I am frustrated with Mike Sherman. I have held my tongue for over a year so this is not some overreaction over Sunday’s performance. I have not gotten to the point where I was with Tony Sparano TOTALLY FED UP but I am getting there. Is Mike Sherman the right guy to run this offense or is it possibly better to have Joe Philbin or a new OC calling the plays? I find him at times to be too conservative and to me this offense should not be conservative. If passing works pass! If Running works run! If balance is the flavor of the day run a balance attack but the key is to use what works! Attack! Attack! AttacK!
The fact is Joe Philbin by far is a better OC if you look at his track record, now some Packers fans who upon losing Philbin did not hesitate to remind me that it was the head coach who called the plays. Even if that is true the facts are Philbin played a major role throughout the week in installing the game plan. As the OC for the Packers since 2007 the Packers offense ranked in the top 10 in the NFL for points scored and total yards every year, including their Super Bowl season.(Wiki)
I do not personally know Mike Sherman but he comes off as a guy who might suffer from analysis paralysis he seems to be very smart but maybe he overcomplicated things. He tends to be stubborn like in Sunday’s game where it was obvious our running game was non-existent but we had a field day passing. Why not pass more? At least until you find an opponent who you can have more success running against. (I know we won and for those who want to simplify it that way you will never get it)
I still find it so hard to understand how he failed to properly utilize Reggie Bush all last year. I find it hard to believe they overrate Lamar Miller who is no Reggie Bush and let a weapon like Reggie walk. I am starting to see what he failed to do with Reggie play out with Mike Wallace as evident in game 1.
I was willing to give the Dolphins the benefit of the doubt when they let Reggie Bush walk last season and I listened to all this hype about Lamar Miller being a better RB than Reggie Bush (even though I have not seen any evidence of it) but after the Cleveland game when between Miller and Thomas the Dolphins putrid running game managed 18 attempts for 17 yards Miller had 10 attempts for 3 yards! Now a lot of the problem fall on the line but even with bad blocking you would think an NFL starting RB would have better stats than .03 yards per carry. Just falling forward or breaking a tackle or two should do the job!
As of this writing the Dolphins did a nice job in squashing a mini controversy involving Mike Wallace but I am not so easily appeased. it was so egregious, borderline negligent to go a complete half of a game and not get our #1 WR involved in a play or two. Subjecting him to the unfair criticism that will naturally come considering what Miami spent to bring him here. I am no GM and I am not trying to be a backseat GM but the question begs (just like I questioned when we had Reggie Bush) Why not move him pre-snap looking for favorable matchups to get him in space, dial-up a screen or two to get him in space, put him in the slot anything to get this guy in space! When you have that kind of speed on the team it is foolish not to have multiple schemes every week to utilize that speed!
It should have never gotten to the mini controversy level had the OC did his job. I feel Mike Wallace had every right to be upset after being shut out in the first half of Sunday’s game (even with the win) only ending up with 4 passes thrown his way. It falls on both Mike Sherman and Ryan Tannehill to make sure Wallace is utilized more than just some 60 million dollar decoy.
Per NFL.com “It’s still surprising that Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman failed to call a screen or a slant to get the ball in his best playmaker’s hands”
Sherman’s play calling is suspect his misuse of Reggie Bush last year and Mike Wallace game 1 is inexcusable and his arrogance as displayed on hard knocks when he basically ruined the early career of Michael Egnew who will never live down the flogging he got on camera as Sherman proceeded to throw the rookie under the bus.
Contrast Miami’s young backs with Reggie Bush’s day Sunday, Reggie Bush had 90 yards rushing and 101 yards receiving. Detroit utilized Reggie Bush the right way they used him just like I thought Miami should have used him. He was given the ball as both a RB and a receiver; he was used in the slot, in screens and ran between the tackles, you know the way we thought Miami should have done . Players with Reggie’s speed and elusiveness ought to be used like that. I questioned last year with Mike Sherman’s play calling and I question his misuse of Mike Wallace game one.
I don’t hate Mike Sherman in fact as any Dolphins fan I want him to succeed but when you know we have the weapons and fail to use them and end up trading them away or letting them walk only to see them thrive on other teams while we are weak at that position it can be extremely frustration and so for now I am calling out Mike Sherman to stop being too conservative and or stubborn and use the weapons at will basically match the intensity that we are getting for Kevin Coyle and the defense ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!
The Dolphin Seer 
This guy is in way over his head, a relic from a different time in the league. Look at how other OCs get their best players involved. Cincinnati is putting on a clinic tonight with AJ Green, moving him around the formation, out of the slot, quick screens, etc. Sherman strands Wallace out on an island, and every route is a 15 yard out or go route. He has no ingenuity or creativity. I’d ditch this guy yesterday.
Is Sherman ‘scared’ of the state of the OLine and so doesn’t factor in the more expansive play calling. If so he should be shown the door – let Tannehill improvise if needed he’s intelligent enough and the wideouts are savvy too.
Yes if Sherman don’t take advantage of all the mis matches this game will have I hope to god they fire his ass and Philbin takes over the play calling. If they don’t show some kind of exotic plays and its all vanilla again im going to say we looking at a Cam Cameron kind of play calling and we all know what the Ravens did when they fired him half way through the season.
The only thing that scares me about this season is Sherman I hope he is just playing possum last game because the play calling was high school vanilla BS. Not one single roll out, only one screen pass and it was when Thomas was in the game that was just retarded as hell why would you not call that play when Miller was in there? Maybe the run game would of picked up if they called at lest one read-option play in there but nothing and not one time did they do a no huddle whats up with that that could of gotton Wallace open more times im sure but nothing it was just so BLAH.