Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wants his team’s offense to sizzle in 2011. The guy hired to run that side of the ball has caused fans to fear it will continue to sputter.
Quarterback Chad Pennington disagrees with the criticism of Brian Daboll.
“I know I learned a lot of football from Brian,” Pennington said recently, per Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. I learned a lot about defensive coverage, and there were a lot of things I tried to help my teammates understand concerning defenses and what we were facing that I learned from Brian.”
Apart from anything learned by Pennington, who probably won’t even be on the team in 2011, the reality remains that Daboll’s offense in Cleveland last year fared worse than Miami’s. But Pennington thinks that it makes more sense to reach farther back into Daboll’s career.
“I think you have to understand he was also an integral part of a very successful offense in New England,” Pennington said. “He was really involved in the passing game, coordinating the passing game. He coached some really great pros with the receivers as far as Troy Brown and Deion Branch and those guys. When he came to New York, I really saw the wealth of knowledge that he had and how he could help build a game plan and really take advantage and attack the weaknesses of the defense.
“I don’t think you can look at the work that’s happened in Cleveland. I think you have to look at the whole perspective and see that he is a young coach and he has a lot to offer and he will do a good job.”
Daboll, 35, worked with the Patriots from 2000 through 2006, winning three Super Bowl rings. Despite that past success, Dolphins fans remain skeptical that he’ll get a fourth in Miami.
Our far bigger question is whether Daboll and Rams scout Luke Driscoll were separated at birth.
