As the Dolphins prepare for their Monday night matchup with the New York Jets, team owner Stephen Ross is looking ahead to the future.
Ross, apparently not fond of life in the cellar of the AFC East, is determined to acquire a franchise-type quarterback for the 2012 season, according to The Miami Herald. Ross hopes to pair that QB with a high-profile head coach.
Ostensibly, this is terrible news for Chad Henne and Tony Sparano, two men currently employed by the Dolphins at the starting quarterback and coach position, respectively.
A highly placed club source familiar with Stephen Ross’s thinking told The Herald that Ross wants to avoid the continued use of a "caretaker" quarterback and has grown tired of starting QBs who are better suited as backups.
A team source confirmed it was Ross who shut down the proposed Kyle Orton trade from the Broncos during the offseason.
“Orton is a nice quarterback,” the source said. “But he’s not a franchise quarterback, and we weren’t going to pay him like one when he isn’t one.”
Henne and Sparano aren't the only personnel in danger. The Herald reported that bringing in an established head coach might mean ceding additional powers to the hire. That leads to job security questions for general manager Jeff Ireland, a man previously believed to be in Ross' circle of trust.
Ross' plan obviously isn't revolutionary. Every team in football wants the elite QB/top-tier coach, a.k.a. The Patriot Model. That said, the report does give insight into just how radically different the Dolphins could look in 2012.