Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wants an aggressive, creative offense next season. That unit won't have quarterbacks coach David Lee, the man who brought the Wildcat scheme to the team, then the NFL.
Ross accepted the University of Mississippi's offensive coordinator job, the school announced Monday. He will take over play-calling duties from coach Houston Nutt, with whom Lee worked at Arkansas, and replace Dave Rader, who's leaving with one year remaining on a contract that pays $275,000 annually.
"When you turn over the play-calling duty, it's important that you know that coach very well," said Nutt, whose Arkansas staff had Lee as quarterbacks coach in 2001 and 2002 and offensive coordinator in 2007. "We have the same type of philosophy. I love his experience with the professional game and with quarterbacks."
Details of Lee's Ole Miss contract extension weren't immediately released, but the coach likely saw the writing on the wall in Miami after offensive coordinator Dan Henning decided to leave.
Dolphins coach Tony Sparanoreceived a contract extension through 2013 on Saturday after Ross initially flirted with the idea of hiring Jim Harbaugh, who accepted the San Francisco 49ers' top job.
Lee's Dolphins tenure produced mixed results. Miami's quarterback play was often spotty, but he was credited with bringing the Wildcat, a formation that features a running back who takes a direct snap, to the NFL in 2008. Many NFL teams now employ the scheme.
Now the Dolphins are moving in another direction. Ross said Monday on WINZ-AM that he wants a quick-strike offense that wears down opponents in South Florida's renowned heat.
"Our players are training in that weather. Let's take advantage of it," Ross said, according to the *Miami Herald*. "Let's go with a hurry-up offense. Let's wear them down. You know? We've never done that. You know? This isn't the north, where you just want to take it 4 yards and a cloud of dust.
"So I think I look for a different brand, seeing the Dolphins how fans want to see it, and how we win, going downfield, in the days of Dan Marino, the days we all want to go back to."
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Steve Wyche writes.
According to the newspaper, that means Ross will need to change his approach, too. Last year, he said he asked the NFL to limit the number of games played in the heat.
The Dolphins, who ranked 21st in total offense this season, will begin interview coaching candidates soon, but they didn't provide a timeline to make a hire.
"Our focus is on getting the process right," Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said on the radio show. "We're going through the process of hiring some new coaches. We're trying to be aggressive to get the right personnel for this football team in terms of the coaching staff."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
