Miami Dolphins Go Into Bye Week With More Questions Than Answers
By Abraham Gutierrez
One of the oldest clichés in sports is that “winning cures everything,” but in the case of the Miami Dolphins, Sunday’s victory over the Oakland Raiders will not quiet the chatter around the team’s divided locker room and/or the job security of head coach Joe Philbin entering the bye week.
Instead, the latest rumor to hit the mill revolves around the possibility of acquiring San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh to replace Philbin in 2015. According to various reports, the “fraying” relationship between the Fins head coach and team executive Dawn Aponte could lead to an eventual coaching overhaul.
Making matters worse was Philbin’s approach last week, when he refused to name Tannehill as the starter despite the fact that the former Texas A&M standout took 100 percent of the snaps with the first team. This not only angered upper management, but it also created an awkward atmosphere within the Dolphins locker room.
It has also been documented that a number of players have expressed their concerns about Philbin’s ability to lead the team. For those who follow the team closely, this type of pattern is unfortunately nothing new during Philbin’s stint in Miami.
As many may recall, it was just last season that Philbin appears to have lost control of the locker room when the Jonathan Martin scandal became national news. This season, Miami is off to yet another inconsistent start, as the team started the year with a win over the New England Patriots, but followed that effort with back-to-back blowout loses to the Buffalo Bills and a very short-handed Kansas City Chiefs squad.
As far as Harbaugh is concerned, this isn’t the first time that the Dolphins have shown interest in the fiery head coach. Even before leaving Palo Alto for the National Football League in 2011, Miami has had it sights on the 50-year-old coach.
Last offseason, rumors swirled that the Dolphins were trying to acquire Harbaugh to replace Jeff Ireland as the team’s general manager. This year, talks of Harbaugh’s potential departure from the Bay Area started heating up following the Niners’ 2-1 start.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this situation plays out, but for the time being, there are other issues lingering in the Fins locker room. The first order of business is the quarterback situation, and whether Ryan Tannehill should be the starter for the Miami Dolphins following the bye week.
In this instance, Tannehill’s performance against the Raiders should help quiet some of the rumblings, but one gets the sense this situation is far from over. And although the former first-round pick is coming off one of his best showings as an NFL signal-caller, critics would point to the fact that the Raiders are one of the worst teams in the league.
Following the bye week, the Dolphins will have a very tough schedule to deal with, as they host the Green Bay Packers in Week 6, followed by a pair of road games at Soldier Field (Chicago Bears) and EverBank Field (Jacksonville Jaguars).
Also in the Dolphins radar is a contest against the San Diego Chargers, a visit to the Detroit Lions, their second meeting with the Buffalo Bills and a clash at Mile High against the Denver Broncos, just to name a few.
For more Dolphins news and updates, visit Dolphins Central.
Abe Gutierrez is a criminal justice admin whose love for sports led him to become a writer and editor. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com and its partners. His work can be found on Examiner.com. .