For Dolphins, it’s more about personnel than coaching

By Hugo Guzman  |   Friday, January 05, 2007  |  Comments( 11 )

Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins seem to have been stuck in neutral for a lengthy period of time. Miami's inability to put together a true title contender has been evident since far before Nick Saban came to town. So now, as the team prepares to bring in its third head coach in four years, the focus needs to be on addressing the various on-field deficiencies that have kept, and will continue to keep, the Dolphins out of the running for a Super Bowl title.

And it all starts at the top, especially in terms of crucial personnel decisions.

For some reason, South Florida's beloved football franchise has been unable to field a well-balanced team since the early '90s, which, coincidentally, is the last time the Dolphins were able to advance deep into the playoffs. There is always one glaring issue (actually, more like two or three) that keeps the team from succeeding on a consistent basis.

The most obvious one has been the quarterback position. Miami has not had a legitimate NFL passer since Dan Marino retired. Jay Fiedler was average at best. Ray Lucas was flat-out horrid. Brian Griese was a practice cone. A.J. Fielder was somewhat of a court jester. Gus Frerotte was serviceable (and sadly, he was the best there's been since Marino left the building). Daunte Culpepper was hobbled. And Joey Harrington? Well, he just throws it to the other team far too much.

Hopefully for the Dolphins, Culpepper will get healthy and provide Miami with some much-needed stability at quarterback, but at this point, it might be wise to invest an early-round draft pick in a young signal caller; a guy who can be groomed under Culpepper or step up if the former Viking proves to be permanently damaged goods.

Another area of need is the secondary, which is completely devoid of a true playmaker at either the cornerback or safety position thanks to the departures of CBs Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison. Saban invested a first-round pick to try and address this issue, but his selection, safety Jason Allen, does not appear to be a truly transcendent player. That means Miami must now work the free agent market and/or the draft to find that difference maker.

Finding another playmaking defensive end should also be a top priority. The Dolphins must be proactive in this respect because even if future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor does not retire, he is inevitably approaching the twilight of his career (yes, I'm aware that he just posted one of the greatest all-around seasons ever at the DE position).

Youngster Matt Roth has the makings of a solid performer, but finding a more prototypical end rusher will help prolong Taylor's career and ensure that the Dolphins' pass rush will not suffer greatly when the 10-year veteran finally does decide to call it a career.

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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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