It’s a new season for the Miami Dolphins. Let us call this the Survivor Era because that’s what this three week period is all about.

Mike Pouncey’s success identifying blitzes and run blocking will be a big key to a win.

Fans might be thinking about tanking the season to improve draft picks, but the assistants and the players are thinking about their resumes, and future employment.

Who will survivor the impending franchise shift, which will begin in three weeks when a new head coach is officially hired to replace Tony Sparano? And what happens to those who don’t?

This team produced four wins by playing together, and now Todd Bowles’ challenge as the interim coach is to get this squad to avoid the every man for himself mentality, which can become toxic.

Here are the keys to today’s game against the Buffalo Bills, a squad whose weaknesses (limited pass rush) will prevent them from attacking Miami’s weaknesses.

1. Protect the quarterback. Last game Matt Moore suffered a concussion and the Dolphins offensive line allowed nine sacks. The one interception Moore threw was rushed because of the pressure the pocket was allowing. Even if Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long doesn’t play (and I expect he will) this line needs to find a way to hold firm.

2. Remain aggressive on offense. This isn’t the time to make the play calling conservative. It’s time to show off what this team, and offense can accomplish after nearly four months of practice, and with Moore approaching his third month as the starting quarterback. The Dolphins need to get Brandon Marshall involved early and often, getting him past 1,000 receiving yards. Brian Daboll also needs to find a way to get Reggie Bush in open space.

3. Suffocate Buffalo’s rushing attack. The Dolphins have been a beast against the run the past seven games, which is something I document in this story. A month ago the Dolphins held the Bills to a season low 41 rushing yards, and C.J. Spiller typically struggles against Miami’s physicality. The Bills will try some different edge runs and the Dolphins need to hold firm without Koa Misi.

4. Run the ball effective. The biggest matchup of the game will be Dolphins center Mike Pouncey against Bills defensive tackle Marcel Dareus. These two game been going at it since their college days in the SEC and Dareus won the earlier battle since the Dolphins produced a season low 2.7 yards per carry a month ago. It would also be nice to get Daniel Thomas more involved.

5. Harass Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins sacked Buffalo’s quarterbacks two times last month, but trouble with the snaps limited his ability to look down the field. Those snapping issues are gone so this time around Fitzpatrick and his 61.9 percent completion rate will be looking to attack. The Dolphins need to produce more than two sacks.

6. Win the special team battle. The last time these two teams played the Dolphins suffocated Buffalo’s return game, and blocked a punt. It would be nice to see Clyde Gates, Davone Bess and/or Bush produce a respectable return. Buffalo’s roster is paper thin, so this is an area where Miami should have an advantage.

So, in your opinion what’s the biggest key to a victory?

After this disappointing and trouble-filled year is over, there will be wonderful opportunities waiting for the Dolphins if only they can, after nearly a decade of failing, finally string together two or three good decisions.

It has been a long time since that happened, hasn’t it?

Fans of this team so inclined can turn the past decade into a sad trivia game of failed franchise-defining decisions that would surpass just about anything comparable in professional sports.

You remember those decisions, right?

Remember the league-wide search for a general manager in 2004? The Dolphins interviewed all the up-and-coming stars in the personnel field, including Ted Thompson, but somehow picked in-house candidate Rick Spielman.

Thompson eventually got the general manager job with Green Bay and has built a budding dynasty.

Remember the coach searches in 2005, 2007 and 2008?

The Dolphins interviewed, among others, Mike Tomlin, Rex Ryan, Chan Gailey and Dom Capers …

… And hired Nick Saban, Cam Cameron and Tony Sparano.

The first group has gone on to win three Super Bowls, and reach three AFC title games and one NFC title game. The second group yielded two coaches that were fired and one that lied before skipping town.

The club’s grand search for a chief executive officer in 2004? Then-owner H. Wayne Huizenga hired a search firm headed by Joe Bailey. And Bailey, having searched far and wide for the new executive, convinced Huizenga only one man was capable of filling the job.

Joe Bailey.

Bailey’s greatest success would be a nightly radio show. The show was unlistenable and unrated, but it was Bailey’s greatest success nonetheless.

The Dolphins also had countless opportunities to fill the void left by quarterback Dan Marino’s retirement in 2000 but seemingly signed or drafted everyone and anyone as long as they weren’t named Drew Brees.

Are we seeing a trend here?

Over the past decade, the Dolphins have had ample chances to set a course for success and every single time have instead steered into a concrete wall. And the frustrating thing is those wrong decisions were rarely made by the same people, so it wasn’t one individual’s blunders that hurt the franchise but rather failure on an institutional scale.

So isn’t it time the law of averages kicked in?

Don’t Dolphins fans get a break eventually?

The timing is now perfect for that because in the coming months this franchise has a grand opportunity to fix, well, everything.

The team will hire a new coach at a time proven, Super Bowl winning coaches, hot coordinators and brilliant college coaches are available.

The team might hire a new man to oversee all football operations.

The team will draft or sign a potential franchise quarterback in a year where franchise quarterbacks seem abundant in the draft, and Peyton Manning might be available in free agency.

With Tom Brady getting no younger and questions still hovering over Mark Sanchez and Ryan Fitzpatrick, the AFC East will be a wide-open division in the next few years and there’s nothing that says it cannot belong to the new Dolphins.

But only if these guys finally pick the right people.

Owner Stephen Ross has to get this right. If he’s going to hire Carl Peterson to head football operations as NFL sources are insisting, these two can’t just fill the coaching vacancy with a future fired coach that will eventually top off the Wannstedt-Saban-Cameron heap.

Restless Dolphins fans received a gift earlier this week when team owner Stephen Ross decided to fire head coach Tony Sparano on Monday, a move many believed should have happened much sooner.

But, just like spoiled kids on Christmas morning, some fans were left wanting more.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Dolphins die-hards Chris Joseph and Roger Paul have devised a plan to let Ross know that more needs to be done.

Before the Dolphins’ final home game of the year — Jan. 1 against the New York Jets — the impatient pair will hire an airplane to fly around Sun Life Stadium with a sign bearing the message:

“Mr. Ross, save our Dolphins. Fire Jeff Ireland”

Ireland, the Dolphins’ general manager, was hired along with Sparano in 2008. Yet, despite Sparano’s recent firing, Ross remains committed to Ireland.

During the announcement of Sparano’s departure, Ross stated that Ireland will continue to be in charge of personnel and that he and Ireland “will work together” to find a new coach, a move some ‘Fins fans question.

“There’s a feeling that (Ireland) is going to screw up the draft again, or not get the quarterback that everyone wants,” Joseph told the Post. “Firing Sparano was one thing, but if you’re going to do that, you’ve got to clean house.”

According to the newspaper, the aerial assault on Ross and Ireland will cost about $1,500. But when Joseph and Paul jokingly released their idea to the public via Twitter and through their blog FinsNation.com, it took only four hours for fans to donate enough to cover the full expense.

While there’s no telling whether the stunt will happen, or have any impact, there is precedent for successful flyovers in South Florida. Miami Hurricanes fans flew a banner demanding that head coach Randy Shannon be fired, and their demands were met later that day.

If the latest planned flyover is successful, perhaps it would be wise for fans to shell out another $1,500 to demand a trip to the Super Bowl next season.

Restless Dolphins fans received a gift earlier this week when team owner Stephen Ross decided to fire head coach Tony Sparano on Monday, a move many believed should have happened much sooner.

But, just like spoiled kids on Christmas morning, some fans were left wanting more.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Dolphins die-hards Chris Joseph and Roger Paul have devised a plan to let Ross know that more needs to be done.

Before the Dolphins’ final home game of the year — Jan. 1 against the New York Jets — the impatient pair will hire an airplane to fly around Sun Life Stadium with a sign bearing the message:

“Mr. Ross, save our Dolphins. Fire Jeff Ireland”

Ireland, the Dolphins’ general manager, was hired along with Sparano in 2008. Yet, despite Sparano’s recent firing, Ross remains committed to Ireland.

During the announcement of Sparano’s departure, Ross stated that Ireland will continue to be in charge of personnel and that he and Ireland “will work together” to find a new coach, a move some ‘Fins fans question.

“There’s a feeling that (Ireland) is going to screw up the draft again, or not get the quarterback that everyone wants,” Joseph told the Post. “Firing Sparano was one thing, but if you’re going to do that, you’ve got to clean house.”

According to the newspaper, the aerial assault on Ross and Ireland will cost about $1,500. But when Joseph and Paul jokingly released their idea to the public via Twitter and through their blog FinsNation.com, it took only four hours for fans to donate enough to cover the full expense.

While there’s no telling whether the stunt will happen, or have any impact, there is precedent for successful flyovers in South Florida. Miami Hurricanes fans flew a banner demanding that head coach Randy Shannon be fired, and their demands were met later that day.

If the latest planned flyover is successful, perhaps it would be wise for fans to shell out another $1,500 to demand a trip to the Super Bowl next season.

C.W. Griffin/Miami Herald Staff

Jake Long went down with an injury in the first quarter and did not return against the Eagles at Sun Life Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2011.

The Buffalo Bills are going to have to prepare for two quarterbacks this week — and the possible return of Dolphins left tackle Jake Long, too.

Matt Moore, who sustained a mild concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, according to Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles, returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday and sounded optimistic about playing Sunday.

Bowles said Thursday he’ll probably wait until Sunday to decide whether or not to dress Moore in uniform against the Bills. But if Moore has any say, he — and not backup J.P. Losman — will be running the Dolphins offense at chilly Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“It felt good, nice to get back in and get reps, get ready for Buffalo,” said Moore, who left Sunday’s loss to the Eagles late in the third quarter, after being sacked five times — once more than Losman.

“I took most of [the reps Thursday]. Both of us got reps, but I took a lot of reps.”

Moore, who sustained the second concussion of his career (the first came last season against Buffalo when he was a member of the Panthers), said he went through the NFL’s concussion protocol before being cleared.

Bowles said Moore “looked pretty good” Thursday but plans to watch him closely over the next couple days to see how he feels.

He’ll do the same with Long, who also practiced on a limited basis after sustaining a back injury seven plays into Sunday’s loss. Long, who was unavailable to reporters, has started 61 consecutive games in his career.

The Eagles took full advantage with Long out last Sunday, as the Dolphins allowed a franchise record-tying nine sacks — eight with the former No. 1 overall draft pick out.

If Long doesn’t play, the Dolphins will likely turn to second-year guard John Jerry. The good news for the Dolphins, who are 11 allowed sacks away from setting a franchise record for a season: The Bills’ pass rush ranks last in the league with 19 sacks.

Bowles said “chances are very slim’’ strong-side linebacker Koa Misi will play this week. Misi sustained what is believed to be a separated shoulder in Sunday’s loss.

• Safety Yeremiah Bell (foot), guard Vernon Carey (ankle) and tight end Anthony Fasano (ribs) remained limited in Thursday’s practice.

Bills still upset

Buffalo players are still apparently upset that Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell said the Bills “laid down” in a 35-8 Dolphins win on Nov. 20.

The Bills accused the Dolphins of trash talking and taking cheap shots in the game. Running back Fred Jackson and wide receiver Donald Jones were lost for the season with injuries in that game.

“You know, it started a little fire in me,” wide receiver Stevie Johnson told the team’s website. “Hopefully it did with the people around me. So I’m looking forward to playing this game and coming out with an attitude.”

Bell said Thursday he isn’t backing down from his comments. “I think when they watched the film, they knew it, too,” Bell said. “Now it’s time for Round 2.

“I like to talk noise; if that gets them riled up, then I’m all for it. Bryan Cox is loving it.”

• Dolphins offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said Thursday he would like to see Reggie Bush reach 1,000 yards this season if he can get to it. Daboll said he has expanded the playbook for Bush as the season has gone on.

Bush has run for a career-high 770 yards (4.6 per carry) in 13 starts this season and will face the 25th-ranked rushing defense in the league Sunday. The Patriots (13th-ranked rushing defense) and Jets (14th-ranked) are the Dolphins final two opponents.

“The first thing they say when you put a non-230-pound back in there like Reggie is he’s going to get hurt, he can’t run between the tackles,” Bell said. “If he did come out and get 1,000 yards, I think that would be big for him and open a lot of people’s eyes.”

• Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who served as the head coach of the 49ers from 2005 to 2008, said while he would entertain the thought of becoming a head coach he also thinks “the best job in football is coordinating.’’

Asked if thinks he’s worthy of staying in Miami based on what he did this season, Nolan said: “That’s always for somebody else to decide what your worthiness is.

“I think I’m pretty damn good at what I do. I’ve been a lot of places. We do it real well. But again, giving out jobs, you get to decide that, not me.”

• Bowles, who used to give hand signals and keep Tony Sparano abreast of all timeout and two-minute situations when was the defensive backs coach, will continue to assist the Dolphins defense with personnel movement.

Dolphins running game vs. Bills run defense:Against the Eagles, Reggie Bush, for the first time in his NFL career, cracked the 100-yard rushing plateau in consecutive games After a mediocre first four games as a Dolphin, has turned into a run-game force, carrying the ball for 651 yards in the nine games since the off week. His 1,034 total yards are his most since his rookie season, when he gained 1,307. The injuries to Matt Moore and Jake Long, however, loom over the entire offense. EDGE: Bills

Dolphins passing game vs. Bills pass defense:If ill-equipped J.P. Losman starts against his former team, with the Dolphins having yielded a club-record-tying nine sacks against the Eagles on Sunday and starting linemen Long and Vernon Carey hobbled at best, it is a recipe for disaster. The Bills have the fewest sacks in the NFL with 19. Tight ends Anthony Fasano and Charles Clay have averaged a robust 15.7 yards per reception. EDGE: Bills

Bills running game vs. Dolphins run defense:In the midst of this disastrous season, the run defense has reached new heights. By holding the Eagles to 51 rushing yards, the Dolphins set a club mark for fewest rushing yards allowed over a five-game span (284). With 1,169 rushing yards allowed, the team is poised to threaten the 1994 club record of 1,430, needing to allow an average of 86.7 rushing yards or less to achieve the feat. Bills star back Fred Jackson broke his leg in the game at Sun Life Stadium and is on injured reserve. EDGE: Dolphins

Bills passing game vs. Dolphins pass defense:In his first seven games of the season, Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was consistently effective, with his worst passer rating in a game being a 75.5. In the six games since, Fitzpatrick has had a passer rating of under 52 in four of them. Jason Taylor had a lively game against Philadelphia, with two sacks and he now needs 3.5 sacks to take over the No. 5 spot on the career sack list. Meanwhile, Cameron Wake, the focus of opponents’ pass-blocking schemes, has only one sack and four hits on the quarterback in the past five games. Sean Smith, who had one interception his first two-and-a-half NFL seasons, has two in the past month.EDGE: Dolphins

Dolphins special teams vs. Bills special teams: I don¿t know if it is possible to toss enough credit in the direction of Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi for his units¿ turnaround. They blocked a punt to set up the game¿s first score on Sunday and got a turnover on an Eagles punt return. Punter Brandon Fields starred against Philadelphia, with a 49.8-yard net average on six punts, pumping his season net to 41.3 yards per boot, a full yard and a half better than his best such number in any season. EDGE: Dolphins

Intangibles:Buffalo, who was 5-2 six games ago, is in free fall, but so was Philadelphia was coming into last week. However, the Dolphins are really reeling after a week that saw a 24-0 beatdown in the second quarter against the Eagles, the loss of three offensive starters to injury and then, the firing of coach Tony Sparano on Monday. EDGE: Bills

Prediction: Bills 16, Dolphins 13

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – It doesn’t matter to linebacker Chris Kelsay whether the Miami Dolphins changed coaches this week, or which quarterback — Matt Moore or former Bills player J.P. Losman — will start against Buffalo on Sunday.

Kelsay instead has payback on his mind because don’t think for a moment the Bills’ usually even-keeled veteran has forgotten how the Dolphins rubbed it in following their 35-8 win at Miami a month ago.

“Basically, they just told us that we laid down. They told us that we threw in the towel, we quit. I don’t care who you are, that stings,” Kelsay said this week. “The way they kind of called us out after the game, we don’t have a good taste in our mouth, so we’re going to give them everything we got.”

Kelsay was referring to safety Yeremiah Bell who, following the game, was quoted as saying the Bills “laid down.”

On Thursday, Bell stood by what he said.

“I like to talk noise,” Bell said. “You’ve got to go out and back it up. We know what happened the first game, and we know they’re going to come out with a vengeance.”

In the big picture, Bell’s comments don’t come anywhere close to matching the vulgar gesture former Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox made to fans prior to a game in Buffalo in 1993 during the heyday of this once intense AFC East rivalry. And Cox, a first-year Dolphins assistant coach, will be on the sideline Sunday.

Bell has at least provided some much-needed flavour to a meaningless matchup in the NFL’s only game this week between two teams with no shot at making the playoffs.

“If that gets (the rivalry) riled up, I’m all for that,” Bell said.

The Bills (5-8), who will miss the playoffs for a 12th straight season, are searching for a win after having lost six straight.

The Dolphins (4-9) have much larger concerns. Miami’s in the midst of its fourth coaching search since 2004 after Tony Sparano was fired this week and replaced on an interim basis by Todd Bowles.

And if that’s not enough to stir anyone’s fancy, there’s the prospect of Losman — the Bills 2004 first-round draft pick — facing his former team in what would be his first start since 2008, his final season in Buffalo.

Moore, who sustained head and neck injuries in a 26-10 loss to the Eagles last weekend, took a majority of the snaps in practice Thursday, but stopped short of saying whether he’ll start against Buffalo.

Bowles said no decision has been made.

Quarterback is but one of the first-time head coach’s many concerns in trying to salvage what’s left of the Dolphins’ fifth losing season in six years.

“We have three games left. It’s not really about me,” he said. “It’s just about trying to keep the team afloat.”

As for revisiting Bell’s comments from a month ago, Bowles shrugged them off.

“I don’t think that’s a big deal one way or the other as far as we’re concerned, or probably where they’re concerned,” he said.

Bowles might want to think again, because Kelsay isn’t the only Bills player who made note of what was said.

“They felt they needed to come out and say stuff that wasn’t relevant, and it started a little fire in me,” receiver Stevie Johnson said. “You don’t let anybody come into your place and talk crap about you.”

Of course, the injury-riddled Bills will have to back that up with more than words. And they’re going to have to perform much better than they did in Miami, when Buffalo was held to a season-low 245 yards, went 0 for 12 on third-down, had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and lost its top offensive threat, running back Fred Jackson, to a season-ending leg injury.

The Bills are a shell of the upstart, swaggering team that got off to an impressive 5-2 start. Aside from Jackson, Buffalo’s also without its top defensive player, tackle Kyle Williams (left foot).

Their defence has allowed an average of 32 points while managing just five sacks and five takeaways in its past six games.

And their offence is no better. After averaging 31 points an outing through its first seven games, Buffalo has a total of 66 points in its past six.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is taking the brunt of the criticism, and coming off one of the worst starts of his career in a 37-10 loss at San Diego. Fitzpatrick went 13 of 34 for 176 yards, and threw two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

“I think any time you have a bad effort like I did last week, you want to get back on track,” Fitzpatrick said. “These last three games are very important to all of us in getting some of that confidence back: Not only for me, but for everybody on the team.”

___

AP Sports Writer Steven Wine in Davie, Fla., contributed to this report.

Hall of Fame quarterback and Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino chimed in with his thoughts on the Dolphins’ head coach search Thursday, saying he would love to see former Steelers coach Bill Cowher take the job, but doubted it would happen.

“I would love to see (Cowher) be the Dolphins’ coach or if he wanted to coach again because that would be great for the NFL, but I don’t think his mind-set is that he wants to coach again,” Marino said during his weekly podcast on Dolphins.com.

“And he may change that over time, but my feeling is that he’s a pretty straightforward guy that tells the truth most of the time . . . and he said on TV that he doesn’t have any plans of coming back, and I believe him,” Marino of his CBS colleague, Cowher, who led Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl victory in 2005-06.

The Dolphins are looking to replace Tony Sparano, whose long-speculated dismissal came to fruition Monday following Miami’s ninth loss of the season to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said the search for a new head coach would begin immediately. When asked what he might be looking for in a candidate, the Dolphins owner quipped, “I’d like to find a young Don Shula,” in reference to the Hall of Fame coach who led Miami to five AFC titles and two Super Bowl victories between 1970 and 1995.

Ross openly pursued current 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher last season while Sparano was still under contract.

Miami went 29-33 under Sparano, who took over the team in 2008. The Dolphins won the AFC East in Sparano’s first season before losing to Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs.

(NewsCore) – Hall of Fame quarterback and Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino chimed in with his thoughts on the Dolphins’ head coach search Thursday, saying he would love to see former Steelers coach Bill Cowher take the job, but doubted it would happen.

“I would love to see [Cowher] be the Dolphins’ coach or if he wanted to coach again because that would be great for the NFL, but I don’t think his mind-set is that he wants to coach again,” Marino said of his CBS colleague, Cowher, who led Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl victory in 2005-06.

“And he may change that over time, but my feeling is that he’s a pretty straightforward guy that tells the truth most of the time… and he said on TV that he doesn’t have any plans of coming back, and I believe him,” Marino said during his weekly podcast on Dolphins.com.

The Dolphins are looking to replace Tony Sparano, whose long-speculated dismissal came to fruition Monday following Miami’s ninth loss of the season to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said the search for a new head coach would begin immediately. When asked what he might be looking for in a candidate, the Dolphins owner quipped, “I’d like to find a young Don Shula,” in reference to the Hall of Fame coach who led Miami to five AFC titles and two Super Bowl victories between 1970 and 1995.

Ross openly pursued current 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher last season while Sparano was still under contract.

Miami went 29-33 under Sparano, who took over the team in 2008. The Dolphins won the AFC East in Sparano’s first season before losing to Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs.

All I can say about the firing of Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano—as detailed in latest article by AP Sports Writer Steven Wine—is, what took so long?

Well, truthfully there are plenty of other things I can say, and will—such as Hallelujah, Merry Christmas, Thank Heavens. However, the fact remains this day was long, long overdue. As I’ve stated over and over for the past two years, Sparano simply wasn’t ever going to get the Dolphins over the hump and into a Super Bowl. The chances he’d actually guide Miami to a title? Nil.

I guess team owner Stephen Ross finally figured that out after the 26-10 beating the Miami squad took at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Sun Life Stadium. It’s just a shame it took him so long.

Apparently the firing of Todd Haley by the Kansas City Chiefs was the catalyst for the decision, too, although Ross would probably deny that. However, there’s no denying Ross began to feel the pressure mounting that the coaches atop his list of potential candidates to replace Sparano might slip through his fingers if he waited much longer. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald puts it in his latest article, Ross may claim he’d become convinced the speculation about Sparano’s job security was becoming too much of a distraction, and that’s why he finally gave Tony the boot, but in the end, getting a jump on the team’s search for a new coach had to have played a big part in his decision.

Who is atop the list of coaches Ross will consider to replace Sparano is a source of intense speculation among those in the media. The obvious names being mentioned are former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, former Pittsburgh Steelers head honcho Bill Cowher, former Tennessee Titans skipper Jeff Fisher, and former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers leader Jon Gruden. However, it’s not certain those coaches actually are atop Ross’ list.

“I’d like to find a young Don Shula if that’s possible,” Ross said in the news conference announcing Sparano’s firing. “We are open to everything. We will look at everybody, interview them, and try to find the person we think will be the best fit.”

Considering general manager Jeff Ireland was retained by Ross—something I found as perplexing as the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero did in his latest piece—I’m guessing some of those names mentioned above will have little interest in joining the Dolphins organization. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald may believe—as he states in his latest article—Ross would prefer hiring a star head coach, but even if that’s so he isn’t likely to get one to come to Miami now that Ireland remains.

I can’t for the life of me see someone like Cowher coming to Miami and not demanding to be able to make his own personnel decisions. The idea he would be comfortable with Ireland being his boss is, frankly, ludicrous. Cowher is a far better football mind than Ireland could ever hope to be. Where Cowher is a football genius, Ireland is a clown, and when you’re courting someone like Cowher, you don’t do it by demanding he work under a bozo he couldn’t possibly respect.

While I won’t claim it’s absolute, I’d say the same could be said for the other three names on that list. I would think Billick, Fisher, and Gruden would all want control of the team (meaning Ireland gone) if they were going to come in and take over and try to clean up the Dolphins mess. At the very least they’d want to consult with Ross about who to hire for the general manager position if they didn’t want the added responsibilities of the job. But to think they’d want to come in and work under Ireland? Not a chance in my view.

And with good reason. Ireland himself pretty much spelled out why not one of those coaches should trust him to be their boss in his remarks during the news conference; although I don’t think he intended it that way.

“We all feel responsibility for what happened. This is a game of winning. When you don’t win, you feel responsibility for that. I’ve got responsibility in it, Mr. Ross has responsibility in it, our players have responsibility. Ultimately, Tony had the ultimate responsibility in it.”

Ireland may believe he’s dodged the bullet of responsibility by adding that final caveat regarding Sparano, but the truth remains Ireland is equally responsible for the failures of the Dolphins. While I’ll agree with Ross that Miami’s “record is not indicative of what the team is capable of,” and that speaks volumes about the lousy coaching of Sparano, the fact remains that many of the personnel decisions of Ireland were just as pathetic. I mean, do I have to remind anyone that the club has been laughingly referred to as the Miami Cowboys because of the numerous former members of Dallas Ireland’s brought in?

Yes, Sparano signed off on those move I’m sure, but it was Ireland who made the decision to bring in players like Marc Colombo; a bust if there ever was one. I don’t think someone like Cowher or Gruden, or even Fisher or Billick, is going to stand for such limited ability at evaluating talent. If they don’t want to take over the reins of the general manager position themselves, they’re going to want someone they can trust to do the job for them. That’s because when it all boils down to it, when you’re talking about a superstar head coach like Cowher, the general manager actually works for him, not the other way around.

This is precisely why I think Ross is going to push for someone like Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, or New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. There’s even an outside shot—because of his strong ties to Miami—Ross and Ireland might go after Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who was the tight ends coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Miami during the Hurricanes glory days of a decade ago.

Whatever route they take, though, I believe the Dolphins will likely have a much better shot at doing something than they would have ever had under Sparano. While I’d hoped (and still do) Ross would have gotten rid of Ireland as well, in the end the proper coach might be enough to turn the franchise around. No matter what happens in the future, there’s no doubt about what just happened now.

On Monday, Dec. 12 Christmas came early for Miami fans all across the country. Peace on earth, and good will toward men.

Hut, hut, hike!

More from Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Dolphins Disappointingly Lose 26-10 to Eagles in Vick’s Return

Thank God Miami Dolphins Are No Longer Run by ‘Nick Satan’

Miami Owner Stephen Ross Likely Never to Be on Dolphins’ Walk of Fame

Bringing Sparano Back Next Year Because of Win Over Raiders is Insane

A Dolphins Loss to the Oakland Raiders Could Help Miami

All stats and information taken from personal notes and verified at Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL.com, and Yahoo! Sports.

Read more by Daniel Barber aka Hotnuke at TFS Sports.

*Daniel Barber has been a fan of all Miami teams since he was a child or since their inception having been born right above Miami.

Sources:

Pro-Football-Reference.com

NFL.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Miami Dolphins have fired head coach Tony Sparano after the team dropped to 4-9 on the 2011 season. Sparano won a division title in 2008 but has regressed since then. The head coaching job in Miami has not been that strong since Don Shula left in 1995. Since that time, Miami has been to the playoffs just six times and won just three playoff games. They have also gone through five head coaches since Shula left. That number does not count interim coaches. Here is a look at how the head coaches at Miami have fared since Shula retired.

Tony Sparano

Sparano took the Miami job in 2008 and led them to an AFC East title. The Dolphins improved by 10 wins in his first season. Miami lost in its first playoff game and hasn’t been back since. He went 7-9 the following two seasons and was fired with a 4-9 record in 2011. Overall, he went 29-32 as the head coach with the Dolphins.

Cam Cameron

Cameron was the head coach at Miami for just one season in 2007. Unfortunately, it was the worst one in franchise history. The Dolphins started the season 0-13 before they finally picked up a win in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens. They lost their final two games to finish 1-15. With a new front office taking over after that, Cameron was promptly fired as the head coach. He has not gotten a head coaching job since.

Nick Saban

Saban famously coached Miami for two seasons. After signing a big contract to leave LSU, Saban ultimately left Miami for a big contract at Alabama. His two seasons with the Dolphins were mixed. In 2005, he led the Dolphins to a winning season but missed the playoffs. The team regressed in 2006. Miami finished a disappointing 6-10 and that was it for Saban.

Dave Wannstedt

Wannstedt took over the head coaching job in the 2000 season. He led Miami to an 11-5 record in each of his first two seasons. Miami won a playoff game in 2000 before losing. They lost their only playoff game in 2001. After that, Wannstedt put up two winning seasons but missed the playoffs. After starting out 1-8 in 2004, he was fired. Overall, he went 42-31 with Miami.

Jimmy Johnson

Johnson had college glory in Miami and NFL glory with the Dallas Cowboys. But he wasn’t able to recapture any glory when he took the Miami job in 1996. Johnson coached the Dolphins for four seasons and reached the playoffs three times. He went 36-28 in his four seasons and had between eight and 10 wins in each of them. His final game was a 62-7 loss in the divisional playoffs to the Jacksonville Jaguars.e HH

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It’s best to let things digest for a couple of hours before trying to break it down, regurgitate what you’ve just swallowed. That approach keeps us from jumping to any hard and firm conclusions.

It also allows us to avoid foot in mouth disease, which Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross has battled since purchasing the team.

Those who have followed me for a while should know I’m not a knee jerk kind of guy. Jerk maybe….but not knee jerk.

I have to dissect things, and to do that you need more information, you need to understand people’s thought process. You need to take a step back and see the full portrait. Quick glances won’t do it.

Honestly, I can’t say I’m there at this point. Here’s why.

I still don’t understand why General Manager Jeff Ireland survived the Davie nuking of the Trifecta. Wasn’t he part of the problem?

Didn’t Ireland play a part in the hiring of Tony Sparano, and the selection of Chad Henne and Pat White, the two quarterbacks this regime drafted, and struggled developing.

My research allows me to give Ireland a pass on White since he was the person who fought his selection the most. But not Henne.

While Ireland might have signed Matt Moore, he also sanctioned Moore not being allowed to compete with Henne for the starting spot during training camp, which was a colossal mistake.

Also, I still don’t understand why Ross needed to fire Sparano on Monday. Removing Sparano from this team and promoting Todd Bowles likely won’t improve its performance. But then again, do the individuals in charge want the Dolphins to improve, or get worse so late in the game?

That’s the question that keeps lingering in my head, especially with three top tier draft prospects at quarterback – Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Robert Griffin III – likely being in play for the 2012 draft?

Excuse the conspiracy theorist in me.

Here’s what I’m comfortable enough to conclude.

Ireland has been endorsed by Ross’ adviser Carl Peterson, and the fact his additions (except for right tackle Marc Colombo, whom he must have blamed on Sparano) turned it around during the team’s four wins hinted the Dolphins’ problems in 2011 was coaching.

As for the timeline, which didn’t exactly come out of left field considering Ross openly admitted Sparano couldn’t produce a losing season, they needed to fire Sparano NOW because it was going to be done anyway.

Ross couldn’t chance Sparano rallying the troops again and winning the final three, making this decision a more difficult sell.

Ross handed Sparano the pink slip when the coach, and team were at a low following the blowout to the Eagles, which featured a troublesome back injury to Jake Long, and Matt Moore suffering a concussion that might force him to miss Sunday’s game against Buffalo.

Is Jeff Fisher the front runner to become the Dolphins’ next coach?

Ross also couldn’t get behind the rest of the teams – Jacksonville and Kansas City right now….San Diego, St. Louis and maybe Indianapolis and Philadelphia later – looking for head coaches.

It’s never a bad idea to be first in line, especially when you can begin these discussions right now, getting a jump start on the other desirable destinations (San Diego is the one that concerns me the most because of their supposedly elite quarterback, solid defense and great location).

However, can’t say I’m absolutely comfortable with the individuals picking the next head coach and quarterback for the Dolphins. But I’ll wait until I we have a better view of the landscape.

I will say this…..the Dolphins job has former Titans coach Jeff Fisher written all over it.

Here’s what else the Sun-Sentinel is saying….

Sun-Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde says Dolphins owner Steve Ross made his biggest hire yesterday — Jeff Ireland.

Dolphins need to go for the splash hire. That’s Steve Ross’ style.

Here’s MY LIST of 10 hot coaching candidates for the Dolphins…from veterans, to hot assistants, to the college coach.

Tony Sparano’s yearly highs and lows. He started out so how….what happened?

With Sparano fired, where do Dolphins turn now? Mike Berardino points out Steve Ross’ instincts were right last time.

So…where should the Dolphins go from here?

G.G.A.T.G.