Why The Dolphins Fired Chris Grier First—and Who Will Replace Him

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By firing nan wide head of nan Dolphins connected Friday, a time aft nan squad metaphorically grounded to return to nan section of play aft halftime successful a blowout loss to nan Ravens astatine home, proprietor Stephen Ross activated 1 of respective flight hatch plans successful an effort to rebuild Miami.

While nan knee-jerk presumption for immoderate was that Mike McDaniel has survived nan ever-familiar powerfulness struggle betwixt coach and inherited wide manager, I would be aware those from considering that a realistic possibility.

Much much likely?

• Ross and nan Dolphins brass don’t want nan aforesaid thought processes guiding this draught people arsenic it did nan erstwhile nine, of which Grier was a apical unit executive. With a fewer months near successful nan season, Champ Kelly, a talented unit executive who has interviewed for galore GM jobs complete nan years, will thief benignant retired nan team’s unrecorded assemblage scouting operation.

• With an world crippled coming successful 16 days for nan Dolphins (they play nan Commanders successful Madrid), Ross whitethorn person preferred to support astir of nan activity intact. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and violative coordinator Frank Smith person some interviewed for caput coaching jobs successful nan past, and some should still beryllium considered upwardly mobile candidates successful different situations. Still, Ross whitethorn person decided that he did not want an extended look astatine either, fixed that it would beryllium wise to fto a caller wide head prime his ain coach.

• Though nan McDaniel era deteriorated into what we saw Thursday night, pinch McDaniel’s astir unedited show of overt frustration, anger and, successful immoderate ways, ignorant toward nan countless watercourse of mistakes and miscommunications, I’m judge Ross had an appreciation for what McDaniel brought and for who he was down nan scenes. During nan bully years, nan Dolphins consistently aced organizational tests specified arsenic nan NFLPA study card, which, while covering each aspects of nan club, focuses heavy connected nan caput coach’s demeanor and affectional intelligence. McDaniel was beloved by a batch of the team’s operational staff, from IT and training to video and equipment.

• And, yet and astir cardinal to what happened Friday, nan firing of Grier took spot pinch nan astir clip because it’s going to beryllium nan longest and astir integral portion of nan process, and nan caller GM will much than apt want to prosecute their ain caput coach anyway. The Dolphins want to springiness themselves a agelong runway to observe their ain organizational needs, vet candidates and onshore a apical GM campaigner earlier pivoting to nan caput coaching position. Rarely successful caller Dolphins history has nan timing of a caller caput coach coincided pinch nan presence of a caller wide manager, which is much perfect from an organization-building perspective.

Jumping disconnected nan second point, nan Amazon Prime Video broadcast connected Thursday efficaciously served arsenic a ceremonial for Miami’s organizational woes—a scary show for an proprietor who had extended tv clip successful an isolated mounting devoted to shots of fans leaving successful droves and nan eternally achy schematic that Miami is nan league’s only squad without a playoff triumph since nan move of nan millennium.

This is why Grier was nan symbolic sanction connected nan chopping artifact Friday and not nan caput coach. Ross, successful my mind, is attempting to yet pacify nan fans who cognize that simply swapping retired caput coaches again, erstwhile nan talent excavation has go truthful dreadfully threadbare and nan backmost business has been whiffed connected consistently since Dan Marino retired successful 1999, would beryllium a ceremonial maneuver befitting of an proprietor who is not consistently invested successful nan operation. Grier’s firing is nan opening of an overhaul. Ross apt wants that to beryllium clear arsenic nan Dolphins struggle done nan waning months of nan season.

Possible GM replacements

The bully news is that location is simply a stocked cupboard of coagulated wide head candidates, including:

Ross has to cognize that selecting a candidate—and I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if that personification is almost surely connected this list—is nan only measurement retired of nan team’s caller past successful which a solid ceiling of mediocrity has hung complete nan franchise. McDaniel, Brian Flores and Adam Gase were each playoff-caliber coaches without playoff-caliber rosters aliases playoff-caliber organizational alignment.

The first measurement toward fixing that rumor took spot connected Halloween.