Grier (r) under the new structure will have full control over the Dolphins' football decisions getty images
The Dolphins' firing of coach Adam Gase, reassignment of Exec VP/Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and promotion of GM & Exec VP/Football Operations Chris Grier would usually give fans "renewed hope" for the following season, but with this reset, the Dolphins "basically told you tough times are coming," according to Armando Salguero of the MIAMI HERALD. In confirming Gase's firing and Tannenbaum's "undefined 'reassignment,'" Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross "announced a new philosophy for the football side of his franchise." The Dolphins are "going to rebuild, refurbish and take the long-view approach to building their team rather than the win-now approach." The results are "predictable: The Dolphins are probably going to be a weaker team next season and perhaps for a little longer than that." As Grier's three drafts as GM have "delivered some notable hits and notable misses, chances are, so will his next three." The question now becomes the "depth of Stephen Ross' pain tolerance." He is 78 and has "spent the first decade of his ownership reign demanding his team win now" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/1)
THE REVIEWS ARE IN: In West Palm Beach, Joe Schad wondered whether Grier, with the team since '00, was "part of the triumvirate of power that led the Dolphins to this place." Gase "wielded the most authority on organizational philosophy and decisions," with Tannenbaum "next on the list." Ross was "clearly convinced that some of the things Grier would have done, had he been empowered, would have worked out better." Grier is a "football man, in a way Tannenbaum, a trained attorney and salary cap expert, just wasn't." Though Grier "led Miami's recent draft rooms with mixed results, there is no doubt Gase and Tannenbaum weighed in on some decisions." Grier must "plan to make ruthless business decisions." He must "instill a culture that leans more on toughness and players with relentless competitive drives to win." There will be "no finger-pointing, because in this simpler organizational structure, coach reports to general manager, who reports to owner" (PALM BEACH POST, 1/1). In Ft. Lauderdale, Omar Kelly notes Grier is the man who "had the least amount of influence in what transpired the past three seasons, survived the latest Dolphins' purge, and got what everyone has wanted" from Ross, but "never got." Instead of "starting fresh, Ross just moved up the person with the least power in the past structure, handing the organization to a man that has been part of the decision making." It is "actually a bolder choice because it empowered the little guy, giving him the power and control he always wanted and fought for" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 1/2).
CHARTING A NEW PATH: In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde in a front-page piece wrote Ross "gave the keys to someone who has been at the center of the failed regime the three years and helped pick players in the franchise for 16 years without a playoff win to show for it." Grier is "either an inspired promotion by Ross or a symbol of why the more things change inside the Dolphins, the more they finish 7-9." Whether or not Grier is the "right guy" is the "question Monday hinges on." Grier is "well liked in the front office" and is "respected around the league." But he also has "never run a team," and has "never made a big hire." Something "had to change, and someone had to go" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 1/1). In Miami, Greg Cote wrote the Dolphins "fired a good football coach" in Gase, but that "doesn't mean a change here wasn't needed." Cote: "You can argue three seasons is too soon to fire a coach who reached the playoffs his first year, but the Dolphins moving past Gase and Tannenbaum indicates one thing that should be applauded. Stephen Ross is embarrassed by failure and done with patience, and it's about time" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 12/31).
THE SEARCH IS ON: The MIAMI HERALD's Salguero writes the Dolphins in the search for their next coach are not "going to dazzle with names for multiple reasons." First, there is "no Andy Reid in this year's crop of candidates, and even if there is," the Dolphins' job is "not the best job available." Ross does "one thing extremely well" as the team's owner, which is to "provide an open checkbook." However, beyond that, he "should give prospective candidates pause." Ross has "always been about winning and trying to make the playoffs but on Monday announced a 180-degree change in philosophy toward building for the future." He even "actually said that his primary reason for ultimately firing Gase was that the former coach wanted to win now" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/2).
