Importance of "culture" in building a champion?

[TealAttack13]

It is absolutely important to build that culture. You need something that every player on the team can buy into. Good defense almost always beats a good offense, but I think we have a solid core, and adding to that defense can help. I think what they need to turn this into is explosive offense, solid 14 point defense. I think if the team can give Tanny the tools, all the defense needs to do is keep the opponent to 14 points. Not too much, not too small.

I think this is realistic, and every player could buy into rallying around Tannehill.

[antillj94]

Chemistry


This discussion is about the importance of chemistry. Our defense has it in spades; with another premier pass-rusher (meh, and another good CB), we would have a top defense. The offense has had one year in the new system. The O-line is the key to the offense and has some good parts. I recall Jake Long's (beautiful) wife welcoming the Tannehills to Miami and she and Mrs. Tannehill (also very hot) seem inseparable; how important is it for Long and Tannehill also to stay together? Isn't it superficial for teams to cut and paste players based solely on their game film and salary cap #'s? Who are they and what is their role in "the family"? Look at teams like KC and Philly, they have a lot of talented individual players yet they could not get it together; bad teams often collect individual talent but never form a cohesive unit. Whereas Baltimore, has been average (just like NYG last year) and beat up this season, yet they are playing as a team, with a purpose, and got a new ring. They have good talent but they are an awesome team. They have chemistry which they built gradually by keeping what was working and adding to it; by building trust, consistency, and personal relationships between all involved from Ozzy/ownership, to Ray, to the asst. eqip. mgr., over time.

Who are these Dolphins on the field, but also in practice, off the field, in the community, and in the locker room?

Also, whom is available to replace them and at what cost? If they are replaced will we lose the cohesiveness plateau we reached in year #1?

What matters to me is what decisions the team makes given all of the available information and taking everything into account. Especially chemistry.

Onward and upward!

RW

Chemistry be damned, there's absolutely no point in paying a washed up left tackle $10 million a year to do the same job a guy from free agency or the draft can do, especially if it's one who actually fits our scheme.

[Oronde]

The question is what comes first: the culture or the winning? You don't see a lot of losing teams with a healthy culture unless they're rebuilding.

That being said, I certainly think a negative culture that is already established can impede future results.

[royalshank]

The 11 Starter 1st round picks were
Marino,Byars,Fryer,McDuffie,Green,Webb,Milner,Bowens,Coleman,Singleton,Vincent

add to that
Armstrong,Buckley,Emtman,Hill,Kosar,Moore,Oliver,McGuire

19 first round picks...amazing

Wow - dang you are good! I forgot about a bunch of these guys...

[royalshank]

Continuity is key. That's what I always say.

That's why I think we should be focused on the draft and maybe 1 FA, being at WR. We don't want to go out and spend all our money in FA either because it will make it tougher to resign the young talent we have when their rookie contracts expire.

We need to adopt the models used by Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Baltimore even.

A lot of good perspective on this by all the posters - good stuff. I hope we can identify that "core" of guys we want to be around for a while and manage to keep them, add the rookie and some FA pieces and really gel.

[royalshank]

This is why you re-sign a guy like Reggie Bush, at a reasonable price of course.

I hope we bring Bush back - he doesn't have to be the every down back - but I think he'd be great to have as a "Sproles" type or the way the Saints used him in NO. He's best in space as we all know - let's throw him the ball more, let him return punts again, etc. I guess it's hard to pay the guy $5mil to be a "spot" back - but if we can get him to be reasonable with his salary demands and find a true #1 RB he would be a nice weapon to have IMO.

[royalshank]

The 11 Starter 1st round picks were
Marino,Byars,Fryer,McDuffie,Green,Webb,Milner,Bowens,Coleman,Singleton,Vincent

add to that
Armstrong,Buckley,Emtman,Hill,Kosar,Moore,Oliver,McGuire

19 first round picks...amazing

Seeing Emtman's name brings back one awful memory - do you recall when he was with the Colts (pre-knee blowout) and we were going in for the game winning TD with under a minute to go or so - and he picked off a Marino rocket from what seemed like 3 feet away as he was rushing? He ran it back 90-something yards of so and I was like WTF? How does a down lineman do that? When we got Emtman I thought we were getting "that guy" - didn't realize how broken he was when he got to Miami.

[Roman529]

Here is what wins Championships.

1. Franchise QB
2. Stability
3. Good play calling
4. Talent & depth
5. Coaching

[houtz]

Here is what wins Championships.

1. Franchise QB
2. Stability
3. Good play calling
4. Talent & depth
5. Coaching

I notice you didn't mention Brian Hartline as your #1 WR.

[FinHopeful]

Long, Hartline, Starks, Bush are all contribute positively to the culture. Hartline and Starks performed well last year. The combination of positive contribution and performance is why they are on my must resign list.