Wannstedt stays

[FishFan]

Now what?

[SirFozzie]

see thread about Patriots clincing 2004 division title someone joked.

In other words, Kodos go Boom Anytime now.

[GrantDawg]

Originally posted by FishFan
Now what?

More mediocre football.

[rkmsuf]

Great win by the Dolphins yesterday. They are best when it's meaningless...

[miked]

Just shows the NFL rewards mediocrity...good old boys club. Just look when Fassell the Unbeatable gets a big contract to bring his mediocre coaching skills somewhere else.

Maybe Shoop and those awful Buffalo coaches will be retained too. If I have to see Bledsoe throw any more 2-4 yd passes on third and long, I might start crying. The guy has a gun and very good WRs, why do they insist on throwing nothing but screens and little swing passes...

[Kokoshin]

Another looong December for us and we reward Wannstedt with an extension.

We better move on to another coach with more desire for playing in January. Another QB would be a nice addition.

[KevinNU7]

My thread title was much better ;)

[Samdari]

Originally posted by miked
Just look when Fassell the Unbeatable gets a big contract to bring his mediocre coaching skills somewhere else.

But, he will likely be going to a place where mediocre is a huge upgrade in coaching skills. Look, for example at Buffalo. They have the 32nd best head coach in the league. They should jump at someone who is 16th best.

[Ksyrup]

I think the only thing that saved his ass was winning 10 games. You win 10, you expect to make the playoffs. That hasn't happened in 12 years.

Not that it really matters in the big picture. As I pointed out in a previous thread on this subject, the Dolphins have been underachieving since Shula's last years. They did it for Shula, for Jimmy, and now for Wanny. It appears to be an organizational thing.

[Kodos]

This just makes me want to cry. I am in football hell.

[miami_fan]

Okay so Huizenga did not want to fire Wannstedt this year. I hate the decision but fine. Why the extension? I want Wannstedt to know in no uncertain term that if he does not meet the expectations set for him next year he will longer be coaching the Dolphins. So what if he is a lame duck coach! I also want to hear that he has NO say in the personnel decisions. That way he has no excuses not that he has any right now. Also does this mean the entire coaching staff coming back also? I do not know if I have ever gone into an pro football offseason with less optimism than this year:(

okay I got one answer

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1695841

[miked]

Fassell in Buf would be so bad, unless he finally hires an offensive coordinator who he would allow to call plays. Bledsoe is just like Collins, good arm, bad mobility, and Fassell has already shown he can't succeed in Red Zone with that kind of QB (although has more to do with his crappy play calling). Buf offense I think is a good mirror of GMen offense, so I think they need to go a different direction.

[FishFan]

Wannstedt's record at Miami is not bad and I think he has been a victim of his teams being overrated. Sure, we brought in Seau this year and he contributed, but the other upgrades did not pan out. Sammy Knight was an ordinary safety and WR Derrius Thompson never got into a rythym. Why not impove the offensive line which was a weakness in 2001? I believe the offensive line was what killed the Dolphins. Ricky had no run blocking whatsoever and Fiedler received very little protection.

The team also needs to cut ties with Sam Madison if they are going to continue to play strictly man-to-man defense. How many times was Madison burned deep this year? Patrick Surtain is definitely the better of this corner duo. Madison looked marginal at best this year and isn't getting any younger. Neither is Zack Thomas and Jason Taylor. The window is certainly closing on the defensive side of the ball.

[Desnudo]

As a Patriots fan I have to say I'm pleased to see him return. With a little luck, maybe Fiedler will be under center again next year too.

Edit: Also, has a mustachiod coach ever won a Superbowl? I think his true calling is in pornography.

[rkmsuf]

It's weird but it's like there is no scenario imaginable now that puts the Dolphins in the SuperBowl...

[Kodos]

What about a scenario in which Matt Millen is in charge of running every team except the Dolphins?

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Originally posted by miked


Maybe Shoop and those awful Buffalo coaches will be retained too. If I have to see Bledsoe throw any more 2-4 yd passes on third and long, I might start crying. The guy has a gun and very good WRs, why do they insist on throwing nothing but screens and little swing passes...

I agree they are terrible because Bledsoe is not a west coast/run& shoot QB. Unfortunately, the O-Line is absolutely horrendous and can't protect Bledsoe (espec. on a third down blitz) for more than a nanosecond. He simply has no time to throw down field ever.

[Tekneek]

Maybe I overlooked it, but an important point, that I noticed in the ticker on ESPNews yesterday, has not been mentioned. It said that Wannstedt would be giving up the GM part of the job and the Dolphins would begin the search for one.

Owner Wayne Huizenga followed, landing on the practice field in a helicopter for a lengthy meeting with his coach. Wannstedt was given a two-year contract extension, though he must relinquish control over personnel decisions. The Dolphins will move quickly to hire their first general manager in 34 years.

Then Huizenga lifted off, leaving team President Eddie Jones and Wannstedt to explain a decision that isn't popular with many fans.

Jones said the Dolphins have locked in on six general manager candidates, including former New Orleans Saints GM Randy Mueller. Other candidates include Tampa Bay's Tim Ruskell and Buffalo's Tom Modrak.

[damnMikeBrown]

Originally posted by Desnudo
Edit: Also, has a mustachiod coach ever won a Superbowl? I think his true calling is in pornography.

Ditka

[FishFan]

Ron Wolf.

[Leonidas]

From the Miami Herald it certainly does appear the team is fixated on Ron Wolf. They are paying lip-service to Rick Spielman by calling him a candidate. Huizenga needs to appease the calls for change in some way, and the best would be a high profile hire at GM like Wolf or Mueller. No way Spielman meets that criteria. He's been a perceived part of the problem these last few years.

Wolf had been saying all along he's retired and that's that, but in the Herald this morning he seemed to be open to a good offer. I think it will be Wolf. Lord knows Huizenga can afford him. My only hope is it will not become a Bobby Beatherd in San Diego fiasco where a high profile retired GM comes in and shows he lost touch with the game during his time off.

[rkmsuf]

Originally posted by Leonidas
From the Miami Herald it certainly does appear the team is fixated on Ron Wolf. They are paying lip-service to Rick Spielman by calling him a candidate. Huizenga needs to appease the calls for change in some way, and the best would be a high profile hire at GM like Wolf or Mueller. No way Spielman meets that criteria. He's been a perceived part of the problem these last few years.

Wolf had been saying all along he's retired and that's that, but in the Herald this morning he seemed to be open to a good offer. I think it will be Wolf. Lord knows Huizenga can afford him. My only hope is it will not become a Bobby Beatherd in San Diego fiasco where a high profile retired GM comes in and shows he lost touch with the game during his time off.

Wolf: "Well as my first order of business I'd really like to go after Anthony Munoz and Richmond Webb in the free agent market..."