Dolphins 2012 Super Bowl chances not looking good

Miami has made a ton of changes so far in this early off-season, but they have mostly all flown under the radar.

After owner Stephen Ross made a worldwide fiasco of interviewing a coach that passed him up for the 49ers, it seems everything else has been very low key, very.

Look no further than the offensive coordinator hire, I mentioned his name last week, see if you can guess it.

The most prominent name to come onto the Dolphins coaching staff was Ike Hilliard, and that’s just because he played recently.

The Dolphins and undergoing a slew of minor changes on the coaching staff, but will that happen with the roster too?

Rumors are Chad Henne will be given another chance, and Chad Pennington will be back too.  A veteran may come in, but there’s not much out there.

Miami has a good first round draft pick – Mark Ingram maybe – but no second round pick, so it has to count.

The defense is solid, but a little work in the secondary would be good. The offensive line needs major help aside from Jake Long and has to be focused on this spring.

With the Jets and Patriots so strong, and the Bills still the Bills, Miami may have a chance at a wild card in 2011. As far as the Super Bowl, well  6th seed made it this year, so it’s not totally out of the question.

But the chances aren’t great.

Miami makes coaching moves

Well, they may not be big names, but head coach Tony Sparano is doing his due diligence in shaking up the Dolphins coaching staff.

According to the AP, Miami announced former NFL receiver Ike Hilliard as the new assistant wide receivers coach. Hilliard has been coaching in Florida the past 2 years, with the UFL’s Florida Tuskers.

According to the AP,  receivers coach Karl Dorrell moved to QB coach and former offensive quality control coach Steve Bush is the WR coach. Sparano hired his son, Tony Jr., to Bush’s old position.

Darren Rizzi got a raise from assistant to special teams coordinator and former 49ers assistant Dave Flipp was hired as an assistant special teams coach.

Hopefully all the shake up will awaken one of the league’s most putrid offenses in 2010.

Miami welcomes in Daboll, no they really did

Brian Daboll, now that is a big name around the NFL.

Oh, you have never heard of him? No idea what team he came from, or even what position he coached?

Well, Mr. Daboll comes to Miami from the offensive powerhouse that is the Cleveland Browns.

That’s right, the Browns. The same Browns team that finished dead last in points in the AFC. The Dolphins finished second to last.

Now that is a great hire. I may have been pining for Miami to fire Dan Henning since Week 2, but I mean come on.

Remember watching a Browns game and saying “WOW,” me neither. Unless Payton Hillis was plowing through defenders, the Browns were invisible on offense.

It is an absolutely awful hire. I just want to know what he brings to the table.

Cleveland didn’t utilize a big time receiver either of the past two years he was there. Miami has Brandon Marshall.

Miami needs a big upgrade or change at the QB position, what did Cleveland do with there’s? Colt McCoy didn’t emerge as the league’s top QB or anything.

The offense revolved around Hillis, and unless Miami drafts Mark Ingram, the ‘Fins don’t have that either.

So, who knows why Tony Sparano brought him in, maybe to erk owner Stephen Ross, but from the outside it is nothing to get excited about.

Mark Ingram to Dolphins

Is what I will be hoping to be writing in April. Mel Kiper and I agree on this.

Mark Ingram, the Heisman winning running back from Alabama is exactly what the Dolphins need. They need some new blood at the RB position, one that took a huge step back this season.

With a new offensive coordinator – which by the way was a horrible hire I will get into tomorrow – the Dolphins will need a new bruiser at RB.

Of course a quarterback is very much needed, but there is not one in this draft I would take. Miami needs to go out and get a free agent ala Kyle Orton this offseason, not bring in another rookie.

Next year’s draft will have a ton of strong talent at the QB position, so if the ‘Fins want a new signal caller, it would be better to wait a year.

But Ingram was ready for the NFL last season, and although his stats weren’t as good this year, he has been compared to a Hall of Fame RB that had a heck of a run in Dallas.

The pick at No. 16 in a weak draft, with no second round pick, needs to be used wisely. Ingram is a sure fire RB at the next level. He may not have the best speed, but his vision and pounding style would work for a Miami team that has had to rely on the FB position in short yardage situations in years past.

Miami ends season in ugly fashion

And that’s a wrap folks.

The Miami Dolphins had no care, no desire and no effort in a horrible 38-7 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Tyler Thigpen played quarterback and just about all of the bench players got into a game, that resulted in Miami getting a top-15 pick in this April’s draft.

That’s about the only good thing to come of this season.

It became strikingly obvious that a change needs to be made in Miami. The Dolphins looked as if they didn’t care, or as if owner Stephen Ross told them to mail it in.

In a season finale, that means nothing to the Pats, Miami laid an egg.

It was ugly in every sense of the word, and if players were playing for their job, only Brandon Marshall and Devon Bess showed they should be back next season.

That’s it. Well, here’s to 2011, happy new year’s everyone.