Rumors are swirling that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is looking to bring former Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson on in an executive role. Basically Peterson would serve as a new Bill Parcells of sorts, taking a top executive role but leaving the day-to-day running of the team up to Jeff Ireland. Will this really help the 'Fins in the search for a "superstar" coach? Well, it could turn off a few potential candidates.
The Miami Herald reports that talks with Peterson are ongoing, and no official agreement has been reached. Peterson served as general manager and president of the Chiefs from '89 to '08, and the team amassed a respectable nine playoff appearances under his leadership. Ross is believed to regularly consult Peterson, a close friend, on football decisions. Peterson also once hired Ireland as a scout in KC so there's mutual history and close friendship all around.
If the deal is done soon, Peterson could guide the team's search for a new coach, but would that really be the best idea? The Dolphins are reportedly in the hunt for a superstar coach, and names like Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden have been thrown around. Though, it's widely believed that if either of those two coaches were to return to the sidelines they'd want the kind of influence in the front office that most coaches don't have. Both would reportedly want to name their own general managers, and wouldn't want a figure like Peterson breathing down their neck. Then again, landing a coach like that might just be a dream anyway.
Peterson had good judgment when picking coaches for the Chiefs. His first hire in Kansas City was Marty Schottenheimer, the winning-est coach in post-1966 NFL history to have never coached in a Super Bowl. All but one of the coaches he hired amassed a winning record with the Chiefs. Dave Wannstedt was the last coach to leave the Dolphins with something above a .500 record.
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