Same old Miami Dolphins.

That is what we got this season, whether this year’s team finishes at 7-9, or gets to 8-8 by beating the Bills (5-10) in Buffalo on Sunday.

And that’s honestly what South Florida and all displaced die-hard Dolphins fans around the world can expect next season, and possibly the next decade unless Steve Ross does three things he’s never done in his decade-plus as owner.

Want different results for this seemingly forever .500 franchise? Tired of this two-decade ride on the mediocrity merry-go-round?

Well, then it is time to stray from the norm.

The one mistake Ross has consistently made during his tenure as owner is stick with a leadership group or a head coach a season too long.

Ross did it with the late Tony Sparano, despite a failed courtship of Jim Harbaugh. He did it with Chad Henne, whose track record proved he was nothing but a mediocre quarterback. Ross stuck with former general manager Jeff Ireland a year or two longer than he should have.

And Ross’ loyalty to Joe Philbin, the first coach he hired, led to a wasted season in 2015 because Dolphins players didn’t want to play for a coach who had the personality of a librarian, and quit on him four games into that 6-10 season.

The status quo won’t work in 2019.

The most important question Ross needs to ask himself in the coming days is whether or not he believes that this leadership group, and these coaches will put him in position to raise the Lombardi Trophy before his time on earth expires.

Ross turns 79 in May, he deserves to finally enjoy owning an NFL franchise, and this season was probably his most painful according to individuals close to him.

It was painful because deep down Ross didn’t believe in their plan, and you could sense that at the owners meeting last spring.

If you don’t believe in their vision, aren’t pleased with what vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, general manager Chris Grier and coach Adam Gase have accomplished in these three years then stop wasting time and pull the plug.

All three are good men, and did a decent job in their elevated roles. I believe Gase will eventually become a good head coach, in time. Grier is a respected talent evaluator. But their vision is off, the decisions they’ve made have been baffling at times, and their unwavering commitment to quarterback Ryan Tannehill is irresponsible.

The bottom line is the Dolphins are wasting time if they stay with the status quo.

But more importantly, the second part of this equation is a critical one.

If Ross’ decision is to remove Tannenbaum, the next person he hires to fill that position shouldn’t be forced to inherit anyone.

In the past that has led to Ross sticking with Philbin, and former general manager Dennis Hickey in prior shakeups.

It’s time for Ross to hire someone with a vision he believes in, and then get out of the way. Let the new person clean house if that’s his desire.

There are dozens of great people on the football side of this organization, but none of them have gotten the Dolphins off the mediocrity merry-go-round.

Let a Louis Riddick, George Paton, Eliot Wolfe, Jerry Reese, Nick Caserio or Alonzo Highsmith build the infrastructure they want, hire the coach they covet, and don’t shackle them with restrictions or people they must inherit (Gase).

And finally, it would be ideal if the Dolphins put someone at the top of the organization who has a background of playing or coaching in the NFL.

In my opinion, those individuals see things in teams and players others don’t, and should be given an opportunity to run the show just like Baltimore Ravens executive Ozzie Newsome was.

Those are the types of executives that help a team pivot to the next level instead of being forced to rebuild, and that’s Miami’s main issue.

No one in the current regime has helped this franchise pivot properly.

Pivot from a quarterback who consistently struggles under pressure.

Pivot from a defense that has some talent, but clearly needs to be rebuilt.

And pivot from a coaching staff that consistently delivers a bottom-tier offense.

Until the Dolphins figure out how to take that next step we’ll be dealing with the same old disappointing Decembers, and a dejected fan base that can no longer recognize what a healthy football franchise looks like.

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