The Washington Commanders are heading to the NFC Championship after knocking off the NFC's top-seeded Detroit Lions on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins continue to dream.
For years there wasn't a lot of separation between the Commanders and the Dolphins. 30-plus years since a Super Bowl appearance, struggling to find a franchise quarterback, consistently winning. Then the Dolphins went through a rebuild and things started to look up. The Commanders were a team falling apart.
In 2023, the Dolphins destroyed the Commanders in Washington. Their fans in the stadium were booking loudly and ready to trade their fandom in for someone else. I know because I was at that game, and every fan was envious of what they were seeing from the Dolphins. What a difference a year makes.
Miami owner Stephen Ross should take notes on how to build a team correctly. The Commanders don't have a great defense, but they are well-coached. They didn't waste their rookie quarterback behind a makeshift offensive line, they built one to protect him not expect him to release the ball faster than the line could hold their blocks.
The Commanders fired their head coach and general manager something Ross refuses to do. Of course, the Commanders also said goodbye to their long-time owner, Daniel Snyder, who did little more than drag the franchise through the metaphorical mud.
Washington shouldn't be better than the Dolphins who have been rebuilding since 2019. They shouldn't be in the championship game, but they are. They are a lesson in doing things the right way. A change of ownership made a huge difference. Bringing people into the organization who were smart NFL people was smart. They didn't rely on trust, they instead, relied on proven personnel.
The Dolphins are still waiting to see if Chris Grier can build a roster that will compete for a single playoff win. The Dolphins are still waiting for Mike McDaniel to start showing maturity as a head coach instead of making the same mistakes for three years.
While the Commanders hired a coach with previous experience in Dan Quinn, the Dolphins are on their 5th head coach who joined the team with no experience in that position. Tony Sparano, Joe Philibin, Adam Gase, Brian Flores, and Mike McDaniel.
Those are just the ones that Ross was part of. While he didn't hire Sparano, he extended him. Prior to Sparano, the Dolphins had Cam Cameron and Nick Saban, neither of whom had been a head coach in the NFL before.
The Commanders did nothing special. They didn't go out and buy a bunch of high-end free agents to build their team. They supplemented their roster where they could and drafted well. They don't have Tyreek Hill running routes and most Dolphins fans wouldn't have named their receivers if they weren't watching last night.
Unlike the Washington Commanders, the Miami Dolphins biggest problem is lack of accountability
You have to wonder about the state of the Dolphins. Tom Garfinkel is Ross' right-hand man and he demands everyone to think outside of the box. A great businessman but he isn't a football guy. Ross doesn't hold Grier accountable for the many mistakes he has made. If he did, he would have been gone a while ago.
Conversely, Grier doesn't hold McDaniel accountable. McDaniel is a "Yes-Man," someone Grier can control and manipulate. McDaniel doesn't butt heads and that is probably why he was hired to begin with. Remember, no other NFL team bothered to interview McDaniel.
We don't have to look far into history to see Grier's other head coaching hires. Brian Flores and Adam Gase. Both of whom lost their jobs for having issues with Grier.
That brings us to McDaniel, who, admittedly, has no control over his football team. He doesn't hold them accountable, and they, in turn, don't hold themselves accountable. There is a lack of discipline, urgency, physicality, and desire.
Everything the Dolphins are now, the Commanders were a year ago. Now, they are one game away from a miracle recovery while the Dolphins will run it back again in 2025 with all of the same problems. Stephen Ross, Chris Grier, and Mike McDaniel. Today, I can almost certainly guarantee not one of those complaining Commanders fans is envious of the Miami Dolphins.