The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

By Omar Kelly
Sun Sentinel Commentary
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• Mike Tannenbaum & Dennis Hickey knew that the Dolphins had offensive line and linebacker issues, but did littl
  
  How many of the Dolphins' glaring problems from 2014 were fixed this offseason?
  
  The Miami Dolphins still have the same issues the team struggled with last season

Can we put the pitchforks down and pause the "fire Joe Philbin" campaign for a minute?

Or better yet, a couple weeks? I'm thinking until midseason, after the Nov. 8 rematch against Buffalo.

As poorly as Philbin and his coaching staff have performed in the first three games — and they have done at best a mediocre job putting the Dolphins in a position to win on Sundays — it's also reasonable to conclude that Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Dennis Hickey have failed at their jobs as well.

Tannenbaum and Hickey deserve a round of applause for offering Ndamukong Suh more money than anyone else in the NFL and landing the All-Pro defensive tackle. But that's one player who hasn't delivered on expectations, just like these Dolphins.

And the truth is that the team Tannenbaum and Hickey handed Philbin has glaring holes everywhere. It's about as deep as a wading pool from a talent standpoint — which we're seeing with every injury.

The front office's job is to give the coaches an improved roster each offseason, to address the squad's deficiencies through free agency, the draft, and waiver-wire rummaging.

Ask yourself: What problematic area from the Dolphins' 2014 team got fixed this offseason?

Go ahead and list them. I'll wait.

And don't say the receiver clearance sale worked in the Dolphins' favor, because quarterback Ryan Tannehill is leaning on Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews, two holdovers from last year's unit, not newcomers Greg Jennings, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills.

Last year's defensive front struggled stopping the run, especially late in the season. The inability to stop the run remains problem No. 1 on this year's defense, and that's with Suh.

Last year, the offensive line was a monumental disaster. Nothing has changed but the name of the starters, and this year's line, which played without left tackle Branden Albert on Sunday because of a hamstring injury, might actually be worse.

Tannehill has been sacked seven times this season, and he is under pressure or hit once every 2.9 times he drops back to pass. And last year the Dolphins at least ranked second in the NFL in yards per carry, but this season they're averaging just 72.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 27th out of 32 teams.

That means this offensive line has been a failure in both aspects of the jobs, and there is no solution in sight.

The most troubling aspect of the run game struggles is the fact that the Dolphins consistently try to convert third-and-short situations out of the shotgun, or with gimmick running or pass plays.

Where is the power package to convert those hard-to-get first downs, or to punch the ball into the end zone? Maybe if they had that physical running back — or the fullback everyone knew these Dolphins needed — offensive coordinator Bill Lazor wouldn't be calling passing plays four straight times from the 2-yard line like he did in the 41-14 loss to Buffalo.

Last year's linebacker player was subpar. Most of the stops the linebackers made came 5 to 7 yards downfield, and that's being generous.

That unit sparingly made impactful plays, and nothing has changed after three games in 2015. The only thing that's different is that Kelvin Sheppard has replaced Philip Wheeler as the third linebacker on the field. The front office knew the Dolphins needed help at the position and did absolutely nothing of substance in the offseason, unless you count signing Spencer Paysinger, a career special teamer, and adding Zach Vigil as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Brice McCain was the first answer to the offseason question of who would play opposite Brent Grimes. Well, the veteran has been picked on the past two games and appears to be in over his head as a boundary cornerback. McCain, who was used more as a nickel back in his prior stops in Houston and Pittsburgh, was one of five defensive backs the Dolphins added this offseason. It would be a shame if none of them helped patch this leaking secondary.

Those were all issues that anyone who was watching last season should have seen. Yet Dolphins management appears to have failed to provide solutions.

Luckily for Tannenbaum and Hickey, nobody is calling for their heads in the way that people are for Philbin.

Copyright © 2015, Sun Sentinel

Hickey and Philbin are gong to be gone and fired....it's a matter of WHEN and not IF. Do they do it now or after the season.

Tannenbaum just got here he isn't getting fired. He is running the franchise.

Tannenbaum just got here he isn't getting fired. He is running the franchise.

If Tannenbaum is running the franchise then why get rid of Hickey???  Miami's not going to get a decent GM if they know Tannenbaum is just going to overrule the new GM.  Might as well keep Hickey in the position.  IMO I don't think Hickey has been terrible given the circumstance he came into.

Tannenbaum inherited Hickey. He didn't hire him. Tannenbaum will oversee the hiring of the next HC and GM and then his clock starts ticking cause if that fails it's on him. This dumpster fire of Hickey and Philbin isn't on Tannenbaum's watch. He inherited this mess and is trying to make it work. Not being a blind apologist for Tannenbaum but those are the facts.

But you are being a Tannenbaum apologist.  He was hired in August 2014.  On one hand you say he is running the franchise, and on the other hand your saying he had nothing to do with this past years' draft, putting all the blame on Hickey.

Don't forget that Tannenbaum is the one who brought Tim Tebow to the Jets.

Not sure why Mike has the man-love for Tannenbaum.  It really seems to go against his nature so I'm guessing they have a connection somewhere.

Bring in a new staff or keep the old. Don't change the bottom part of it and expect different results from the same decision maker.

Feb 1st hired, draft in late April, you don't think he had a single opinion or input into the draft which you claim was so awful?

I don't blame Tannenbaum, I blame them both.  If the EVP of a franchise thinks there's a problem and it goes unaddressed, there should be consequences.  Its not like he is going to sit there and say "oh well, I told him to go get Evan Mathis, and he didn't" - then he should also be fired for being incompetent and not aggressive enough to perform his job.

Technically, Tannenbaum cannot have final say over personnel because of the Rooney Rule.

Funny that Miami reporters specifically have called out Tannenbaum as being the one to work the Mathis deal. Omar did it again this week as well blamed the O-line on him. Let's see ... a guy who makes his living working directly with the people involved or a guy who has a blog on the internet pretending to be the end all of Dolphins affairs? Hmmm ...

Funny that Miami reporters specifically have called out Tannenbaum as being the one to work the Mathis deal. Omar did it again this week as well blamed the O-line on him. Let's see ... a guy who makes his living working directly with the people involved or a guy who has a blog on the internet pretending to be the end all of Dolphins affairs? Hmmm ...