Miami Dolphins Hire Dennis Hickey as General Manager

The Miami Dolphins have hired Buccaneers director of player personnel Dennis Hickey as their next general manager. Hickey had spent 18 seasons with Tampa Bay in their front office.

As I am unfamiliar with general managers and their abilities I don't think I am qualified to state an opinion on this. It has been well documented that I was firmly on the Jeff Ireland boat, but that isn't important now. We shall see what Hickey is able to do.

Thanks for stopping by. Email me at paul@dolphinshout.com. I'm also on twitter @PaulDSmythe.

Media Runs Ray Farmer Out of Miami

The search for a GM in Miami took a miserable turn as front runner for the job, Ray Farmer, was run out of town by the overzealous media.

The Miami Herald took it upon itself to sabotage the process by using the yellow journalism tactic of interjecting themselves between the candidate and the team. In claiming Farmer was uncertain about the power structure of the job, the Herald completely ignored its own role in forcing Farmer to reject a second interview.

Armando Salguero with complete disregard for the Miami Dolphins hounded Farmer into declining the opportunity to become an NFL GM. Farmer, aware of the scrutiny massed upon Jeff Ireland decided dealing with the press in Miami was more unpleasant than the cold in Cleveland.

The unscrupulous media, more adept at creating news than reporting it, sunk to running candidates out of town before they arrive.

Blinded by their own arrogance, ignoring responsibility to the community and the benefits an NFL football team brings, the media is lost in self-aggrandizing. Farmer is just the latest example of why coaches, players and now GM candidates would rather freeze in the great white north than endure the constant negativity in Miami.

While a coach, GM or even a player can be fired or cut, the media has no such worries as they breed a culture of pessimism among the fans and a blacklist among NFL insiders.

The list of football people unwilling to deal with the hounding media is long, Harbaugh, Fisher, Manning, etc. are aware the owner has the best intentions but are disgusted with the prospect of dealing with unaccountable story tellers.

Why come to Miami with such unrelenting Prima Donna writers thinking they are above the team they are paid to write about. The word "reporter" is a complete misnomer in Miami. These are sensationalist bucking for jobs in the TMZ where they can run side by side with paparazzi barking like dogs chasing tailpipes.

In manifesting the story, they will add Farmer to the list of dysfunction they have created in Miami. There can be no better job than perpetuating a tale that ensures employment while blaming the very organization responsible for employment.

The bait and switch game, fool the public into believing the Dolphins are dolts and create a story that lives upon itself. Admittedly, the genius is leading Miami fans into the scam like sheep to slaughter.

The downside, of course, is when enough of the fan base is turned away by the negativity and the team is forced to move to greener pastures. Fortunately, the legacy of the Miami Dolphins is still greater than the sensationalists.

It’s not beyond possibility to see a time when rich men grow tired of media bullies and move their expensive play-toys to more receptive environments. Did I say "bullies" oh what a tale that would make!

The simple wish to make the right GM selection has left the Dolphins open to the story tellers. Has there been a modicum of thought given to the fact that two teams have yet to finish the season? Has there been one report stating that if Ray Farmer was so much better than Brian Gain he would have been hired on the spot?

Perhaps Boss Ross is leaving the feeding frenzy open to show candidates what they will be dealing with in sensationalist Miami.

Can a person spend five hours in an interview and still not understand the parameters of the position he is applying for. Of course not, Ray Farmer knew exactly what he was getting into with the Miami Dolphins.

He was unaware of dealing with the story makers hounding him into submission. So thank you sincerely Armando Salguero for chasing Ray Farmer out of town. Obviously, he was ill-at-ease dealing with sensationalist media and thus not a viable candidate.

It makes this fan proud to see the Miami Dolphins stand up to the bullies and remain firm in the commitment of finding the right person for the GM position.

Boss Ross plainly stated he wanted a person willing to work as a team with Joe Philbin and Dawn Aponte, not a power monger, not a bullheaded Jeff Ireland type, a teammate willing to form an alliance. When the water is boiling with stories created to make writers feel important, only strong leadership with a responsibility to each other can lead Miami out of the sensational hole the media has dug.

Come work with our team, and check your ego at the door… A concept the Diva writers could learn to live by. Forgive us, even winning ten games every single season was not enough to save Don Shula.

Regrettably, the fate of the franchise, like all NFL teams, rests on the shoulders of the QB. A genius coach, GM and owner always follow in the footsteps of a great QB.

Poor Ryan, let’s hope he crosses into the realm of greatness before the Divas take aim.

Dolphins Hire Bill Lazor as Offensive Coordinator

The Miami Dolphins have hired former Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor as their offensive coordinator. This move follows shortly after the perceived favorite for the job, Ben McAdoo, joined the Giants as their offensive coordinator.

Lazor spent one year as the Eagles offensive coordinator. Under Lazor Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles flourished. My assumption is Miami is hoping he'll help Tannehill do the same. It seems like a smart hire to me. My main concern with our hiring of a new offensive coordinator is how the change would slow down Tannehill, but the Eagles put in a new offense last year and Lazor was a part of that.

Lazor was a bit of a surprise to me. I fully expected Miami to hire McAdoo fairly quickly, but that didn't end up happening. If I was placing bets at the Football Betting Center then I would have been fairly confident in picking McAdoo, but apparently the Giants had a different outcome in mind.

I'm really excited to see what Lazor will do with Miami's running game. Philadelphia had a special running back in LeSean McCoy, and Lamar Miller isn't on his level, but hopefully he saw how to properly use a talented back and will do so with Miller.

I was definitely disappointed when McAdoo went to the Giants, but hiring Lazor is a move that sits well with me. Now we'll just have to see who the Dolphins hire as general manager. Hopefully they can have that done quickly to get on to building this team for next season.

Miami is almost there in terms of talent. Lazor is a step in the right direction. If a few plays had gone the other way in Miami the Dolphins could have still been playing in January. This team isn't far off. I'll stand by that.

Thanks for stopping by. Email me at paul@dolphinshout.com. I'm also on twitter @PaulDSmythe.

Miami Dolphins Fire Mike Sherman

Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman has been fired, according to multiple media reports. Sherman's offense this year was very poor and he seemed to be the scapegoat (other than Jeff Ireland, of course).

I agree with the move. I would like Miami to bring someone who can help Tannehill's development. Tannehill was able to have two years of NFL experience with a familiar coach where he knew the playbook. Now it's time for him to take the next step.

It was reported that owner Steve Ross wanted Sherman gone while head coach Joe Philbin wanted to keep him. It appears in the end the man with the money won the battle.

There are rumblings that Ben McAdoo, who is currently the Packers QB's coach, is a favorite to be Sherman's replacement. To me that seems like an excellent move because McAdoo has experience mentoring one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers. Joe Philbin actually requested to interview McAdoo when Miami was looking for an offensive coordinator two years ago, but the Packers denied that request (source).

We'll see what happens. I'm sure there will be more news soon.

Thanks for stopping by. Email me at paul@dolphinshout.com. I'm also on twitter @PaulDSmythe.

Philbin and Tannehill Duo Likely to Match or Better Irreplaceable Shula and Marino

Hey Dolphin Shout and Miami Dolphin fans throughout the world.
Here's to your New Year (beyond football) going as planned!

But first, please don't misunderstand. Don Shula and Dan Marino are adored in this household!

However.

In the year 2000 the great seventeen year veteran quarterback Dan Marino won his final game as a Miami Dolphin and his first career road playoff victory.

On the following post season weekend Danny was replaced after the first third quarter series in a 62-7 playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The one and only number 13 retired shortly thereafter.

There is no doubt that Dan Marino was the absolute best quarterback in the AFC for the entirety of his seventeen year career, and for thirteen of those years he was led by that absolute best head coach in NFL history (Don Shula)!

The duo tabulated many statistically historic marks and yet they won the AFC East a meager five times while finishing third or worse six times. Shula and Marino advanced to the AFC Championship game three times. In 1984 they advanced to their one and only Super Bowl loss. The following year they lost the AFC Championship game and lost again in 1992.

Thirteen years to put a team around Dan Marino and Shula couldn't get it done. In twelve of his seventeen years as the best AFC quarterback, Marino and his teams were beat out by lesser AFC East quarterbacks for the division. In sixteen of his seventeen years he was upstaged by lesser AFC quarterbacks for a conference championship opportunity. In all cases it is obvious that Marino was surrounded by an inferior total team cast to those with lesser quarterbacks! Whose fault was that?

After the Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills for eleven straight years in 22 consecutive victories Shula, Marino, and their teams were beat out by inner division rivals Marv Levy and Jim Kelly, along with their Buffalo teams who went on to four consecutive Super Bowl losses in the early 1990's.

Greatest Head Coach, General Manager, and staff for thirteen of the seventeen years of the Greatest quarterback of the era, if not history?

From 1983-1995 Don Shula under one scheme had one plan: Build a Super Bowl winning team around the greatest quarterback of the era. Dan Marino. Not a lot was needed being just one year removed from a David Woodley Super Bowl loss! Shula already had the best center in Dolphin history (Dwight Stephenson) with a great pass blocking offensive line for the occasion. He had two of the three best receivers in Dolphin history and good tight ends.

All that was required was a defense of some sort!


Maybe a running back to fool the opposition once in a while? Though it has been suggested by the dearly departed great Mad Dog Jim Mandich that "to have Dan Marino hand off is equatable to asking a brain surgeon to perform the surgery of a proctologist."

So there you have it. Thirteen years with the greatest head coach, greatest quarterback, same scheme, same plan, great stats, and ZERO CHAMPIONSHIPS! The majority of Danny's records aren't even records anymore!

Why are Shula and Marino held in such high regard? Because of the stats? Because of the excitement in non-championship seasons? Fact is that together they have won the same amount of NFL Championships that the seven head coaches and seventeen quarterbacks have won over the last thirteen years since Marino's retirement!

Why are Shula and Marino irreplaceable? Why is so much immediately expected of all the three year termed regimes (of which all have required entirely different schemes and personnel)? Meanwhile, Shula and Marino couldn't get it done in thirteen years with the same scheme and relative personnel. Why do Shula and Marino get a pass and nothing but praise for rarely winning the division, or never winning an NFL Championship? Why do the new kids get raked over the coals for not winning the division, or making the playoffs, or winning championships in only their first two to three years at the helm?

There will never again be for the Miami Dolphins the genius of Don Shula as head coach or the exciting ability of Dan Marino at quarterback that brought the fans one Super Bowl appearance!

One Super Bowl appearance during a continuous thirteen year plan? So What!

It is way beyond time to stop suggesting that this and that would have never happened if Shula and Marino were still around, because the same stuff (Non-Championship Seasons) took place when they were around!

It's time to stop the comparisons of Shula to Philbin and/or Marino to Tannehill because, quite frankly, other than statistically over thirteen years to two, both tandems have won the same number of the most important ultimate goal, NFL Championships!

Move forward and give the present during a few reasonable seasons a chance to accrue the handful of division championships, and the one Super Bowl appearance accrued between Shula and Marino's 1983 through 1995.

How hard can it be?

As previously suggested, you don't need the best quarterback and/or head coach in the league to win the Championship. Shula and Marino were upstaged by lesser AFC head coaches and quarterbacks in all but one of their thirteen seasons together, and Danny was beaten out by lesser AFC quarterbacks for an additional four years beyond the retirement of Shula.

More times than not, the best quarterback and/or head coach in the league doesn't win the Super Bowl!

Long term, the best quarterbacks in the league will reside in the NFC (Rodgers, Brees, Stafford, Newton, Wilson, Kaepernick, RG3, Romo, Cutler, Foles). The eventual postseason Miami Dolphins will likely have to face one of those quarterbacks just one time in a post season Super Bowl during any given year.

Once the AFC's Peyton Manning and Tom Brady hang'em'up, the AFC quarterback picture will be one of total parity! With no other present superstar quarterbacks in the picture, Andrew Luck will be at the top of the AFC heap and Ryan Tannehill will be peaking close to that of Luck. Tannehill has already beaten the present days superstar Brady as well as the long term Luck and the likes of the majority of the AFC's quarterbacks including playoff bound Rivers and Dalton. In 2013 he beat four of the six AFC playoff quarterbacks, didn't play against the other two, he beat Big Ben too!

Philbin is still learning the head coach position on the fly, but for him to hold the 2013 Dolphins together is suggestive that he is a very good coach and is more than capable of winning under a season of normal circumstances!

If given a reasonable chance?

It might not be as pretty or exciting, but Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill are and/or will be good enough (with an eventually solid team around them) to match or surpass the postseason accomplishments that even the greatest Dolphin duo in history were able to (Or should I say, were unable to?)!

Whether you have the best or worst head coach and quarterback tandem doesn't matter! It always takes a total team effort to advance to the post season for an opportunity to win an NFL Championship! Total team effort doesn't suggest that any one player, or all players on the team have to be the best in the league at their particular positions, just that the entire team effort has to be of the same mindset and goal!

This individual for 2013 predicted nine wins with reasonable health, 10 wins with good health, and 11 plus wins with a few good bounces (of which none of the above took place). Quite honestly (for the most part) the opposite of all the above took place!

Had one known prior to the season about what went down it's doubtful that anyone would have predicted more than a handful of wins!

Somehow, someway, Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill coaxed eight wins out of a physically, as well as mentally decimated football team!

Here's to the climbing of a well graded, slightly vertical, scenic mountain road in 2014!

Thank You for an open-minded read as we look forward to your angle of view!

GOFINS!!!