Phinsider Faithful Split On Their Opinions About Owner Ross

Earlier this week I asked about the Phinsider faithful’s take on the man that has now owned our Miami Dolphins for fifteen years. Yes, it’s been that long or short depending on your take. Ross as we all know very well has had some ups and downs. He has gotten a lot done with this team costing him more money than most will see in a lifetime. He has also screwed up big at times be it some of the hires that were a joke at best or costing the team draft picks because he could not help himself but to tamper with a certain player who was still under contract with another NFL team costing the team a package of draft picks that given this teams current cap situation they could really use right now.

It would be expected with an owner that has been everything from praised for his accomplishments with the stadium and the team and chastised for years for some very bad decisions despite some other great ones the mix of takes on Mr. Ross would be all over the place. The Phinsider faithful did not let us down. Here are some of the different takes on Stephen Ross from across the site-

daytonadolfan who is not only one of our longest and most respected site members had the measured response that you would expect from Joe.

I am okay with Stephen Ross, sure he’s made some major foo-pas but that’s part of being an owner. There aren’t too many owners that are former players or coaches because let’s face it, they are not Billionaires. His football knowledge is probably on par with most regular fans but the man isn’t afraid to crack open that wallet to get what the team needs to move forward and also pay for all the upgrades to the stadium and the new training facility. Getting M.M. here was a great move and forking out for Fangio .... maybe the best move forward for our defense. I love it when fans on here call to replace Ross.......ummmm, guys, he’s the friggin’ owner, not a coach or player so like him or not he’s here to stay and as I said before , i’m okay with it.

JokerProducts seems to be less of a fan, pointing out some of his major missteps including that pesky one about Harbaugh that I had all but forgotten about.

Long story short he’s the worst owner in Dolphins history. Costing his own team two draft picks including a 1st rounder for tampering with Brady. He was also fined a lot of money and couldn’t even be on the grounds till at least October. The whole Jim Harbaugh fiasco when Tony Sparano was still the head coach. The Dolphins haven’t won a single playoff game since he’s been the owner. That all equals him being not only a complete failure but also a disgrace to the organization and NFL. His attempts and failures at attracting big-name free agents and coaches have him coming off as desperate and a person that wants attention through big-name signings because he can’t produce a team that’s relevant.

Alpha6, another long-time and respected member of the site gives a somewhat mixed review but also points out that our pain can never equal that of the Cowboys fans and their erratic owner.

Welp, had one that wouldn’t buy the players a soda... got in the business, but just a little... players left. Had one the bought the sodas for players... meddled almost in nothing. Now we have one that buys them dinners, hasn’t meddled that much... but when he does, he steps in a large pile... and tracks it all over the halls. Ross ain’t that bad. Could be worse. Could be Jerry Jones...

tvegas897 like Tona was very measured and while he seems to believe Ross means well and tries he just can’t get it right as it applies to winning actual football games.

I struggled with this for a moment because I truly believe Ross has tried to bring a first-class experience to South Florida. Despite his failures, he has opened up his pocketbook to keep this stadium as a top facility, has embraced diversity in the workplace, and has done a lot of good for the community. Unfortunately, despite all that, and even with an insatiable desire to create a winner, he is a complete failure in everything that has to do with creating a winning football culture. He has to own this. He’s just been plain awful. He has repeatedly surrounded himself with bad executives (less one Dawn Aponte), bad coaches, and bad GMs. Even worse has been his embarrassing moments of impatience to not accept his bad choices, and creating turmoil while chasing other coaches and players while his current regime is under contract. This past offseason reached idiotic heights and cost his franchise two valuable draft picks. Tennis and racing have nothing to do with winning football, Mr. Ross. Therefore, despite all his efforts, I really wish Stephen Ross never found the Miami Dolphins because Dolphins fans would have been better off without him.

Dolfanjoe seems to feel that for better or worse that Ross is always willing to spend the money that it takes to win and that we might finally be on the right track.

There are much worse owners than Ross! He has always opened his wallet and never tried to be cheap. This you will find in many owners. Maybe he hasn’t always made the right hires, but lord knows he has tried and is not giving up. I myself find the tampering to be total Bull S87t. Everyone in this league has done it and they just made an example out of Miami. Maybe it was because of the extra # 1. But regardless, we still have picks and we now do have some outstanding players. All teams do have to deal with injuries, no one gets out alive thru the season. Depth is huge but that is why there is a salary cap. You can circumvent the cp for a few seasons but it does catch up with you! We are now in what? Year 4 of a total rebuild. And it looks like with a healthy Tua, add power back and we should be able to compete with anyone out there. Without Ross, there is no telling where we would be now!

mike mars is clearly ready for the “dope” to get out of the football business ASAP!

He may be good at building things but on the field, he is a complete failure. No playoff wins mean he is a dope. On top of that he refuses to sack that bum Grier which means Grier must know where the bodies are buried. Also, he has a long list of completely embarrassing the Dolphins. He is a dope and I relish the day he sells.

Redwood_ likes that he spends money but seems to wonder how he became one of the most successful developers in the country.

The stadium remodel is good. He is willing to spend money. But other than that he has been an abject disaster. He has no knowledge whatsoever about football. In fact, the way he handles his football business, I’m surprised he ever made a dime in whatever his day job is.

Bill Moody is overall happy with what Ross is doing with the team.

You can’t say Ross isn’t trying... even when he screws up. He’s had his share of “mistakes” in the past, but they have always been about IMPROVING the team... even if they cost us. I’ve always given Ross his props for not being cheap and spending what it takes... So far the pieces haven’t come together, but I’m not sure how much, if any, of that has to do with the Owner. I’d rather have a guy that tries and fails then one is afraid to even try... Plus, I feel like the team is on the right path... 3 winning seasons in a row, you’d have to go back to the Shula days for that. We have an offense, when healthy, makes you feel like we are never out of a game... you’d have to go back to the Marino days for that. So I do feel like Ross is doing his best to build a winner... I can’t ask for much more as a fan.

twinssdfan hopes that Ross has learned his lesson along his route to find the next Shula. I’m guessing that we will never see another Shula in our lifetime.

He has made mistakes along the way, but what really gets me is he wanted the Next Shula. I think a majority of Fans do as well, Shula was in a Super Bowl before joining the Dolphins. Ross wasted time and effort on missed opportunities looking for coaches. Ross kept on looking at OC and DC and listening to TBaum instead of really looking at a coach who had been to the SB and maybe lost like Shula. Ross I don’t even want to go into the blunders of from Big Tuna to Now and I can’t predict the future. He remodeled the stadium and was willing to spend money but losing picks that’s not the Fin’s way. Hopefully, he learned a lesson.

Xkarz25 seems to think that Ross falls somewhere in the middle given his successes and failures.

My biggest fault with Ross as the owner was all the Brady tampering. His biggest credit is he didn’t threaten to move when he couldn’t get money from the government for renovations but rather he spent his own money improving the stadium. His willingness to spend is great for the team, but his meddling can be a detriment. I think he is an average owner. But maybe he will learn and things will improve.

sdphinsfan is in the he might be finally getting it camp but is still not happy about Ross allowing Campbell to walk after his successes as the interim head coach.

When it comes to NFL franchises, it takes decades to build a great one. On the flip side, it only takes a couple of years to wreck a good one. Ross has made his share of mistakes, but the struggles this franchise has faced started when Huizenga took control of the team. It was compounded by the mistakes Ross made early on with thinking it was quick fix. The business side of the Miami Dolphins has probably never been in better hands. The football side might be coming around again. My biggest issue with Ross was not sticking with Dan Campbell. The way that team played under Philben was an embarrassment. No effort, no focus. That changed in an instant under Campbell. We weren’t good, but we played better under DC. Ross should’ve kept him...and saved us from Gase...and Flo....

Thomas23059 does give Ross credit for spending money but is another that is still not happy with the whole Harbaugh debacle.

I think it is great that Ross has always been willing to spend money to bring in players and coaches, and to improve the game-day experience for fans in Miami. But... I will never forget what he did to Tony Sparano. The fact that he basically interviewed Harbaugh for the Dolphins' job without even telling Sparano he was going to do it was completely unacceptable. And then a year later he doubled down on it by basically saying the reason Sparano ended up getting fired was that he wasn’t able to put that behind him. I will believe until my dying day that the reason Ross keeps hiring coaches with no head coaching experience is that they are the only ones that are willing to work for him. A coach that actually has another option is not going to work for him.

So as expected our site members are as split on their opinion of Ross as it seems like everyone else on the internet is.

If you would like to join in on the conversations where we highlight some of our favorite comments (and even some that I don’t agree with) be sure to sign up for a Phinsider account. You can look for our Monday evening question of the day post (usually posted at 8:00 PM EST) and we will post the follow-up on Saturday evenings and return to Friday evenings again when the 2023 NFL season begins.