Did we just kill two birds with one stone?

Written by sebastian maichel on .

  There is a lot of comparison going around between Flynn and Kolb or Cassel but there is several things that should be taken in to account in this particular situation. Number one is the history of the franchise where Flynn is coming from the Packers have historically build a reputation of developing top quality qbs such as Aaron Rodgers, Brett Farve, Matt Hasselbeck and a few others. In addition to that it should also be noted that if Philbin is named as the future head coach of these Franchise Matt Flynn would likely be considered as one of the top choices because of the fact he is familiar with the system for the fact he is been in it since 08. He is also proven to be a winner as he took LSU to a national title win.

  In regards to the Kevin kolb comparison apart from the fact that they were both backups there is absolutely no resemblance what so ever in each individual skill set. if you take your time to look at Kolb closely he doesn't look as polished a Flynn has in his first two starts from an accuracy stand point. not to mention statistically 6 tds one pick 480 yards and the go ahead td with 2 min left?. Another factor is that well its the system its the weapons and such well last time i cheked that system that he is playing in is the same system which will be put in place here. We also have the option to kill three birds in one stone. First we are getting a Qb which say what you want small sample size, product of the system ext has shown the ability to do something i doubt Rg3 can do 6tds in one game coming of ot playing in a yr. This would also free up picks to compliment what we have such as Blackmon, Fleener and a right tackle. Finally i would bring Tom Clemens or Mike Sherman in as OC the Packers qb coach who has been one of the top in the business when dealing with QBS.

All in all this is just personal opinion but we all ready have a solid Defense wouldn't it make since to bring someone in who is a part of one of the most prolific and modern offenses in the NFL? change for the sake of change is sometimes harmful and personally Fisher is flashy and sounds tempting but is really the right fit from a need standpoint? yes he gets his players to play hard but so did Tony right? Finally something to keep in mind is the fact that this is a new much needed fresh start not only for this franchise whos ego and reputation has been battered and bruised throughout the entire past decade, but also coach Philbin who is showing us just what kind of characte, strength and mental tougness is all about. This can almot certainly be cause for the Phins to rally around him. Bottom line if this team can show just one 4th of the resilience their new lleader has shown off the football field in his personal life and put it on display in his personal life i believe we are great shape moving forward.

The Dolphins Name Joe Philbin the 10th Coach in Franchise History

Written by Michael Serrania on .

Today at about 6:25 Eastern, the Miami Dolphins named Joe Philbin as their head coach after an exhaustive search of interested candidates around the NFL.

The search began with overtures and dalliances with candidates such as Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, and Jeff Fisher.  After having a day of interviews with Jeff Fisher two weeks prior and a long waiting period on his decision, he eventually rebuffed Miami and went for an opportunity to have a say in personnel, GM, and staff in St. Louis.

The coaching search for Miami turned to plan B looking at three finalists: Mike McCoy (OC in Denver), Joe Philbin (OC in Green Bay), and Miami interim head coach Todd Bowles.

Miami has chosen Philbin as the coach who will lead the Miami Dolphins into 2012 and beyond. 
It has been confirmed by the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero and Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network.

Questions certainly will arise going forward as very interesting and published reports in the Miami Herald via Barry Jackson that Jeff Ireland was for McCoy and Steve Ross was for the older and more experienced Philbin.
 
Was there a power struggle?  Was there a difference of opinion?  Does Ross have more power than Ireland?

As of right now, the only thing that matters is that Philbin is the Dolphin's guy and his staff to support him and the players will be known soon enough.

Next on the Phins Phocus agenda?  A possible free agency quarterback and draft talk.

Dolphins need to trade out of pick 8/ 9th

Written by Daniel Eliesen on .

ireland_draft

Heads or Tails, that will decide whether the Dolphins draft at 8 or 9th in this year’s NFL draft. While there were campaigns to Suck For Luck or Blow For Barkley or Lose for Landry the Dolphins didn’t feel obligated to listen as they won just enough games this year to take them out of the discussion for the top Quarterbacks in this year’s draft.

Not only do the Dolphins have the privilege of drafting at the back of the top 10 but they also are 3rd in the pecking order of teams who need QB’s. The Browns currently sit at 4 while the Redskins have the 6th pick.

As most already know there are only 2 top QB’s in this year’s draft. Mr. Luck is a certainty to go #1 to the Colts and RG3 will most likely go 2nd overall to whichever team is willing to trade up to get him.

The 8th/9th pick also most likely won’t allow the Dolphins to land a top playmaker as both Trent Richardson and Justin Blackmon are expected to be off the board at that time. The most likely situation would be the Dolphins taking Riley Reiff OT from Iowa. Reiff is a safe choice which fills a need and would help build an even strong young and talented offensive line. However he is not a game changer that will help this offense take the large leap it needs. Reiff will not put the fans in the stands and will not create the excitement that has been lacking in South Florida. 

It will be difficult but in my opinion Jeff Ireland needs to move out of the pick.  Whether it’s making an attractive offer to St Louis and going to get RG3 or trading down, there is a move to be made here.

If the Dolphins are planning on moving up it will most likely cost them 2012 1ST round pick + 2013 1st round pick + (Brandon Marshall or Randy Starks)

I am sure it is going to take a lot of negation to figure out what exactly works out best but when you haven’t found a QB in around 13 years, there is no time better than the present. Remember there is no amount you can overpay for a franchise good QB.

If that option doesn’t work because the Browns or Redskins outbid you or because the Rams demands are too high well then moving down should be an option too.

Picks 14 ( Dallas) and 15 ( Eagles) are too solid options where the Dolphins will still be able to juice up the O Line with David De Castro or take a WR like Jeffery or Floyd.

When April comes around Jeff Ireland has a lot of work to do.

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Something to keep an eye on

Written by sebastian maichel on .

 So at this point it is safe to say that we are in the midst of a full blown coaching search, several potential suitors have already interviewed. Some of this candidates have given us the cold shoulder, and some have simply not the requirements outlined by the Dolphins brass. One thing we know for certain is the fact that with Nolan leaving, and Daboll very possibly following his tracks out of Davie ( which honestly shouldn't shock anyone) the perspective in this coaching search should widen significantly. I guess where I'm going is we are down to 3 men who the bifecta believe are qualified to lead this team where they envision it must go (Mcoy, Philbin, and Bowles) thats great it really is because the Senior bowl which signifies the beginning of the draft process is a few days away. This also means that in those 3 men should have shown several key components that are of tremendous importance to become a successful head coach in the NFL. First the ability to lead men, that IT factor that would encourage the weakest of men to follow him in to a dark alley in the middle of the nght and show no fear.(Also referred by many as the aura). In addition to these he has to have the ability to adjust. He must be able to adjust to the inevitable inconveniences such as injuries, short weeks, even weather conditions. However these three things will be completly irrelevant if he cant adjust to the men in between the white lines. 

An In-Depth Look at Mike Nolan's Departure

Written by Michael Serrania on .



Mike Nolan proved one heck of a "get" for the Miami Dolphins at the beginning of the 2010 off season.  Nolan had coached 1 year in Denver as defensive coordinator after being fired midseason by the San Francisco Forty Niners in 2008.  Nolan replaced then Miami defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, giving the Dolphins some coaching credibility and experience.

Nolan spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins as defensive coordinator in which he managed to comeback (this season) from a horrid 0-7 skid to almost blanking the Chiefs and getting the right mix of players defending the run and pass.  Miami finished the 2011 season ranked 6th in points allowed and seldom allowed a 100 yard rusher.  Nolan was applauded for his use of exotic blitzes out of the three and four technique, something that the Dolphins have the player personnel to accomplish due to size and speed.

However, Mike Nolan until today was set to be a Miami Dolphin defensive coordinator for the 2012 season since he was under contract.  While there was much rumor and innuendo of Nolan to be named as DC in Atlanta, New Orleans, or Tampa; Nolan was quick to land on his feet and bring his 3-4 defense to the Atlanta Falcons because of his close relationship with Coach Mike Smith (they served on the defensive staff together in Baltimore).

As the defensive coordinator in Miami, the talk this off season was why didn’t Nolan get a chance to at least interview for the position of Dolphins Head Coach.  The first knock against Nolan was his 2008 season was marred by a firing at midseason by current San Francisco Forty Niner president Jed York.  Additionally, Nolan was fresh off the firing and fresh off of an apparent personality squabble in Denver where then head coach Josh McDaniels was in charge of personnel and dictated the movement of player personnel; agreed to give Nolan the lateral transfer to the Dolphins.

In 2010, the Dolphins were right to get Nolan from the Broncos and establish a very powerful and imposing identity on the defensive side of the ball.  Defensive monsters such as Paul Soliai, Jared Odrick, Kendall Langford, and Karlos Dansby thrived under Nolan's defensive schemes in that they stopped the run and pressured the quarterback multiple times per game.  The debut of the Dolphin defense under Nolan resulted in a 15-10 defeat of the Buffalo Bills one in which rookie Jared Odrick and Karlos Dansby made their prescence felt.  Nolan's defense followed up the defensive effort with a stoppage of Adrian Peterson and the Vikings in week 2.  However, the Defensive schemes in 2010 were out numbered in losses to the Jets (once), Patriots (twice), Browns(4th quarter), Lions (4th quarter), Steelers (4th quarter), Bears, and Bills (4th quarter).  Nolan's 2010 campaign lacked finishing off teams in the fourth quarter and letting close victories slip away.

In 2011, the Dolphins slow start could be attributed to a lack of defensive depth at the linebacker and corner position and a lack of conditioning and toughness necessary to combat the weapons on the Patriots, Giants, Chargers, Texans, and Jets.  The Dolphins began the season 0-7 largely in part for not finishing teams in the 4th quarter losing to the Browns, Broncos (blew 15-0 in 7 minutes), and Giants teams that Miami was dominating defensively until the final 2 minutes. 

While Nolan’s players performed to the bitter end of every game, the current regime Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross may have ordered the change by giving Nolan an out in his contract thus giving Nolan room to seek other opportunities. Perhaps this opt out in the contract was provided initially by Nolan's agent should Sparano be fired during Nolan's term as a defensive coordinator.  One could only guess.

It is unclear, why Nolan did not at least get an interview, but one can surmise that the past experience in San Francisco of squabbles with ownership and a direct mishandling of player and personnel may have led to Miami thinking twice on interviewing him for the job.

Thanks for reading!  Please follow @DolphinMick for insight and analysis!