Texan Mosaic

by: STEVEN GEHEGAN/Staff Writer 

The Miami Dolphins recently fired their head coach after winning just one of the first four games.

Joe Philbin has not had much success through his first three seasons, only winning eight games in his best season. With this track record, why did the Dolphins decide to fire Philbin now? The Dolphins have a talented team on paper, with a decent defense and talent on offense.

There were a lot of issues with the Dolphins’ coaching ability, starting with the team’s quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, failing to take a step forward after his third season. There could be other reasons, such as Philbin not being the offense guru they thought he would be, or that Tannehill still has not learned how to be a leader.

There are reports that have questioned Tannehill’s leadership that could also push his team away. Then it could just be an issue with the lack of chemistry Tannehill has with his wide receivers. With Mike Wallace gone and the addition of three new wide receivers and a new starting tight end, it could have been Tannehill just getting used to  wide receivers for the reason he took a step back. But it falls on the shoulders of Philbin to get the team up to speed each week.

Another problem with the Dolphins is their inability to run the ball, which has been an issue all of the season Philbin has been with the Dolphins. With the passing game working better in the past few years, it was covering up for a weak running game. Now the Dolphins cannot move the ball or score points.

Then there is the Dolphins defense, which has been astonishingly bad through the first four games. The defense was built up to be one of the best in the National Football League, but it has not lived up to the hype.

One of the main problems for the Dolphins, which was supposed to be a strength, is their defensive line. With the addition of Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins’ defensive line was supposed to add strength to the defense and help improve it. With the big paycheck that Suh is making, he needs to help the defense, not act like he is not showing up. Of course, that is not the only problem with the Dolphins. Their secondary has been a real weakness of this defense, this year.

The Dolphins have had a lot of problems this year, whether the cause has been a lack of motivation, or if it was problem with the Dolphins scheme. Not all of the problems have been because of the head coach. Some of it falls on the players’ shoulders.

The blame still fell on Philbin, and perhaps his firing was a way of sending a message to the rest of the Dolphins. Things need to change with the Dolphins organization, or more people will lose their jobs.