It might surprise all of us Dolfans that Jeff Ireland has survived the firing of Tony Sparano yesterday.

Surely, Tony was fired because the Dolphins did not win enough games and therefore did not bring the fans into the stadium.

Some of the questions that I have are:

Did Tony get the right coaching personnel? Did Tony get the right players? Were the "groceries" that Jeff Ireland shopped for the right fit?

Here is why Jeff Ireland is still there:

In the area of coaching personnel, the coaches that have surrounded Tony have been a range of good to decent.  After the firing of Bonamego, the special teams got better.  Mike Nolan after two years has put the stamp on the defense to sack quartebacks and in the Dolphins 4 wins, it has been a very impressive showing.  Dan Henning was not a good fit from the beginning, but it was put in place by Parcells and not Ireland. Brian Daboll has shown marked improvement, but I am not certain he will be around after these next three games with a new coach. 

On free agency and the draft Jeff Ireland made very safe first round picks.  He picked Long, but more so because Tony and Bill were enamored with Jake Long.  They (probably both Tony and Bill) believed he was the next Jumbo Eliott.  It could be that Tony wanted Long, but maybe Ireland wanted a QB.  Matt Ryan?

Jeff Ireland hit on Vontae Davis shoring up the corner back position by creating a matchp issue for teams not to throw toward that coverage. 

In addition, Ireland, when he didn't have a second round pick traded down to still grab a very capable Defensive Linemen in Jared Odrick.  He grabbed the second rounder by trading back. 

Last year, he grabbed Mike Pouncey who at times has been wild with the snaps, but has shown veteran type leadership anchoring the line.  

In free agency, Ireland landed free agents that have improved the defense in both Karlos Dansby and Randy Starks and on offense Brandon Marshall has been an upgrade from anything the Dolphins featured with Greg Camarillo.   

This year he landed Reggie Bush and signed Matt Moore.  Without both Bush and Moore, the Dolphins would be 0-16 and fighting with the Colts for the worst record.

So, if you look at the evidence Ireland has kept the Dolphins from potential pitfalls in Kyle Orton and Dez Bryant.  I know you might say that not getting Dez was a bad move, but the Dolphins had just traded for Marshall and therefore did not need another distraction.

I cannot however ignore what Ireland has done wrong.  Ireland abandoned his "friend" in Sparano last year when he distanced himself as management from the right hand arm of Tony when he went to California on a business trip with Stephen Ross and Jeff Ireland to lure Jim  Harbaugh. Ireland proved that he can separate himself as management versus coaching. He earned Stephen Ross' respect.  If placed in that same position, you would do what Ireland did or quit.   

Ireland has not taken a Quarterback with the exception of Henne, in which it may have been Parcells decision. Ireland had his chances, but for some reason he put his faith in Henne.  Ireland passed on very capable passers such as Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, and Ryan Mallet. 

Ireland did not replace Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.  Why?  Too pricey and he figured that getting Daniel Thomas to move the pile and control games was what he could do.  He just didn't expect Thomas to be out of shape when camp opened.

So, is Ireland the worse GM in the NFL?  This season? 

Look at the Colts, Browns, Chargers, Bucs...do they have great GMs?  Can this GM right the ship and get a better coach in place?  Does he have what it takes?  I believe time will tell.



 

Well it’s the time of year where kids all over the world start making their wish lists for Christmas and seeing as I am still a 15 year old at heart I thought it was only appropriate to make myself an NFL Dolphins wish list. I have been pretty good this so lets hope that I am not on Santa’s naughty list and that all my Dolphins wishes come true.

 

Head Coach: Jeff Fisher

As I tweeted early in the week, how can one not give all their respect to Jeff, when he has such great beard growing ability. Jeff Fisher can truly grow a beard with the best of them. Fisher most likely could form a very solid staff with potentially some of his old team-mates in USC like Jack Del Rio who is now available. Fisher has had success in this league and is the experienced coach that Ross is looking for. Fisher also has the hunger to want to win a super bowl as he has come close in the past but came up short.

Quarterback: Matt Barkley or Rg3 OR Peyton Manning

While I am pretty indecisive as I have no chosen one specific QB, all three of these options seem pretty appealing to me. Hopefully the Dolphins will be in a position in the draft where these two stud QB’s are available. If Fisher is in fact our guy he might decide to go with Barkley due to his USC ties however he did draft Vince Young over Leinart in Tennessee. There is also the factor that RG3 like Ireland are both Baylor Bears.

Tight End: Colby Fleener

The Stanford tight end seems to be just what we need to compliment mister Fasano in the tight end department. Why not give our rookie QB as many weapons as we can to ensure his success.

Jeff Ireland not to be an asshole anymore OR get fired!

 

Stephen Ross to give me 51% equity stake of the Dolphins for the price of 10 $

Addressing key issues in Free Agency or Draft: FS, RT and OLB (Blitzer to go on opposite side of Wake)

Ps: I am Jewish so I hope I am not being too needy Santa !

With the news that Tony Sparano has been fired, here are just a couple of names to keep in mind to be the next head coach of the Dolphins:

1) Bill Cowher (Career record: 149-90-1. Won Super Bowl XL.)

Cowher is a high-profile, A list head coaches who has experience and has had success in this league. His 12-9 playoff record could be better, but it's hardly anything to cry over. A two-time Sporting News and one-time AP coach of the year, Cowher certainly has what it takes to excite a fan base and potentially turn a franchise around. Cowher however might want GM power too which might not be an option.

2) Jeff Fisher (Career record: 147-126. Lost Super Bowl XXXIV.)

 

Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk reports that Fisher is very hungry to get back into the game, as early as 2012, to try and rebuild a franchise and finally win a Super Bowl. Fisher is an experienced and successful coach with a respectable 5-6 playoff record who has a track record of getting the most out of relatively untalented teams. Despite his years of experience, he is still relatively young, and has that hunger to win a career-defining championship that could make him a good long-term hire.  KC and the Dolphins most likely will pursue him hard.

3) Jon Gruden (100-85. Won Super Bowl XXXVII.)

Despite the fact that Gruden just signed a 5 year extension with ESPN, it's possible that if Gruden had the opportunity to come in and coach a guy like Andrew Luck he would jump at the opportunity. Gruden has the unique aspect on his resume that he taken two different franchises to the playoffs, and compiled a 5-4 record in the postseason. The coach called "Chucky" is still young and fiery and certainly is an easy sell to any fan base. 

There were whispers that owner Stephen Ross in Miami would love to have Gruden as their next coach, but we’ll see if he is ready to leave his gig at ESPN.

4) Brian Billick (Career Record: 85-67, won Super Bowl XXXV.)

"Once a coach, always a coach, that's always a part of your blood." -- Brian Billick on ESPN's Mike and Mike Radio Show

Billick is now working for the NFL Network, but seems to be enthusiastic to get back onto the field as a head coach. But perhaps the right opportunity, the right partnership, hasn't presented itself yet. Another coach with experience, a winning record and a super bowl title. Billick's name is one that usually gets brought up year round but also one that usually gets overlooked.

5) Rob Chudzinski 

 

Known as a QB guru, the Panthers offensive coordinators has done wonders with Cam Newton and could be an interesting option for Miami. If the Dolphins are in position to draft Robert Griffin the third than it is certainly foreseeable these two would make a great pair.

First off, here at Phins Phocus we would like to wish all the best for Tony Sparano in the future as he was a great man and someone you could respect, unfortunately he was a pretty bad NFL head coach.

We have lived through the fist pump, through the conservative play and really a complete lack of understanding how to manage a football game however Tony Sparano was still able to get his players to believe and fall in love with his style of coaching.

However it is time to move on as at the end of the day the Dolphins record under Tony Sparano says it all. Whether the players loved him or not it is simply unacceptable to have 3 straight losing seasons and to start a season 0-7.

Its now time for the Dolphins organization to turn the page and go on a search for their new head coach. A list coaching options like Gruden, Fisher and Cowher will be brought up and then you will have your college head coaches like Les Miles and the select few of young hot coordinators. The word experience was brought up in the Dolphins press conference by Jeff Ireland and at the end of the day I believe that is the route they will go.

However it is important to note that Jeff Irelands job appears to be safe which could hinder the Dolphins search and make them a less attractive coaching option.

Lets hope for a better future for our Phins

Phins Up

Adios Tony ! Be well !

Ps Jeff Ireland better up his game, because so far he has been a very lame GM to say the least.

On October 30th, Tim Tebow robbed the Miami Dolphins of their first victory in the fourth quarter with 3:54 to go.  Dolphins miracolously bounced back to win 4 out of 6 games.

Today, Tim Tebow, with the help of his offensive line, wide receivers, running backs, and opportunistic defense beat the Chicago Bears.

Tim Tebow keeps on winning and the Denver Broncos keep on kicking themselves after being in the Andrew Luck campaign. 

Now, the Miami Dolphins who lost to the Eagles this afternoon find themselves 4-9 and licking their wounds after attempting to go 8-8 and "Feed that wolf".

What exactly as a fan do you want to see?  Do you want to see why J.P. Losman, former first round QB was in the UFL last season? 

Do you want to see young running back Daniel Thomas prove that taking him in the 2nd round was the smart way to go?

Do you want to see Jake Long shutdown for the rest of 2011?

Here's what I want to see: the Dolphins play their best against the Bills, Patriots, and Jets.  That's what I want.  Win, lose, or draw, you want to see good football.  Not what we saw today.

I don't care if Moore is there or not.  He was knocked out today and we know that against very tough defenses he can't get the job done.  He lost to teams that are potentially in the playoffs: Dallas, Eagles, and Jets.  Those are the games that counted.  You can mention the Giants if you want, but that was not Moore's fault. 

Moore does run this offense with precision, but it's time to say thanks but no thanks and focus on the future.  The QB of the future is???

If Armando Salguero is the oracle we have been accustomed to listening to for inside information, and that Sparano is a goner and Ireland is safe, then the reasons for winning are only for Dolphins pride.

This season has been a season of ups and downs and football is truly a game of inches.  But the depth the Dolphins supposedly had on the D-line and O-line is not there.  The depth at running back is non-existent.  The depth at QB is not there. 

Does this season hurt more than 1-15?  I believe it does.  1-15 had almost no talent whatsoever and way too many injuries.  Dolphins have been relatively healthy.

No excuses!