Stephen Ross wants the Dolphins to open up the offense

AP

Now that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has completely disrupted the dynamics between the front office and the coaching staff by courting Jim Harbaugh before firing Tony Sparano — and then extending Sparano’s contract after failing to land Harbaugh — Ross plans to dabble in offensive strategy.

What could go wrong with that?

“I’ve told Tony that to me, I want an aggressive, creative [offense] not playing just to keep it close, where people really are a little more unpredictable,” Ross said in an interview with TheFinsiders.com, a website operated by the Dolphins, via Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald.  (Darlington also apparently works for TheFinsiders.com while also covering the Dolphins for the Herald, which technically means that he’s working for the team he’s covering.  What could go wrong with that?)

Ross also wants the Dolphins to force the issue, with a hurry-up offense.

“Our players are training in that weather,” Ross said.  “Let’s take advantage of it.  Let’s go with a hurry-up offense.  Let’s wear them down.   You know?  We’ve never done that.  You know?  This isn’t the north, where you just want to take it four yards and a cloud of dust.

“So I think I look for a different brand, seeing the Dolphins how fans want to see it, and how we win, going downfield, in the days of Dan Marino, the days we all want to go back to.”

Basically, Ross wanted and didn’t get a rock-star coach that would help the Dolphins compete with the Miami Heat.  Ross instead will force his meat-and-potatoes coach to adopt a rock-star style that he surely has considered and rejected at some point in his extensive coaching career.

What could go wrong with that?

51 responses to “Stephen Ross wants the Dolphins to open up the offense

  1. What an idiot. Take advantage of the weather? The same owner who has been pushing for 4PM and night games to make it more comfortable for the fairweather fans he’s fighting so hard to lure.

    And last I saw, New England isn’t a 4 yard and a cloud of dust offense…

  2. If the Dolphins are smart they will hire Josh McDaniels to run the offense and bring Kyle Orton in there too, that would be a good start.

    If Ross really wanted to think outside the box he’d have hired Mike Leach, every game would be 45-38, they may not win all of them but they’d be exciting, you know, like the Marino days…this is what he wants isn’t it?

  3. This just in; in addition to the nintendo gameboy’s he calls advancement in gameday viewing experience with each ticket purchase he gives away, if you upgrade your seats you will get to call a play during one home game. You know no team is doing that , that is what you call a real game experience.
    How hard d you think this Ring Master is pushing HBO to have them on Hard Knocks?

  4. As a Patriots fan let me just say I feel bad for Dolphins fans right now. Things were looking bright when Parcells came in and did his thing but now you have a buffoon for an owner and your team will soon be a laughingstock once again.

  5. Dear Lord, will this guy just shut the f*ck up alread! As a Dolfan I am just embarrassed at this whole situation. Please Mr. Ross, the Dolphins are not the Lakers or the Heat, and you certianly are not Mark Cuban. Do us all a favor, keep the the things you know, realestate and schmoozing with Jenny from the block and the Williams sisters and let Ireland, Sparano and the coaches do their job. Bring it back to the days of Dan Marino….serioulsy dude??? You know you just didn’t think those words, you actually said them. Unreal…..

    dolfan in KC

  6. @NFL4ever: I’m sure they would hire McDaniels, except for the fact that new Dolphin WR Brandon Marshall hates McDaniels.

    Dolphins suck anyways. Jets and Patriots will always dominate the AFC East. Dolphins only won a few years back because of the Wild Cat BS that they even gave up on.

  7. I totally support the owners stance on this. I am a Fins fan and it is hard to watch them play. Its like watching paint dry. Miami is a transient city where there are a lot of things to do and if there isnt entertainment value in watching the Fins play the fans will not come. So I totally understand where the owner is coming from. He isnt a meddling owner at all. Not one time did you hear of him meddling through the season. He is listening what the fans are saying. So I am encouraged by this. But Sparano isnt the coach to lead an offensive juggernaut.

  8. Well Mike this is what happens when an owner pays 1.1 billion dollars for a franchise and inherits Parcells who had an agreement with the previous owner; who promised not to get involved with football operations. Ross is not wrong in wanting something other than the current predictable offense. Which has not worked out in getting to the playoffs. Ross is now like a kid who was kept out of the candy jar and now that big bad Bill Parcells is gone he goes a little nuts. In my opinion Ross did not want a rock star coach, just a creative minded offensive coach…..so now Ross will settle for a creative offensive coordinator. Oh, the Dolphins will also have to find a starting quarterback.

  9. So, Ross is trying to implement everything that Jim Harbaugh told him that his team needed when he flew across the country to speak with him about things not related to Harbaugh coaching the Dolphins.

    Got it!

  10. Wow, yeah, that all sounds great. Let’s throw the ball a lot because that’s exciting.

    Does this delusional jackwagon know Peyton Manning is a free agent? Maybe he’ll charter the plane up to Indianapolis just to talk to Peyton about his options.

  11. I made tons of money in business, therefore I can make a professional NFL franchise a winner / offensive Juggernaut.

    Son, here’s a few basic things to start with:

    Jake Long is a great player when healthy, otherwise your O-line is limited at best.

    Henne is not a starter, draft a guy like Mallett or Locker and spend a few years making him better.

    WR’s have to be able to run routes clean & the TE’s have to get open on a consistent basis.

    So to sum it up, your offense on the whole is as clueless as you.

  12. It looks like the AFC is is going to remain just a 2 team race (pats ,jets)for the foreseable future with dumb inept ownership in miami and buffalo.

  13. stiffarm37 says:
    Jan 10, 2011 10:02 PM
    As a Patriots fan let me just say I feel bad for Dolphins fans right now. Things were looking bright when Parcells came in and did his thing but now you have a buffoon for an owner and your team will soon be a laughingstock once again.
    ———————————-
    Soon? Naw, man…IS.

    I am sure Sparano would like to open up the offense also, but he needs the right QB to do it. Henne has skills but he has no brains or leadership ability. If he could read defenses, they would let him audible; if he could scan the field he wouldn’t force throws to the receiver he stares at from the break of the huddle. I supported Henne, but he has shown me enough of his ineptitude. He is having trouble executing a vanilla 3-4 play offense with a conservative slant…what makes anyone think he could handle a two-minute type offense. BTW, the entire coaching staff and offense have proven to be lacking any understanding of a two-minute drill or time management. If Ross wants to open up the offense and run an effective 2-min then I suggest he open up the wallet and go get a QB like Manning…too bad there are not any available.

  14. You can’t make chicken salad with chicken shat
    and this team is made up of quite a bit of chicken shat

  15. while funny the way he’s putting it he’s… well… right… and it has to do with Henning not Sparano.

    the Henning offense was the no risk offense of the decade…. they had Marshall, Hartline, Fasano, Ricky, Ronnie, and Bess on the field at the same time, and it was all check downs all the time….

    the only time Henne aired it out all year he was throwing it 15 yards short cause he was in such a state of shock it wasn’t a a check down…

    Ross is right… get an OC in there that’s gonna start playing freakin football….

  16. I know that many of you dislike the Patriots, Bill Belichik and so by extension you must also dislike Robert Kraft, owner of the team.

    But you must give him credit for being a great owner, and so you must admit that he does seem to have written the book on the subject.

    Chapter 1 – find the right coach

    Chapter 2 – Get the hell out of the way

    Chapter 3 – Sign the checks

  17. At least you have an owner that cares about the direction of the team. He tried to land Harbaugh but couldn’t. He wants an exciting offense. Give him credit.

    He’s not an owner that, oh, retains a career .500 coach for 9 years and basically delays the development of the team’s future for one more year.

    Ross can meddle all he wants – he’s got the keys, and he wants to bring exciting, winning football to his fans. Yeah, that’s a bitch….

  18. jconti6 says:
    Jan 10, 2011 10:06 PM
    @NFL4ever: I’m sure they would hire McDaniels, except for the fact that new Dolphin WR Brandon Marshall hates McDaniels.
    ————————————————–
    Good point, but Marshall was very productive under McDaniels with Orton at QB last year.

    Plus Marshall is a Diva, can’t believe that anyone with a brain would care what he thinks about anything…just catch the damn ball!

  19. What a Numb Nut. Doesn’t he realize that he is now meddling in an area he knows nothing about and that he doesn’t have the players to execute what he wants. No wonder Parcells left. How this guy made all that money is a miracle considering the stupidity he has shown in dealing with Sparano and now sticking his nose into the coaching of the team. He should stick to giving minority shares to celebrities.

  20. funny how many Dolphins fans bought the whole idea that Ross made the decision to not offer Harbaugh a contract even though Harbaugh just wasnt interested in going. Ross wanted what Harbaugh brought to the table, and Harbaugh took considerably less $ to go to SF.

  21. Ross is the Boss

    Miami Dolphins, Commitment to Excellence

    Let’s hear it for Stephen (Al Davis) Ross. The Synder South himself.

    Is he taking orders from J-Lo?

  22. Feel sorry for you dolphin fans. You’ve got a moron for an owner.

    He’s got Jones and Snyder beat as far as meddling is concerned.

  23. I’ve been to many games in that stadium…and things have NEVER been as bad as they are since Ross bought team.

    He has A-typical S. Fla disease….he wants to reincarnate Dan Marino…who by the way never won a thing.

    Dolphins are only real competition to NE in last 17 years…and their true rivals…so would be great to see them w/a strong team…BUT, won’t happen w/Ross there..guy is a clown.

    jets fans think they are a frontrunner…but in reality, Buffalo has won 3x the playoff games jets have…

  24. @jconti who said: Jets and Patriots will always dominate the AFC East.

    Sorry dude, Jets dont belong in that sentence. Don not equate being a wildcard the past 2 years as being dominant. The Pats dominate the division.

    Since 2000 the division winners are:

    Pats 8 times
    Fins 2 times
    Jets once

    Your Jets have a long way to go before they can start using the word dominate. They haven’t dominated anything other than the tabloid headlines.

  25. I just re-read the 2010 QB Ratings. Not only was Sanchez the worst QB in the AFC East (right behind Henne) – he was the worst in the AFC!

    The Jets have very, very good receivers, a heck of a tight end, an all-pro multi-gazillion dollar O-Line, and excellent RBs. What more could a QB ask for?

    Sanchez: great guy, but not a very good QB

  26. wow. i gotta tell ya, its hard to refrain from being an a-hole right about now to dolphin fans.

    but to whoever said get kyle orton, and josh mcdaniels as OC..I hope they do NOT do that..

  27. The jets dominate ? Just look at the last two yrs. Dolphins 3 Jets 1. Does that sound like domination ? Go sexy Rexy get them feet nibbled.
    I sure wish Boss Ross would just , not go away mad, but just go away.

  28. @mistrezzrachael lets live in the present, shall we?

    The Dolphins are not relevant when talking about the AFC East. If you want to be honest about the situation, the Jets are on the way up with a 2nd yr QB and Coach who’ve made the playoffs 2 years in a row, and are 1 game away from another AFC Championship game.

    The Dolphins are on the way down.. They have talent on the team, but a big Question mark at QB and a mess in the front office.

  29. Ross, please hire Snooki as your O Cord. It fits right in with everything you are trying to do to this franchise. Hire people who have no place in the NFL and give them power to run the franchise. Maybe you can replace the mascot with a castoff each week from some reality show. Do they even play football in Miami anymore?

  30. Our offense is in shambles.

    1.) Henne throws interceptions
    2.) Hartline, despite fast is either always off route or fumbles to the cornerback
    3.) Brandon miss catches allot.
    4.) Fasano is slow
    5.) Ronnie Brown sleeps on the job
    6.) Ricky fumbles
    7.) No Ted Ginn speed (I only mention speed here)
    8.) Moore is just a big wr no speed.
    9.) The offensive line GOT WORSE

    so that only leaves Cobbs, Polite, Bess and Carpenter as the only legit offensive players.

  31. @jcjets who said: They have talent on the team, but a big Question mark at QB and a mess in the front office.

    Their question is better than your question mark over the last 2 years as far as QB ranking (the standard) is concerned.

    2009 Sanchez: 63.0 passer rating; 28th in the NFL
    2009 Henne: 75.2 passer rating; 22nd in the NFL

    2010 Sanchez: 75.3 passer rating; 27th in the NFL
    2010 Henne: 75.4 passert rating; 26th in the NFL

    Sounds like 2 question marks to me.

    O, and Brady:
    2010: 111 rating #1 in the NFL
    2009: 96.2 rating #9 in the NFL

  32. I think we have Jerry Jones 2.0. He needs to shut his pie hole and stick to hanging out with J-Lo and Mr. J-Lo. I really cant stand listening to owners act like they know the game.

  33. @luvthatdirtywata Unfortunately we can’t compare playoff stats for Sanchez and Henne, but we know the reason why we can’t..

    Sanchez is not there yet, but barring injury, he’ll be a pro-bowler very soon. Henne’s been benched multiple times..even for Chad Pennington who fell one time on his side, and was done for the season.

  34. The only thing Ross should be opening up is his wallet to spend for a quality starting quarterback.

  35. Sporano’s staffs idea of exciting is throwing out of the wildcat formation. You can never force a coach to change his philosophy. This staff is too conservative like Parcells was. The game has changed and this staff, with the exception of Mike Nolan, is 20 years behind.

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