Miami Dolphins’ Owner Will Regret Keeping Joe Philbin
By James Reeve
@JamesRJReeve
Steve Mitchell – USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins finished the 2014 season with an 8-8 record, the same record as the 2013 season and just one victory better than the 7-9 record of the 2012 season. The Dolphins, under Head Coach Joe Philbin, have not moved much closer to being a playoff team and the decision to keep Philbin could be one that owner Stephen Ross might regret.
Just over one year removed from the bully scandal that Philbin and numerous other Dolphins coaches failed to recognise, rumours have begun to surface over more discord within the team’s locker room and in particular with players and coaches.
One comment made was that there was very little communication between coaches and players, which has caused a number of players to feel friction within the locker room. Situations like this should be avoided and should be controlled by coaches, in particular the head coach.
Philbin has shown almost an inability to recognise problems developing within his own locker room and even when a player confronts him directly about a complaint, such as Jared Odrick on the sideline a few weeks ago, then Philbin doesn’t appear to do anything about it.
The tensions within the team’s locker room could force a number of key players to leave, with Odrick being a free agent that could opt not to remain with the team after such issues appear to not be dealt with. No doubt that if the Dolphins make the playoffs next season then all of these issues will be forgotten and no ramifications will occur. Problems within teams appear to be more prevalent when they are losing and seem to be forgotten when teams are winning.
Ultimately, if the Dolphins fail to make the playoffs next season then there will be a black cloud hanging over the last couple of years for the Dolphins and the coaching appointments that Ross has made will be scrutinised by many. If Philbin can calm any tensions and build a playoff-quality team then he will be seen as a reliable coach that can do his best for the team. If neither of these situations come to pass then he may struggle to find another job within the NFL, at least for the immediate future.
Dolphins fans will be hoping for the best from Philbin and will be waiting to see how he handles the ongoing issues as well as the imminent defensive coordinator change. The future is unknown for the Dolphins, but they at least have a continually developing Ryan Tannehill to give them some hope of playoff football next season.
James Reeve is an NFL and NCAA Football writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook.
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