Source: Philbin was infuriated by some of Sherman’s playcalling
The reality of this situation is that Philbin has probably told Ross that he doesn’t want to fire Sherman. In fact, he praised Sherman in his year end press conference, calling him an ‘excellent coach’. He also praised his other offensive assistants. I see 2 problems here. First, Joe Philbin is allowing his personal relationships to guide his decision making for what is best for the team. That is unprofessional and not what I want in a head coach. Being a head coach is about making the tough decisions. Second, if Philbin wants to go against his owner’s wishes and fire offensive coaches that have’t done a good job, he’s putting himself at risk. Ross could (SHOULD) decide that Philbin is also part of the problem.
This situation continues to drag on. I feel bad for the beat reporters who are literally sitting in cars across the street from the Dolphins training facility. They are bored to tears….and nothing is going on. I get it, it’s their jobs. But, the fact that Ross hasn’t made a statement about coaches returning or taking action and firing those accountable, is sad.
We can only hope that Ross is doing his due diligence, having proteges reach out to potential coaching candidates through back channels. You know, discretely, unlike the Harbaugh fiasco. It would be wise of Ross to do that if he’s seriously considering firing Philbin (which he should be). There are 4 openings for NFL Head Coaches right now, so there is some competition. What coaching candidates does he have in mind? No one seems to know.
I hate that this process is taking so long. I hate the fact that Ross needed to interview/meet with Ireland and Philbin to get their take on the Dolphins 8-8 season. I mean, what could they possibly tell him that would make him change his mind? He watched the team play. He watched the 2013 draft class have NO impact. He watched the new linebackers play about as poorly as any linebackers in the league. He watched the team struggle against bad teams and miss the playoffs because they couldn’t beat the Bills OR Jets. If the season wasn’t enough of a reason to make a change, what new information would an interview provide?
Look, I want the right decision to be made here. In my opinion, the right decision is to wipe the slate clean and start over. Ryan Tannehill needs a new voice in his ear. This team needs new leadership. This team needs new direction. This team needs a change.