What was the best move in Dolphin's Franchise History?

[jtex316]

It's weird that Dave would start a "Worst Move' thread in the Anti-Fins section, so I decided to do the opposite and start a thread here.

What was the greatest Franchise move in Dolphins History? Was it the drafting of Dan Marino? The Hiring of Don Shula? The hiring of Bill Parcells? The signing of Earl Morral as back-up QB in 1972? Some other move?

I think the drafting of Dan Marino - while it didn't lead to any Super Bowl wins and I am the biggest proponent of that argument of all - is the best move in Dolphins history. There were other QBs ranked higher and taken higher in the draft, so it was a "steal" to take Marino, because the Dolphins could have easily wound up with some other bum as QB. Instead they got 5,000+ yards in 1984 and 60,000 yards and a ton of other hall-of-fame numbers. Clearly the single-best Dolphin of all-time, and a great job in scouting by whomever convinced Don Shula to draft him.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I am gonna go with Shula.  Problem with calling drafting Marino the best move is the Dolphins never won the superbowl after drafting Marino.  For a team with multiple superbowl wins hard to call the best move something that didn't win the SB over things that did result in winning. 

[Dave Gray]

Hmm.  Tough call.

Bringing Shula in is my choice.

But there's an argument to saying that it was Marino.  While he never won a Super Bowl, he did make Miami a football town and was the one player that the entire community rallied behind for decades. 

[Doc-phin]

Fairly obvious the answer is bringing in Shula. 

If you want to make this thread more interesting take away the Shula and Marino answers as an option. 

[Sunstroke]

It's weird that Dave would start a "Worst Move' thread in the Anti-Fins section, so I decided to do the opposite and start a thread here.

My aqua and orange world is spinning off its axis here with the role reversal...

Only because I think the answer to this question will be more apparent a couple of years from now, I'll say that hiring Parcells to oversee the football operations and to build this franchise back up from its lowest point is the best move made by the franchise. If we had brought in another bum GM/front office team instead of the Irish Tuna Coalition, we may have been looking at a number of 1-15 to 3-13 type seasons, and we could have easily become the new Detroit Lions (read: league laughingstock).

Can you imagine going through a 5-6 year period where you never win more than 3 games in a season? If you can, then once you finish throwing up, I think this choice is a no-brainer.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

My aqua and orange world is spinning off its axis here with the role reversal...

Only because I think the answer to this question will be more apparent a couple of years from now, I'll say that hiring Parcells to oversee the football operations and to build this franchise back up from its lowest point is the best move made by the franchise. If we had brought in another bum GM/front office team instead of the Irish Tuna Coalition, we may have been looking at a number of 1-15 to 3-13 type seasons, and we could have easily become the new Detroit Lions (read: league laughingstock).

Can you imagine going through a 5-6 year period where you never win more than 3 games in a season? If you can, then once you finish throwing up, I think this choice is a no-brainer.

Far too early to make that claim...it is based on the same speculation that already has Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan inducted in the HOF.  Parcells might bring the Dolphins to the promise land but he didn't get either the Jets or Cowboys to the superbowl and NE lost in the SB.  Best decision must be based on proven results -- that is Schula. 

[Sunstroke]

Far too early to make that claim...it is based on the same speculation that already has Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan inducted in the HOF. 

Sort of an insanely stretched comparison...

What I am "actually comparing" is where Miami would have been without Parcells & Company (see doomsday scenario about multiple 1-15 seasons above) and where we are now, which is a team on the rise with a concrete plan for success.

Thus, my choice...

[Dave Gray]

I see Stroke's point, though.  Even if Parcells doesn't bring a Super Bowl to Miami, he's keeping them competitive and relevant to the city.  It's the Marino argument.  He never won it all, but we were on the map for 2 straight decades.  That does a lot to sell tickets, build a fanbase, and create a team legacy.

[RhodeIslandPhinFan]

I wasn't alive then, but history tells me it was Don Shula.  Had Marino won a Super Bowl or 2 I may have leaned that way.

[Thundergod]

Bringing Shula in. Other than keeping Olivadotti for years on end, the man was awesome.

[BigDaddyFin]

Shula and Marino are obvious choices, so I'm going to say the drafting of Larry Csonka out of Syracuse.

[Defense54]

Without question.  Dan Marino , late round pick that nobody wanted.  Its not Dan's fault that Miami couldn't make a first round pick that counted after that.

[David Fulcher]

Sort of an insanely stretched comparison...

What I am "actually comparing" is where Miami would have been without Parcells & Company (see doomsday scenario about multiple 1-15 seasons above) and where we are now, which is a team on the rise with a concrete plan for success.

Thus, my choice...

I see Stroke's point, though.  Even if Parcells doesn't bring a Super Bowl to Miami, he's keeping them competitive and relevant to the city.  It's the Marino argument.  He never won it all, but we were on the map for 2 straight decades.  That does a lot to sell tickets, build a fanbase, and create a team legacy.

I see Stroke's point here also, and it's one that I feel is reasonable and might be my choice, too.  Like he said, it would pretty much be a doomsday scenario for me as a *young* Dolphins fan to imagine my boys going through multiple 3-5 win seasons as the Raiders have since 2003 and the Lions have since--when, freakin' 1996?!?  I don't know, like ethurst says, maybe we are just spoiled as Dolphins fans because, despite the *lack* of SB championships, we honestly haven't had many bad seasons even over 44 years (please-please-please-please-please don't jinx your 'Phins!), but that doesn't mean that I want to find out what that's like, either!

So, I'm looking at the selection of Parcells as VP of football operations or whatever his title is as a choice, but I think I want to give it another season or two and see how it turns out (and like I believe Stroke was implying, that doesn't necessarily mean we have to win a SB to validate Parcells selection).  For right now, I'd say the selection of Shula.  Get 'em, "Chin"!

[Spider-Dan]

Only because I think the answer to this question will be more apparent a couple of years from now, I'll say that hiring Parcells to oversee the football operations and to build this franchise back up from its lowest point is the best move made by the franchise. If we had brought in another bum GM/front office team instead of the Irish Tuna Coalition, we may have been looking at a number of 1-15 to 3-13 type seasons, and we could have easily become the new Detroit Lions (read: league laughingstock).

Can you imagine going through a 5-6 year period where you never win more than 3 games in a season? If you can, then once you finish throwing up, I think this choice is a no-brainer.

How about a 4-year period where we have the following record:

3-11,  4-10,  5-8-1, 3-10-1

Because those are the records that the Dolphins had before Shula came to town.

He immediately followed those 4 seasons with records of 10-5, 12-4-1, 17-0, and 15-2.  Oh, and he also brought the only two NFL championships that Miami has ever had.

If you think that Parcells' hiring was a better move than Shula's hiring, then you fail to grasp exactly how important Shula's hiring was.  It is entirely possible that Miami wouldn't even have a football team anymore if Shula hadn't been hired.

[Sunstroke]

A few thoughts/corrections, Spidey...

* I said hiring Parcells avoided "a period of 1 to 3 win seasons that would have made us the league laughingstock" and you countered with a period of 3-5 win seasons in which Miami's reputation in the league, while diminished, was nowhere near "laughingstock" status. Shula helped us out of a depression...Parcells prevented armageddon.

* Comparing coaches/GM's/front office types from different eras is about as productive as comparing players from different eras...

* Shula would have been my close second choice...