Stephen Ross: To Much Ado Over Super Bowl Comments

What was Stephen Ross supposed to say?

"You know, I think this team will be lucky to finish at .500," or "Maybe we'll get to 9-7 or 10-6. Hey, maybe we'll even reach the playoffs, but who knows?"

When asked what he expected out of his Miami Dolphins this season, second-year team owner Stephen Ross gave an answer that every NFL owner would have, "I think in February, we will be playing in the Super Bowl."

But, for some reason, Ross' response caused an absolute media uproar.

And for the life of me, I can't figure out why.

See, every fan, regardless of how bad their team's outlook may be, desires a Super Bowl victory (I hope).  

And every fan should expect that the entire organization they are supporting feels the same way.

Even Detroit Lions fans, who would have been satisfied with one single win in 2009, would have been happy to hear that their owner was striving for a Super Bowl, no matter how ridiculous and outlandish he might have sounded in the process.

What if Lions owner William Ford said what the team's fans were thinking, "We'll be happy with one win this year."

Wouldn't he be publicly crucified for that?  Moreover, wouldn't he have been run out of town? (Actually, after one playoff victory in 45 years, that's probably wouldn't have been the worst thing Ford has done.) 

Anyway, the same standard should apply to Ross.

Just because the Dolphins might actually have a long shot at reaching the Super Bowl does not mean Ross' comments should have been interpreted as an arrogant prediction.

And even if Ross intended it to be perceived as a completely serious quote, this media outrage should not have ensued.

But a Super Bowl appearance wasn't the only bold statement Ross made.  

While introducing Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne at the event, Ross said, "I'm sure, and I'm hoping — as everybody else is — that he goes down as the greatest quarterback in Miami Dolphins history. And you know what that will mean."

Similar to his Super Bowl comments, the media took Ross' quote and ran with it.

Many called Ross out for putting too much pressure on his young quarterback, but all he did was simply give Henne a vote of confidence, something every owner would do if given the chance.

The Dolphins need Chad Henne to escape from the omnipotent shadow of Dan Marino , so, where's the harm in showing him that the organization believes in him?

But some, including myself, do see some diabolical conspiracies in Ross' comments. 

First, Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio theorized that Ross is placing as much pressure as possible on Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano.

This way, if Ross decides to replace Bill Parcells with personal friend Carl Peterson (a move some believe might happen sooner rather than later), he will have more support from the Dolphins fan base than he would if he let this team (Which, truthfully, is one sitting somewhere between above average and wild card contender) play without the pressure he believed would be placed on the organization with his comments.

Personally, I believe that Ross was simply trying to repel the massive media attention that was slowly culminating around the team's arrests.

If this was his aim, it worked.

Talk around the NFL was rapidly circling around the Dolphins troublemakers and the lack of discipline the team was handing out.  But as soon as Ross spoke, that talk shifted to him.

Either way, Ross is one of the world's savviest businessmen, and the Dolphins are an enterprise. He knows what he's doing.

Conspiracies set aside, Stephen Ross is a fan, and his team is the Miami Dolphins.  He wants the team's fans to believe that this organization is headed to the Super Bowl, because he too wants to see Miami playing in February.