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The Dolphins Need to Clean Up

By leontk, Section NFL
Posted on Fri Oct 01 2004 at 12:12 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

As I prepared and waited all year, starting from January of this year until September, I had excitement built for the 2004 football season.  Starting January and continuing through the summer months, I was very excited for my team and how they will perform this year because of some good pickups.  Then with one decision by one man, the season and the organization really took a downhill turn and it is rolling quickly down to the bottom as the season is moving along.  My excitement turned to worrying and then move after move helped improve that and built my hope high up until kickoff, but now as the season is three weeks in, the season is basically over because of bad moves in the off season having more to do with the front office and not as much to do with Ricky Williams leaving. The time to start cleaning up and getting rid of some bad parts is after this season, too bad that it's a few too late.  

Several key pickups during the winter and spring were supposed to help, a new playmaker at WR, new offensive lineman, new QB, added depth in the secondary.  But all have seemed to be bad pickups, not the defensive side of course, they are always good, but the ones that were supposed to take this offense to the next level, and sure Ricky Williams was supposed to be part of this plan, but that is one guy and a whole team doesn't sink with one guy.  

The Dolphins have started off 0-3 for the first time since 1969 and there are several reasons, but mostly because of bad coaching, bad decisions, and a man that decided to quit on his team.

This summer, one week before camp was to open, one of the best RB's in football decided to quit on his team, and go smoke pot for a living.  First it was he wanted to do something else and didn't have a heart for the game any longer, and then it was he wanted to be free of rules and smoke pot, and finally it was that he wanted more money and wanted to run less.  That to me sounds like a man in a lost world, a place where we could never understand without being there ourselves.  So I could sit here and blame him for leaving one week before camp, but then again, I don't think he even understands or knows what he wants in life, so he has more issues to work with and deal with and he needs to work those out, that is something past football and past me or any other football fan to look at and judge, it is about LIFE itself.  

Although that was a tough pill to swallow, the Dolphins can sit there and point their finger right at themselves.  By Dolphins, I am talking about the GM and the Head Coach.  Those two guys were the ones that ruined the 2004 season by making bad moves and roster changes.  Ricky left, but that was one guy.  The whole offensive line was revamped, and yes the 2003 line was bad, but not terrible.  They gave up a 2nd round draft pick for AJ Feely, a 3rd string guy in Philadelphia.  They traded away their leading sack guy for a WR and 3rd round pick, and then used the 3rd round pick to trade for a RB from St. Louis, which by the way was 3rd string and now, out for the season.  All these moves were all bad.  Why not let go of the worst 2 linemen and sign the 2 they did, and use the rookie they drafted to build it and make it stronger.  Why not sign one of the QB's that are veterans out there, Warner, Collins, anybody but Feely!!  

Yes the Dolphins lost a star RB, but were they forced to cut the whole offensive line and sign just 1 or 2 talented guys and the rest equal to those cut?  All that did was make it harder for the line to gel.  Oh and I failed to mention, the one guy they did keep was the worst lineman last year that lost a couple games himself and now is on the bench after two games.  Did they have to start the season with a 3rd string RB and 3rd string QB as their main guys?  The answer is no and it goes back to bad decisions by the organization that has nothing to do with a man leaving to smoke pot.  Why not get a better QB that could carry this team more and not have to depend on if a star RB was available, a QB with more experience, option of keeping some of the offensive line together so there would be some unity, and for the past 5 seasons picking offensive guys in the draft and not always on the defensive side of the ball.  For all football fans out there, here is a perfect example of thinking about defense and not the whole team, Anquan Boldin was passed up last season in the draft for Eddie Moore.  Yes, Pro Bowler Boldin for a guy on the team as a backup LB.  Make sense?  No, me either, but the Wannstedt era has had plenty of head scratches.

The Dolphins need to get a new head coach, and a new GM, and look forward to bringing in some guys who are missing pieces. Because as bad as this team looks, there are a lot of defensive stars on this team and key pieces and several top NFL playmakers on the offensive side of the ball but with no QB to throw it to them.  Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, David Boston (back in 2005), Randy McMichael are all top notch playmakers and all capable of being stars in this league.  The Dolphins owe it to those stars on offense to let them show their talents by getting a QB that can use them and a line that can block.  Most of all, they surely owe it to the defensive players that have put all their heart into each game, guys like Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor, guys that have tried to carry this team and have kept Miami in each game so far, just to watch the QB give the other team 7 points in 2 of the 3 games, basically the game.  The only way they can get this team back on track, start cleaning the mess and it all starts in the front office and right down to every coach on that staff.  

So my advice to my team and I hope they follow, it is time to move on and fire Dave Wannstedt and get a guy in there that can use the talent he has, because with a top 5 Defense every season, and even with Ricky Williams for two, he still had his team watching the playoffs from home, and that is just unacceptable when there are 7 pro bowlers on a defense and the RB of the team leads the NFL in rushing. I think that is all you need to know about Wannstedt and his ability to coach in the NFL.  Having a top D and a great RB should mean playoffs, if you think that isn't enough in this league, go talk to Baltimore and Carolina and Tampa Bay and see how far you can go with a good coach and a talented and great D!