Dolphins, GM Hickey part ways
The Miami Dolphins didn’t wait for the end of the season to begin their latest organizational shake- up.
The departure of General Manager Dennis Hickey after two years in Miami was announced Saturday on the eve of the season f inale against New England. The move is part of an anticipated restructuring that will include a coaching search.
The Dolphins went 8- 8 last year and are 5- 10 this season, in part because of unproductive draft choices and other unsuccessful personnel moves during Hickey’s tenure.
In statements released by the team, Hickey and Mike Tannenbaum, executive vice president of football operations, said the decision for the GM to leave was mutual.
The move wasn’t a surprise, and other changes are coming. Tannenbaum has been with Miami for only one year and will be retained, but the Dolphins are likely to hire their ninth head coach since 2004.
Interim Coach Dan Campbell will be interviewed but isn’t expected to return in 2016.
Director of college scouting Chris Grier, who has been with the Dolphins for 16 seasons, is the leading candidate to succeed Hickey. Tannenbaum is likely to take on a more active role in personnel decisions.
The Dolphins thought they were poised to contend for the playoffs this year, but they started poorly, and the firing of coach Joe Philbin after four games failed to spark a turnaround.
The Eagles interviewed running backs coach Duce Staley for their head coaching vacancy Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Staley, 40, has been on the team’s coaching staff since 2011 after spending 2010 as an intern. He started as a special- teams coach under Andy Reid and has coached the position he used to play since 2013.
A 10- year pro, Staley spent seven seasons with the Eagles. His 4,807 rushing yards rank f ifth in franchise history.
Notre Dame running back C. J. Prosise, who led the Fighting Irish in rushing with 1,032 yards this season, has announced he will skip his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.
Lopsided games and having the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Year’s Eve for the f irst time led to a 13% drop in TV ratings for the New Year’s Six Bowls from last year.
The Rose Bowl on Friday drew its lowest rating ( 7.9) since it became part of the Bowl Championship Series in 1999.
All three of Friday’s major bowls were blowouts. The Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Notre Dame, earned a 6.2 rating. That was up 35% from last season’s Arizona- Boise State game. The Buckeyes won, 44- 28. Stanford beat Iowa, 45- 16, in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl, in which Mississippi beat Oklahoma State, 48- 20, drew a 5.3 rating, the lowest Sugar Bowl rating since the BCS was established in 1999.
ESPN reported big increases in digital viewers who streamed the game online.
Miami Coach Mark Richt hired Manny Diaz to be the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator, moving closer to completing his lineup of assistant coaches.