A look back at the Dolphins decision-making process can give us some insight into what led the team to the abysmal start in 2011. The stop signs should have gone up right away when the Dolphin staff actually thought they could build a team off a gadget play like the wildcat.
The decision showed a certain naiveté about the NFL and the ability of opponents to figure out how to stop a one trick pony. The word naiveté would not commonly be associated with Bill Parcells and it leads one to wonder whether he knew he made a mistake. Perhaps he baled when he realized the wildcat was foolish and jeopardized his perception as a man with great football acumen.
Parcells was responsible for drafting Pat White with the intention of using him as a key operative in the wildcat. He believed a gadget play could somehow change the face of the NFL. He brokered the deal to bring in a troubled WR who, he thought, could take short passes out of the formation and turn them into big plays.
Fool me once, your fault; fool me twice, my fault… Ireland’s penchant for oft-injured free agents like Chad Pennington, Justin Smiley, Jake Grove and Reggie Bush begs to question whether why he has a tendency to overlook health issues when making critical personnel decisions. This is amateur stuff and keeps bringing back the word naiveté.
Naiveté: Showing a lack of sophistication and subtlety in critical judgment and analysis.
Bill Parcells built a reputation from a great run with Giants and the ability to get the most out of his players. His coaching stops afterward never reached that level. Perhaps he was a great cook who was not very good at doing his own shopping.
His moonlighting as a czar has proved one thing; Bill Parcells was a good coach and nothing else. We can’t fault Steven Ross for this; in fact, we should praise Ross for seeing through the façade. If I’m the owner taking over a Dolphin team whose brain trust thinks the wildcat is the wave of the future, the first word that comes to mind is… Naiveté.
In the proper perspective, does the coast-to-coast run for Jim Harbaugh sound so outlandish? No, this fiasco was dropped in Ross’ lap by Wayne Huizenga who proved to be totally naive when it came to understanding the NFL. Every name Huizenga pulled from of the hat came from advice he got from other “football people.”
Since when does a billionaire decide he is not capable of choosing the talent to run his business? It happens when a billionaire is in the wrong business. Ross was correct in going after Harbaugh for the simple reason that he was willing to go for someone fresh of his own choosing. Dolphin fans can only hope Ross is not so naïve to believe others are better suited to run his business than he is.
Ross may have jumped the gun but he gave Dolphin fans reason to hope he will not show the lack of sophistication and subtlety in critical judgment that has plagued the Dolphins since Joe Robbie sold the team.
Dolphins fans have seen had enough naiveté Mr. Ross, what we need is a leader.
