Miami Dolphins At 50: Coaches

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

No. 6 – Joe Philbin

Joe Philbin replaced Bowles as head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2012 after the Sparano regime crumbled.

Philbin has been neither awful nor good. He was able to get the 2013 team to focus after the Jon Martin-Richie Incognito fiasco. The season could have fallen apart right then and there. But he got the team to a point where the playoffs seemed assured with an 8-6 record with two games left.

That’s when the season fell apart. Philbin didn’t have his team ready to play and the Buffalo Bills shut out the Dolphins in a must win situation. Miami still had a chance to make the playoffs the next week but sputtered again. This time to the New York Jets. Both the Bills and Jets were woefully out of the playoff picture.

There’s zero excuse for that sort of play in late season games with massive playoff ramifications and it seems to be a staple of this Philbin regime. Once again in a position to take control of their playoff destiny, Miami lost a de facto playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. Completing back-to-back 8-8 seasons where the playoffs were within reasonable grasp.

Philbin still has a chance to pull his name out of the muck but if it doesn’t happen this season, he probably won’t get another chance.