Looking back at coaching hires since Dolphins Philbin hired
By Brian Miller
Dec 17, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher meets with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) after the game at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 31-23. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins made Joe Philbin their 8th full time head coach in team history when they hired him in 2012. In 2012 seven teams switched head coaches. In 2014 seven more coaches were hired. After the 2013 season seven coaches were fired/hired.
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The Dolphins hired Joe Philbin following the 2011 season and we are going to look at all the coaches hired by the league since he was hired but only as they relate to his status with the team. We will look at what has happened with the coaches hired the same year he was. We will look at coaches hired last off-season when many believe that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross should have fired Philbin instead of extending his contract and we will look at the year before as well.
The 2014 off-season, following the 2013 season saw the Dolphins fire general manager Jeff Ireland. The Dolphins of course went on a hunt for a new GM that ended with the hiring of Dennis Hickey. We are including this off-season of coaching changes because one of the hang-ups to the general manager search was the fact that Ross would not give that GM the power to fire Philbin. So we are looking at a total of three seasons and 20 head coaches hired in 2012, 2014, and 2015.
2012
The Dolphins hired Joe Philbin after a haphazard attempt to hire Jeff Fisher. Here is how the six other head coaches hired in 2012 have fared.
Jeff Fisher
Fisher has done well with parts of the St. Louis Rams but they have also been hugely disappointing. This has led many to believe that Fisher will be fired at the end of the season. Uncertainty with the team relocation possibility could also lead Fisher to resign. Fisher interviewed multiple times with the Dolphins but it seemed more of an attempt to cull more control and money from the Rams.
Dennis Allen
The Raiders hired Allen but Allen never was able to truly earn the confidence in the miserable Raiders front office. In 2014, after one full season as the team’s head coach, the Raiders fired him after a week four loss in London to the Joe Philbin led Dolphins.
Mike Mularkey
Mularkey joined the Jacksonville Jaguars but his stint in Jacksonville didn’t last too long. The Jaguars fired Mularkey after one season and a 2-14 record. Owner Shad Khan hoped that Mularkey could turn things around but realized the team needed a complete overhaul. So Mularkey along with his staff and many players were out.
Romeo Crennel
The Kansas City Chiefs bought into Crennel who had an extensive coaching history that spanned 35 plus seasons as an NFL coach. Previously, Crennel had served a short stint in Cleveland as the head coach. Like Allen and Mularkey, Crennel only got one full season of work with the Chiefs.
Chuck Pagano
Pagano is probably the most successful of this group of 2012 hires. His team has gone on to the playoffs in each of his seasons. He missed one year while he was treated for cancer which elevated Bruce Arians to the head coach job. The Colts finished 11-5 in his first three years including the Arians season and went from losses in the Wild Card round in his first year to a loss in the divisional round in his 2nd year, and a loss in the AFC Championship round in his 3rd year. The Colts are currently leading the AFC South with a record of 6-7. The Colts are believed to be leaning towards firing Pagano at season’s end or once the Colts are eliminated from the playoffs should they make it.
Greg Schiano
The hiring of Schiano cost a lot of people their jobs in Tampa Bay. Including their general manager and several members of the front office staff. Including Dennis Hickey. Schiano was a total train wreck for the Buc’s who fired him after two seasons.
2012 review
Of the seven coaches hired in 2012 only two remain currently with their teams. Pagano and Fisher. Only Philbin lasted beyond his initial contract. Three were fired after less than two seasons and one made it through two full seasons. Schiano. Overall only Pagano led his team to the post-season and he is securely on the hot-seat this year.
Next: 2014 off-season