His biggest 3 FA signings were all 3 injury prone players and now all 3 are on injured reserve:

Albert, Delmas, and Moreno.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

You fail to mention he was saddled with 3 horrible contracts the prior year by Ireland. wheeler, Ellerbe and Wallace.

he accomplished in one offseason something Ireland/parcells failed to do in 6. put a competent oline on the field.

too bad about the injuries but his first 2 picks made an immediate impact. we haven't had that in ages.

what Moreno brought was leadership and a little swagger. something this team desperately needs.

our team needs all new starting LBs Hopefully McCain and Tripp can stay healthy and contribute more next year.

jsm08 Wrote:
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> what Moreno brought was leadership and a little
> swagger. something this team desperately needs.
>

Spot on, that has been missing on this team in a BIG way for over 10 years.

Aqua&Orange Wrote:
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> His biggest 3 FA signings were all 3 injury prone
> players and now all 3 are on injured reserve:
>
> Albert, Delmas, and Moreno.


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Plus, I forgot to add Finnegan, who has pretty much been injured all year too.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

jsm08 Wrote:
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> You fail to mention he was saddled with 3 horrible
> contracts the prior year by Ireland. wheeler,
> Ellerbe and Wallace.


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How did those 3 contracts saddle Hickey? He had plenty of money to sign whomever he wanted.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

Hickeys biggest asset is he isn't Ireland, he did OK in his first season, but if getting the right coach means parting ways with Hickey, I'm all for it.

Sure he had money but contracts have to be structured for future years and those 3 I mentioned are cap killers.

They will impact our ability to sign FAs the next 2 years.

jsm08 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You fail to mention he was saddled with 3 horrible
> contracts the prior year by Ireland. wheeler,
> Ellerbe and Wallace.

That's true but we still had the 2nd highest amount of cap space in the league. What was it 30 plus mil in space?

>
> he accomplished in one offseason something
> Ireland/parcells failed to do in 6. put a
> competent oline on the field.

That's not completely accurate. The running game in 2011 & 2009 averaged more rushing yards per game than this year. 2012 was only a yard less than this year. Truth is they were never as bad as 2013 which amplifies everything and while Hickey did a good job turning that unit around in a year, it hasn't been that big of a turnaround if you consider the run average is padded by QB runs. The line gave up 34 sacks in 2009 and are on pace for 44 this year (same as 2010). They gave up 37 sacks in 2012.

>
> too bad about the injuries but his first 2 picks
> made an immediate impact. we haven't had that in
> ages.

Landry wasn't immediate but it was very good after about 4 weeks. My point was that it is a lot easier to hit on the high picks. I gave Hickey credit for these picks but it was about the only above average thing he did this year. 2 out of 8 is not great.

> what Moreno brought was leadership and a little
> swagger. something this team desperately needs.

For exactly 1 week? The grades are based on results, not potential.


> our team needs all new starting LBs Hopefully
> McCain and Tripp can stay healthy and contribute
> more next year.

The grade was for year one. Not projecting what we do not know or what they "might" do in the future.

jsm08 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sure he had money but contracts have to be
> structured for future years and those 3 I
> mentioned are cap killers.
>
> They will impact our ability to sign FAs the next
> 2 years.

How is that an endorsement of Hickey? That was the subject at hand. Any GM is going to have to work around that stuff.

Again, the grades were for performance this year. You can't truly grade until after year 3 IMO.

However, he could have take Chris Borland in round 3 over Turner. Instant dividends.

Dontae Johnson, Bené Benwikere over Walt Aikens. Both played more and better.

EJ Gaines (6th round, two spots before Matt Hazel) OR Avery Williamson, LB over Arthur Lynch or Jordan Tripp.

Seantrel Henderson over Terrence Fede

So now we're calling to fire Hickey as well? Geez. How short a memory do you guys have? Besides Ireland...remember Spielman? Wanny? JJ? Do we really want to try yet again???

All factors and variables considered, Hickey did a better job than I anticipated. Certainly the number of injuries hurt the team, and perhaps some of that was consistent with "injury prone" players, but I think (all in all) Hickey made some intelligent decisions (considering a players upside while weighing his downside -- or injury risk).

We just didn't get "lucky." We suffered a LOT of critical injuries to players who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time -- not some reoccurrence of a prior injury.

Bottom line, staying healthy is essential for most teams to be legit contenders at the end of the season. We ran out of positional solutions and ended up with too many problems.
Couple that with an underperforming HC, inconsistencies on offense and defense, and that's what we are... And have been. Seemingly for 25 years...

As far as keeping Hickey... I believe he's earned another season. Though if some "super star" HC was to take over the team insisting on his "GM," I'd consider the possibility.

Seriously. Bill Coward is never going to coach in the N F L again. Unless he's hooked up with a dominant team with an outstanding OC and DC in an easy division with a clear path to the Stupid Bowl.

Then. Maybe he'd think about it for a second. But his big boy pants are long gone. And he needs his vagina kept warm with a depends diaper. True story!

BNF.

JoeFootball Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
he could still work with Hickey.


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Honestly, I think Hickey could work with anybody. The feel I've gotten from the Silver Fox is that he is not an "Alpha Male" personality. Not many GM's would come into an organization & it's structure like Hickey did with the Dolphins. That tells me he is not a hard ass or egotistical.

My assumption is that Hickey is and always has been a scout. He grew up in that department, it is what he loves, and that's what he wants his ultimate role to be as a GM....finding talent in the draft.

For him to willingly enter into a jacked up structure like the Phins with huge personalities like Ross & Aponte, that tells me he is not an Alpha male.

But that is fine. A person like Hickey works well with big personality coaches like Harbaugh & Rex Ryan.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

Add me to the sentiments expressed by JSM08 and BNF. Kinda hard to condemn a guy for injuries later occurring to a player.

But he did sign injury riddled players and then I guess he expected them to stay healthy?!

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

No some of them like Knowshon at the beginning of this season, played and then got whacked in the first quarter.

Aqua&Orange Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JoeFootball Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> he could still work with Hickey.
>
>
> &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
> Honestly, I think Hickey could work with anybody.
> The feel I've gotten from the Silver Fox is that
> he is not an "Alpha Male" personality. Not many
> GM's would come into an organization & it's
> structure like Hickey did with the Dolphins. That
> tells me he is not a hard ass or egotistical.

I wouldn't say not an alpha male. Some people are just evolved and mature enough to know how to deal with different personalities without being an ass like Ireland.

> My assumption is that Hickey is and always has
> been a scout. He grew up in that department, it is
> what he loves, and that's what he wants his
> ultimate role to be as a GM....finding talent in
> the draft.
>
> For him to willingly enter into a jacked up
> structure like the Phins with huge personalities
> like Ross & Aponte, that tells me he is not an
> Alpha male.

Or he has just been waiting for the chance to land a GM job. You don't get many.

> But that is fine. A person like Hickey works well
> with big personality coaches like Harbaugh & Rex
> Ryan.

I agree. I just hope some of his 2014 picks turn out to be players. That would make a huge difference for 2015. Turner, Arthur Lynch, Jordan Tripp and even Aikens could fill some much needed holes if they can step up. It's either Philbin does not like to play rookies or they were just not ready.

Aqua&Orange Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But he did sign injury riddled players and then I
> guess he expected them to stay healthy?!


Maybe just me, but "injury riddled" seems a bit over the top.

If you want to make your case, and it seems you believe Hickey made unwise decisions -- then stick to the relevant facts and avoid abstract verbs like "riddled."

To be fair, Hickey took some chances with players who had dealt with injuries in the N F L.

The were NOT riddled!

LOL.

English. It's more than a muffin!

BNF.

Aqua&Orange Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JoeFootball Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> he could still work with Hickey.
>
>
> &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
> Honestly, I think Hickey could work with anybody.
> The feel I've gotten from the Silver Fox is that
> he is not an "Alpha Male" personality. Not many
> GM's would come into an organization & it's
> structure like Hickey did with the Dolphins. That
> tells me he is not a hard ass or egotistical.
>
> My assumption is that Hickey is and always has
> been a scout. He grew up in that department, it is
> what he loves, and that's what he wants his
> ultimate role to be as a GM....finding talent in
> the draft.
>
> For him to willingly enter into a jacked up
> structure like the Phins with huge personalities
> like Ross & Aponte, that tells me he is not an
> Alpha male.
>
> But that is fine. A person like Hickey works well
> with big personality coaches like Harbaugh & Rex
> Ryan.

Spot on about Hickey's character.

Normally (or at least it seems) the arrival of a new GM means a complete organizational douche = including a new HC at the same time, but this cat inherited Phibin & co.

Hickey did well IMHO, much better than any GM we've had in a very long time. F/A pickups are well, guys you have to take each year and you have to take from the available pool of players with the information you have at the time. Most of them are F/A's for a reason, either they have gotten old, or they have gotten too expensive, were injured, or they were underperformers. Hindshight is always 20/20, and when it comes to injuries you have to defrer to the doctors and the opinions they have about a players ability to come back at a high level. It's not all on the GM to make the decisions.

As far as head coaches go...

Harbaugh is NOT a for sure upgrade.
Cowher...will stay in the booth, and I for one don't want him regardless.
Gruden...also will stay in the booth.
Dungy...too far removed and will also stay in the booth.
Ryan...failed at NYJ and I don't want him anyway because I don't think he's all that great except as a DC.

No one else out there is a for sure upgrade which leads us to this...the best course of action right now (unless someone drops from the sky) is to keep Philbin and bolster the heck out of our defense while adding offensive playmakers in the off season and in the draft.

The one coach I'd entertain replacing "RIGHT NOW" is...Coyle and even that would come with a gerat deal of risk given the ranking of our defense through most of the season. The new guy would have to be agressive...aka Rex Ryan.

You guys don't call Hickey the "Silver Fox" around here?

He's legendarily called that on Twitter.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

Ken Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As far as head coaches go...
>
> Harbaugh is NOT a for sure upgrade.

The only thing for sure in all of this talk is that Harbaugh is clearly an upgrade over Philbin

> The one coach I'd entertain replacing "RIGHT NOW"
> is...Coyle and even that would come with a gerat
> deal of risk given the ranking of our defense
> through most of the season. The new guy would have
> to be agressive...aka Rex Ryan.

I said this before, but if Philbin made the original call on who his OC/DC hires but has had to fire both of them in back to back years, what's the point in keeping him around? Not sure what he brings to the table to outlast an OC, DC and GM?

Not to mention, good luck getting anybody good to come here and be DC for a lame duck head coach that will most likely get fired next year, I doubt Rex Ryan takes a DC job anywhere, let alone for a franchise that will likely be cleaning house next year (if Philbin stays)

dolphaholic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The only thing for sure in all of this talk is
> that Harbaugh is clearly an upgrade over Philbin


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Yep. Harbaugh is one of the best football coaches walking in shoe leather on the planet. He can coach circles around Joke Failbin.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

It would be a dream come true if we could land harbaugh.