Miami Dolphins 7.0: A New Hope
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No it’s not some fancy Star Wars computer program. It’s the arrival of the 7th head coach in Miami Dolphins history and thus the renewed hope in winning that comes with a staff that includes one of the all-time great coaches/front office men in the history of the NFL: Bill Parcells.
As training camp arrives once again for the Miami Dolphins it’s hard not to notice the new energy that has taken grip over South Florida. In fact, this will mark the third season in four years that Dolphin fans have witnessed a changing of the guard. Each staff brought with it a unique perspective and fresh ideas they promised would once again lead the Dolphins to the playoffs. I would like to take this time to reflect on the past three off-seasons and compare those to the current state of affairs for the Miami Dolphins, and perhaps find a reason for fans to feel optimistic as the team enters into yet another season under a new regime.
The first change came in 2005 with the hiring of Nick Saban, who arrived in town fresh off a National Championship with the LSU Tigers and with a reputation as a disciplinarian, something many believed the Dolphins lacked under Dave Wannestedt. As all Dolphin fans will remember, his tenure in Miami was disastrous, riddled with bad personnel decisions and came to a climatic end when he bolted for ‘Bama after his second season “rebuilding” the team.
Although he left the team in a state of upheaval upon his departure, it is important to note that his first draft produced three regular starters in Ronnie Brown, Matt Roth and Channing Crowder, and also included Travis Daniels, who has been a productive starter when healthy for Miami. Unfortunately, little can be said for the other personnel decisions made by Nick as his second draft seems to have produced no starters as Jason Allen and Derek Hagan have failed to live up to expectations thus far and his attempts to find an adequate successor to Dan Marino with the acquisitions of Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington also failed.
As Saban exited, the state of the team was simply a mess. There was no starting quarterback, no clear leadership in the front office and many fans felt betrayed by his departure as he claimed for months that he had no interest in the Alabama job only to accept the job at the season’s conclusion with the team in disarray.
Hope came once again with the hiring of an offensive-minded coach in Cam Cameron. As many recall, there was considerable hype surrounding the fact that the Dolphins chose to hire an offensive minded coach after a series of defensive-minded coaches ran the team for the past 35 years. Unlike Saban, Cameron was immediately chastised by the South Florida fans and media for infamously passing on Brady Quinn, who many saw as an excellent candidate to succeed Marino as the team’s franchise quarterback, in favor of Ted Ginn, Jr. While the jury is still out on each player, the decision certainly struck the hearts of Dolphin fans like a bolt of lightening. Not surprisingly, Cameron was run out of town at the end of his lone season as head coach.
 Enter Tuna. Enter his boys: General Manager Jeff Ireland and Head Coach Tony Sparano. Enter a whole new philosophy. Again. After experiencing the heartbreak that came with the failure of both Nick Saban and Cam Cameron’s promises of success, or at least the progressing towards future success, why should Miami Dolphins fans feel any differently about this new take over by Parcells and Co.? The answer is simple: familiarity.
Parcells is familiar with the situation has been put into, dealing with a struggling franchise in desperate need of a booster shot. He is also familiar with his coaching staff and the several former players he has brought in over the course of the off-season. These aspects of familiarity may provide hope for Dolphin fans.
It gives fans the sense that Parcells knows exactly what he is doing with the Dolphins. He knows what he’s getting in Jeff Ireland as his GM. With Tony Sparano as his head coach. With Jason Ferguson, Anthony Fasano and Akin Ayodele, all Dallas Cowboys from his time with the team. Parcells has always favored a certain kind of player, opting for guys who aren’t afraid to get down and dirty, aren’t afraid to sweat and show passion for the game. He has no time for players unwilling to adopt into his “team first” philosophy (see his referencing Terrell Owens as ‘The Player’ while in Dallas). His players, his boys, are taking over the roster. He has started to cleanse the roster of players that do not fit his mold of a young and tough team.
The cleansing has been painful for some fans.
The first shot came with the release of beloved lifelong Dolphin Zach Thomas, (who would ironically go on to sign with Parcells’ former team, the Dallas Cowboys) the face of the Dolphin defense since his arrival in 1996. He released or traded 4 Pro Bowlers (Thomas, Trent Green, Marty Booker and Jason Taylor) demonstrating his willingness to make unpopular decisions if they benefit the team. While the release of Thomas and the trade of Taylor to the Washington Redskins may have stung the hearts of many fans, there has been surprisingly little criticism of the decisions, sharply contrasting with the thunderstorm of boos that rained down on Cam Cameron during what seemed to be a desperate plea with the fans to accept his passing on Brady Quinn in 2007. The reactions to the Tuna’s decisions have been primarily those of reminiscence and the shared hopefulness that either Thomas or Taylor will finally get the opportunity to seriously compete for a championship.
The unwillingness to criticize Parcells, while it may partially be influenced by fear of the Big Tuna, probably lies in the fact that most fans trust his decisions after witnessing his work throughout the years. He carries with him a radiating confidence that inspires his players, as well as fans, and brings hopefulness to the Miami Dolphins.
Once again, Dolphin fans can be found telling themselves, and believing themselves when they do, that this time will be different. This regime will not fail. They will finally do what others have promised and failed to do: bring the Dolphins back to glory.
They have to.
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