A season to forget for Shula, too

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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/miami-dolphins/story/619987.html

A season to forget for Shula, too

By ARMANDO SALGUERO
Miami Herald

The Dolphins' decorated history is on the other end of a long-distance telephone line. Don Shula is recalling his first days with the franchise he made elite, and then he draws a line as wide as a concrete wall between Miami's storied history and its recent past.

''I'd like to see them get it turned around,'' Shula says from his summer home in North Carolina. ``Last year was a tough thing to witness for Dolphins fans. It was a tough year. The team was 1-15 and could have easily been 0-16. If that had happened, it really would have been a thing you can never get past.

``It was painful. You really want to forget [last season] happened.''

The Dolphins certainly want to forget. But it is difficult to disconnect from the dreadful facts of 2007 without letting the eraser wipe away some of the tradition that came before that forgettable season.

That is why team president Bryan Wiedmeier admits, ''We've never gone through anything like this before,'' when he talks about some of the difficult decisions the team has made as 2008 dawns.

What decisions, you ask?

The team has decided, for example, that there will be no kickoff banquet this year. The annual event that traditionally celebrates last year's accomplishments while introducing this year's team has been scrapped at least for one year.

It is an understandable move because, after all, celebrating last season is like celebrating a death.

NO MVP, EITHER

''We decided to take a step back and reevaluate what we're trying to accomplish with this particular event,'' Wiedmeier says. ``We hate to break the chain of the banquet, but next year we can look at it again and take the next step.''

The team also has decided not to name a Most Valuable Player from the 2007 season. The award, currently named after Dan Marino, has gone to men such as Larry Csonka and Zach Thomas, Jim Langer and Nick Buoniconti.

But if you look on page 557 of this year's Miami media guide it says the 2007 Dan Marino Most Valuable Player award is ``Vacant.''

That is not all. Every NFL team, in conjunction with NFL Films, puts out a highlight film that typically premiers at the start of each season. The film looks at what happened the season before and tries to strike an optimistic note for what is about to come.

The Dolphins are doing only half of that. Yes, their highlight film looks ahead to this new season's possibilities. But talk of the 2007 season is rare and there is no mention of 1-15.

''It is a forward-looking highlight film,'' club spokesman Harvey Greene says.

The trick for this franchise is to look ahead and forget 2007 while not forgetting a history that, until only recently, was filled with tradition and pride and a lot of winning.

It is not easy.

Jimmy Johnson was tripped up by the idea of writing a new chapter while not erasing the rest of the book. Miami fans cringed when he said he didn't care about what came before his coaching stint because what came before was impressive.

LESSON LEARNED

The Dolphins' current administration of Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano seems intent on not taking that kind of unnecessary misstep.

Sparano on Saturday showed his 80 players a film that outlined the pride, glory and tradition that used to follow the Miami franchise like a shadow. And the coach has reached out to Shula, trying to bridge the gap between today and yesterday.

''The new coach did call me, but I haven't been able to talk to him yet,'' Shula confirms. ``He sounds like a good man, and I wish him the best.''

Shula says he has not spoken to Parcells, either.

''I haven't talked to him, and I don't really know that much about his coaching philosophy,'' Shula says. ``I do know he's had a couple of turnarounds in his history where he takes a bad team and gets it pointed in the right direction.''

There is no sense of warmth when the organization's past ruler talks about Miami's new football czar. But the bet here is Parcells won't allow Shula to feel the same chill the former coach felt from Johnson.

''I've got to call him,'' Parcells said Sunday as he watched the team practice. ``I need to get his number and call him.''