Barry Jackson: Dolphins' Coaching Making the Difference

[Dolfanalyst]

Hell of an article here.  IMO this is the difference between the team's circling the drain after the 1-4 start, and actually having some hope for a successful season.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article111732222.html

Even when the Dolphins were floundering at 1-4, there was an enormous difference evident between this coaching staff and previous ones here:

Whereas players privately criticized Joe Philbin and his coordinators, second-guessing their strategy and approach, nobody did that with these coaches, believing the staff was competently preparing them even when the team was losing and that solutions eventually would be found.

“It’s completely different now; we love this staff,” linebacker Spencer Paysinger said.

Adam Gase “doesn’t sugarcoat but he doesn’t yell or scream; that’s one thing players respect.”

Players ultimately deserve the most credit for this impressive mini-winning streak, but Gase, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and this staff have made some moves --- some glaring, some subtle --- that have helped.

[fyo]

I couldn't help but note the fact that the Dolphins resorted to an extra lineman on 20% of all offensive snaps. That was probably necessary against a Buffalo D that has been great at getting to opposing quarterbacks (was #1 before the Miami game), but it's something one has to hope isn't necessary every week. One explanation could be the injuries to tight ends, but it does limit passing options on those plays.

[Dolfanalyst]

I think the most interesting question this week will be whether the Dolphins can manage being the favorite in a game, and continue to show the kind of energy they did the past two weeks, when the situational variables aren't as strongly in their favor.  They're not as likely to contend with a complacent opposing team this week.  Will they have the energy to overcome that as well as the swagger to play like the favored team?

Teams that aren't consistently good but play well here and there usually do so when the situational variables align for them.  Truly good teams aren't as dependent on situations.  The next developmental leap for this team will be making that transition, and this week offers an opportunity.

[CF DolFan]

Adam Gase is real. As well he is nice right up until it's time not to be nice. He doesn't seem to be a conflict avoider and he doesn't seem to put anyone before the team. He has shown he will hold people accountable and even cut them like Thomas or sit people like he did with Maxwell for not performing and Aikens for being late to a meeting. He also has stood behind his QB when everyone else was blaming him.  Most of all he isn't afraid to admit when he makes a mistake which means he is probably capable of learning from his mistakes.

Put that all together and I think that we have finally started to hire the right people. Now if we can just get some talent evaluators in the scouting department.

[Dolfanalyst]

Adam Gase is real. As well he is nice right up until it's time not to be nice. He doesn't seem to be a conflict avoider and he doesn't seem to put anyone before the team. He has shown he will hold people accountable and even cut them like Thomas or sit people like he did with Maxwell for not performing and Aikens for being late to a meeting. He also has stood behind his QB when everyone else was blaming him.  Most of all he isn't afraid to admit when he makes a mistake which means he is probably capable of learning from his mistakes.

Put that all together and I think that we have finally started to hire the right people. Now if we can just get some talent evaluators in the scouting department.

I agree, and I think the recent upswing in energy the team has shown was caused not by the threat of the players' being cut (i.e., Thomas, Turner, and Douglas), but by the players' realization that, via those cuts, Gase, and not the front office, holds the power over the roster.

On some level the players need to know that good play will be rewarded and poor play will be punished by the guy watching the game film week after week, who has the most expertise about what's going on.

I think previously there was some ambiguity about whether Tannenbaum held that power, and so I think there was some measure of helplessness for the players, i.e., no matter what they did the right person wouldn't be on top of those issues.

The surge in energy as of late I think is a reflection of the eradication of that sense of helplessness in the players.

[CF DolFan]

Yes ... there is little doubt that Gase has let everyone know that he is in charge and isn't going anywhere.

[Spider-Dan]

I agree, and I think the recent upswing in energy the team has shown was caused not by the threat of the players' being cut (i.e., Thomas, Turner, and Douglas), but by the players' realization that, via those cuts, Gase, and not the front office, holds the power over the roster.

I don't know about that.  Philbin certainly had no shortage of clarity in his willingness to get rid of players that he didn't feel were doing what they needed to, and that didn't really get a meaningful response from the players.

[CF DolFan]

Philbin traded away problems that he couldn't coach or control and he did it quietly ... almost passive aggressively. I have little doubt if you are in Gase's doghouse that you are the first to know.

[Dolfanalyst]

I don't know about that.  Philbin certainly had no shortage of clarity in his willingness to get rid of players that he didn't feel were doing what they needed to, and that didn't really get a meaningful response from the players.

I don't remember any of Philbin's teams playing anywhere near as bad as the way this team started this season.

[Dolfanalyst]

Philbin traded away problems that he couldn't coach or control and he did it quietly ... almost passive aggressively. I have little doubt if you are in Gase's doghouse that you are the first to know.

Also, I think Philbin's criteria for offing players weren't the same as the criteria the players would use themselves, whereas Gase's criteria are more player-aligned.

In other words, I doubt the locker room wanted to get rid of Brandon Marshall and Vontae Davis, whereas they likely did want to get rid of folks like Thomas, Turner, and Douglas.

If you're a player on a team, you want the guy in charge to get rid of the dead weight, the guys who function like balls and chains to the team, constantly pulling down its performance.  You probably don't want him getting rid of the Brandon Marshalls and Vontae Davises of the world, however.

What you want, ultimately, is a guy who, again, will reward good performance and punish bad performance, in the name of overall team functioning.  You don't want to a guy making idiosyncratic decisions (i.e., Philbin), or a guy who's hamstrung from doing anything by the front office, which is what I think the perception about Gase may have been prior to the major cuts he made.

[Spider-Dan]

I don't remember any of Philbin's teams playing anywhere near as bad as the way this team started this season.

The team started even worse last year under Philbin.

I do agree that Philbin's criteria were terrible while Gase's criteria are sensible.  I just don't think that showing that you're in charge is all that significant.

[Dolfanalyst]

The team started even worse last year under Philbin.

I do agree that Philbin's criteria were terrible while Gase's criteria are sensible.  I just don't think that showing that you're in charge is all that significant.

Last year Philbin had the issue of being on a short leash, being in year four as a HC, having not made the playoffs, and Tannenbaum had just been hired.  In the minds of the players, Philbin was probably far less "in charge" than he'd ever been, and certainly far less in charge than Gase, who is in year one with a hefty contract.  Philbin was also I believe the lowest-paid coach in the NFL, which I think registers with players in terms of who they view as having most of the power within the organization.

[Spider-Dan]

Keep in mind that Philbin successfully jettisoned MIA's expensive #1 WR in the 2015 offseason.  He still had quite a bit of power within the organization at the start of last season.

[Tenshot13]

Keep in mind that Philbin successfully jettisoned MIA's expensive #1 WR in the 2015 offseason.  He still had quite a bit of power within the organization at the start of last season.

I didn't mind him getting rid of Marshall as much as trading Vonte Davis away.  That was a dumb move.

[Phishfan]

^^^ The receiver Spider is talking about is Mike Wallace. Marshall had been long gone by 2015.