Be Careful what you wish for: Keep Philbin!
The Miami Dolphins are sitting at 5-4 and have a huge game coming up this Thursday against their division rivals the Buffalo Bills. Miami has a chance to make the playoffs this season, and most football gambling fans would say that if they do, then there is a high probability that Philbin will be back in Miami next season. But what if Miami does not make the playoffs, then what happens?
Already there is a large contingent of Phin fans that do not believe in Philbin and already want him gone, regardless if they make the playoffs or not. The grass always seems greener on the other side, however that is not always the reality. I am going to go out on limb here and say even if the Dolphins do not make the playoffs this year, then I would still bring Philbin back for a fourth year.
When Philbin took over as the Dolphins head coach he inherited a 6-10 team with little to no talent and a QB in Chad Henne that was nothing more then a back up QB. Philbin came in and cleaned house and now in his third season, the talent level and overall level of play of this team has clearly improved. Last season the phins actually had control of their own destiny to make the playoffs with 2 games remaining in the season. However, they came out flat and lost both games, and failed to make the playoffs. Most phins fans would consider that a failure, however I think in his second season as a head coach, with a team that was not expected to achieve anything, he at least made it exciting and gave us a chance at the end of the season. This season the Dolphins have even more talent, and they have one of the best defenses in the league, and their offense is finally consistently putting up points. Yes we lost some heart breaking games, and we still may not make the playoffs, but it should be obvious that we are a very competitive team and are very close to being a playoff team.
A lot of phin fans are saying Philbin is conservative. Did everyone forget about Tony Sparano and him always settling for field goals, and every time that he had a lead in the fourth quarter he would sit on the lead and just try to run the ball and the clock out, which often led to failure. Philbin has consistently gone for it on 4th downs, he has not been afraid to throw the ball late in the game and score more points to guarantee that the other team can not possibly win.
What happens if Philbin does get fired, then what? There is no guarantee that the next coach is going to be better than Philbin, and even if he is better, he will most likely want his own personnel and players, which, could mean an exodus of talent, and us rebuilding and starting anew. Look at the worst teams in the league, they are constantly rebuilding, and are caught in an endless cycle of below 500 records. The best teams have stability at the coaching position, this is not a mystery. Philbin has brought this franchise back up to respectability, and I think everyone can admit that we are on the cusp of being a playoff team, and have the young talent to be a playoff team for years to come. Will it happen this season? Maybe not… But if it does not, why purge the coaching staff and the roster again, when it is finally looking and playing like a playoff worthy team. Yes we lost 4 games, but look at who we lost to; Packers, Lions, Chiefs and Bills, and all those teams are playoff worthy.
Even though the bully scandal happened on Philbin’s watch it is safe to say he was able to get his team to come together in the face of a national media firestorm, and actually play well enough to give them a shot to contend for the playoffs last season. Then this season after he was non-committal on the starting QB for the Dolphins, he was able to get the team back on track and win 4 out of its last 6 games, with the two losses both coming in the last seconds of the game. Lets not also forget that the week leading up to the Chargers game, his father passed away, and as a response his team played the best game they have played in many years. The fact is that each time the Dolphins have had some adversity, they have been able come together and play well under Philbin’s watch. This is directly related to the players buying into Philbin and his system.
Lots of fans want to get rid of Philbin after this season, however please do not forget that his replacement can be much worse, and set this franchise back another 3-5 years. Playoffs or not I still think Philbin has proven he can build a good team, and they are knocking on the door to be a relevant playoff contender year in and year out.
I like Lazor, he has much to prove but has good possibilities.
I like Coyle, he is a solid B. Not great but good and his group is getting better.
I am unimpressed by Philbin:
Philbin PROS: making better second half adjustments
Philbin CONS: Not innovative. Not inspirational. No sense of a vision where team is headed. No plan. Hired cronies who performed poorly – not just Sherman but actually allowing Sherman’s son-in-law, who had never been a QB or coached QBs to be the QB coach for Tannehill in his crucial and disastrous second year
Philbin Results: Team slowly improving. More the doing of Hickey than Philbin.
Recommendation: Philbin shows no signs of greatness. If someone comes up who does, get them. If not, give him an additional year to prove out or not.
This article is a HALF FULL GLASS and I agree with it. Philbin has done a very good job-just not in a flashy way. I believe he will get many more good players next draft and get the depth we need to continue. I am thrilled about the Bills game, they did good. I don’t know if we will reach the play-offs or no but I can tell you this coach will definitely continue to grow this team in a solid methodical way. And that ain’t bad! Just look at the mess the Jets are in! This game is NOT just about the SB and certainly not a turn around in 3 short years NE hasn’t been in a SB for a while and they have been around for a while. If this team wasn’t the team it is we would have been blown out by GB and Detroit, They both have talent and are strong up front. Unfortunately we lost in the most heartbreaking way by a few points. I personally am pleased with the progress.
I really don’t agree with you Jimmy! Bullygate was the direct result of Philbin’s desire to see Martin toughened up. His lack of oversight extended to general hazing techniques that allowed veterans to strong arm rookies. Philbin dumped Carlos Dansby, Reggie Bush and Jake long because they were respected team leaders and refused to be “yes-men.” To Philbin’s credit, he has endorsed Hickey and Lazor. Even though many players on the offense find Lazor abrasive, he has advanced the performance of the Dolphin offense. Philbin has cost us two games through overly conservative play calling and the squandering of time outs late in the game. In addition, Philbin is noted for letting the time expire at the end of the first half without attempting to score points. Philbin admits to getting queasy late in the game and turn to the prevent offense to compliment our collapsing prevent defense. Don’t you remember his 4th and goal halftime dive play when we played Green Bay. We had been stopped on several short yardage attempts to pick up first downs but Philbin chose to ignore the “Take your points rule. A chip shot field goal would have resulted in a tie game just before the end of the forth corner. We might have won in overtime.
The Dolphins have improved their performance this year but their is no real depth. Injuries are holding us back. If we had kept the good players we jettisoned and developed players that other teams have found good enough to start, we would have the depth we require. If Philbin had his way, Mike Sherman and company would still be coaching. If Mr. Ross can find a better coach, then we should take him. Would you rather have Tom Coughlin or Jim Harbough instead of Joe – my moth is always open – Philbin?
I somewhat agree with the article. Changing HC’s might be positive if we don’t make the playoffs, but it also depends on who would replace Philbin. Just like all of us in a new job or promotion, sometimes it takes time to grow into the new position. I think if we don’t make the playoffs, but come real close and play well down the stretch, Philbin might warrant another year. A changing of the HC could possibly set the team back a year or so before going forward. Continuity is the key why the elite teams like NE, Denver, Seattle, SF, Baltimore, etc., have had success! They stick with a HC and QB and get proficient in the systems they have. This team is just starting to get proficient on BOTH sides of the ball. Tannehill is starting to get more comfortable with the offense and Lazor’s schemes. I think Philbin does an excellent job preparing the team each week, and he has some significant upgrades to the coaching staff around him! The place he falls short is late 4th qtr. adjustments and clock management. Experience is a dear school, and even the best HC’s in our league had their share of growing pains and loses before a steady success. Bill B. in NE is a perfect example. It all depends on how the team plays down the stretch. Philbin inherited a team that needed quite a bit, not to mention a terrible GM in Ireland. This team needs consistency and continuity. Changing HC if we come close might NOT be the best thing.
Wow, what a disappointing perspective. Its no wonder this town and team have come to so readily accept mediocrity.
Here it is for ya, if Philbin wins tonight, he gets a “pass” and we’ll wait and see if this team makes the playoffs.
The NFL is not about making improvment, is a results only business. Philbin has not delivered any worthwhile results.
The goal is Super Bowl, plain and simple. This league is a win now league, and this has been demonstrated with other HC many times.
Philbin will never, never, be a Super Bowl head coach. So then one must ask, why should Ross keep him around?
I actually agree with Jimmy. Absolutely “the goal is the Super Bowl plain and simple.” You are absolutely correct, and every year 30 out of 32 teams FAIL to get there, and one of them leaves angry, confused, hurt, disappointed, take your pick. This team is obviously improving. Once this team learns how to get a couple of 1st downs late in the game (game winning drive) to preserve the lead or the defense can get a 3 and out (game winning stop) when they really need it, this team will be really hard to beat. This has been the problem for this team for years. Last night, they stopped the Bills cold late in the game. This team is overcoming, let’s be patient.
If we change head coaches, it’s back to the drawing board again for another 3-5 years, ARRRRRRGH.