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NFL: Mularkey A Good Fit For Dolphins

/noticias.info/ Andy Cohen, Editor of Dolphin Digest
January 23, 2006

There is a lot to like about the hiring of Mike Mularkey as the Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator.

First is the hire itself. Mularkey is considered one of the brightest offensive minds in the league. He is both aggressive and innovative, and should be a good fit with the coaching personnel already in place.

But you also have to like the way Nick Saban went about it. There was no hesitation. He found the right person, pursued him and refused to let Mularkey be tempted by other offers. This is the track record that Saban has established in South Florida. He wants top-flight assistants and he will go to just about any length to get them. Credit his boss as well -- Wayne Huizenga has given Saban the tools he needs to attract the best coaches to his staff. That shared belief and aggressiveness was evident this past season when we saw the value of a cohesive and top-notch coaching staff, and Saban, with Huizenga’s unqualified support, is trying to make sure that this doesn’t change.

Granted, nobody wanted to lose Scott Linehan. Least of all the players who bought into his system. But success breeds success and Linehan became a hot head coaching commodity in a league where change is the constant.

Mularkey shares a similar coaching philosophy to both Saban and Linehan. While he believes in the value of the running game, he also looks for the big play in every realistic situation. He is known league-wide for taking his talent and putting it in the best possible position to succeed.

Don’t necessarily judge him on his two seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. That job had too many demands and didn’t give him the opportunity to do what he does best, and that’s focus solely on running an offense.

Look before that when he served as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Notice how he turned the versatile talents of Kordell Stewart into slash, creating a package that allowed him to pass, catch and run. Check out how he changed things with Tommy Maddox at quarterback, turning to a more conventional drop-back passing game. Then remember how he used the talents of former college quarterbacks Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El in a variety of interesting ways.

The point is this: The Dolphins have replaced one of the top offensive minds in the league with one of the top offensive minds in the league. The only drawback is that there will be an adjustment period for the players. But that can be overrated, too. Mularkey has an entire offseason to install his way of thinking and I believe what the players will find out is that it’s not a whole lot different than Linehan’s way of thinking.

Most importantly, though, is that it stays in tune with Saban’s philosophy. Saban once told me that the thing he dislikes most when the defensive coordinator in him prepares to face an opponent is an offense that is unpredictable, that does everything possible to keep you off balance.

“So that,” Saban said, “is the type of offense I want to have.”

We saw that last season. The Dolphins did not hesitate going for the big play with Chris Chambers and Marty Booker, nor did they hesitate running on passing downs and vice versa. That won’t change now that Linehan has departed and Mularkey has arrived.

With the offensive coordinator now in place, Saban can turn his thoughts to upgrading the talent on offense, part of the reason why he is at the Senior Bowl this week. You look at the two teams that are in the Super Bowl and it is clear that they possess some important ingredients that the Dolphins lack.

Two quarterbacks who can take over a game. While I salute Gus Frerotte for what he accomplished last year, he is 34 years old and the Dolphins need an influx of youth. The Steelers got Big Ben with the 11th pick of his draft while Matt Hasselbeck was a sixth-sixth round pick; proof positive that there are different ways to go about it.

Both the Steelers and Seahawks have dominating offensive lines. This is probably what sets them apart the most. Both used the draft as the main source for talent. Neither did it in one year. The Dolphins need some upgrades on the line. That is certain.

I’ll match the Dolphins running backs with the backs of both the Steelers and Seahawks, though there is no denying the value of league MVP Shawn Alexander. The receivers are comparable as well.

Six straight wins says the Dolphins aren’t far off, but the reality is that the building process is still in full flight.

Mike Mularkey becomes an important piece in that puzzle. He is a great fit, a class act, and the type of offensive mind that will only hasten the process of getting the Dolphins to where they want to go. notas_de_prensa_archivo