Miami Dolphins clearly in the wrong organizationally

There is something that stinks quite profoundly in South Florida.  Specifically, the stench is coming from atop the building in Davie’s executive offices.  Something clearly is amiss in South Florida.

After the Dolphins (not so quietly) announced that Mike Tannenbaum would be named executive VP of Football Operations, with the ink barely dry, someone tapped Stephen Ross and his handlers on the shoulder.  They probably said, there is something clearly incorrect with your organizational structure.

Let’s not forget about who was supposed to report to whom.  Mike Tannenbaum was supposed to oversee GM Dennis Hickey’s work and Hickey in turn would report to Tannenbaum.  Sounds simple right?

Wrong!  Owner Stephen Ross and his people forgot one small thing, the NFL has employed what is called the Rooney Rule set forth with the support and backing by the Fritz Pollard alliance.

The Dolphins broke the rules and then swept the dirt under the rug by skirting the interview requirement of a minority candidate.  The Rooney rule applies to ALL coaching hires and all front office personnel.

So, Ross instead changed the contract quickly and his organizational chart with an “I was going to get to that moment…” and moved the straight line from Hickey to Tannenbaum to Hickey to Ross himself.

Complicating matters are the reports that have surfaced, per Dolphins officials from Armando Salguero that head coach Joe Philbin will be offered an extension in the near future.  The thinking here is two fold per Salguero, where the Dolphins can avoid losing him should the Dolphins have a great season next year, to another team.  However, if the Dolphins fail to make the playoffs, Philbin can be fired so it just avoids his “lame duck status.”

Coaches typically do not have any assurances coaching into their final year of a contract.  However, since Stephen Ross is basically picking up his option next year, what’s one more year into 2016? If Joe Philbin leaves for a better opportunity, he’s not on the hook for that year.

So there you have it, the Dolphins are already the laughing stock, but why not continue the piling on with an owner that clearly is asking for trouble in the ticket offices, because fans just aren’t happy!