Changes are expected in Miami in the very near future after the Dolphins embarrassed themselves for a third consecutive week, this time in front of an international audience in London. However, the head coach may not be the first member of the organization to get the axe.
According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is more likely to be fired in the coming days than Joe Philbin. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was scheduled to meet with Philbin on Monday and Salguero predicts that Ross will urge Philbin to fire Coyle. That may be difficult, as Philbin reportedly believes the season can be salvaged and no coaching staff changes are needed at this time.
The Dolphins were supposed to be a contender in the AFC East this season thanks to an “improved” defense led by Ndamukong Suh. Instead, Miami ranks 30th in the league in total team defense and allowed 27 points against the Jets on Sunday and 41 against the Buffalo Bills the week before.
In fairness to Coyle, Miami’s offense hasn’t exactly taken pressure off its defense. The Dolphins rank 31st in the NFL in rushing with 69.2 yards per game. Lamar Miller is one of their most talented players, but they seem intent on not making the running back a big part of the game plan and abandoning him when things start to go wrong. The offensive line has also been abysmal.
The Dolphins were 0-for-12 on 3rd down conversion opportunities Sunday and 0-for-4 on 4th down. There’s nothing Coyle can do about that.
Whether Coyle loses his job or not, Philbin will likely be joining him on the unemployment line in the near future — despite what the head coach said over the weekend. Philbin must not be paying attention to what people — and even this airport in London — are saying about him.
