Ross: Build From Scratch, Don’t Try To Remodel A Pile Of…

M.J.

5 years ago

Steven Ross needs to scrap everything from top to bottom

Steven Ross made the mistake of trying to retool instead of rebuilding when he hired Gase

The Dolphins 2018 Season has effectively ended with the heartbreaking loss to the Colts. And when Playoffs hopes are officially laid to rest in a few weeks, the whole Adam Gase and Mike Tannenbaum regime must cease as well.

From soup to nuts, Steven Ross needs to clean house, hire a GM who knows football and then stay away from all football-related decisions. I repeat, STAY AWAY.

This is key: Ross needs to hire someone who knows football and then be a silent partner… I mean not even a peep.

Starting from scratch isn’t an easy course. We can get a lot worse than Gase and Co. Think of gutless Nick Saban, the mealworm personality of Joe Philbin, or the incompetence of Cam Cameron.

All three were far more distasteful than the current regime. But all these regimes are equal in one regard: Not good enough.

Some will say Gase sucks. I disagree. I think much like the franchise’s record over the last decade and a half, Gase is mediocre. ‘Meh’ wasn’t enough to prop up this wreck of a franchise.

Gase had the franchise close to turning the corner, but several key decisions and events sank the ship. Now the window of opportunity is gone. A great coach and GM might have been able to salvage the ship. But between the injuries, poor circumstance, and character implosions from players and coaches, even that might not have been good enough.

When Gase took over the roster it was a mess and Tannenbaum and Grier haven’t helped to the level needed.

Tannenbaum and Grier hindered Gase with these (among many more):

Signing Suh, and extending Tannehill and Jones.
Free Agency signings of Timmons, Williams, Larsen, Foster.
Drafting of McMillan, Tankersly, Carroo, and Harris

I’m sure in most of these Gase had his hand involved. And Gase was primarily responsible for Thomas, Bushrod, Fales, and Brock.

Gase fully owns the Ryan Tannehill evaluation. Tannehill was marked by Gase as the key piece to the retool. Gase managed to make the Playoffs in his rookie season but in the process lost Tannehill. Still, Gase believed Tannehill was the answer. This was one of his biggest miscues.

Tannehill didn’t return as good as he appeared to be when he went down in 2016. Time away and multiple injuries seem to have taken something off his game. He now looks skittish under pressure.

Even Tannehill’s greatest believers have to admit this.

Maybe on an elite team, Tannehill might be ‘good enough’… but not with this depleted roster. One thing is for certain: He will never be elite. I believe if Tannehill had Gase from the start and hadn’t been a punching bag for the first 5 years of his career, he would have had a higher ceiling… maybe he’d be an above average QB. It’s possible… of course, ‘average’ could be all he ever was going to be as a QB.

You can bet with the pay per heads like www.AcePerHead.com that he’ll get a shot on another franchise to prove his doubters wrong.

Right now though, Tannehill isn’t the answer for this team and regime. While his stats looked good against the Colts, there were three near picks and no signature clutch plays. It’s time for Tannehill to go… along with the rest.

‘Meh’ QB, ‘meh’ roster and ‘meh’ staff equal a ‘meh’ season.

Gase has made crucial errors in decisions, evaluation, and philosophy. His career in Miami parallels the Colts game. Gase turned an expected disaster into a near win. Unfortunately, poor decisions and players performance in crucial moments proved to be Gase and the Dolphins undoing.

Close is no cigar and never will be.

Maybe if Gase had been given a chance to fail big in 2016 with a rebuild he would have had a better growth curve as an HC.

The Playoff run was followed up by Tannehill’s injury in 2017. The pressure to win overcame Gase and he used up all his ‘goodwill and mojo’ with a bet on Cutler. By anointing Cutler the starter without a rep, Gase also compromised his team philosophy of veterans have the right to fight for their spot. This might have been the biggest negative. Gase lost on every front when Culter flopped. Instead, he should have let 2017 ride on Moore and Fales and made moves that would have helped his future. Fans and public opinion would have understood a down season.

Shoulda’, coulda’, woulda’… but didn’t.

Gase needs to look in the mirror plenty if he wants to be a successful Head Coach someday.

Now, with no QB and a team going nowhere, it’s time to move on from Gase.

But there was one mistake that trumps all other mistakes and this mistake runs to the core of the franchise:

Here’s a post from a Phinsnews reader, Steve:

“Mediocrity begins:
Jim Bates 2004-2005 3Wins -4 Loses

Nick Saban 2005-2006 2005-2006 15 Wins and 17 L

Cam Cameron 2007 2007 1 Wins 15 loss

Tony Sparano 2008-2011 29 wins and 32 losses Noted: Turned the Dolphins around quickly

Todd Bowles 2011 2wins 1 loss

Joe Philbin 2012-1015 24 wins and 28 losses

Dan Campbell 2015 5 wins and 7 losses

Adam Gase 2016-21 wins and 22 loses”

All mediocre seasons with two disasters sandwiched in between.

Here’s a look at the records, year by year.

After our two biggest losing seasons, ownership brought in a regime that wanted to retool and win immediately. Saban and Parcells wanted the ‘quick turnaround’. It didn’t work. They could have gutted the team to the foundation and built slowly. Instead, they painted and plastered over issues in patchwork repair.

Both Saban and Parcells missed their shot to get the right QB, the team collapsed, and the architects ran for the hills. Then the proceeding regimes used the same blueprints with the same results.

Here’s a good bit of wisdom that as a builder you should know, Mr. Ross: It’s better to build from scratch and to remodel a pile of crap.

You aren’t a bad guy, Mr. Ross, but please, learn this sage advice or sell the team.

Go Phins!!!