Dave Hyde: Dolphins’ good-effort win against 49ers doesn’t change the decisions Steve Ross faces

Written by Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Syndicated User on December 23, 2024. Posted in Fort Lauderdale Mortgage, Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Rates, Latest Headlines, Miami Dolphins, NFL, Sports.

MIAMI GARDENS — Look, up in the sky.

It’s not a bird.

It’s a plane with a Fire-Chris-Grier banner flying around Hard Rock Stadium early Sunday afternoon, according to social media.

It’s also — oh, not this — the pie-in-the-sky playoff possibilities floating around for the Dolphins. We’re not going to do this again, are we? Can’t we just say they played hard in beating San Francisco, 29-17, and leave it at that?

Sure, if the Dolphins win in their final two games, and Denver loses its final two, and Indianapolis loses one, and a partridge in a pear tree …

Come on. Let’s not muddle the picture. If I’m Steve Ross, I’m making the decision now to move on from general manger Chris Grier. Today. This morning. Chicago, New Orleans, the New York Jets — the line is already forming of teams needing to fill a GM or coach’s role — or maybe both.

Sunday’s win against an unusually bad 49ers team didn’t change how the Dolphins need better personnel moves, a stronger internal culture — and a more demanding football mind to enforce it. There’s no certainty Ross agrees. Remember, he brought back Jeff Ireland on an extra year, then Joe Philbin, too.

Ross also had the chance to clean house in starting down the tanking path in 2019. He promoted Grier instead. It wasn’t Grier’s idea to trade good players, tank a couple of years and massively rebuild. Ross was following the idea of team president Tom Garfinkel. Grier, as became a pattern, went along with the idea.

Here’s another story: The Dolphins’ personnel side felt the big need was an offensive lineman in the 2022 draft, a team source said. Mike McDaniel, in his opening days as coach, made a video of Tua Tagovailoa for the full staff, showing the quarterback’s anticipation and accuracy spoke of a good player if they get better receivers.

McDaniel got his receiver. Grier traded five draft picks and spent $120 million to get Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins changed into a speed team. They also changed the organizational blueprint from one building through the draft to one now building with older, proven, expensive players.

This isn’t about that trade or that sudden change of plans, though. Nor is it about McDaniel pushing his cause. That’s what coaches do.

The issue as the Dolphins decide what’s gone wrong is after six years no one really knows what the Dolphins way of winning is beyond McDaniel’s need for speed. There’s a pattern, too, of Grier ceding decisions to others right from when Ross handed him the keys to the franchise in 2019.

It was more of the same through the years right to this year and the decision that sunk this season. Skylar Thompson and Mike White were the back-up plan to Tua for two seasons. Neither showed much. McDaniel kept only Thompson this summer for whatever reason.

Grier signed off on the first-time coach’s idea. He didn’t push for the veteran backup this team really needed considering Tua’s injury history. When Tua was lost for four games with another concussion, the dropoff at quarterback put this season on life support.

There’s a larger, cultural problem here that’s not Grier’s doing. Players are late to meetings, a team source said, in a manner that’s reminiscent of Adam Gase having such a problem with it he wrote the offending players’ names on a locker-room whiteboard.

Flores announced in his first meeting players wouldn’t be late for meetings anymore. They weren’t. His no-nonsense way guaranteed that. McDaniel’s friendly, culture of comfort has brought the problem back, and it’s a litmus test of other issues of professionalism being loose in the building.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Despite solid win, Miami needs a culture change. Breaking down 49ers game | VIDEO

Sunday’s game doesn’t change those issues. A three-game run to finish the season against losing teams like San Francisco, Cleveland and the New Yok Jets might make things look better when you look at the record a decade from now.

But this is the third consecutive year of similar problems against good teams. They’re 4-16 against playoff teams. At some point when the Dolphins keep telling you who they are, you have to believe them.

Sunday was a nice win to close the home season.

But it’s your move, Steve Ross.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) is seen before the game against San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

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