I saw the writing on the wall a week ago. From the Sun-Sentinel-

DAVIE - It’s one and done for first-year Dolphins coach Cam Cameron after newly hired General Manager Jeff Ireland fired him and most of his staff Thursday morning.Clearly, Cameron and vice president of football operations Bill Parcells’ mutual friendship with iconic college basketball coach Bob Knight wasn’t enough to salvage Cameron’s job. Cameron still had three seasons left on a four-year contract worth an estimated $10 million, but a franchise-worst 1-15 record was hard to overlook.

When asked about his decision to fire Cameron during today’s news conference, Ireland said, “It was a pretty simple process. Bill [Parcells] and I talked at length [Wednesday] about where we were going, what direction we were going. We just felt like in order to move forward and not look back that we needed someone in place that shared the same philosophical compatibilities that we shared.”

Only linebackers coach George Edwards and assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman were retained. Hoffman worked with Parcells in Dallas for two seasons but was fired after the 2024 season.

Cam Cameron deserves some of the blame for the disastrous 07 season, but Miami has been making poor decisions at least a decade. Cameron was just the unlucky soul to be there for the collapse, much like Johnny Keane was with the 1965 New York Yankees. If Miami had hired differently at the end of 06, the team would have still been one of the worst in the league. 

The firing of the assistants comes as little surprise with one exception. I expected Offensive Line Coach Hudson Houck to be retained. He’s considered one of the best at what he does. The OL’s performance this year was one of the few good things you could say about the Dolphin season.

Who will be the next head coach? I have no preference (At the end of the 2024 season, I wanted Miami to retain Jim Bates. After Saban quit, I took a neutral stance like I do now) but if I had to make a guess as to who Parcells hires it will be Tony Sperano.

Sperano sounds like another Assistant Coach flavor of the year choice to me. Namely a team hiring an assistant working for a successful team. Much like…..Miami hiring Cam Cameron a year ago. Wasn’t he an offensive genius a year ago?

Bill Parcells, Miami’s new VP of Football operations, gave his first press conference yesterday since accepting the job..

Despite the challenge, Parcells expressed confidence that he can be successful where others have not been because he brings a proven plan.

“This is basically a talent-acquisition business,” he said. “In addition to acquiring the talent, you have to have a structure in place within your organization that will enhance the development of that talent, and then you have to have a competent coaching staff that will coach that talent.

“If you can get those three things in place … I think you can make progress in this league.”

Parcells didn’t reveal his intentions regarding General Manager Randy Mueller, coach Cam Cameron, the scouting department or even the equipment managers. But Parcells indicated he is prepared to overhaul the entire front office if need be to replicate the infrastructure he prefers.

“I don’t have any timetable on anything other than I’m just going to try to get to work as hard as I can as soon as I can to get this thing going,”

Cameron is done in Miami. He the main cause of the team’s 2024 collapse, but no there is no doubt the coach has made his share of bad personnel decisions and been poor in on the field management. I think Parcells is going to give Cameron the boot no later than the second week in January and a new coach in place no later than mid-February. Sooner is a definite possibility. I’m setting the late time in case Miami wishes to talk to an NFL assistant working for a team active in the post season. You know another flavor or coach of the month type choice. Like Cam Cameron was a year ago.

Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post is voicing the same opinion.

He’ll probably fire head coach Cam Cameron in the sooner part of the restructuring.

He’ll probably fire General Manager Randy Mueller in the later part of it.

Those are the guesses after listening for half an hour to Bill Parcells, who was introduced at Dolphins headquarters Thursday as executive vice president of football operations.

I’m guessing, as is Stoda, at what moves will made by Parcells by Parcells after Sunday’s game. We’ll know in a few weeks or even in a matter of days if I’m right.

The 1-13 Dolphins play at the 0-14 New England Patriots. Why am I bothering to predict what has to be a certain blowout. I guess I need something to do now. That and point out the fact, Miami has split the season series with the Patriots every year from 2024-06. Two of those saw a heavy underdog Miami beat New England.

Are you saying Miami will win today? No, but I’m saying New England can’t take this game for granted. I think it will be closer than the 49-28 rout(NE went up 42-7 at half and then basically turned on the cruise control) in October. My prediction- New England 31, Miami 13.

That has been the talk of South Florida newspapers since late yesterday afternoon. From the Sun-Sentinel-

According to sources, Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga has convinced former coach Bill Parcells to lead his floundering franchise. Both sides have agreed in principle to a four-year deal that will make Parcells the team’s vice president of football operations, one source said.

Jimmy Sexton, Parcells’ agent, is working to finalize a deal that first began as exploratory talks, then picked up speed once the Atlanta Falcons pursued Parcells.

Huizenga visited the Dolphins facility for a little over an hour Wednesday evening, likely to provide a briefing on the latest turn of events to the team’s executives and coach.

On Wednesday morning, Parcells was set to become the Falcons vice president of football operations, but late in the afternoon Falcons owner Arthur Blank acknowledged Parcells’ change of heart, which has led him to South Florida, where he has a home in Jupiter and an existing relationship with Huizenga.

The state of disarray in Miami is so immense, I don’t think any one person can change it. The team has too many needs at present.(RB if Brown doesn’t come back, a rotten Defensive backfield, no depth at WR, no decent TE, an aging defensive line, an aging linebacker corps, an inconsistent offensive line. Not to mention QB, Lemon is a free agent at year’s end and its still unknown if Beck is going to be NFL quality. Is there any position Miami don’t need at? Oh punter and place kicker)

Like myself, Dan Le Batard at the Miami Herald, has doubts when it comes to Big Tuna being the Dolphins savior.

But Bill Parcells represents hope and star power and possible change, so he will be welcomed here with the same kind of fervent hero worship that usually results whenever starving followers are given a new leader. Never mind that what Parcells does best is coach and, um, he isn’t being hired to do that. The cheering and excitement around this kind of popular hire can make people swoon and forget that you’ve just hired Beyoncé as your entertainment but asked her to juggle.

WHAT HE IS

Here’s what Parcells is: A champion. The guy for whom that clichéd sports celebration — the Gatorade bath — was invented. A bejeweled leader of men who hasn’t won a single playoff game in nearly a decade and hasn’t won a championship since Lawrence Taylor carried him nearly two decades ago.

And here’s what Parcells isn’t: 1-13.

So he’s an upgrade because, well, it can’t really get much worse — mathematically or historically. But we’ve been down this path before, unsuccessfully. You’d think the Dolphins would have learned their lesson in going after the biggest, most popular name available. It didn’t work with Jimmy Johnson or Nick Saban or even, for his three blissful weeks as vice president, with Dan Marino. But here Miami is again, producing yet more upheaval by giving a mountain of power and money for a weary Parcells to do a job at which he might not be exceptional.

Parcells didn’t pick the players who made him a champion in New York. George Young did that. Parcells left the Patriots who took him to a Super Bowl because Bob Kraft, who is pretty good at his job, overruled Parcells and made him share personnel powers with someone else after Parcells wanted to take Tony Brackens instead of Terry Glenn. Parcells had one great draft in New York with the Jets, but he had four first-round picks that year, which would be pretty hard for even Dave Wannstache and Rick Spielman to screw up. And in Dallas, Parcells didn’t even want his best player (Terrell Owens, who was foisted upon him by owner Jerry Jones) and waited too long to play Tony Romo. So there are valid reasons to question this if you aren’t blinded by all the flashbulbs.

I hope Parcells can turn Miami around but right now color me skeptical.

Baltimore plays at Miami this afternoon. Baltimore has lost seven in a row, Miami 16 in a row. Thirteen of which came this year.

Lets get to the point. Can Miami avoid the infamy of 0-16? If they are going to do it, it has to be this week with games against the Patriots and Bengals left. I’ll go out on a limb with my prediction- Miami 17, Baltimore 13.

The Miami Dolphin quarterback shuffle continues on.

A source close to the Dolphins told The Palm Beach Post on Tuesday that Cleo Lemon will be the starting quarterback Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and may have already been given the job for the Dec. 23 game against the New England Patriots, too.

Lemon would replace rookie John Beck, who started the previous four games but failed to lead the Dolphins to an offensive touchdown. An announcement is expected from coach Cam Cameron today.

The Dolphins were 0-9 when they handed the offense to Beck with the intention of the move being permanent. Now with only three chances left to avert infamy as the only NFL team to go 0-16, the Dolphins have opted to go with experience.

“Even when we made that change (to make Beck the starter last month), we felt like we needed a spark,” Cameron said at his Monday news conference, “and we were going to play the guy that we felt, at that time, gave us the best chance to win.”

Cameron pulled Beck after eight snaps in Sunday’s 38-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The second-round draft choice from Brigham Young was on the field for two possessions that both ended without a first down and a fumble that went for a Bills touchdown.

As much as I want Beck to succeed, he looked horrible against the Jets and at the beginning of the Bill game. I wouldn’t put him in there against New England at all, but would consider playing the QB against Baltimore and Cincinnati.

Bottom line- There isn’t much grounds for criticizing a change of heart by Cameron at QB. However I don’t think either Lemon or Beck will win a game for Miami this year.

Miami(0-12) plays at Buffalo this afternoon. The questions or areas of concern this weekend are.

Miami hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown in over 12 quarters.
Two running backs(Chatman and Booker) may be out today. That only increases the burden on rookie QB John Beck.
Zach Thomas was placed on IR.
Another safety(Worrell) has gone down for the year.

There are other stories, but those are the highlights. Why don’t I just come out and say Miami will go 0-16 instead of going through the pretense of weekly predictions(BTW I’m 11-1 this year in my progostications)? The reason is I haven’t given up on Miami winning a game this year.

It just won’t happen this week. Prediction- Buffalo 20, Miami 10.

From the Miami Herald-

No matter how much the Dolphins keep losing, viewers keep watching.

Despite the worst season in franchise history, Dolphins ratings in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market actually are ahead of last season, by more than 25,000 homes per telecast. The 12 games have averaged a 17.8 rating, ahead of last year’s 16.1, when Miami finished 6-10, and comparable to recent years when the team’s record was much better.

WFOR-4, which has carried nine of the games, has seen Dolphins ratings jump from a 15.7 to a 17.6, meaning 17.6 percent of Miami-Fort Lauderdale homes with TV sets, on average, are tuned to the game. (One local ratings point equals 15,386 homes.)

There must be a lot more Florida Masochists besides me.

The article makes no mention of Miami’s last two home games for 2024. I heard on the radio the other day that the games are in danger of not selling out. It is nearly a decade since a Dolphin regular season home game didn’t sell out.

Who says pictures aren’t worth one thousand words?

The website person responsible for this should be sent to the same journalism purgatory as Jason Coskrey. What an embarrassment.

After today’s game, Miami looks almost certain to go 0-16 this year.

MIAMI - A shaky showing by rookie quarterback John Beck doomed the Miami Dolphins’ latest bid for a win. Beck threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles Sunday, and the Dolphins fell to 0-12 by losing to the New York Jets 40-13.

Beck’s turnovers led to a touchdown and three field goals. In three starts, he has yet to direct the offense to a touchdown.

Despite the Dolphins’ woeful record, they were favored by 1 1/2 points, and the game was touted as their best remaining chance to avoid the NFL’s first 0-16 season. Instead, the margin of defeat was their widest yet.

Miami extended a franchise-record losing streak to 15 games, and Cam Cameron remained winless as an NFL coach.

The Jets wore navy and gold throwback Titans uniforms and looked like a different team, winning by a lopsided score for the first time this season. They improved to 3-9, with two of those wins over Miami.

I don’t know what else to say about the Dolphin season. Beck had a really bad game, but he has few tools at present. I’m not passing any final judgment on whether Beck is going to be Miami’s future QB. However if the team can’t start scoring some offensive touchdowns soon, the franchise may have to start looking at Qbs in the 2024 draft.

The defense was pathetic again. I’m starting to sound like a broken record. Then so do the 2024 Miami Dolphins.