Should Miami Dolphins Joe Philbin Be On The Hot Seat?

It’s easy to cry for your coach to be fired when the team loses, it’s easier to scream when they have been eliminated from the playoffs. Most emotions run rather high following losses and eliminations. So while the Dolphins still enjoy the distraction of a post-season possibility the question can safely be asked now, should Miami Dolphins’ head coach Joe Philbin be on the hot seat?

Forget about the loss to Denver. Most expected the game to be far worse and in fact many believed that Miami would play catch-up most of the day instead of trying to hold off the Broncos late in the game. In some ways the game was well coached, at least for three quarters. The Dolphins were five for five in the red zone scoring touchdowns over field goals. Yet once again the team couldn’t close out in the end.

There have not been many coaches in Miami Dolphins history that have had the personality of Joe Philbin. While is meticulous in the details he seems lost at times during the game. His post-game talks are rather boring but let’s be real you don’t fire a coach because he is boring. You fire a coach because you can’t win with him in that position.

That is where the questions come in. Can the Dolphins win with Philbin as the head coach? Should he get another year to prove that they can?

The good news is that Dennis Hickey has been a huge and shocking surprise. He seems to get it and has done well picking his team thus far. His draft was very good in the first two rounds and his later round draft picks are promising. If Hickey can deliver the talent do you have the confidence in Philbin to coach them?

Some believe that Bill Lazor should be the head coach. Count me in that camp. Some believe that the Dolphins should fire Kevin Coyle at seasons end but how do you justify firing a coach who has produced a top five defense in the NFL? It’s almost unheard of. Some believe the Dolphins defense lacks that swagger that makes defenses great and propose the Dolphins hire Rex Ryan to run the unit next season. While I’m not against that entirely I go back to how do you fire your DC after a top five defensive season?

Offensively you can’t fire Lazor because there is no question that this offense has made huge strides over the past three years and Ryan Tannehill looks more and more like a franchise QB each week. While he still can’t hit the long ball there is no question that he has improved thanks to Bill Lazor. That leaves Philbin and the bigger problem. A coaching change at the top will likely mean a coaching change all the way to the bottom. The Dolphins need more time to cull these systems.

It’s because of that reason that I don’t believe Joe Philbin should lose his job this year, not unless the team completely melts down the stretch like last year. At the same time though I don’t see Philbin as an answer and I don’t see Philbin as the head coach that will take us to a Super Bowl or take us consistently to the playoffs. Instead I see him as a coach that we will be have his future discussed each and every year that he is here.

That’s not how you develop a winning franchise but you can’t build a winning franchise turning everything over every few years either. The Dolphins are talented enough to win despite Philbin and the assistant coaches, at least Lazor, is too valuable to risk losing to another team. I for one would be on board with firing Philbin and promoting Lazor to HC for the next few years and allow his offensive system to gel naturally. I would also be o.k. with replacing Coyle despite his top five defense because frankly, the play calling late in games is beyond questionable. Unfortunately none of that will happen and it could be, eventually, good for the Dolphins. Maybe, just maybe one more year will really make the difference for Philbin. Maybe he will realize that stepping back and letting his coaches coach is how you win.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments. Barring a complete meltdown, does Joe Philbin deserve another chance without a playoff appearance or a 10 win season? I used to think he should be but now, frankly, I don’t know.