What Happened To The Miami Dolphins?

[So Be]

We all know the history of the team and Shula. Most remember the days of JJ and Wanny (1996-2004) when we were almost always a playoff team if not a legit contender. Then the wheels came off the franchise and for over 20 years we have been nothing more than old memories.

Since 2004, we have gone through a cast of thousands from HC's, OC's DC's, QB's and players. Nothing has worked.

Where did we go wrong in destroying this once very proud NFL franchise to where we are now, and have been for way too long?

[Dolfan1]

What did you expect when a garbage collector bought the team? He turned it into garbage and we've been a dumpster fire every since.

[AquaXI]

Then a real estate mogul bought the Team and he ain't Donald Trump.granted he is not a slum lord, yet he is more enamored with the glitz and glamour.

[FTLDOLFAN]

Poor ownership, management, personnel decisions and coaching with some bad luck sprinkled in and voila we have been an irrelevant franchise for the past decade plus.

[Wulf]

Other than the "meeting: with Jim Harbaugh" to try replacing the weak Head Coach that H Wayne and Bill Parcells had stuck him with, while said HC was still under contract, what makes him a "poor owner"?
After Joe Robbie passed, the trashman took this perennial playoff team and turned us into a frigging JOKE!

[61finfan]

Johnson sucked and ruined the Fins.

[Seadog]

The Tuna era, finished us for good......

[Bahamas]

It's not the owner...that's silly Gents.

It's missed draft opportunites.

Jamar Fletcher vs. Dree Brees

4 years of 2nd round wasted talent.....

Poor Free Agent decisions

[Seadog]

I agree, you want to talk about wasted opportunities, look at our team, we must have made almost every bad decision we could.....

[Bahamas]

Also - always thinking a 2nd round QB is what we need.

Tony S built a wicked team....the only downside....he thought Chad Henne was the solution. I wonder what would have happened if Chad P didnt tear his ACL playing basketball....or better yet, the Dolphins took a risk on Mike Vick.

Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby both said...we were a QB away from winning a SB.

[Bahamas]

@ Cuch what was the 2nd option? If Flacco was option 1 and Henne option 3...Was there another QB in the fold?
@ Seadog - behave ;P

[cuchulainn]

Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Chad Henne were the top 3 QBs from that 08 draft. None of them were sure-fire "can't miss" locks coming out. We opted for the ''can't miss'' OT in Jake Long instead of a QB. Of the 3 QBs, only Flacco has won Playoff games or a SB.

[Wulf]

As Cuch noted, the 2008 draft sucked as far as QB talent:
Matt Ryan #3
Joe Flacco #18
Brian Brohm #56
Chad Henne #57
Kevin O'Connell #94
John Booty #137
Dennis Dixon #156
Colt Brennan #186
Andre Woodson #198
Matt Flynn #209
Alex Brink #223

[61finfan]

if the groundhog sees his shadow tomorrow, we have six more years of mediocrity.......

[Driven_Phinsane!]

I guess that's appropriate..since just like the movie Groundhog's Day, we've been living the same nightmare over & over & over & over & over & over &.....

[Dolfan1]

It's not the owner...that's silly Gents.

It's missed draft opportunites.

Jamar Fletcher vs. Dree Brees

4 years of 2nd round wasted talent.....

Poor Free Agent decisions

I beg to differ my friend. It's the owner who neglected to hire the right people that could put a winning product on the field. He shows more concern for making the stadium pretty so he can host a Super Bowl when he should be more interested in getting his team to a Super Bowl. Ultimately it all falls on his shoulders.

[DolphinsFreak]

Bahamas, I respectfully disagree with you. Ross may not be exactly like Jones where he is the owner/GM but Ross definitely has his hands on this franchise, making FOOTBALL decisions when he should be staying away and doing real estate. Who is the person responsible for the Dolphins ugly uniforms? Who flew out to California to hire a head football coach BEFORE firing the existing head coach? Who is responsible for Jeff Ireland staying with the team way longer then he should have? Who is the person responsible for Philbin staying longer then he should have? Who is responsible for the Miami Dolphins NOT leaving no stone unturned in this recent head coaching search? Who is the person who flew out to meet Gase and rolled out the red carpet for him? The answer to ALL these questions is Stephen Ross. He has helped ruin this organization. Wayne started things off by hiring Parcells and allowing him to hire all his inexperienced buddies to take over the Dolphins but after Wayne left, Ross put the petal to the metal on driving this franchise off a cliff.

[Wulf]

Consider that Ross bought a 1-15 team with a football GURU in place; and a Coaching staff NOT of HIS choosing, then said GURU slipped his leash, and got out of the yard one night, and left a shambles in his wake.
MAYBE somebody else could have done a better job than Ross in cleaning up after the trashcan man, but I can't lay all of the team's failures on Ross.
Other than the attempt to find a new HC before firing the one we had, I can't blame much on him...
After all, he didn't hire Tuna, Ireland, or Sparano!

[Dolfan1]

Agree Wulf, as I already said the trash man turned this team into garbage but Ross has had ownership long enough now to where he could have righted this ship and to date he has not so blame has to fall on him as well. Just sayin.

[IMAWriter]

We all know the history of the team and Shula. Most remember the days of JJ and Wanny (1996-2004) when we were almost always a playoff team if not a legit contender. Then the wheels came off the franchise and for over 20 years we have been nothing more than old memories.

Since 2004, we have gone through a cast of thousands from HC's, OC's DC's, QB's and players. Nothing has worked.

Where did we go wrong in destroying this once very proud NFL franchise to where we are now, and have been for way too long?

Well, they've all beaten me to the answer: Ownership. Neither a Kraft, Mara, or Rooney among those 2. Huizinga was a very nice man, likable, but was too easily malleable. More dangerous is Ross, who THINKS he has the answers, but does not, and never will. His inability to get a hold of his so-called "instincts..aka gut feelings, have been his Waterloo. It would be misogynistic to equate his personality to a woman..actually it would an insult to all women other than Hil...nah, I'll not do it!

[Tarpon Guide]

Please do! We know who you are talking about, but just want to hear it from someone other than ourselves. It's not like she who's name we do not speak will ever read it here.

[IMAWriter]

"Please do! We know who you are talking about, but just want to hear it from someone other than ourselves. It's not like she who's name we do not speak will ever read it here." (Mr Tarpon Guide)
OK, reluctantly. DONNA SHALALA!
TG, due to my inability to normally type 2 words without a typo, your User name, under my less than nimble fingers spelled out as "Tam"...nah, I'll not do it.

[Tarpon Guide]

It's been done before....