the Miami Sports Dude

It's official. Cam Cameron has accepted the Dolphins offer and will become the new head coach for your Miami Dolphins. The 45 year old Cameron becomes the 7th head coach in franchise history, replacing Nick Saban. He leaves his post as offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, who had the top rated offense in the league this season. He’s also known in league circles as an offensive innovator and talented quarterback developer.

He was our number one choice in the MSD Coaching Prospects column and we truly believe the Dolphins hired themselves the best candidate available.

This team still has a lot of holes to fill and is in dire need of offensive play makers. But this is a significant first step. Now it's up to the personnel department to build a talented team for Cam to work with.

Watch the press conference here

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

This could be the day we find out who our new head coach will be. Most news sources are saying Cam Cameron is the frontrunner to land the job. But, at this point, the Dolphins could announce that they're bringing in Chewbacca for an interview and it wouldn't shock me.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Here's the latest:





Update 1: My source -- yes I have a source! -- at the Sun-Sentinel told me that Cameron's interview last night lasted three hours. I guess that's a good sign.

Update 2: Dom Capers has not yet signed the big contract the Fins offered him last week. This is likely in case none of the candidates work out and they decide to hand the head job to Capers. But all signs point to him signing the contract, especially if Cameron is hired. Cameron has agreed to keep most of the coaching staff already in the organization (hopefully that doesn't include Mike Mularkey) if he's hired. There are also whispers that Mik Shula could be hired as an offensive assistant or even offensive coordinator -- which is fine with me if Cameron becomes head coach.

Update 3: The smartest thing Phil Simms has said in quite a while: "Maybe they're just trying to make sure. How much can you really learn [in all these interviews]? I just want to know what kind of football coach they are. Can they lead? That's more important than anything. Obviously, you got to be a pretty good X-and-O guy nowadays. It's almost gotten to be confusing now that they've interviewed so many different coaches.''

Seriously, gents. You're looking for a football coach. Not someone who can split the atom. Oh, and, don't hire Chan Gailey.

Anyway, the Sun-Sentinel just posted this under the banner "New." They're the kings of the Breaking News We Already Knew! postings.

Update 4: In non-coach-search news, Jason Taylor's 2006 season game-worn uniform has been sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Update 5: This from SporTech Matter -- A United Kingdom newspaper is reporting that the Aardvark is about to be announced as the Dolphins' new head coach.

Update 6: The Palm Beach Post is reporting that Cam Cameron concluded his 2nd interview today and will be staying in Miami overnight for a second night - the first finalist to do so. Cameron was not extended a job offer, but a source familiar with the discussions was very upbeat about how they went. Cameron also showed more personality with the Dolphins in his second interview, a source said. That likely has landed him in front of the other two favorites -- the Aardvark and Jim Mora.

Update 7: 790 The Ticket is reporting on their Sports Flash that the Dolphins are saying that they should name their new coach sometime tomorrow -- Saturday, the latest.

Final Update: The Dolphins have confirmed that they'll have a new coach by Saturday the latest: "I can tell you with 100 percent certainty, nothing has been decided tonight," Dolphins senior vice president Harvey Greene said Thursday. "We hope to have this finalized by Friday or Saturday at the latest."

Also, FOX Sports is saying that Cameron is now the front-runner for the job. Which confirms without a shadow of a doubt that no one knows what the hell is going on.

Ok. Catch y'all tomorrow.

I just sounded like Britney Spears there. Sorry.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

I think Mike Shula is an okay college coach. BUT, if we’re talking about him taking over the Dolphins head coaching spot, I say no thank you.

I’ve seen polls and read in forums where a lot of fans like the idea of Shula as the coach. I think it’s because of his name. If we were talking about the Dolphins interviewing former Alabama head coach Mike Smith, these same fans would throw their arms in the air and wonder what Wayne Huizenga was smoking.

But the fact is, he’s former Alabama head coach Mike SHULA. And that, I think, is blinding some of these people.

Armando Salguero, who broke the story about Shula being a candidate, says the Dolphins insist that Shula is not among the candidates because of his father, Hall of Famer Don Shula. But the Dolphins have already stated that they’re getting feed back from Don about the head coaching job. Don Shula is advising the Dolphins on their coaching search. Whether or not they’re telling the truth about the relationship between father and son not playing a factor is irrelevant. If Mike is given this job not only will he forever have the cloud of “having this job because of Daddy” hanging over his head for the duration of his tenure here. But he will also have to constantly live under Don’s looming shadow, making the fans’ expectations unreasonable. That’s what’s got these fans who voted for him and talking about him in the forums all lathered up. He’s Don’s boy. His name is Shula. Any other name and we’d all be saying, “Next!”

Now let’s forget this is Don Shula’s son for a second and let’s look at Mike Shula the coach, and why he should NOT be the Dolphins’ next head coach.

After a few NFL stints in Miami and Chicago as quarterbacks coach, Shula made his name as Tony Dungy’s offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. He was eventually fired when the Bucs’ offense was ranked 21st in the league. He was then given the Alabama job. His time at Bama has been marked with mediocre teams, one good season, and a final season where he “lost” his players – 2006 was marred by a supposed lack of discipline and sloppy play from his players. In 4 seasons with the ‘Tide, Shula's record is 26-23 (4-9, 6-6, 10-2, 6-6).

In the end, his resume and track record leaves very little to be desired.

If, in fact, the Dolphins have narrowed down their search to three candidates -- Chan Gailey, Jim Mora and, now, apparently, Mike Shula -- this team needs to give this job to Jim Mora so it can move on and start planning ahead to the draft and the off-season.

Unless Cam Cameron is still in the mix, Mora needs to be offered the job. Period.

Update 1: Looks like Dad has already made a public statement endorsing Mike. On the Dolphins official website no less! Wow. The Dolphins would be wise to reconsider this whole Mike Shula thing and move on to the other candidates. Salguero, you've been duped.

Update 2: As JD reported in the comments, Cam Cameron is slated for a second interview.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Rumors have been swirling since early this morning that the Dolphins had already offered the job to Jim Mora. But the Dolphins have announced that no one has been offered the job yet.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Quen Es Mas Macho?

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

PFT is reporting that Marty Schottenheimer and Chargers GM AJ Smith are going to have a sit down on Tuesday. And it's not to have a discussion on the latest season of 24. It's very likely Marty's gonna get wacked here. Fox Sports reported last week that Marty would get the axe if San Diego lost this weekend. And they did lose. They lost a game where they actually outplayed the Patriots -- except for the dropped balls, turnovers, ill-timed replay challenges and blunders.

Why is this relevant here? Because there has been speculation that the Dolphins would make a run at Marty.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

The Sun-Sentinel is confirming an ESPN.com report that says Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has pulled his name from consideration for the Dolphins coaching job.

"Schottenheimer was due in for a second interview on Tuesday, but evidently, the 33-year-old son of Chargers beleaguered coach Marty Schottenheimer, didn't believe he had enough experience for the top spot."

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Scratch Ken Whisenhunt from the Dolphins wish list. The Cardinals have hired him as their new head coach.

Damn it!

Does this open the door even wider for the the Aardvark to take over? Sweet baby Jesus, I hope not. This could also open the door for the Aardvark in Pittsburgh but we'll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Chris Mortensen said on ESPN's Sunday Countdown show this morning that Jim Mora has been invited to have a second interview with the Fins this week.

Keep it tuned here, dudes ...

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have reached an agreement with defensive coordinator Dom Capers on a deal that will make him the highest-paid assistant coach in the NFL.

This is a great move by Huizenga and his boys.

Number One: It means we get to keep one of the best assistant coaches in the NFL without making him the full on head coach. I have always said that I'd love it if Capers stayed with the Dolphins but only as defensive coordinator. Capers was the lone standout from the entire 2006 coaching staff and as I -- and you, dear readers and commenters -- have been saying all along: keeping Capers in Miami was a top priority. Done and done.

Number Two: It now becomes imperative that the Fins bring in a offensive mind to be the head coach. ESPN's Chris Mortensen is also reporting that New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenhenheimer has emerged among the 5 finalists for the Fins ' head coaching position. Mort also said that Chan Gailey and Cam Cameron also are believed to be finalists for the Dolphins' job.

So everything here pretty much rocks. Except the Chan Gailey thing. What in the wide wide world of sports is Gailey's name doing among the finalists???

I do like Brian Schottenhenheimer a lot. As Jason and Jay pointed out yesterday in the comments, Schottenheimer is a solid dark horse candidate who helped a Jets offense over-achieve this season. Good call, fellas!


Update: The Sun-Sentinel is reporting that Brian Schottenheimer will have a second interview with the Dolphins on Tuesday.

Also, ProFootballTalk.com is guessing that Chan Gailey is going to be the Fins' man. Mind you, it's just a guess on their part. But when I read that, it made me throw up in my mouth a little.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

-More Carroll-To-Fins Rumors: PFT is reporting that Pete Carroll may still be in the mix for the Dolphins coaching job. According to rumors they’ve heard, Carroll told Wayne Huizenga to give him a week to decide. Carroll has already stated publicly and privately that he intends on staying at USC. And at this point, why would you replace one liar with another? Seems rather hypocritical and wreaks of desperation and stupidity. If Carroll did end up here, how could we trust him? And how could we accept him after the way we ran Saban out of here? Please, Mr. Huizenga, for the love of all that is good, decent, moral, reasonable, equitable, rational, logical, practical, tolerable and benevolent, please, PLEASE … DO NOT give this job to Pete Carroll!!!

-Chris Chambers, Man of the Year: Chambers was named Dolphins 2006 Man of the Year for his outstanding work in the community. Chambers founded C.A.T.C.H. (Children Achieving Through Community Help) 84 Foundation last year. The foundation’s mission is to help children from single parent family’s look beyond their current circumstances by promoting self-fulfillment through physical fitness and educational programs so children can overcome life’s challenges. When Bryan Wiedmeier handed Chambers the award at the Dolphins award banquet, Chambers dropped it. In a related note, Olindo Mare started his own foundation called C.L.U.T.C.H. Joey Harrington started the R.O.C.K.E.T. A.R.M. foundation as well. There's also a foundation recently started by Jason Allen called F.I.R.S.T. R.O.U.N.D. G.E.M. as well as the newly launched Daunte Culpepper venture, the F.R.A.N.C.H.I.S.E. S.A.V.I.O.R. foundation. I'm starting my own foundation called the T.O.O.K. A. P.E.R.F.E.C.T.L.Y. G.O.O.D. J.O.K.E. A.N.D. R.O.D.E. I.T. I.N.T.O. T.H.E. G.R.O.U.N.D. foundation.

-Dolphins Could Hire New Coach By Wednesday: According to the Palm Beach Post, of the 12 candidates the Dolphins have interviewed so far, the most likely to be brought back for further talks are Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Martz, Jim Mora, Mike Tomlin, Dom Capers and Chan Gailey. This also means that Cam Cameron and Ron Rivera could be out of the loop should the Chargers and Bears advance beyond this weekend’s Divisional Round of the playoffs. That sucks. Should I root for the Patriots to win this weekend so the Fins can bring Cam back in for another interview? Yes! No, wait. No! Damn it! It's like my own private Sophie's Choice!

From the list above, not counting Cameron, I like 'em in this order:

1. Ken Whisenhunt

2. Mike Tomlin

3. Jim Mora

4. Mike Martz.

5. Mmmm … yea … that’s about it.

-Maybe Wayne Is Reading the MSD After All. Again, from the Palm Beach Post:

"The Dolphins were so impressed by [Dom] Capers this season - his defense was fourth in the league - that club officials have talked about making him the highest-paid coordinator in the league in order to keep him, two sources said."

And,

“The Dolphins likely won't tab a coach from the college ranks, the source said. That seemingly would eliminate USC's Pete Carroll and Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey, who reportedly will interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the weekend.”

And,

“Owner Wayne Huizenga also has indicated he likely won't grant total organizational control to the next coach - something Nick Saban was given. Carroll, the former Jets and Patriots coach, said that sort of control would be a stipulation in any possible return to the NFL.”

I’m sure Wayne enjoys the input, opinions and analysis here at the MSD. But I think he just comes here for the jokes.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

The two monkeys and a yo-yo seem to have gotten something right finally. The other day I wrote that Minnesota Viking’s defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin could be a smart choice and a solid dark horse candidate to take over as head coach. Today the Sun-Sentinel is reporting that his interview went very well and that he is expected to have a second interview and be one of the five finalists for the job.

Okay, yes, he’s a defense guy. But everything I’ve heard or read about him says that NFL Insiders believe that the 34 year old Tomlin is a rising young star who will be a head coach someday very soon.

This year he made the Vikings the best run defense in the league. If you played fantasy football this year, you always avoided starting your running back against the Vikings -- well that’s because of Tomlin. How’s that for expert analysis? Fantasy football. Yea, I’m a genius with this stuff. It’s why the ladies love me. That and my spectacular pecs.

Tomlin has coached under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden. As defensive backs coach in Tampa, his players had 5 interceptions in Super Bow XXXVII, shutting down the season’s MVP, quarterback Rich Gannon, and leading the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title.

Tomlin is the first name to pop up as a positive sign that the Fins are narrowing down their search and that the wheels are in motion (I’m spinning my hands with my index fingers pointed out in a twirley motion to better accentuate my point that the wheels are in motion). And although I can’t figure out why they couldn’t just have one interview each and then hire their guy is really beyond me. This is not a managerial position at Kinkos. This is the head coaching position for the Miami Dolphins. Do all your reasearch before the interviews, ask both character questions and football related questions in the same interview, go with ... ah hell, why bother!!

Two monkeys and a fuckin yo-yo ...

Anyway, I do like Tomlin. He’s young, aggressive, impressive and he’s not Pete Carroll, Mike Martz or Dom Capers. I really, really want Squirrel Head to stay here but only as an assistant and defensive coordinator.

Your thoughts?

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

I admit that the prospect of having Mike Martz as head coach of the Miami Dolphins has me intrigued. And judging by your comments, some of you are equally intrigued.

But have we as Dolphins fans gotten so jaded by the lack of offense down here that we’re actually enthusiastic about welcoming in Mike “Mad Scientist,” “Mad Man” Martz as our head coach?

We’ve been through such hell with our offenses since the Jimmy Johnson era right on through to the Saban error that we’re now willing to hand over the keys to our beloved franchise to Mike Freakin’ Martz?

Now, I like Martz as an offensive guru. The first time I started to have my doubts about Nick Saban last year was when he decided to hire Mike Mularkey as his new offensive coordinator instead of Martz, who was also available. I wanted Martz down here. If there is a perfect place for Martz, it’s in the booth calling plays. But unless Huizenga offers to make Martz the highest paid offensive coordinator in the NFL, that window is shut.

Now Martz does have some positives to take into account. He is considered an offensive genius and designs some of the most complex and intricate passing schemes in the NFL. He made Jon Kitna relevant this season, helping him to a 4,208 yard season. He helped Dick Vermiel’s Rams win the Super Bowl in 2000 when he was named their offensive coordinator. In 2001 when Vermeil “retired” Martz took over as head coach and led the Rams to a 14-2 record and the NFC Championship – where they eventually lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. His head coaching record is 56-36 – so far the best record of all the candidates the Fins have interviewed with previous head coaching experience.

But Mike Martz is also considered one of the worst game-clock managers in the NFL. He’s known for calling replay challenges at the worst possible times during a game, abusing the time outs available to him and wasting challenges on mundane plays.

Plus, Mike Martz does not like to run the ball. Despite having both Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson at his disposal when with the Rams, Martz was known for throwing first and throwing often, no matter what the game situation was. In one divisional game, Faulk and Jackson combined for 22 carries while the offense threw the ball 56 times – and this was NOT because the Rams were playing from behind. St. Louis lost that game.

The Rams, who were once known as the “Greatest Show on Turf” and featured a record breaking trio of stars, including Faulk, completely fell apart under Martz’s watch. It all came to a head in 2005 when Martz claimed that offensive lineman Kyle Turley threatened to kill him. Martz also had several conflicts with the Rams front office over the years that eventually led to his firing in 2005.

The verdict on Martz’s tenure with the Rams is clear: He was a record breaking play caller when he was their offensive coordinator. But as their head coach, the team crumbled around him. He lost the respect of his players, had conflicts with the front office and he, stubbornly, mismanaged games over and over again.

Simply put, if you have Martz on a leash, focusing solely on the X’s and O’s of the offense -- he shines. But when he’s put in charge and is made to be the boss, things fall apart.

All indications point to the Dolphins handing all the power to their new head coach. Martz can barely handle replay challenges and we expect him to make all the decisions on team personnel situations?

If Huizenga somehow changed his mind and decided to hire a strong personnel guy or, at the very least, give Randy Mueller the power, then my feelings towards Martz would go from cold to lukewarm. Only because as a head coach, I think Martz is a total flake. But I don’t think Huizenga is changing his philosophy.

I said yesterday in the comments section that my hunch, gut feeling is that Martz will be the guy they hire, unless Pete Carroll pulls a Saban and comes here even after saying he wouldn’t. Right now I’m listless about any of the supposed candidates – unless it’s Cam Cameron or Ken Whisenhunt.

Admittedly, I would be curious to see what Martz did with this Miami offense while having Dom Capers running the defense. But at this point, I’m just angry at the fact that this ownership is happily married to the idea of giving the new head coach all the power. That is going to be the single reason why the Dolphins will not return to being a Super Bowl contender for a long, long while.

So, Mike Martz? I say no. But if he did come here, I wouldn’t burn down the practice bubble or anything. I’d just be very indifferent and apathetic about our team’s future.

I guess we’ll see …

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

And,

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Hey folks, sorry about the lack of posts today. Blogger took a shit and had a day-long outage to fix something that is going to break in another 2 weeks so they can have another day-long outage. Good thing Miami sports news was slow today. The day belonged to Gainesville anyway. Crap.

In any event, it’s free. So I can’t bitch too much. Some day I might tell Blogger to put that coffee down, get smart like JD and plunk down some money to do the site on Word Press. Until then …

Anyway, some quick hits:

-Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz is going to be the 10th candidate the Dolphins will interview. I like it but would rather have him as an OC rather than a HC. Oh and Mike Martz is batshit insane.

-Dom Capers interviewed for the vacancy yesterday. Dom Capers has a dead squirrel on his head.

-Mike Tomlin also interviewed for the job. Something tells me Tomlin could be a real dark horse in this whole thing. NFL Insiders believe he’s a quick-rising football mind who will someday be a very good head coach. He may be a smart choice. What am I talking about? We have two monkeys with a yo-yo running shit down here.

-I’ve said it, JD said it today, Nick Buoniconti said it today on Dan Le Batard’s show: THE DOLPHINS NEED TO MAKE THEIR GM SPOT A PRIORITY!!!! And yet Wayne is flying to Costa Rica and meeting with Pete Carroll, who wants total control…. Two monkeys and a yo-yo.

-NFL Network’s Adam Schefter doesn’t think Pete Carroll is leaving USC. Schefter reminds me of an elementary school pal of mine named Niles. Just thought I’d share that with you.

I'll update anything that happens here …. (unless the hamster over at blogger dies again)




P.S. Some of you long time readers of the MSD know how much I hate ESPN’s Sean Salisbury. This is the reason for the post headline today. Just in case you’ve been living in a cave lately … or maybe you’ve been trying to post on Blogger all day.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Okay, the Pete Carroll to the Dolphins rumor seems to have a stuck a cord with you guys. And it seems to be a polarizing topic. Some local columnists are for it, others not so much. BuffaloBills.com’s Chris Brown can’t fathom Wayne Huizenga’s reasoning. And I couldn’t agree more. Again, I understand the Dolphins need to turn every rock and check every avenue and that, in the end, this may all be a moot point. But the fact that Wayne Huizenga seems to show a love for high profile, big name coaches, this needs to be addressed here at the MSD.

Pete Carroll to the Dolphins would not only be a disaster but it would be a repeat of all the crap we just went through with Nick Saban.

Let’s take a closer look at the man they call Pom Poms and the man they call Nick Satan and the similarity of their NFL career stats:

In 1994, Carroll’s New York Jets went 6-10 and missed the playoffs. New York lost their final 6 games of the season and Carroll was fired. One and done. Carroll then went to the Patriots and took over a pretty talented Bill Parcells team. The Pats won the division and went to the conference title game – again, with Parcells’ players. Things got progressively worse after that. The following season, the Pats finished 9-7. In his third and final season with New England, the team finished 8-8, missed the playoffs and Carroll was fired. The Pats then hired some guy named Bill Belichick.

Carroll’s final NFL record: 33-31.

Saban’s first season with the Fins finished 9-7, buoyed by a strong late season rally. Miami missed the playoffs. In 2006, Saban and the Fins finished with a worse record, 6-10, and missed the playoffs again. He then bolted for the backwoods.

Saban’s final NFL record: 15-17

They’re the same guy. Except one guy is a dick and the other is a cheerleader.

Carroll just won’t work in the NFL. As I, and many others have noted, Carroll is perfectly suited for the college game. His rah-rah approach and his ability to recruit well make him a great NCAA coach. And if the Fins did hire him, how long until Carroll starts to feel the itch, like Saban did, and suddenly decide that he “misses” the college game.

More than my rah-rah argument is that Carroll has already proven he can’t handle the pro game. The NFL is faster, more complicated and demands a more win-now mentality. In both levels, you need players to win. In the NFL, you have to rely on a predetermined order of draft picks, free agency and a salary cap. In college, you just need to walk into a players’ living room and charm him onto your team – and you can do that with all the best high school players available without restrictions as to how many players you visit or try to get.

We’ve seen how Saban wrecked this team. He always talked about progress yet insisted on signing aging veterans while ignoring the glaring needs to re-build the offensive line and adding another talented receiver to compliment Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael. We won’t even get into the Culpepper/Harrington fiasco. Or his propensity to draft players out of the SEC, like Jason Allen who’s still sitting on the team’s bench.

If Carroll had never been a head coach in the NFL, maybe I’d be less against it. I was, after all, advocating the Fins pursue Louisville’s Bobby Petrino (who is now the new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons).

But Carroll’s been in the NFL. Twice. In the AFC East. And failed miserably both times. Not to mention that his expertise is on the defensive side of the ball.

Truth is, Carroll excites some people because of what he’s done at USC. He’s a sexy name and a high profile guy. And that’s great. But remember how excited we all were after Saban became the primary candidate after he won the National Championship with LSU? It was the same exact thing – a high profile college coach whose name and stock was as high as Lindsey Lohan on New Years eve. In the end, it was a bust deal.

Hire Pete Carroll and it’s just going to be Nick Saban re-visited. If not worse.

Chad Finn, a columnist for Boston.com – which is The Boston Globe’s website – covers the Red Sox and Patriots and says the following about the Carroll to Dolphins rumors:

"Pete Carroll to the Dolphins? It's the hot rumor of the day, and you know I'm jacked and pumped just thinking about it. Carroll is an idiot if he leaves USC - his rah-rah enthusiasm is perfect for the college game, and as we learned the hard way in New England, not so perfect for the NFL. It sure would be fun having him back in the division, though."

‘Nuff said.

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins

Since the Bill Cowher resignation from the Steelers is now official, I guess I need to address this.

Cowher’s been a popular name among Dolphins fans as soon as we all knew Saban was going to Tuscaloosa. And in my Dolphins Coaching Prospects post yesterday, I noted Cowher as a possible “dark horse” candidate to take over as the Dolphins' head coach. But I did also say that I don’t see Cowher taking on a project like the Dolphins. Why would he? Unless he really does want to become the highest paid coach in the NFL. That’s not to say that the Dolphins job is bleak by any means. You want bleak, look no further than the Raiders' coaching vacancy. Or that Cowher would never come down here. It’s just that I think the chances are slim.

It seems a bit farfetched that Cowher would leave a team he just won a Super Bowl with to go to a team that has a lot of glaring issues on both sides of the ball -- quarterback issues, offensive line issues, receivers issues, secondary issues and an aging defense, to name just a few.

Is there a chance? There’s always a chance with these crazy people who call themselves head coaches in the NFL. And Wayne Huizenga did say that he doesn’t care what it costs to turn the Fins into a winner. Plus there's the fact that Cowher did not use the word “retirement” during his press conference but, rather, the word “resignation.” His reason for leaving the Steelers is, so he says, to spend more time with his family. But many NFL insiders believe he’s going to take a year off then come back to the NFL in 2008. And I agree.

If the Dolphins really wanted him, they’d have to compensate the Steelers since Pittsburgh still owns Cowher’s rights (he has one year left on his current contract). Now, it should be noted that when Don Shula came here from Baltimore in 1969, Miami was forced to give up a first round pick to the Colts. In 2002, Tampa Bay gave the Raiders 4 draft picks – including 2 first rounders – and cash for Jon Gruden. So, something like this can happen and has paid off with Super Bowl titles for both Miami and Tampa.

SporTech, and the Miami Herald each have polls as to who the fans want down here and Cowher is winning the votes by a popular margin. And now that’s he’s officially no longer the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, teams can now officially talk with Cowher without being tagged with tampering chargers.

Cowher may very well be serious about spending time with his family for a year. But it would behoove the Dolphins brass to at least fly to North Carolina and “kick the tires” with Cowher and see what it would take to lure him to South Florida. In this league, you just never know.

I still personally don’t think Cowher will coach in 2007. Nor will he be the next coach of the Miami Dolphins. I think he’s an outstanding coach. But I still would rather not give up draft picks for a coach – even a high profile coach like Cowher – but I do think the Dolphins should at least check things out with Cowher and see what bites. But, ultimately, I don't think he's the answer -- not for what we'd have to give up for him.

The search continues …

Labels: Dolphins Coach Search, Miami Dolphins