Say what you will about former Miami Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum and his work running the team, he’s been an enjoyable addition to ESPN’s group of media analysts. If for nothing more than providing some added context to the inner thought process of some of Miami’s past decisions, hearing Tannenbaum speak on former and current Dolphins has been enlightening.
His latest contribution? Tannenbaum joined Adam Schefter’s podcast on Monday and spoke about why the public perception that the Dolphins are going to deliberately tank 2019 is dead wrong. At the end of the day, Tannenbaum believes that there’s no reason why teams can’t build and compete at the same time.
“No reason why you can’t be competitive early,” said Tannenbaum. “You can be competitive and plan for the future at the same time.”
To help prove his point, Tannenbaum referenced several teams from his own professional experience — including the 2016 Dolphins. Of course, the Dolphins operated under a very different mentality back in 2016, with Tannenbaum at the helm the team was still an aggressive spender.
But what about a team like the 2017 Buffalo Bills? The team hired a new head coach in Sean McDermott, stripped down much of the roster, traded star WR Sammy Watkins just before the start of the season and then went 9-7 and earned a playoff berth. What about Tony Sparano’s 2008 Miami team, who went 11-5 after a disastrous 1-15 campaign in 2007 under Cam Cameron?
Both of those teams were “devoid of talent.” Time will tell what the Bills become, but they competed and still managed to land their quarterback of choice the following offseason. The Dolphins of 2008 misplayed the quarterback position by squandering picks on Chad Henne and Pat White — yikes — in the second round of consecutive drafts.
If the Dolphins landed their quarterback with Josh Rosen, great. If the team doesn’t feel he’s the right fit, the Bills serve as the model of competing in year one with a “repurposed” roster and still finding a way to find your quarterback.
