes. Miami needs to get back to the ground game that they have abandoned this year. They need balance and they need continuity. Shanahan is old school. He is like Marty Schottenheimer who the Dolphins should have hired to replace Don Shula.

Mike Shanahan may never lead this team to the playoffs and that will be a failure but there is no reason to believe that he can’t change the mental make-up of a locker room that has become very soft and inconsistent. He may not be the best choice or the popular one, but he may be the smartest and safest one.