The next step for the Dolphins after parting ways with GM Chris Grier last week is to “take a global look at the status of their football operation,” according to Albert Breer of SI. The decision to fire Grier “wasn’t made haphazardly,” but it brings the question of why did the team “let Grier go and not coach Mike McDaniel?” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross might “think it makes sense to get a full autopsy on where his team is (and maybe even hire a new football czar and get that czar’s take on McDaniel) before moving on from the coach.” Breer: “By letting go of Grier … you give yourself a chance to start the autopsy now, without having to hide anything. Regardless of whether you like the way the Dolphins handled his dismissal last week, it’s hard to argue that the review isn’t necessary.” Breer notes Ross, now in his 18th season as owner, has not won a playoff game (SI, 11/3).
NEXT CHALLENGE: In Miami, Omar Kelly wrote Ross “did the easy thing” by firing Grier. It is “time for Ross to do the hard part, which is to go deeper.” Ross “needs to lean into purging this franchise of its mediocre ways, which has turned a generation of South Florida fans away from football.” The Dolphins “need a full scorched-earth restart, a cleanse from the head to toe, allowing whatever grows from this point to have a chance at being healthy.” Ross cannot “do what he has always done, which is change one component, and force another on whoever he decides to hire as his new general manager or head coach.” He should “give whoever replaces Grier carte blanche, complete freedom, a blank slate, to do whatever the person desires with the organization. No restrictions” (MIAMI HERALD, 10/31).
OVERSTAYED WELCOME: In West Palm Beach, Joe Schad wrote that Grier “lasted so long with the Dolphins because of his years of experience, reputation as a consensus-builder and because he was well-liked and easy-going.” But it “was time for a change. It had been too long” (PALM BEACH POST, 10/31).
STICKING OUT: In Fort Lauderdale, Chris Perkins wrote, “I didn’t expect Grier’s departure to occur during the season. General managers rarely get fired midseason.” Ross “acknowledged in a statement that change was necessary.” But McDaniel “is still employed, and Ross will keep him at least until season’s end.” Perkins: “Why will McDaniel remain? This entire Grier-McDaniel era has been a failure. ... But give Ross some credit for showing awareness, doing the right thing, and somewhat trying to soothe his fan base, which has stopped showing up to games in big numbers and has flown banners asking Ross to fire Grier and McDaniel” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/31).
BREAKING THE STATUS QUO: In Boston, Ben Volin wrote, “It seems odd to fire a GM and not the coach in late October -- the GM’s work is mostly done for the year, save for the weekly churn at the bottom of the roster. But if Ross knows he’s going to fire the GM, it is smart to get a head start on the process of finding a new one, considering the draft and free agency prep that begins in earnest in January” (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/1).
LEADERS NEEDED: In Fort Lauderdale, Dave Hyde wrote Ross has “made two fundamental mistakes in hiring people to run the Dolphins.” He does not “hire the coach and general manager at the same time, which puts them on different timelines with different senses of urgency,” and he does not “recognize the trait of ‘leadership’ as the NFL defines it. Here’s the first demand of a GM or coach: Can he command a room full of young, easily distracted players?” Ross “got rid of the general manager who deserved to go and hopes to keep the coach who deserved to go just as much.” Now, the “question is what Ross has learned all these stumbling years. The answer if we take Friday at face value: Not enough” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/31).
