How Will the Change in Leadership Affect the Miami Dolphins

Some of the off-season moves have brought a significant difference in the Miami Dolphin leadership and this change of the guard has flown under the radar of most fans and media. The Dolphins have not been near the top of the NFL since Dan Marino hung up his cleats but they may be closer now than at any point since. Tony Sparano did some soul searching this off-season and from that introspect he realized his team lacked explosion due to his conservative coaching; he also came to the conclusion his team leaders were not what he needed them to be.

Ricky and Ronnie may not inspire Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid like Czonka and Kick once did but Dan Henning’s offense was clearly centered around their talents. Channing Crowder never seemed to be in the right place at the right time to make big plays but he was the defensive play caller and the defense seemingly played better when he was in the game. Chad Pennington’s body never allowed him to play for consecutive seasons his entire NFL career, but his knowledge and presence loomed large on the sideline, in the locker room and in the meeting rooms.

Fans may notice of the absence of Henning, Williams, Brown, Crowder and Pennington because each had past moments of greatness but there will be no press conferences honoring their time in the Dolphin organization. There is probably a thought about where this is leading and the word “leading” would be the clue. What happens when a team has enigmatic leadership? What happens when a team has blasé leadership? What happens when a team has leadership that cannot stay healthy enough to remain on the field?

Dan Henning covers the enigmatic pretty well. He was a mysterious cantankerous dictator who was beyond reproach. If his offense was not performing it was not his system or his play calling, it was because the players were not good enough to make it work. How dare the media or even his boss insinuate he change something in his system, if ten offensive linemen cannot seem to make it work, bring in more. If Chad Henne’s strengths do not fall in line with this playbook, Chad Henne needs to be gone. Henning was an inflexible tyrant and that is exactly what a coach in the modern NFL cannot be. Many of the lowest paid players make more money than Henning but he could not see this polar shift from coach centric to player centric football. Removing this influence was pivotal for Sparano and it will show.

Ricky Williams never wanted to be a leader. Ricky Williams is a philosopher in a football player’s body. Thrust into the position of leadership under Dave Wannestedt, Ricky balked and worse, he quit. When a team deals two first round picks for a player there are bound to be expectations and if the player is not on board with those expectations, issues are soon to follow. Even though Ricky put that chapter behind him, the shadow of it lingered in the sense that Tony Sparano knew he could never place too much responsibility on Ricky’s shoulders. It is clear to see Ricky was not a leader but there was no way his presence and veteran wisdom could not be influential. Ricky was not a bad influence but he quit once and there was always the sense that if too much responsibility fell on Ricky’s shoulders he would just as soon live in a tent then get too caught up in leading a football team. On a veteran team Ricky would have been fine but on a young team Ricky’s presence drew players to him and he was not a person who would carry the banner into the fight.

Ronnie Brown is a prime example of why many NFL people view running backs as a dime a dozen. Ronnie was a good back who had moments of brilliance, but he was never worthy of the second pick in the draft. It is hard for players picked early in the draft to live up to their draft status. Being picked high is a guaranteed pocket full of jingle but the danger of the jingle is the incentive lost once the prize is won. One of the reasons Nick Saban thought Brown would be a good pick was because he had shared time in college with Cadillac Williams and did not have the wear on his body that a pure feature back would have had. It turned out not to matter as Brown spent as much time injured as he did on the field. Even when healthy Brown’s personality never was an inspiration to the players around him and hence he was never a leader. Being a veteran on the team Brown was looked up to by the younger players but his example was not one Sparano felt could provide the leadership his young team needed.

Dreadlocks, tattoos and his mouth moving a mile a minute are the lasting impressions Channing Crowder left on Dolphin fans. There are few who would argue the Miami defense played better when Crowder was on the field, but the oft injured Crowder exemplified a defense that never seemed to make big plays. Crowder was somewhat of an enigma, he could get his teammates properly lined up and had a good sense of what play the offense was about to run, but somehow he was never in position to make the play. Compared to a player like Zach Thomas who could line up the defense and fly to the ball, Crowder was missing half his game. Crowder was always willing to speak his mind and he was the center of attention in the locker room but big plays and nose for the football eluded him on the field. His off the field banter and on the field jawing were not backed up by big plays, which led to Crowder not being respected by his peers around the league. The leader of a team must not only be respected by his own team but by his opponents as well. Crowder was not and Sparano knew it was not going to change.

Whenever I think of Chad Pennington I think of Herdfan and it is hard to be too critical of a player who could bring such a great fan to the Miami Dolphin faithful. The truth is there is not much to be critical of; Pennington’s was a career of what could have been. He is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history. Every year he stayed healthy he led his team to the playoffs. Pennington was the consummate professional and a great leader, but he could not stay healthy. Pennington never completed back to back seasons without injury and because of that he could never guide an offense long enough to make it to the big show. He certainly had the tools and leadership to get there but his body would not allow it. If Pennington had a flaw during his final seasons in Miami it was the notion that he could be some form of a player-coach. Pennington wanted to play and being a leader in the locker room caused his teammates to follow him even though he could not take the field. Chad Henne could not take over the reins of leadership because of the respect everyone in the organization held for Pennington. If Pennington had remained healthy he would definitely be a part of this football team today, but he could not.

When Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland got together after the tumultuous beginning of the off-season that saw Steven Ross courting an unproven college coach, they knew the veteran presence on the team had to change. For Henning it was his inflexibility to modernize his offense in accordance with the changes taking root in the NFL. For Williams it was his lack of buying in to the coaching staff and his willingness to voice his opinion in his own subtle way. For Brown it was his natural timidity, injuries and poor practice habits born of those injuries. For Crowder it was simply about putting his play where his mouth was and staying healthy. For Pennington it was a matter of health. The team was desperately in need of a change in leadership.

Sparano knew he had to change, he knew he had to become less conservative and more explosive. He also knew it was essential his coaching staff spoke with one voice and for those reasons he replaced Dan Henning with Brian Daboll. Daboll was fresh, his ideas were explosive and he was not a renegade. Drafting Daniel Thomas and picking up Reggie Bush brought in fresh running backs with something to prove. Why Larry Johnson, because Larry Johnson has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Channing Crowder worked out with one team before deciding to retire. That’s because there were not many teams beating down his door and that should say a mouthful about what the rest of the league thinks about Crowder. Aside from his injuries, letting Pennington go would allow Chad Henne to finally step up without constantly looking over his shoulder.

The issue of loyalty cannot be understated… Williams, Brown and Crowder were not their guys. Draft picks have a natural allegiance to the coaches who drafted them, but even free agents feel a breath of new life when a team seeks them out and pays them for their services. The number of players left from previous regimes should be a good indicator of how important this is to Sparano and Ireland. Pennington is the exception but in his case injuries were his undoing. It is clear, if Sparano and Ireland were going down they were going down with players of their own choosing. Everyone on this team is now under the same onus... Win or else. Don’t be surprised to see a team with a little more sense of urgency and a lot more will to win.

My question to you is, who will emerge as the new leadership core of the Dolphins?

The Miami Dolphins Need to Consider Bringing Channing Crowder Back

The Miami Dolphins released LB Channing Crowder at the end of last month, who was a starter and vocal leader of the team. Miami then followed up by signing Kevin Burnett of the Chargers to take his place.

Cutting Crowder saved Miami $5 million, which is probably the main reason for them releasing him in the first place. What I am suggesting is the Dolphins should try and bring him back, just for less money.

After being cut by the Dolphins Crowder went to work out with the Patriots, but he didn't like the workout saying that it "felt dead." He then decided to retire, which was pretty surprising considering he is only 27, which is surprising in the NFL.

I am willing to bet that Crowder would like to return to the Dolphins if given the chance. He has been with Miami since they drafted him in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and I am getting the impression that he is waiting for the Dolphins to call him up and give him an offer.

He would obviously need to be willing to take a pay cut and he wouldn't be the starter anymore, but I don't think that would be too much of a problem for him, and it would sure help the Dolphins. It would give them extra depth at inside linebacker, and it would bring back a favorite in the Miami locker room.

This would be similar to bringing back Jason Taylor, except that Crowder probably wouldn't be as big of an influence on the field as JT.

I want to know your thoughts. Should the Miami Dolphins reach out to Channing Crowder and see if he is willing to take a pretty significant pay cut to come back to play for the Dolphins?

I have also added a Fan Tab Confidence meter at the bottom of the blog, so feel free to check that out and see how confident Dolphins fans are of their team and to add your own confidence level. You can vote as much as you would like I believe.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Look At The Miami Dolphins Kevin Burnett

Ok, so it has been said a number of times that the Miami Dolphins have done next to nothing during the free agency period, and I, like others, am very disappointed. Maybe one thing they have done right is to bring in Kevin Burnett from the Chargers.

Now, I was not very happy to see them let Crowder go, but Burnett does have some decent numbers. Last year, he had 80 tackles, 6 sacks, and 2 interceptions. Crowder was averaging close to 60 tackles per season, and had 2.5 sacks and 1 interception last year. I would think that we have upgraded at that position with this move, even though a lot of it had to do with Ireland's personal relationship with Burnett from the Cowboys. I guess we just have to grasp at what we can, and hope that Paul is right about the Orton deal. Maybe, just maybe, that will come to fruition.

Maybe one day the Miami Dolphins will have a quarter back that we can get excited about. Until then, we can just lust for the day that we have a new coach and GM.

Any thoughts? Thanks for reading.

Miami Dolphins Release Channing Crowder

The Miami Dolphins have released LB Channing Crowder according to a tweet by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Crowder was scheduled to make $5 million next season, which is probably a big reason why the Dolphins cut him.

Crowder was a very talkative player in Miami, but I am pretty sure that he will not be missed very much.

Thanks for reading, and let me know whether you like the move to release him or not.

You Tell Me: Is Channing Crowder Good Enough For The Miami Dolphins?

This week's "You Tell Me" is about Miami Dolphins LB Channing Crowder.

Crowder has always been a very talkative player, and that can be a good or bad thing depending on the situation. His vocal abilities have never come into question. What has come into question before is his playing ability, and I want to know what you guys think about him.

So, my question is do you guys think Crowder is good enough to be starting for the Miami Dolphins?

If you don't think he is good enough, then who do you want Miami to go after to replace him and why isn't he good enough? If you do think he is good enough, then what do you like about him?

I hope you guys enjoy the discussion, and I will be adding my two cents whenever I feel like I should.

Thanks for reading. Let me hear what you have to say with a comment, and thank you Gary for the idea of this "You Tell Me."

Good Old Channing Crowder: A Look Back At Some Of His Funnier Interviews As A Miami Dolphin

By now I expect that most of you have heard about Miami Dolphins LB Channing Crowder's comments about Mel Kiper supposedly making him spend his money before he had it.

If you guys haven't heard, here is what he said when asked if he pays attention to the hype leading up to the NFL courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews:

"Yeah I watch it and all. Mel Kiper and all, he messed me over, he lied to me said I was top-20 had me go out and spend X amount of dollars and then owe the bank stuff. So I don't know the guys; they're guessing just like we guess; I can guess who the Dolphins are going to take too. But I look at it a little bit and hear the experts I guess they call them to hear what they got to say."

This is classic Channing Crowder stuff, and it got me thinking about some of Crowder's other funny interviews. So, I have added a few videos below of two of his previous interviews and a video of him getting decked because it is pretty funny. Enjoy!

This video is his interview after Le'Ron McClain spit in his face during a game. [Warning: Language]




The next interview is two videos of Crowder talking crap about the Jets after a victory against them. The actual interview isn't as funny as the ridiculous looking towel on his head. I apologize for the audio being out of sync with the video, but it is the best I could find.

Part 1


Part 2



This last video is Crowder being leveled by Saints RB Mike Bell. I know you're probably wondering why I would put this video up. Honestly, I just enjoy seeing Crowder get lit up every once in a while because he can be pretty annoying at times. Wait until the end of the video for the really good hit.




Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the videos.

Miami Dolphins Work Out OLB Rashad Jeanty

Finally some news.

According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, the Miami Dolphins worked out linebacker Rashad Jeanty on Monday. Miami was stop number one of eight for Jeanty.

The Dolphins and Jeanty do not currently have any type of contract in the works, but that may have more to do with the fact that the CBA will expire than anything else.

Jeanty isn't a big name player, and he doesn't have many great stats to speak of, but Miami may be looking to bring in an LB that will be able to step in and replace Channing Crowder in the near future. Crowder's contract will expire in two years, so maybe Jeanty could come in and be ready to replace him if the Dolphins elect not to re-sign Crowder.

From what I gather about Jeanty on his scouting reports, he won't be much more than a consistent contributor, but that could be a good thing for the Dolphins. Not every defender needs to be a star player, and I think he could fit in well with the likes of Karlos Dansby and Cameron Wake.

I know that Jeanty is an outside linebacker, but with a little work I think he could be able to pass Channing Crowder and play on the inside. Crowder isn't exactly the best ILB out there, so we could always use some improvement.

We actually don't even know if Jeanty could be any better than Crowder, but it would be worth taking a chance because Jeanty would be a cheap free agent prospect.

We will see if Miami and Jeanty do come to some sort of agreement that Rashad will sign with the Dolphins when a new CBA is in place, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about Jeanty and him being a possible replacement for Channing Crowder.

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The Channing Crowder Situation: Angry And Funny At The Same Time

After Sunday's loss to Baltimore, Miami Dolphins LB Channing Crowder got pretty mad and accused Ravens RB Le'Ron McClain.

Crowder was interviewed in the locker room after the game, and even though the interview was completely serious, there are still some funny little quotes that we can get from it.

McClain denies ever spitting on him, but I find that hard to believe because Crowder wouldn't just lie about that. I have put up a video for you guys, and in the video you can see McClain spitting on Crowder as well as part of Crowder's reaction.



It is pretty obvious he spit on him, and Crowder has right to be mad. What I find funny about the whole thing, though, is a certain part of Crowder's interview. Here is the funny part courtesy of ESPN's AFC East Blog:

Crowder said referee John Parry's officiating crew wasn't sympathetic.

"Then they said something about they let [Dolphins linebacker] Karlos Dansby get away with a facemask the play before," Crowder said. "Who the f--- cares? A guy just spit in my face! I don't give a damn about Karlos pulling somebody's facemask. Like they didn't see [Dolphins quarterback] Chad Henne get hit twice when he slid. Yeah, a little Stevie Wonder and Anne Frank."

Crowder might have been done talking right then, but I had to ask what he meant by Anne Frank.

"Who was that? Is that the blind girl?" Crowder said.

Helen Keller, I suggested.

"Helen Keller," he said. "I don't know who the f--- Anne Frank is. I'm mad right now. F--- it. I'm not as swift as I usually am.

"That's the first time I've ever been spit in my face in my life. And that's the worst thing you can do to a man as another man, spit in somebody's face. Why would you do that? Why would you try to? Because you're scared of me? Really? Spit on me and then walk away real fast and let your team protect you? That's what he did."

Funny, huh?

Anyways, I Tony Sparano has requested that the NFL review the incident, and if they do see the footage I included above I think they will obviously be able to tell.

I don't know what the ramifications of McClain's actions would be, though, but I still want to see him punished. I especially hate how he backed up after he spit, too. I agree with Crowder that he is a coward. McClain is just mad that he is the 3rd string running back and Crowder is a starter.

Thanks for reading, and I am sorry that I didn't post anything yesterday. I had another migraine, so I wasn't able to do anything.

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Aaron Rodgers Appears Ready To Play Against The Miami Dolphins, And That Is A Good Thing

Rodgers Will Most Likely Play

Some of you may remember my post before the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets game where I said I wanted Darelle Revis to be healthy for the game because I didn't want to hear excuses from Jets fans as to why they lost.

Admittedly, the Jets still won without Revis, but that is beside my point.

My point is that I want teams to play the Dolphins when they are at their best. The Packers will still have to play without TE Jermichael Finley, but he is not as important as Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback, and it is always exciting to watch how Miami's defense is able to do against great quarterbacks.

We can use this game to prove to others (and ourselves) that the Dolphins defense is capable of stopping some of the best offenses. I do believe in our defense and their abilities, but 2-2 doesn't really instill much faith in the team to this point.

I like winning games against teams at full power. It just isn't as satisfying to beat a team without their best player(s), and the Dolphins are very capable of beating the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are getting Rodgers, but the Dolphins are also likely getting key players on defense back in Channing Crowder and Jared Odrick.

Getting both Odrick and Crowder back helps put the defense in a much better position, and they will no longer have to move players around to fill in holes.

Yes, getting Odrick and Crowder back may not be as huge as the Packers getting Rodgers back, but them returning will still be huge for our defense and should be a big factor in how the defense performs.

Thanks everyone for reading. I know it seems kind of slow right now in terms of news on the Miami Dolphins, but things will pick up I promise. Let me know what you think about Rodgers returning, though.

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The Miami Dolphins Are Growing Stronger As The Green Bay Packers Are Growing Weaker

All I can say is if we don't win this game I will be severely disappointed.



It's Good To See Odrick Back



The Miami Dolphins head to Green Bay this weekend to play the Packers, and the odds are definitely in their favor.

Not only are the Dolphins possibly getting back LB Channing Crowder, DE Jared Odrick, and G John Jerry, but it is also possible that the Packers will lose QB Aaron Rodgers along with TE Jermichael Finley who is already out.

So assuming that Aaron Rodgers is out, not only will the Dolphins be better than they have so far this season, but the Packers will be a whole lot worse.

Getting Odrick back is probably the best of all the players possibly returning this week because his absence forced the defensive line to shift a bit. Randy Starks, who was supposed to be moved to Nose Tackle, had to be moved to defensive end because Odrick was out.

Now, Odrick can come back in at the end and let Starks work his magic at tackle.

On top of that the Dolphins will gain extra experience with Channing Crowder back at LB. Crowder is an important player on this team, and with him and Karlos Dansby leading the way this defense should do much better.


And, everything mentioned above is just the best returning players for the Miami Dolphins without even talking about who the Packers are losing.

Green Bay's biggest loss is obviously Aaron Rodgers due to a concussion. I understand that he has not been officially ruled out of Sunday's game yet, but it is highly unlikely that he will play because of the rules and regulations set by the NFL on how to handle concussions.

With Rodgers gone the Packers will turn to 3rd year QB Matt Flynn, who has never started an NFL game before and has only thrown 17 total passes in NFL games. Call me crazy, but I'm excited to see how our defense will do against such an inexperienced QB.

And while having Rodgers gone is a huge blow to the Packers, that blow is doubled because Jermichael Finley is also gone. Yes, Flynn will have Greg Jennings and Donald Driver to throw to, but Finley is the most important target.

And, I don't mean that because of Finley's statistics so far, either. A lot of times when a young quarterback drops back to throw and his receivers are covered he will have his tight end to throw to as a safety blanket. Without a talented safety blanket like Jermichael Finley Flynn might try and force the ball somewhere else and throw an interception.

Things look great for the Dolphins this week. Let's just hope they can actually win and not lose off of ridiculous special teams play.

Thanks everyone for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment. I apologize for leaving this weekend and only getting one post up. I am back now, though, and I will go back to my normal pattern of writing every day.

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