For those of you who follow me on twitter (@phindaniel) you already know I was quite upset today when hearing the news that the Dolphins had lost the Jeff Fisher sweepstakes. I went on a little twitter rant however I felt I could best reach my audience through blog.

I’ve been a Dolphins fan for all my life and while there is plenty of to complain about in modern day history I’ve decided to only write how I feel Dolphins fans should feel since the Stephen Ross took over the team in 2008.

Today was a day in Dolphins history where I think the fans should legitimately be fed up and frustrated. While I know Ross made a strong push at Fisher even offering 64 millions he came up short again for his fan base.

I am not a fortune teller and I cannot predict whether losing out on Fisher will turn out good, bad or ugly however I can tell you that I think there is a bigger picture to be looking at here.

The fact is in this on going Dolphins search the boys upstairs have struck out on all three of their top options. No Cowher, No Gruden and No Fisher. Whether these 3 were the right options is not the point the point is that the Dolphins brass decided these 3 were the best candidates and most qualified and failed on each occasion to land any of them.

As all of you know this isn’t the first time Ross has come up short in the coaching search department as this years Jeff Fisher sweepstakes was eerily similar to last years Jim Harbaugh fiasco.

Then there is the fact that Ross and the Dolphins have absolutely no idea how to deal with PR. Time after time this franchise has been seen as a laughing stock since Ross signed on as owner. Whether it’s having celebrity owners, an orange carpet, coaching searches gone wrong, empty fans in the stands, the bottom line is Ross’s Dolphins are from the glory days.

While I still haven’t grasped how Jeff Fishers decision will affect the Dolphins going forward I can tell you as a fan I am tired of settling.

Whether it’s Chad Henne, Matt Moore ( solid backup don’t mean to hate but no franchise QB) big name coaches, second rate GM in Jeff Ireland.

I am tired of 6-10, 8-8 and 7-9 and if were losing we can’t even do that right taking ourselves out of position for Luck or RG3.

When I think of Stephen Ross’s Dolphins I think of the team that is constantly settling. So please Mr. Ross do something about it. If you make a big move and fail FINE, but do something out of the box, find us the next QB, whether it’s Ireland who does it or someone else make sure it’s done.

The NFL clearly can’t be controlled by a pocket book so if you don’t think your qualified step aside but for once please stop making me settle as a fan.

Today at about 2:30PM Eastern time, the Miami Dolphins and the rest of Dolfans everywhere learned that Jeff Fisher got free from Steve Ross' proverbial hook.

Saddened as much as Dolfan Nation was, many took to Twitter to voice their frustrations and took to the radiowaves on Sid Rosenberg's daily show on WQAM in Miami.

Jeff Fisher, the coach that Steve Ross and Jeff Ireland gave the royal tour complete with choppers and caviar took the job with the St. Louis Rams.

The Rams, a team that has spent 10 years with mainly losing seasons have landed a very good coach in Jeff Fisher.  Fisher, reportedly stands to make upwards of 7.5 million per year on a 5 year contract and has final say on personnel.

For the Dolphins, dollars and cents were not the issue.  Steve Ross reportedly was willing to out spend anyone for the coach that Steve Ross badly wanted.  Steve Ross was very willing to go above and beyond for the coach that would turn the Miami Dolphins franchise into a contender and a pearl of the AFC East. 

Just last night, Adam Schefter reported that Jeff Fisher had a better than expected rapport with Steve Ross and Jeff Ireland.  The main thing was the organizational structure of the Dolphins franchise and Schefter acknowledged that control was a main issue for Fisher to be coach of the Dolphins.

Adam Schefter, a very well admired and respected reporter for ESPN believed as early this morning that it was an 80/20 chance that Jeff Fisher was coming to the Miami Dolphins to be the 10th head coach in their history.

Many Dolfans were waking up this morning hoping and wishing that Jeff Fisher was going to be appearing for a press conference later this afternoon and that Jeff Fisher was going to bring in the best coaching staff that money could buy.

As the day wore on, the report came through on text 239 (Sun-Sentinel Sports news) or ESPN via text on all of our phones:

Jeff Fisher has agreed to join the St. Louis Rams.

So why did this happen?

Based on my observations around the web:

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports hit the nail on the head this evening with his article on the Miami Dolphins letting Fisher slip away.

In his article, he quoted a conversation that Fisher had with Steve Ross where Fisher admitted, basically pouring his heart out:

Fisher discussed the need for final say and control over personnel when he reportedly told Ross:

“I’ve been a head coach for 17 years and 12 of them sucked because I had to fight for what I wanted.”

Steve Ross, either dismissed what Fisher said, or lives up to the reputation as the micro-managing meddling owner. 

Is this direct quote by Cole a direct shot at the Miami Dolphins' Steve Ross and Jeff Ireland?  It very well could be and it could help explain at how this exact situation unfolded into becoming a media frenzy filled with rumor and innuendo. 

In the coming days, the Miami Dolphins complete with the twosome of Jeff Ireland and Jeff Fisher will be dialing for dollars in getting in more coaches for interviews.

What's next?

The Miami Dolphins desperately need a coach and might be watching their coach on the sidelines of this weekend's four playoff games. 

Here is a synopsis of some possibilities:

Just today: Chris Kouffman @ckparrot a well respected draft guru at universaldraft.com mentioned Vic Fangio (DC Forty Niners), Chuck Pagano (DC Baltimore Ravens), and Milke Zimmer (DC Cincinnati Bengals) as possible head coaches for the Miami Dolphins.  He did not discount Dave Toub as a strong possibility.  (More on this later).

In addition, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald mentioned quite possibly that an expanded coaching search of former Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, current Carolina Panthers OC Rob Chadzinski, and New York Jets DC Mike Pettine would be in for interviews.

Lastly, as reported by the Miami Herald and confirmed by Chris Kouffman through a source with the Orlando Sentinel, the current special teams coach Dave Toub (pronounced Tobe) will be in for a second interview thus solidifying his chances of landing his first HC job in the NFL.

Many other current college coaches could receive overtures from Jeff Ireland in the next few days such as Chip Kelly of Oregon (denied interest, but he's in recruiting mode), Greg Schiano of Rutgers (has ties to the University of Miami), and any other surprise candidate that nobody knows about. 

If your head is spinning? It can't possibly be as bad as the Dolphins "spin" on the response and message that Steve Ross and Jeff Ireland failed to land Fisher.

In a parting shot, Steve Ross ended his statement today about not landing Fisher:

 “[Fisher] was the only candidate that had any head coach experience. I would’ve liked that in a way, but I don’t feel any worse off. . . . We’re very excited about these other coaches we’ve interviewed and we’ll continue to interview. I think all of them are outstanding.”

Sure, but Steve Ross will feel much worse than today and hideout in his office on 5th Avenue in New York if the Miami Dolphins do not bring in a winning season and give the fans more than zero blackouts to cheer about.

What makes these interviewed coaches outstanding and certainly better than Jeff Fisher?

I suppose as Dolfans, it's back to the grind on twitter and the web for a glimpse of who is going to be the next "Young" Don Shula. 

Thanks for reading!

@DolphinMick on Twitter

Time to take a break from the Jeff Fisher soap opera, and discuss potential options for this off season for the Dolphins.

Going into this off season there are several needs the Dolphins must address, the biggest one has remained the same for the past 13 years obviously being a franchise quarterback that the Dolphins have yet to find. The Dolphins could also use some help in the form of a right tackle and maybe a free safety and pass rusher. With that being said I think there is a small need that goes under the radar for the Dolphins this off-season. That need is adding some depth at the running back position.

Reggie Bush has quickly become my favourite player in this roster as he proved this year he can be a true running back in this league. That being said lets not forget he does have a history to be a fragile running back. Bush has player over 12 games in a season only 3 times out of his 6 year career. The Dolphins even experienced a late season scare with Bush as he was not able to finish the Dolphins last game of the season. While Bush has earned the feature role in the offense back up Daniel Thomas did not get his career off the way he anticipated.

 

The young second round draft pick struggled at the beginning of the season to stay healthy but then when he finally got in the line up rushed to a 107 yard and 95 yard game after those two games his season went down hill, rushing over 70 yards only once the rest of the season. Thomas also did not take advantage of his opportunity to start in week 17 rushing for only 28 yards on 12 carries.

While I don’t think the Dolphins can or should give up on Thomas so early I do implore them to potentially look from some depth in free agency. Lex Hilliard simply is not capable of taking the load should Bush get another injury. Steve Slaton who did a okay jump filling in when asked is set to be a UFA also creating a greater need.

Names I think the Dolphins should consider are, Maurice Morris formerly of the Detroit Lions, Cadillac Williams (STL) , Earnest Graham and Derrick Ward. None of these options are very attractive however there are inexpensive options that could provide the Dolphins with some extra depth should need the situation arise where it was needed. These options also are running backs with pass catching ability which could be helpful to the Dolphins offense.

 

Eric Clapton and his band mates from Cream once wrote a song called Crossroads, it’s a classic rock and roll song that will live on for years to come and it is also the current status of the Miami Dolphins.

Whether it's false reporting from fans, big time national media reporters or people straight up just not knowing the bottom line is as Thursday night ends both the Dolphins and Rams are still awaiting Jeff Fishers decision. While there are many factors that will play into Fishers decision the fact is that it will have a major impact on the Phins.

Friday the 13^th might have serious implications on the future direction of this franchise. The path led by the moustache man seems quite simple as Schefter reported Fisher is a big Ireland fan, so I would expect that they would work together in making personnel decisions.

Fisher has been a part of rebuilds and I assume wants no part of that in Miami and would make it a priority to first find his QB and second bring in pieces through the draft and free agency to help build a winner quickly in Miami. Fisher probably realizes that he would have more resources in Miami then he did with the Titans.

I expect things to move very quickly if Fisher does in fact come to Miami and it is already rumoured that he has a potential staff step up. Mini Shotty and Greg Williams are two names that have been linked to Fisher. It would seem that Fisher is committed and committed now which is refreshing for a Dolphins fan that is accustom to mediocrity.

Now the big question is what happens if Fisher decides to coach the Rams?

There is the wait and see on Joe Philbin approach which is enticing due to his success with the Packer offence and the potential of Matt Flynn being brought in but there are also questions of what type of staff he would form and his lack of head coaching experience.

Then there is the Mike Zimmer option, my personal plan B as I have previously blogged however there is also the worry that this team needs to be focused on the offensive side on the ball which is not Zimmer’s expertise.

We can’t forget the Chud coaching option everyone’s favourite Little Giant’s fan. Chud is probably the hottest coordinator in the league this year after the work he did with Sir Cam Newton.

Whatever will happen on Friday the 13^th or over this weekend or dare I should say a little long will have a great impact on the future of this organization so here’s to hoping were heading into the right

Dear Coach Fisher,

As you are mulling over your options, please considering the following should you decide on Miami:

1. Miami is a special place and has special fans. Miami fans travel in droves to West and East Coast

2. Should you decide on the 4-3. Choose your defense wisely. Terminate the players who have less than 10 tackles And zero sacks. Keep guys like Odrick, Soliai, Langford, and feel free to add additional pieces.  An injured Urlacher, unhealthy Briggs from Chicago would be healthy enough to dominate on the defense.

Please trade Koa Misi for a 7th rounder. Jeff Ireland can assist with getting value in the 7th round.  He can be like a puppy dog on draft day.  While you are out getting the "groceries" he can be on 32 phone calls at once getting value.

3. Do not run Reggie Bush on an Iso play or veer, ever! Let Reggie run wild out of other formations. Let him line up out wide in the slot.

4. Please keep Matt Moore because he is a leader and is good for any 8 games next season. Start whoever you want, draft whoever you want, and trade for whoever you want. I guarantee that after a 4-4 start, Matt Moore is your guy for the rest of the season.

5. Please upgrade the tight end position. Fasano has done well. We just need a fast explosive tight end see TE Chris Cooley in Washington or even Fred Davis.  When in doubt take both!

 6. If you draft a Wide Receiver, please find one to compliment Brandon Marshall. One that can drive Marshall to work so he doesn't take a cab and talk to on the phone at night if he just needs a friend.  One that can catch and hold on to the ball in traffic and is not afraid of the first down marker.

 7. If there isn't language in your contract about seeing your son play at Auburn on Saturdays, there really should be.

 8. When considering what to do with Jake Long, ask him to go to the right side and then trade for a Left Tackle or acquire one in free agency. Long can stay healthier moving to RT.

 9. The 8th or 9th pick should be converted into a first rounder and two second round picks. That's it. Don't get in the way of trying to draft a QB at 9/8 unless Andrew Luck suddenly slips and falls and requires surgery on his left arm. Then forget everything listed above and trade away picks and Jake Long, but only if you speak with Oliver Luck first.

 10. Remember the first year is about beating teams in the division. Win those games. Don't watch film on other opponents especially the ones in the NFC west. They all stink. Even the Rams a team you are considering. They'll lose more because Bradford is a modern day Trent Green.

 * Miami is not the place to live. Please live near the facility. We need to see your car parked there George Constanza style. We want you to work your tail off.

 ** When in doubt in game situations, field position doesn't win ball games. Go for every 4th and 2 all game long. Don't punt before a half if you are in striking distance. Don't celebrate a field goal, ever!  A golf clap will do. Use your mathematical intelligence from USC to calculate how many points you should win by.

If you meet all of these expectations, we will all, as Dolfans sport our own Mustache in celebration and welcome you with open arms.

Sincerely,

Dolfans everywhere