The Marlins are a Tease

I feel like a fool.

I bought in. I thought it would be different this time. I believed the press. I believed the hype. I believed that things had changed.

I was wrong.

When the Marlins rebranded, embraced Little Havana, and talked about spending, I was thrilled. They swaggered through the winter meetings, throwing around dollars, carrying notebooks with that flashy new “M” on it, and talking about championships.

The Marlins almost had Albert Pujols! The Marlins!

But it all went terribly wrong. Happiness is tied to expectations, and everybody’s expectations for this team were through the roof. The splashy signings bought the Marlins a Showtime series, and a sold out opening day, but in hindsight they didn’t improve their team a whole lot. Our expectations were off base. To think that a team that missed the playoffs last year could win a World Series just by adding a new short stop, closer, and middle of the rotation starting pitcher is a little premature.

We weren’t wrong to think that we were building something. This city was starting over with baseball and laying the foundation for a winner.

This is where the Marlins screwed up. Ownership expected to double attendance right off the bat. And maybe that wasn’t an outrageous expectation for a new ballpark, but to expect 30,000 people to show up everyday when you realistically had 1,000 people on a good day at the old park, is a lot to ask for over one offseason. Buying Jose Reyes can’t change that many hearts that soon.

What makes me so mad about this team, is that the Marlins brass gave up on the dream in only four months. It takes more to build a winner, build a fanbase, and build a tradition than four months! You need to overspend a little at first, commit to your homegrown players, put out a winning team with a relatively stable line up over a few years to buy some trust and win over some fans.

We’ve been screwed too many times by the Marlins to buy in this much, this soon. You need to put in some work before you expect the results.

But they didn’t. The Marlins threw around some money, paid some players that underperformed, saw a losing team, and an empty ballpark, and knew things had to change.

And that’s fine! So far, these moves don’t look so bad on paper. Anibal was going to leave in free agency, Infante was an average second baseman, and Hanley had been living off a fluky career year while underperforming and oversulking for years. But I don’t think this is it. If we trade a piece like Josh Johnson, or make another move to get rid of young Major League talent for prospects, then its the death toll.

I don’t think the Marlins cut their losses with a few bad players, and opened up some payroll to buy free agents next year. I think this was the Marlins giving up on the dream. Quitting on the city. And resigning to return to the small market business plan once again.

I could be wrong. If these are the only moves they make, and they reinvest the money into the team next year, then they were just trying to get out of some bad contracts and retool the team.
But I don't think that's what's happening. This past week, President of the Marlins, David Samson was on Dan Le Batard's radio show. Dan gave him chance after chance to tell the fans he was putting money back into the team. All Samson would say is that he would "reinvest in winning."

He's not putting the money back in the team.

This management group has put out one of the lowest payrolls in baseball for over a decade, pocketed the money from revenue sharing, and hoarded it. They wouldn't shell out all the millions saved over the years on a big contract or two, and they wouldn't contribute to the new stadium, making Miami pay to have these guys fleece them.

They are slaves to the bottom line. And absolutely WILL NOT lose money on this team. They don't understand that sports isn't a business for the fans. The best long term strategy is to create loyal fans to support the team. You don't do that by crapping on them every year, refusing to risk a profit loss and increase payroll, and putting out a cheap and terrible product every season.

You build a fan base by dipping into all that money you saved to keep players like Josh Beckett, AJ Burnett, Miguel Cabrera, and Dan Uggla. You keep your fan base happy by keeping your core of good players together and winning baseball games. Maybe you appease the fans a little more by going out and signing players like Jose Reyes, and over bidding to buy a Cuban specimen at center field like Yoenis Cespedes, but without 3 year opt out clauses that fool the fans.

The paradigm has reverted back to form.

The old Marlins are back. Just in a fancy new ballpark.

We will not see another hundred million dollar payroll again.

We will not see the Marlins act like a big market team, and chase big time free agents.

And if they do, who will sign with them? What players will take them seriously? What coveted free agents would give up their future to a team that clearly prioritizes profit margin over winning? If you think that David Wright or Josh Hamilton will come down to Miami for a big contract that I highly doubt the brass will offer, you're crazy. They won't trust this team that has made the playoffs twice. That has had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball for 17 of their 20 years in existence.

Miami won't be able to land any big time free agents any more. They will revert back to acting like a small market club. With a low payroll, while the ownership's pockets get fatter and fatter off of increased revenue.

They may have saved money. But its gone from the team budget. They won't spend it. And if they tried, they couldn't even get a player of Hanley's above average talent for it. Those kind of guys won't come to Miami anymore.

They reeled me in. This could just be a result of a losing season, but I feel like this was the plan all along. I believed them. Miami had the new stadium and a big payroll. I ignored that all the contracts had 3 year opt outs. I thought that was to protect the team from bad investments, but it was really just to pull off the ruse.

While this was probably going to happen either way. I didn't expect it to be this early, but three years down the line, if the ballpark wasn't selling out yet, guys like Jose Reyes would have been released while the team cried that they couldn't afford them anymore.

This team isn't willing to take some lumps, and shell out some of the millions that they have selfishly and miserly stashed away without knowing that they will be guaranteed to turn a profit.

Since that isn't the case, here is what the future will look like for the Marlins. All that money they just shed isn't the end. More money will be shed. More good players will be traded for the racket that is prospects.

The Marlins will not spend big dollars but double down and replace Hanley and his $9 million dollar salary, with two average journeyman with $1 million dollar salaries.

It may not be a bad plan to not spend top dollars on a few players, and instead spread that money for lower paid players throughout the team. It’s just that, in the end, it won’t be two $5 million guys instead of one $10 million guy. It will be two $500k guys.

They will trade Josh Johnson this year or the next for more prospects who will probably not turn into anything. This team is bad at gauging talent in young players and seemingly always loses when we trade Major League talent for minor league potential. We will have the brass that hasn't landed an impact 1st round pick ever, trying to determine which 19 year olds will turn into superstars. I don't have hope.

The whole idea of trading good Major Leaguers for prospects is a crapshoot. The odds are even worse with our guys in charge. Do you know why the Yankees have won 27 World Series? Because they don't trade for minor league prospects. They deal in known quantities and target Major League talent. They trade their prospects who may or not be something, for other teams' young talent already in the bigs that they know can play.

Sure, we don't have the same deep pockets as the Yankees, but we have enough money where we don't have to operate like the Pirates! We can still go after Major League talent. There are only nine guys in a line up! We don't have to spend three hundred million but we can consistently field a playoff team and compete for talent with a hundred million dollars.

It is not fair to write off big spending as a viable way to build the club. The money we spent didn't work this year, but it is short sighted to write off big payrolls after one bad season. The Marlins will. They now have their proof to hold up. To them, spending money doesn't equal winning. But the rest of the league knows that spending money increases your odds of winning. They will say that they tried to spend money in 2012, and it didn't work. So they will return to a low payroll full of young players. And if any of them become stars, the Marlins will not pay to keep them, and trade them for more prospects.

If you want a really pessimistic view of things, read Jeff Passan's article on Yahoo.

It is an endless cycle of rebuilding. We might develop another Hanley or Josh Johnson. He might play his way into a big contract. But the brass won't pay the money. And we will just trade him for prospects and hope one of those prospects turns into the player we just traded.

Winning teams keep assets! They build for longer than a season. They don't cut ties and have a fire sale when the team doesn't play up to its averages. A serious franchise, a well run franchise, would look at this team and see that they are not a play off team this year, but they had managed to put together a winning core. You know what they would do? They would endure one bad season and ADD MORE PIECES NEXT YEAR. Not trade the supposed superstar foundation of the team for low impact prospects. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you can’t buy a World Series in one winter.

There is talent on this team. I still believe in this team. Pay the money, and bring in some talent around Stanton, Reyes, and JJ. If they put some resources again into the team next offseason, the Marlins could be in the hunt next year and for years to come.

Things don't have to be like this. If they keep JJ, reinvest the money they have been saving and somehow convince another star free agent or two to come down, things will be great. We could be in year two of a big market payroll and on our way to establishing the city of Miami as a first class baseball town with a first class baseball franchise.

But they won't.

They will blow it up.

They will try to sell us on "potential."

They will field a team of low paid minor leaguers and rake in the cash.

It will be the same old Marlins.

I think the Marlins need to clean house upstairs, and put the money on the field.

The Coronation of Miami

This one is special.

I’ve never felt like this before.

I’ve never loved a team so much that was hated by so many.

I wasn’t around in the ‘80s when the Hurricanes were stomping on college football tradition, but this is what it must have felt like.

The triumph of the Miami HEAT was more personal than any other sports triumph in my life.  The swirl surrounding this team created a bunker mentality for all of Miami. It became us against the world.

We listened to you, Simmons, Wilbon, Barry, and Bayless. We heard your unfair criticisms. We watched you slide the scale of greatness on LeBron, time and time again.  We listened to you tell us that this team was fatally flawed, that we were stupid, and that we didn’t deserve this.

And now we’re holding the trophy.

This was the first time in my life, I didn’t want a team to win for me, I wanted this team to win for LeBron.

It has just been unfair. He has taken all the blame. People took potshots at him for two years because it drove ratings, but in the process, they created a rabid mob of naysayers and basketball trolls and it got personal.

But now LeBron answered all the critics. He did everything you wanted him to do. He kept meeting your standards, and now he deserves your respect. The conversation is changing, but it’s still a work in process. You’ve recognized that he is great. Now he’s going for the greatest.

It’s unfair to call someone mentally weak from so far away. To say that he can’t do it because he’s never done it. To hate him for being great but not already being the greatest ever. To love a rapist for his “killer instinct” on the court and hate an unselfish superstar, who took less money to win, for one prideful television show that raised millions of dollars for the Boys and Girls Club is just asanine. I wanted him to win so that this stigma would be lifted off of him. So that he would get the credit he deserved for his work, and that this good guy would no longer be a joke.

Not only did I want this team to win for LeBron. I wanted a championship for all the other guys I’ve come to love.

Has there ever been a nicer star than Chris Bosh? He is always willing to talk to reporters. He is open and honest about everything. He rises above all the jokes and criticism and still makes those goofy faces. He sacrifices stats and reputation to win. He played the best defense I’ve ever seen him play, in the Finals, and proved his worth to the team when he was hurt.

And Mike Miller! Broken Mike Miller, who I’ve watched and defended for two years. I’ve clamored for patience. We’ve seen him hit those shots before. And even if the amnesty train got out of control, everyone wanted to see him hit those shots again. To see him hit those shots in that moment was special.

If the hate wasn’t ingrained into people. If basketball fans weren’t told to hate Miami, they might grow to love this team the way I do. I love watching Mario Chalmers make an impossibly difficult lay up through traffic, then throw the ball out of bounds and get yelled at by LeBron. I love watching Norris Cole come into a Finals game and take shots with no fear or hesitation while rocking a high top fade. And I love watching him speed up the court when the rest of the team falls into a lull and is looking for a spark.

I’ve loved watching Shane Battier get rewarded for all those effort plays he made throughout the year. The countless shooters whose eyes he covered. The countless charges he took in the paint. All that was rewarded when he caught fire from three in the Finals this year. His smart basketball play and huge vocabulary, how do you not love this guy?

I even enjoyed watching the bench. I’ll remember Ronny Turiaf’s wild sideline dances, Juwan Howard’s veteran tricks, and Terrel Harris’ great rebounding in limited minutes. I feel good that Eddy Curry got a second chance, and a ring. I feel good that James Jones got to win one in his hometown. And I will always be grateful for Joel Anthony’s hard work and defense. My homer bias can even redeem Dexter Pittman and see his elbow as a misplaced display of toughness and solidarity.

I understand that it is easy to hate the HEAT, but you should understand why us fans are so prickly about it. Because its not just about LeBron leaving. If he would have gone to New York, you all would have loved him for taking on the challenge. It’s because he decided to play for my hometown. The underlying theme of this hate is a hatred of Miami. You don’t think very highly of us, and you don’t think we deserve this team. But my civic pride can’t take it.

More than anything, I wanted to watch this team win for my city.

To hate this team, is really to hate my hometown. You don’t think we deserve this, but you’ve never been here. You never met the people in the 400 level, and you don’t really know this city. So you generalize about how we are soul-less, all fame, flash, and sizzle. No substance. We’re fake, plastic. Somewhere you’d want to visit, but wouldn’t want to live.

And in a lot of ways you’re right, but this city has a heart.

That’s why I was surprised that I was most happiest for Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem. I thought I would only care about LeBron winning a ring, changing the narrative, getting the respect he deserved. But Wade and Haslem have become Miami, and the heart of this team. And their victory really felt like Miami’s victory.

Dwyane Wade is our adopted son. He has been our precious gem, his shine largely unnoticed by the world before and after Shaq. I remember watching the HEAT go on a nine game winning streak to close the season and make the playoffs in 2009, and Sportscenter didn’t even mention it. Now Wade has a proper stage for his talent and it’s been immensely rewarding to see the world once again recognize his game. And to see him take on the veteran/older brother/leader role in the locker room was great theater. Even if I know LeBron could have won us the title without that, he might not have done it without Wade. I loved the redemption of getting through #withoutwade, #tradewade, and that 5 point game, to a great all around performance in game 5. A small reminder of vintage Wade and how great he can be. I guess I was so happy for Wade because it looked like he was more happy for LeBron than himself. And that is nothing but endearing.

But I may have been happiest for Haslem. That’s our heart and soul. He is our native son. Born in Miami. A product of Overtown. Came up in Miramar. He is Miami, through and through. Having him on this team is the perfect representation of the city itself. The Big 3 get all the attention, and UD does the dirty work that helps them succeed. He’s a great rebounder and tough as nails. Just like Miami. South Beach gets all the attention. But it is the greater South Florida that supports it.

To me, UD reminds me of the Miami I know and love. No, I didn’t grow up in the hood like he did. But I didn’t grow up in the Miami that you think of when you see it on TV. Downtown Miami is breathtaking. A beautiful city on the water full of beautiful people. But it is the people behind the scenes that make it work. It is the repairman and electricians and clerks that make it all possible. These are the people that surround that beauty, and support it. These are the same people that surround this team, and support it. The celebrities might get courtside seats, and spend the game on their Blackberry, but real Miami sits in the 400 level screaming for this team. My mom is not a model and my dad is not a TV director. No one sold cocaine or opened a nightclub. I grew up in the everglades. My dad is a blue collar worker. I may prop up the glitz of Miami and play up the stereotypes from time to time. But that’s just me being good natured and embracing your labels. Sure Downtown Miami may have been built on cocaine, but the real Miami is like Udonis Haslem. That’s the heart and soul of the fan base that breathes life into this team. They are hard working, regular people, that love their hometown and love their hometown team.

This championship reminded me why I love sports. Because I don’t really love sports as much as I love people.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I was happy for LeBron, and I was happy for the team.

But most of all, I was happy for Miami.

Dolphins Draft Recap

Miami has the Dolphins! The greatest football team! We take the ball from goal to goal! And kick field goals like a dream!

My poor, poor Dolphins. In search of hope. With nothing but a famous running back and Canadian pass rusher to hold onto.

The draft was just what they needed. Something to bring in hope, sell tickets, and raise expectations.

I’ll be honest with you, they reeled me in. This is the Dolphins draft I’ve wanted for 10 years. They got me a quarterback. They spent a high pick on a pass rusher. They drafted a pass catching tight end!

I laughed as I monitored Facebook and Twitter during the draft. Most of my fellow Dolfans were pushing for Ireland to get fired, yet were struggling to hide their excitement with this draft. There were a lot of backhanded compliments and optimistic posts ending with potshots at Ireland to save face.

So is the plight of the Dolphin fan.

Let’s just be honest. This draft is exciting. For the most part we focused on high impact positions. That’s all I care about. Yes, the draft is an unknown venture that is impossible to quantify for several years. But that won’t stop me from trying!

Boom! Draft recap!

1st pick- Ryan Tannehill

Ireland must really like this guy. Or he’s been saying he likes this guy to save face about whiffing on Peyton, RG3, and Luck. Either way, I’m excited. Word was leaked that the Dolphins’ brass thought Tannehill was the best QB prospect they had seen in 10 years. I’m gonna have to call BS on that, but I like the effort. The PR spin is in full effect, but you know what, we will love that coded language if the Dolphins are winning Superbowls while holding everything close to the vest.

Anyways, on to Tannehill himself. As a prospect, I didn’t love him. He played receiver most of his college career. It took him until his senior year to beat out Jerrod Johnson. Ask any Texas A&M fan about that, who has watched Jerrod Johnson fire five yard flare routes into the dirt, and they will tell you that its not a good omen for Tanny. He wasn’t elite in the Big 12. He didn’t win any significant games against top teams. He wasn’t near the leaderboards for any major passing category. But overall I like the pick.

Why?

Oh, I’ll tell you why.

We had to pull the trigger eventually! Ever since Marino retired, all I’ve heard is that this isn’t the year to draft a QB. Next year is a much better crop. Then we get to next year and they say the same bleeping thing. I’m tired of it. Every year we wait on a QB. Sign a retread, or draft a project in a later round. Then they try to sell me on the value. Now anyone who has seen me buy half my wardrobe at Goodwill will tell you that I love value. However, it doesn’t work at QB. Look at all the QB’s in the playoffs last year. Brady is a once an era exception. Brees was the first pick in the second round, and everyone else was a first round pick.

Teams pick quarterbacks in the first round, because first round quarterbacks win. At least more than any other type of quarterback.

I definitely thought we reached for Tannehill. And he may not have been a first round pick if the Dolphins weren’t picking there. If I had to guess, I would lean towards him being a bust. But I don’t care. I’m glad we took a chance. We could have drafted a solid guard to fill out another offensive line spot for a decade. But having an All-Pro guard doesn’t win you big games. Just ask Blindside.

All the talking heads like to make football sound really complicated. And it is an intricate game. But most of the players at most of the positions are pretty equal. And the difference between having an All-Pro guard instead of a journeyman probably isn’t a single win. But the difference between having an All-Pro quarterback instead of a journeyman is probably 6-8 wins. Do you see what I’m saying? Is there a way we can hire an economist to run the Dolphins? He would agree with me. Or she! Sorry ladies.

Quarterback is a high impact position where difference makers don’t become available. You have to draft quarterbacks to get a good one. Rarely does a team let one go. The other positions like that are DE/OLB (whoever rushes the passer), TE (Gronk isn’t going anywhere), CB, WR (name me all the big WR signings that have worked in the past 5 years, go talk to a Seahawks fan), and maybe LT (I think Jake Long is a stud but you can normally find a good tackle late in his career who will still play at a high level). Bottom line, you have to draft and develop your own difference makers. That’s why the Steelers have won so many games in the history of their existence.

The most high impact of all the high impact positions is quarterback. A good QB can cover up a lot of other deficiencies. So if we hit on a good QB, most of our problems are solved. The bulk of the improvement will be done and we can fill in the pieces around him. It is so cliche to call a quarterback the cornerstone of a franchise. But its true. You need a good one to build around, or else you’re just dressing up a Motel 6.

I wasn’t high on Tanny as a prospect. But I like him as a person. After he was drafted, I stalked his and his wife’s Twitter page. They are likable people. This was the first draft where I felt like these guys were normal guys. Not market trained, over saturated, media icons. Tanny’s Twitter felt like a normal person’s Twitter. Not a successful athlete who makes a page and starts interacting with 50,000 fans. Tannehill and his wife sound like average college kids who were tweeting to 300 of their friends about going to dinner and cramming for finals.

I understand that has nothing to do with football. But I will definitely be rooting for Tanny to succeed.

2nd pick- Jonathan Martin

I don’t know anything about this guy. I don’t watch a lot of left coast football, and when I did, my eyes were glued to Andrew Luck and Oregon’s chrome helmets. But I didn’t see Andrew Luck get knocked around a lot, so I guess I gotta give props to this kid. We had a hole with Vernon Carey leaving. A 300 lb donut eating hole on the right side of the line that this kid can fill. Sadly, I don’t know if he will ever have as much swag as Carey.

3rd pick- Oliver Vernon

The Dolphins are picking Hurricanes again? After all the Pro Bowlers left? Oh well.

I liked the Vernon pick as well. Mostly based on my high impact preference of drafting. I like anytime my team picks a pass rusher. He is undersized but very quick. Just like every other UM linebacker since Ray Lewis. But if this guy can move off the edge and bring some pressure, it will be splendid. Boom or bust? I have no idea. But keep picking QB’s and pass rushers, Ireland!

4th pick- Michael Egnew

Ok, some things you don’t know about Craig.

1. I’ve listened to Call Me Maybe more than once in the past 24 hours.

2. I’ve been wearing track pants all week.

3. I’ve been a Michael Egnew fan for years!

I was so hyped about this pick. Egnew can ball. The kid is a freak athlete at tight end. We haven’t had a TE like this since skinny Randy McMichael, before he started drinking a lot and beating his wife.

As much as I hate to admit it, Belichick got ahead of the curve. Remember when I was pushing for us to hire Chud? It was because I loved two tight end sets, and now I think the NFL does, too. The future of the NFL are players like Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. Large tree trunk shaped monsters that can jump really high and catch touchdowns.

Egnew can be that guy. He is 6’5 252 lbs and ran a 4.6. This guy has the physical tools, and more than that he’s proven. Jimmy Graham was an unknown commodity when he entered the league. Michael Egnew was an ALL AMERICAN!

I almost feel bad for Egnew. My expectations are so high for him, that unless he is the second coming of Shannon Sharpe, I’m going to be disappointed.

But its hope!

Hope!

5th pick- Lamar Miller

I liked the Lamar Miller pick, too. I like how we were aggressive and traded up for a falling prospect. Biased homers down in South Florida had him being a fringe first round pick. While I don’t think he should have been that, he was still great value in the 5th round.

As a Gator fan, I spent many a Saturday rooting against Lamar Miller and watching him burst through holes in the line and chalk up first down after first down. The guy has talent, but is an injury concern.

He could be a non factor or he could be the next Frank Gore. That is the obvious comparison, and I can’t think of a better type of player to take a flyer on.

6th pick- Josh Kannu

Oregon’s primary pass rusher. Oregon didn’t have a great D, but I think that had a lot to do with the pace of their offense as well. So we should cut Kannu some slack. This guy has potential but I’m no expert on him. However, I remember he had a high rating in NCAA Football 12. So that’s a good sign.

7th pick- BJ Cunningham

He broke all the school records at Michigan St. He’s not big for his position (6’1) or extraordinarily fast (4.5), but he produced in college. And what’s left of the Trifecta loves production. Charles Rogers and anyone that Jeff Smoker threw to has turned me off of Michigan St. receivers. Prove me wrong, BJ! Prove me wrong!

8th pick- Kheeston Randall

Big nose tackle from Texas. He is a project and will get limited snaps behind Solai. Meh.

9th pick- Rishard Matthews

Never heard of him. Who cares?

I’ll use this space instead to link you to this hilarious article about Jimmy Clausen’s misadventure to Supercuts.

All in all, I am pumped about this draft. I don’t expect the Dolphins to rise above their purgatory of mediocrity this season, but if Tanny shines, we all shine together. And we finally rolled the dice on a QB. That’s all I can ask. If it doesn’t work out, take another one. Keep taking them until we find a good one. If you load your team up with talent at the high impact positions, and fill in the rest through free agency, that’s how you win consistently. It is through that type of building, that the Dolphins can reclaim our highest franchise win percentage from the Steelers. I’m gunnin’ for you Pittsburgh.

C-Note out.

Heat-Pacers Preview

So we’re supposed to come off this glamorous, rivalry infused, Miami-New York series and get excited about Indiana?

Indiana?

I know a ton of New York fans, and most of them are jerks. I know one person from Indiana. One! And he’s a pretty nice guy.

Now, Frank Vogel is doing his part to fire up the fans and media. Calling a LeBron a flopper, cracker please. If anyone is a flopper on our team, it is Shane Battier, because the man loves taking charges like I love Chick-Fil-A. Which is a lot. In case you didn’t catch that simile.

I personally feel cheated. I just finished finals, which ate up all my free time. Causing me to miss half of the Knicks series. Now I have two weeks off and I’m supposed to spend my free time watching Danny Granger shoot 30% from the field?

Maaan.

I don’t want to sound overconfident. I would be shocked if the Heat lost this series, but I won’t be surprised in the slightest if this series goes to six games.

The Pacers act like a tough defensive team. Physical. Clog the paint. They want to be the Bulls Lite. Like the Bulls without Derrick Rose. Like the team that just lost to the Sixers.

But they’re not really that type of team. You just have to say you’re blue collar if you want to sell tickets in Indiana. Just like you have to have players whose wives have had plastic surgery to connect with the crowd in Miami.

Its just marketing, man.

I mean, the Pacers can crash the boards, but they’re not a pound-the-paint, tough guy team. They like to kick the ball around on the perimeter and shoot threes. And that’s okay, Indiana. Embrace it.

It is no secret that the Heat struggle with guarding the 3 ball. Although, they have improved drastically in the second half of the season in that area. Plus, they did just get done shutting down Steve “The Dentist” Novak. So that’s probably not as much of a weakness as it was. But that doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to Darren Collison firing off some half court threes.

I don’t really know what to say about this series. I’m just not expecting it to be that interesting. Roy Hibbert’s height will give the Heat some problems down low. I think Bosh, UD, and LeBron can shut down David West. Danny Granger? What happened to Danny Granger? I kind of hope he shoots a lot in this series. He was so inefficient all year that he doesn’t scare me.

I’m just trying to not let my eyes wander to the next round. I’m already picturing Heat-Celtics and the intensity that will ensue. But that is a disrespect to this team that Larry Legend has put together. I apologize Indianans. Indiananans?

To be honest with you, I’m more interested to see the celebrity sightings courtside in Indiana. I mean will Bobby Knight be there? Ron Swanson? I can’t even think of any other Indiana celebrities. La Toya Jackson? Johnny Appleseed?

Either way, I will sit in front of my TV with a Chick Fil A sandwich or a four count of strips and enjoy some playoff basketball. I can only pray that we see a Rick Ross- Larry Bird interaction in the stands. Is that too much to ask?

What are the Dolphins Doing?

I just don’t get it, guys.

Can someone fill me in on the plan?

Can someone let me know what the vision is?

Can someone convince me that Stephen Ross is not turning into a less successful Daniel Snyder?

What are we doing?

Let’s talk about quarterbacks for a minute. The Dolphins seem to be waiting for Joey Marino and just killing time with one year fill ins.

Sure, we missed on Peyton. I was bummed, but I wasn’t shocked. Why would he come to Miami? Our perfect season that happened 40 years ago certainly isn’t a draw. Neither is our unstable leadership. I doubt the “rally” of 14 fans protesting to fire Ireland will reassure future free agents who are thinking of coming here. Our hobbled left tackle and stabbed wide receiver (we will get to that) won’t reel him in either.

Peyton wanted to be with people he knew and liked. People who believed in him and would be there for the rest of his career. He wanted a team that would let him run his offense, and had money to bring in his guys. Miami didn’t have that. The Dolphins are a broken organization. We haven’t won a playoff game in 10 years, we haven’t been relevant since Marino, and we haven’t won a championship in 40 years. This is a franchise that is falling from prestige to laughingstock at an alarming rate. We’re becoming the Raiders. All we offered Manning was leverage for his agent.

Then we whiffed on Flynn. I was surprised about that, but actually like Ireland’s maneuvering. He managed to drive Flynn’s price way down, and if there is one man who should know what Flynn is worth, its Joe Philbin. Ireland refused to overpay for the QB and lost him to Seattle. It happens. However, I think this is more about Philbin’s hubris than Ireland being concerned with value. I might be wrong, but most new coaches who are coming off a lot of success, like Philbin is, tend to overestimate their own abilities. Philbin saw what he did with Favre, Rodgers, and a few games of Flynn and probably thinks he has the Midas touch with quarterbacks. He’s probably wrong, but the Miamian in me wants so dearly for him to be right.

Ross’ most anti-Snyderian move was not pursuing Tebow. A move I obviously disagree with. Yes, I am an evangelical Gator fan, and unashamed Tebow fan, but I think the Jets made a great move in trading for him. Say what you want about him as a quarterback, but he definitely has a useful skill set in the NFL. Tebow greatly improves a team’s running game, and scores touchdowns in the red zone. Dolphins’ fans’ biggest complaint these past three years has been Sparano’s infatuation for field goals in the red zone. Now, he’s finally listened and addressed that problem in his offense by getting 240 pounds of concrete and cyanide to hammer the ball through the goal line. Except now he’s coaching for the Jets.

Then we sign Garrard. We signed a Pro Bowl starter at QB! Superbowl or bust! 19-0!

I just don’t get it. Granted, he’s not AS bad as people are making him out to be, but he is not the answer, especially in the long term. I’ll give this to Garrard, he is an average quarterback, who completes over 60% of his passes. He also takes care of the ball. But c’mon. You’re going to leave the hunt for Peyton Manning holding up David Garrard as your trophy? You can’t help it if the league sees you as a joke.

Its like we tried to sign Jay Z, missed on Tyga, then didn’t go after Drake, and decided to bring Mase out of retirement like it was a big deal.

Can’t nobody hold us down.

Its a bad situation, but its understandable that the quarterback search didn’t go as we had planned it. And I don’t mind Matt Moore. For a six week stretch he was a top ten quarterback, and the Dolphins might have been the best team in football. Then Jake Long got hurt, and Moore floundered under pressure. You can make the playoffs with Matt Moore, but everything has to fall just right. Win the Superbowl with Matt Moore? That’s nearly impossible. But that’s not why I’m so disappointed. That’s not why I feel as hopeless today as I did after the 1-15 season. I just want to know: what exactly is the plan now?

We don’t seem committed to anything. There are really only two ways to go as a team, you can try to win it this year, or you rebuild. A team that is trying to win this year goes after veteran talent to add to their core, thinking they are only a few players away from the championship. The Dolphins are doing this by pursuing Peyton Manning, signing Richard Marshall, going after Mark Anderson, resigning Paul Soliai, and picking up David Garrard.

Rebuilding teams, dump pricey veterans to create cap room and acquire picks to build around their young core for a future title run. The Dolphins are also doing this by trading Brandon Marshall away and cutting Yeremiah Bell.

I don’t have problems with the Dolphins pursuing either plan. We have a good defense and may be a few pieces and a lot of luck from a wild card spot. However, the Dolphins have a lot of holes and do not have many truly elite players. I would understand if we cut our losses and built around the few young, rising stars we have.

Instead, the Dolphins decided to do both. You can’t do both! Its one or the other. You can’t go into rebuilding mode on offense while strengthening your veteran defense. The stripped down offense will keep you from the playoffs and the stout defense will keep you from a high draft pick. You know where that puts you? 8-8. NFL purgatory. Where we have been for 10 years.

The problem goes back to the Dolphins having too many blueprints and no consistency. Ireland still has some of Cam Cameron’s guys on the roster, Parcells’ guys are still under contract, and he is just putting his own guys into place. But this season we added another blueprint. Another leader, with another vision for the team in Joe Philbin. Philbin and Mike Sherman want new guys on offense to fit their scheme, they want to get rid of Sparano’s pieces and bring in their own. Except, Ireland is still on thin ice. Ross’ unwavering commitment to Ireland seems to be wavering some, after the JefFIREland protests and all. So Ireland is trying to rebuild and win at the same time.

That doesn’t work.

I shouldn’t say that so flatly. It works sometimes, but you have to hit on your draft picks. Your rookies have to play very well right out of the gate, and you need to supplement your team with high impact veteran free agents. Sadly, Ireland doesn’t have the best track record in either of those categories. Ireland’s continuous misses on second round picks and constant rejection by prized free agents are evidence of that. For this plan to work, you have to get really lucky. Like the Bengals did last year by hitting on Dalton and A.J. Green in the first round and matching them with a veteran defense for a surprise playoff run. Read that again. OUR BEST HOPE IS BEING THE BENGALS!

I don’t disagree with Ireland’s thought process all the time. He made some smart moves when he was out from under Parcells, and he refuses to commit big money to players who don’t deserve it. He hasn’t killed the cap with a mediocre team, he just can’t bring in the talent to make us better than mediocre. I think he is a smart guy but I think he is just a crappy salesman. So is Stephen Ross. That doesn’t matter much when you are drafting college kids with no options, but it won’t win over Peyton Manning, Jim Harbaugh, or even Ryan Clark.

For the Dolphins that shouldn’t matter. We are not one player away. We are not two players away. Our best isn’t good enough. We don’t need a quarterback for a three year playoff run, we need to build this organization from the ground up. We are just getting the foundation together and people are screaming for us to slap on a coat of paint. We have some young pieces here, but we need a cornerstone, a franchise QB. As much as I would have loved to see number 18 in aqua and orange, we need to find our own guy in the draft. The good news is that the price for first round picks has gone way down. Now it is not such a risky investment. A Jamarcus can’t sink your franchise like he could in the past. So what should we do? Pick a QB in the first round! The last one we picked in the first round was Marino! I don’t think Tannehill is a 1st round pick, but if he is the best QB available, take him. If he doesn’t work, take another QB in the 1st round next year. Stockpile them. Keep picking them until you find one. Because when you find one, you become relevant, and you win. Keep taking QB’s until we find our Matt Stafford, our Cam Newton, or even our Andy Dalton.

I know how quick fans are to call for the GM’s head. But I value consistency so much that I end up defending Ireland. I just don’t want to bring in another blueprint. I tell people to give him a chance to get his own players, lets see the whole puzzle before judging the pieces, trust the vision. Give him a chance to build through the draft. So we miss on the quick fixes, we can still build for the long haul, the right way, with young talent. But its getting harder to do. Normally, I can see a GM’s reason for making a move. I can understand his logic even if I don’t agree with it. Currently, it just looks like Ireland is scrambling. I don’t see his logic in the process and have a hard time discerning the motivation behind his moves.

A real leader will make unpopular decisions if they are the right decisions. He will make those decisions if he has a vision he believes in, and sees the team or organization moving towards the fulfillment of that vision.

But today, I fear that Ireland may be leading us all in the dark.

Meet the New Regime

There’s been a lot of turnover in the Dolphins’ organization this off season. It is always an awkward situation when my favorite team gets a bunch of new people in charge. Especially when these people have no ties to the organization or city and they were just working for a competitor a few months ago. Then the fans, who have been living for this team their whole lives, place what is so dear to them in the hands of these complete strangers who do not have nearly as much invested.

It's like if you were renting a basement apartment your whole life and occasionally the owners would sell the house to new people, but say “Yeah, there’s a guy renting out the basement, he knows all about the house and really loves it, because it’s been his home his whole life.” Then, the new owners, who have no attachment to the house, come in and change out your furniture and tell you how you are supposed to use your rooms because its their house. Now, to get the full sports effect, imagine that your dad had lived in that basement apartment and loved it as well. Maybe his dad did, too.

Well, this analogy is getting creepy, but you get the point. Let’s meet the new strangers living in our house.

Jeff Ireland

Let’s start with a familiar face. Ireland kept his post as GM and basically gained more power over the off season, becoming the football head of the Dolphins and Stephen Ross’ most trusted employee.

I know, everyone loves to bag on Ireland, but he hasn’t done that bad of a job. He just hasn’t found us a quarterback. I think it is only fair to judge Ireland on what he did this past year after Parcells left. Before that, any personnel moves were based on the Tuna’s discretion far more than Ireland’s judgment.

You can’t really judge a draft class for about three years, but the early indications are that the 2011 class was a good crop for Ireland. The first pick, Mike Pouncey, looks like a pillar for the future on the offensive line. Daniel Thomas showed flashes for a few games of becoming an effective back in the NFL. Clyde Gates was an attempt to bring in desperately needed speed. And I think Ireland hit on two of his late picks. Charles Clay is a special athlete at the full back position, and Jimmy Wilson can play corner back. In Wilson’s defense, he probably should have been drafted higher if it wasn’t for that pesky murder charge. What a steal!

Most NFL teams take 6-10 players in a given draft. The rule of thumb is that if you can find three good players, that’s a good draft. Ireland might have grabbed five.

He filled holes in free agency without committing big money to undeserving players. He didn’t give Ryan Clark a big contract at a low impact position. He had the vision to trade for Reggie Bush. Nobody thought that was a good move, but Reggie put up 1,000 yards this season, and made Kim Kardashian regret ever letting him go.

Ireland’s biggest move of the off season probably was NOT trading for Kyle Orton. Half of Miami was clamoring for the Dolphins to give up more than a 1st round pick for Kyle Orton and his wonderful neck beard. Can you imagine if we would have done that? That would have been enough to fire Ireland, for me. We didn’t trade for Orton, he lost his job to Tebow a few weeks later, and found mild interest on the waiver wire. Ireland brought in Matt Moore instead, who played better than anyone thought he would, and was a top 10 quarterback in the NFL for about six weeks this season.

All in all, it was a pretty good off season for Jeff Ireland. I know its easy to make him the punching bag, but let’s give him another year or two before we kick him out, Miami. I’ve already discussed how the Dolphins are trying to piece together multiple blueprints. We need some consistency to find success.

Joe Philbin

Our new, 58 year old, upstairs neighbor. We brought in Ol’ Joe from Green Bay, where he has been the offensive coordinator since 2007. Since then, Green Bay has finished in the top 10 in points and yards. That’s pretty good. While he didn’t call the plays, he did put together the offense during the week. Of course, Joe’s scheme was complemented by a great Brett Favre season and the best quarterback in the league, Aaron Rodgers.

I’m rooting for Joe Philbin. His son just tragically died, and it would be a great story if he won the Superbowl. I just want someone who can stick around for a while. I hope Philbin is the guy.

Philbin is bringing a West Coast offense with him: a passing offense with a high completion rate, and a lot of points. As someone who loves the artistry of the game, as well as winning, this is a welcome addition.

More importantly, Philbin is bringing a connection to many Green Bay free agents. The two most prized are tight end Jermichael Finley and back up quarterback Matt Flynn. Now the word on the street is the Packers are going to franchise tag one of these players, but the Dolphins would be in the running for whichever player they let hit the free agency market.

Aaron Rodgers said Flynn would be a good fit in Miami, and it sounds like Finley LOVES Philbin. The dude gushed over him all Superbowl week. That’s good for us.

My guess is that the Packers slap the franchise tag on Finley and let Flynn go. Flynn already knows Philbin and his system and Miami would be a likely landing spot. I’m weary though. We have been down the promising-back-up-with-a-few-good-games route before. (See A.J. Feeley) But, the good game that Flynn had, wow! He broke nearly every Packers’ single game passing record in the books against a playoff team fighting for a spot. It was impressive. Impressive enough to knock some of the luster off of Aaron Rodgers' stellar season.

Where we went wrong before, betting on a back up quarterback who might have been a product of the system, we have fixed. If we go get Matt Flynn, we don’t have to worry if he is a system quarterback, because we are bringing in the system, too.

Really, I don’t think the head coach matters as much as we think. The players matter. More than that, the quarterback matters. Just look at Jim Caldwell’s glassy stare for proof. That guy went to the Superbowl!

Mike Sherman

Mike Sherman was the head coach at Texas A&M, before that he was the head coach at Green Bay, and originally was Joe Philbin’s boss. Now thanks to the old boys network of coaching, he is our new offensive coordinator.

I mildly like the hire. I’ve liked A&M’s offense the past few seasons, and Sherman has made his quarterbacks look good enough to go pro, but I have been surprised by the team’s lack of overall success.

Hopefully this is the right mix of coaching and responsibility for Sherman. Enough coaching to improve the players, not too much responsibility to cost us late in games with bad time outs and challenges.

Hiring Sherman means the Fins might draft Ryan Tannehill late in the draft. Tannehill was the starting QB for Sherman’s Aggies and would be a late round investment. Some of the Dolphins guys that have looked at him have a surprisingly high opinion of him. He might blossom into something, and since it looks like the Fins will miss out on Luck and RG3, they may have no choice but to take a gamble on a 5th or 6th round QB to develop. He could be a sleeper.

I think that we will keep Matt Moore, bring in Matt Flynn (or maybe Peyton!), and draft Tannehill or another late round QB, and let them all compete in camp. We will spread our money on QBs and hope we strike gold with one of them, and hope none of them do this. If that doesn’t work, maybe next year we will get a 1st round QB.

Kevin Coyle

Who?

Yeah, I had to look him up, too. Let me tell you who Kevin Coyle is. He is a relative unknown in coaching circles. He was most recently the defensive backs coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. Coyle has some coordinating experience in college at places like Maryland, Syracuse, and Holy Cross. That’s about all I know on the guy. I guess its okay. The Bengals had some good corners these past few years.

I am slightly worried that our defense will regress this year, but I think that it is inevitable. I liked Mike Nolan, and think he is a good coach. Our defense has been in the top 10 the past few years he has been around, but he left to take the job in Atlanta.

I think our defense would have regressed with or without Nolan this year. While Nolan is a good coordinator, he benefited from the Dolphins playing a ball control type of offense. This limited possessions for the other team, and kept scores low, making Nolan look great.

With this new passing offense, and hopefully high scoring offense, of Philbin and Sherman, the Fins will let up more points. That’s not a bad thing, that’s just what happens when you score more, and you score quickly. This is the reason the Saints and Patriots always have poorly rated defenses, and the Ravens and Jets have high rated defenses.

The one thing to look at this year is how Cam Wake performs without Mike Nolan. Nolan had a knack for developing pass rushers and played an aggressive defense that I loved. Under Nolan, Wake became a premiere pass rusher in the NFL. Before Miami, Mike Nolan did the same thing with Elvis Dumervil in Denver. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wake’s numbers dipped this year, and somebody in Atlanta posted a lot of sacks.

All in all, it doesn’t look like a bad coaching staff. It’s not like we hired Wannstedt again. (The Bills just promoted him again.)

Only time will tell how this staff fares out. More importantly, we need a quarterback. A franchise quarterback. One we can build around.

While I’m bummed we didn’t get Chip Kelly, I like getting an unknown guy. There is some risk with Philbin, he could be a bust, or he could be the next Bill Walsh. We’ll see.

Are the Heat Better Without Wade?

No.

That’s the short answer at least. The long answer is still no.

The Heat are 8-1 with Dwyane Wade sitting on the bench. The offense looks faster and more wide open and LeBron James has been an absolute monster.

James averages just over 25 points per game since joining the Heat, when Wade is gone that average jumps up to over 35 points per game. This is an obvious effect because LBJ has to pick up the slack left by Wade’s absence. He has the ball in his hands more and he scores more.

When Wade is out, Bosh becomes the number two scoring option. Bosh has racked up four 30 point games, more than he had all of last year. The role players have also been able to improve their numbers. Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Mario Chalmers have each had big games since Wade’s departure.

That’s all great, but the question remains, are the Heat better without Dwyane Wade?

Still no.

The problem with the theory that the Heat are better without Wade are the players that Miami is using to replace him with.

Who’s getting Wade’s minutes?

Normally, Spo starts Battier in Wade’s spot and ups James Jones’ minutes to fill out the rotation. Bottom line, both are good players, but neither of them are Dwyane Wade.

Wade is one of the top five players in the NBA, with all respect to Battier and Jones, they’re not.

The whole idea that the Heat are better without Wade is just ridiculous. Any amount of minutes, any role that Wade plays is an improvement over his replacement. In a vacuum, if you had to pick a player to take 15 shots for you, would you rather Dwyane Wade take those shots, or split them up between Shane Battier and James Jones? Simple. Battier and Jones would probably be graded as a C+ and a C, trying to replace Wade, who is certainly an A+. I don’t know what kind of grades you got in school, but your parents would be happier bringing home an A+ than a C+ and a C. If you combined Battier and Jones, they might be close to what Wade brings to the table, but you can only put one of those players on the court at a time.

Dwyane Wade is a more complete player than either of those guys. Wade is a way better scorer than Battier. Wade is also an elite defender, whereas James Jones is, at best, a matador out there.

We can’t forget that Wade is one of the best finishers in the NBA, and maybe the best shot blocking guard of this era. You can’t replace that with one player. Finishing is crucial with this Miami team since they have a new focus on the fast break game this year.

There is only one way I know how to prove my point here. With dry and nerdy numbers talk. So buckle up, here comes the hammer.

While individual stats will go down when Wade returns, team stats will improve. That is what matters. There is a stat in the NBA that measures how many points a team scores if given 100 possessions, with Wade in the lineup, the Heat average 112 points. With only LeBron in the lineup, that number drops to 104. LeBron’s individual numbers dip, but the team scores more. That’s more important. Giving Wade’s minutes to a sub par defender is also a drop in team defense.

If LeBron wanted to keep putting up numbers like this, he would have stayed in Cleveland. Same goes for Bosh. This is what LeBron did in Cleveland. He was the man and the offense flowed through him alone. If they all stayed on their respective teams, they could keep putting up numbers but none of them would have been two games away from an NBA title. I would argue LeBron wanted to share with Wade, that’s why he came down here.

If the goal of this season was for LeBron to win the MVP, then the Heat would be better off without Dwyane Wade. However, if the Heat’s goal is to win the NBA championship, then clearly the Heat need Wade back.

Who Should be the Dolphins’ Next Head Coach?

I refuse to feed into the media hype and write about the Heat, after two close, overtime losses. The regular season does not matter to this team. The Heat could win the rest of their games this season but if they don’t win the championship, it would be viewed as a waste.

So instead of discussing LeBron’s phantom travel, our discussion will focus on the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Jeff Fisher

The leading candidate for some reason unknown to me is Jeff Fisher.

I’m not sure what I’m missing. Every sign points to Fisher being a well respected, average coach for 17 years. Average might be kind. In case you haven’t heard, the man only had six winning seasons in 17 years. You might say to me, “Craig, its hard to win in the NFL. Six winning seasons is an accomplishment that shouldn’t be laughed at.” What I might say back to you is, “You are wrong. Dave Wannstedt had four winning seasons in four and a half years as head coach. I can laugh at whatever I want.”

Fisher’s recent track record includes him drafting a quarterback in the first round, that quarterback playing surprisingly well and leading the team to the playoffs, then Fisher quarrelling with him, benching him, shaking his confidence, and then cutting his Pro Bowl quarterback.

That is not a scenario that I would enjoy watching in Miami.

Jeff Fisher is a relatively big coaching name, he has been around a long time, and has a lot of experience, albeit mediocre experience, but experience nonetheless. I understand the interest.

Stephen Ross wants to bring him in with all the flash and show of his helicopter ride across Davie. He wants to convince us that Fisher is going to come in and fix this team.

I’m not buying it.

Its nothing personal Jeff, but I don’t think we should throw big time money at you just because the coaching market is thin this year. Just because you are the only coach people have heard of, does not make you the right choice for the job.

I would rather have a coach with something to prove, an up and comer of sorts, a coach that’s hungry, and a coach that will score points.

I do not want the Dolphins to be Jeff Fisher’s retirement destination.

So let’s look at my candidates. There are only two that really intrigue me.

Rob Chudzinski

I am going with consensus around the league and coaching history. Chud is a hot commodity right now and supposedly on many wish lists for head coaching jobs currently available.

Chud is the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers had a top 10 offense this year while finishing near the bottom of the league last year. Granted, they brought in Cam Newton as well this off season, so Chud can’t take all the credit, but Chud’s impact can’t simply be dismissed.

Before taking over as offensive coordinator at Carolina, he was the tight ends coach at San Diego. I don’t know if you are familiar with San Diego’s tight end. His name is Antonio Gates, and the kid can ball.

Prior to that, he worked as offensive coordinator with the Browns. I know, I know, not another guy with Cleveland stink on him, but Chud was the coach the year the Browns won 10 games, Derek Anderson threw for 29 touchdowns, and then went to the Pro Bowl. This guy made Derek Anderson a Pro Bowl QB! DEREK ANDERSON! I hope that is on his resume, written just like that.

I’ve long been clamoring for more athletic tight ends in Miami, and I’m confident that Chud would bring in some of those guys. I personally think the two tight end, single back offense will be the next fashionable offense to run in the NFL. Belichick is already ahead of the curve on that one. This is the offense Chud would run, and I think it would work down here. It is also my favorite offense to run in Madden 12, so Chud’s got that going for him, too.

On top of the $8 million dollars we are apparently willing to give to Fisher (according to Kim Bokamper, “trusted” league source) Chud has other reasons to take the job. He has ties to Miami that might convince him to coach down here.

Chud played tight end at the University of Miami in the late ‘80s, the glory days. He won two national championships during his stay. He was also the offensive coordinator at UM for three years, one of them being the hallowed 2001 championship season. That was the loaded UM team with Andre Johnson and Willis McGahee and about 20 other future NFL players that ran through the Big East and won it all.

Chud is hungry, has a lot of potential, a Miami pedigree, and an offensive mind. I would love to see him on the sidelines next year.

Chip Kelly

Kelly is currently the head coach at Oregon football, and also currently happy with his job. So that’s an obstacle.

But Chip Kelly is the man I want in charge of the Dolphins.

Internet rumors have been swirling around this past week that the Miami Dolphins contacted Kelly’s agent about their coaching vacancy.

No reputable source has confirmed that this happened except for Kelly’s agent. However, all agents confirm any rumor about interest in their client. It normally leads to more money, so its hard to trust.

With that aside, the rumors had to start somewhere and even if they are completely unfounded, maybe the noise will get loud enough for Stephen Ross to notice and interview the man.

Chip Kelly has been the head coach for three seasons at Oregon. Since his promotion, the team has gone 34-6, won three Pac-12 titles, gone to a national championship, and put up around 40 points and over 400 yards a game.

That’s what I’m talking about! Bring the chrome helmets too!

There is no human on Earth who watches an Oregon football game and doesn’t drool over their high paced, explosive offense. Not only do they win football games but they are aesthetically pleasing as well. I know, that’s not as important, but it is a nice touch.

Recent struggles from big time college coaches like Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier have left people soured on the prospect of NFL teams hiring college coaches but I think Kelly could succeed.

First off, Saban did a pretty good job his first year here, after a rough start we rallied to 9-7. The defense was solid, and the team was gritty. My theory is that he knew he wanted to leave early on in his second season and go back to college, and things fell apart when his heart wasn’t in it, not because he didn’t have the skill.

The other problem that Saban had was that he stuffed the team with old players that were expensive and aged quickly after he left. He just generally didn’t know how to build a professional football team and he had the final say over player transactions.

This won’t be Chip Kelly’s problem. Stephen Ross and the Dolphins have already showed that they are committed to Jeff Ireland. His post as general manager will be much stronger and he will hold much more say over personnel than Randy Mueller (the old GM) did during Saban’s time. So we won’t have to worry about Kelly messing up the roster building, but we do still have to worry about Ireland screwing up in that department.

Also, the recent success of spread players in the NFL bodes well for college coaches who run the spread. The success of Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, and various other Florida, Oregon, Missouri, and Boise St. skill players makes me think that the NFL is already trending toward hybrid spread offenses. If you look at the Eagles over the past 10 years, and the Patriots before they changed their system, they were practically running the spread in the NFL and having a lot of success with it.

I think Chip Kelly’s spread offense could work in the NFL, and I think Chip Kelly could work in the NFL. He is smart, confident, and the number one candidate on my coaching wish list. Hiring him would bring the buzz and attention that Stephen Ross craves, and he would be worth bringing out the chopper for. Above the noise, if Chip Kelly came in and we moved up in the draft to get a spread QB to run his system (like RG3), it would result in me watching the Dolphins win football games on Sunday while scoring a lot of points. To me, that’s heaven.

Miami Heat Early Impressions

With the passing of Dan Marino’s record, my heart is sad. I was going to write about how much better Marino was than the competition he faced in his era, how he attempted fewer passes, and how only two other QB’s threw for 4,000 yards the year he set the record and now everybody throws for 4,000 yards. As you can see, it would have been whiny, and full of numbers.

So I’ve instead decided to focus on the early season dominance of the Miami Heat. This past holiday week you were probably flying across the country, having dinner with your abuelo, or breaking bread with a bunch of people you call aunt and uncle but aren’t really related to. You know what I did? Watched basketball. So to keep you informed I’m gonna break down the Heat’s season so far. Game by game. Boom!

Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks (W 105-94)

I personally think this is how every new season should start in every league, a rematch of the previous championship game. Think of the past few years, we could have started off the NBA seasons with Lakers-Celtics and watched Packers-Steelers on Thursday night football. In some ways, its good that the commissioners don’t listen to me, because it would be hard to sell Cardinals-Rangers this season as must see TV on opening day.

But I digress, I fully expected the Heat to win, and they delivered. They were too much for the over matched Mavs and this completely makes up for the crushing NBA Finals loss we suffered last summer. The Heat ran their “spread” offense that Filipino Jackson picked up when he visited the Oregon football team and the Mavs could only get in front of Wade and LeBron long enough to get whistled for fouls.

I know we say this every year, but I think the Mavs look too old and have lost too much talent. I would be wary of crossing them off the contenders list, but they are starting Vince Carter. That disqualifies them. I’m sorry. It is just a mysterious part of God’s will, no team that has to start sour puss Vince Carter in meaningful playoff games will win the NBA Championship. Case closed.

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics (W 115-107)

The C’s kept it close but once again, the Heat were just the better team. Miami got out in transition and Boston kept it close by throwing out some zone D. Why does the zone still slow us down? How did this not make the list of things to practice against? If it wasn’t for LeBron’s mysterious disappearance and the Mavs zone defense, we would have won the championship. I’ll give Spo a pass if he indeed spent the off season fixing LeBron’s postseason shrinkage, but I don’t think that’s what he was working on.

Wade and LeBron put up 50 combined points and Norris Cole took over the 4th quarter. Watching that game, it looked like Norris Cole thought he was the best player on the court. Even when Wade and LeBron was out there, it looked like NoNo thought he needed to close that game out. I loved it and hated it at the same time. The early impression is that the Heat got a legitimate rotation guy late in the first round with confidence and skills on a veteran team. That is huge, stealing a rotation guy that late is a big win if it pans out. But I’m also afraid that during the playoffs, NoNo will go all Eric Maynor on us and wave off LeBron and Wade for a game deciding last shot. Oh well, we’ll see.

For the first time in a while it also looked like the Heat were the deeper team in this match up. Which bench would you rather have: Bass, Daniels, and Dooling or Haslem, Battier, and Cole? I would take the Heat’s. How did this happen? What were the Celtics doing this off season? Did they really make the team worse around KG-Pierce-Allen-Rondo and expect to be better this year. How does that make sense?

Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Bobcats (W 96-95)

The Bobcats got out to an early 11 point lead and it took the whole game for the Heat to catch up. LBJ kept up his stellar play. NoNo kept shooting, but the shots didn’t fall this game. Bosh had a great game and made sure to fill his quota of goofy movements with this post dunk(belly pose.) Does he realize how ridiculous he looks to all of us? Do people refer to him as a dinosaur or Boshtrich in the locker room? See, this is why I need a media pass to interview these guys.

It was extremely tight at the end of the game, and Wade did what he always did. He banked in a last second shot to make everyone forget about the bad game he was having. He then spent the press conference using words like “clutch”, “killer instinct”, and probably “leader.”

Even though the Bobcats played tough and almost stole one from the Heat is it hard for me to understand what this team is trying to do? Who are they building around? I couldn’t even tell who their best player was. It might be Kemba in the future, and for the sake of saying his name, I hope that’s how it turns out... Kemba.

Miami Heat vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (W 103-101)

LeBron put together another great performance, Bosh was solid again, Wade was alright but made up for it with another buzzer beater. Same old same old, lets talk about the T’wolves!

Kevin Love looks like a monster this year. He was doing everything. He might be the best rebounder in the game, which is remarkable because he is under 7’0 tall and can’t jump very high. He is still an amazing outlet passer and can drain 3 point shots, and it looks like he has put together a solid low post game. If he can improve his interior defense he will be a great all around player. I say all of this to let you know that I really like Kevin Love as a player, but he is not elite. All of the talking heads on ESPN are talking about him being a top 10 player in the NBA. In the same breath they say that the T’wolves have a lot of good young talent. Yet, Minny still doesn’t win. Truly elite players in the NBA win games for their teams. You can’t say it is the people around him, because everyone is drooling over the points Beasley can put up, the skill set of Anthony Randolph and the potential of Rubio and Derrick Williams. Even if the team isn’t as good as people think, great players win games on bad teams. Look at Chris Paul the past few years, or Dwight Howard now. Even as I type those names I shudder a little inside. Minny might turn it around this year, and Kevin Love is a special player, but he is not elite. He is not in the same class as those guys yet.

I was happy the Heat pulled this win out, LeBron even said he didn’t want to see the T’wolves later this year. Even he is on the bandwagon! On to the next one...

Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Bobcats (W 129-90)

Easy blowout. Pretty efficient games for the Big 3. NoNo kept shooting. Bobcats search for a best player continues to confuse me. Kemba put up a solid line of 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal, yet the Bobcats were outscored by 18 points while he was on the court. Maybe MJ should just sell the team.

Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks (L 92-100)

I didn’t realize that how much I was hoping we would go 66-0 until the Heat lost this game. I might have actually believed we had a shot, and I might be a total homer. I took the loss hard and what made it worse is that T-Mac did us in. T-Mac was hitting everything in the 4th quarter, and what Championship contender hasn’t lost to a washed up superstar, who got hot in the 4th quarter, and is related to the immortal Vince Carter? Oh yeah, every team that played T-Mac in the post season.

The other thing I noticed is Josh Smith. The dude is good. He didn’t put up a lot of points but his athleticism is astounding. If you can notice a person’s athleticism when they are on the court with LeBron James, you know it is elite. The guy was flying around the court and it looked like he could block nearly any shot if he timed it right. I would like him to go to a real contender and see what he can do. You could absolutely win a championship if Josh Smith was your 3rd best player. Just not if you are Atlanta. Sorry.

So why did we lose this one? I refuse to admit that Atlanta is better than us, or that the zone defense shut us down. Atlanta did keep us out of transition and force us into a half court game and we didn’t handle it well. But we were primarily a half court team last season, so I think we will fare better in that situation in the future and eventually we will figure out the zone defense. Right Spo?

In all seriousness, we had a lead late in the game, T-Mac went on a run, we had a chance to get back in it, but the shots weren’t falling, especially for D-Wade. Everyone has games like that. We put up some good shots but they bounced out. It happens. 65-1 is still a possibility.

Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers (W 118-83)

I was hearing all of this talk about how good the Pacers were, Bill Simmons predicted they would be the no. 2 seed in the East, I was hyped for this game. But the Heat blew them out, even without Dwyane Wade.

The most interesting to happen was LeBron twisting his ankle on a fast break. Of course he stayed in and nearly played the rest of the game but he is a game time decision tonight. I don’t understand basketball injuries.

We ran all over Indiana. We got out in transition, slammed home some easy buckets, and James Jones hit some open up 3’s. It was an easy win. It is how I expect the Heat to look every game, but that would be terribly boring television.

Also, what happened to Danny Granger. He used to be good? Now he is shooting 30%. Did Delonte West sleep with his mom, too?

Indiana looks like a team of young role players to me. I like Roy Hibbert, but that’s about it.

So there you go. Enjoy my pinings on the Heat, use my opinions of their opponents at parties, claim them as your own. I don’t care, as long as you come back to the Miami Sports Machine for more rants.

I don’t know what will happen tonight if it is just Bosh vs. the Hawks. I predict NoNo puts up 25 shots, Josh Smith makes an extremely impressive play, then promptly gets hurt, and there is the possibility I will get very sad if we lose the prospect of going 65-1.