Monday, January 15, 2007

Dolphins Coach Search Finalists: Two Horse Race?

Quen Es Mas Macho?


Chan o Jim? … Quen es mas macho?

Okay, let’s assume that come this Tuesday, Marty Schottenheimer is going to be Mo Green to AJ Smith’s Michael Corleone. Let’s then assume that the Chargers will name Cam Cameron as Marty’s replacement. Stop cursing. Calm down. Focus.

Ok, now that the Two Monkeys and a yo-yo have allowed Ken Whisenhunt to sign elsewhere and the fact that the NFL rules for hiring new coaches sucks, which means we lost out on offering Cam a job because his team was still in the playoffs. And given the fact that Marty’s Boy wised up and decided he didn't want to be the coach down here anymore -- it leaves us with two real options. I haven’t heard Mike Tomlin’s name much since his interview, which is a shame. But the vibe is Tomlin is an unlikely hire. Some say Dom Capers could still emerge here but I doubt it. Dom Capers has a squirrel on his head.

If you believe all the reports coming in, it looks like this is now a two horse race between Chan Gailey and Jim Mora. I know. Not very appealing. We were all hoping the Chargers would lose so Cam Cameron would get another interview. Instead it may have cost us, as Cam will very likely be the new man in San Diego as early as Tuesday.

Given that these are our options, let’s revisit what I’ve written about them each. (Some of this is recycled stuff from what I've written the past two weeks with a few additions here and there):

Jim Mora: Mora led the Falcons to the NFC championship his first year with the team. And I think Atlanta would’ve been a playoff team this year had it not been for a rash of injuries on the defense. He’s a young, energetic coach and is well liked by his players. Overall, Mora did a good job in Atlanta and aside from not being able to keep his mouth shut, he really did nothing wrong. Mora was widely criticized for mishandling Michael Vick and for not instilling enough discipline on his team.
But I think a change of scenery would benefit Mora and while his recent firing makes him seem like a potential lame duck consideration, remember that even the great Bill Belichick’s first time around as a head coach was very similar to Mora’s. During his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, Belichick compiled a 36-44 record, leading the team to one playoff win. Browns fans remember him as the man who benched and then cut popular quarterback Bernie Kosar. And in Belichick's last season in Cleveland, the Browns finished 5-11. He is now the Great Football Genius of the New England Patriots. Mora is not my first choice, but he’s someone worth looking into. I believe a guy like Mora can be successful if you give him the right weapons and the right assistant coaches.

He’s a defensive-minded guy. But his resume is the best among the finalists as far as I’m concerned. He led the Falcons to the NFC Championship his first year and Michael Vick’s game has actually improved over the years under Mora. The biggest problem for Atlanta in 2006, in my view, was that the Falcons lacked a solid receiver and their defense was racked with injuries all season long. Yes, Mora has a big mouth and I really do think he’d rather be in the NFL over Washington. I think he’s going to be seriously considered by Huizenga because of his youth, experience and his resume.

Verdict: Hire this man. I do like him a lot. Some of you have said otherwise, but I believe he can be successful down here. Mora is young, experienced and qualified. Which means he has no shot at the job whatsoever. But, you ask me -- Mora is the man.


The Aardvark: Chan Gailey has actually been a coach on both sides of the ball. He started his career as a secondary coach at Troy State. He was also defensive coordinator at Air Force as well as special teams coach for the Denver Broncos. He also was head coach for the World League’s Birmingham Fire, eventually making his way to Pittsburgh as offensive coordinator and then was hired by the Cowboys to be their head coach.

In his first season with Dallas, the Aardvark went 10-6, losing in the Wild Card game. He then went 8-8 the following season before getting fired. That’s when he was hired as offensive coordinator for your Miami Dolphins. If memory serves, the Dolphins offense was not very good under the Aardvark. He was, like Mike Mularkey is today, much maligned by the fans and the media. When he left, it was a happy day in Fins Nation. The Aardvark then went to coach the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. His record there: 28-21. From 2002-2006, Gailey has gone 28-21. In five seasons, his Georgia Tech teams have failed to win more than 7 games per season. The only time they won more than 7 games was this season (9), which ended in a loss in the Gator Bowl.

Verdict: No, no, a thousand times NO! DO NOT HIRE THIS MAN!
It wouldn’t shock me if Wayne went with the Aardvark. Only because it’s inevitable that Huizenga would spend all this time, all those air miles, all his resources, just to end up hiring a guy who amounts to being his boy, rather than going with a qualified younger guy who will end up a winner somewhere else. Gailey and Huinzenga are long time friends and this crap wreaks of Huizenga’s annoying habit of being loyal to his friends. Which is fine, but when that loyalty clouds your judgment and you give the keys to our beloved franchise to a loser like the Aardvark – it affects us all. After all, he and Nick Saban are friends (Wayne is a self-proclaimed “Nick Saban fan”). And Wayne likes giving this job away to guys he likes vacationing with. Aside from all this, Peter King has said that he thinks Gailey will be their man, as does ProFootballTalk.com. What else can you expect from two monkeys and a yo-yo?
So ... Quen es mas macho?
Between Mora Jr. and the Aardvark ... gimme Mora Jr.
AND GO FINS!!!!

Labels: ,


Comments:
If it comes down to this, then it's a no brainer. Jim Mora all the way!
 
Yes! I actually like Jim Mora a lot. I've been leaning towards Mike Martz all this time. But since he's out of the picture, I would love to have Mora down here.
 
I'm still holding out hope for Cam. If Wayne really wants him, he won't wait for the Chargers to make a move. That would be bad business. I am worried like you Dude that Wayne's loyalty to Chan could be the deciding factor.

But I still say Get Cam. If not, I guess Mora will do.
 
Jim Mora for sure. He's exactly what this team needs. He's energetic and enthusiastic and I'd venture to say he knows today's NFL much better than Gailey the Aardvark.
 
Not my first choice but if Cameron and Whisenhunt are out of the loop, then I'll take Mora Jr. Gailey's track record really isn't all that impressive. His offenses are uninventive and his college record is mediocre. Why is he even an option???
 
Definitely Mora over Gailey. But not too excited over Mora. I still like Cameron best, although whoever we hire will stay have plenty to prove. I'm not too excited about any of these guys, with the exception of Cameron. Sounds like he may be out of the mix though. I agree with Doug, that I love Mora's passion. But sometimes too much of it can lead to poor desicion making. It also seemed like he tried to be "one of the guys" with his players rather than being a leader. I do think he is young, smart, and enthusiastic though. I just think he needs to mature a little, but maybe getting canned by ATL will speed up that process. I could live with Mora, but I wouldn't be as confident that we are going to turn things around than I would be if we brought in someone to revamp the offense. Not sure if that sentence even made sense, but its been a long weekend. Its good to know that the Dude does not abide to Chan Gailey.

GO Phins! I have my fingers crossed that in the long run our front office will select the right candidate.
 
I understand what you're saying NY. I think that's why Gailey is in the picture. He's an offense guy and ran the OC down here for a couple of years. I think it would be deflating to see Gailey as our coach after waiting all this time and it seems that most Phin fans want to see a young guy down here. Neither is much of an option but if I had to choose one, I'm with the rest of you guys -- I'll take Mora.

-Jay
 
dolphins offense ranked 21st under aardvark's direction when he was oc. why he's a consideration makes no sense to me.
 
Do you think we would consider Dan Henning (former OC of Carolina) as a late entry? He was recently fired. He is a conservative coach but I have always like him. He also has previous head coaching experience.
 
NY, I like Henning. But I doubt he's on Wayne's radar. Plus I think bringing him in at this point might chase away their top candidates. I'd rather they hire Martz over Henning if they were going to go that route.

At this point I'm like whatever. Just make your decision and go with it already! I'm more concerned with who we're taking with the 9th pick. We need talent!!!
 
It's not over til it's over... don't count anyone out at this point... even those with the Schottenheimer name. Cameron would be a perfect fit for Miami! Watch as this shakes out over the next few days.
 
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