Philbin Struggling To Right Dolphins Ship
MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) – Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin was brought in to resurrect a dormant offense that hasn't been dominating since Dan Marino was under center. With five games left in the current season, Philbin has yet to do anything to inspire confidence among fans.
Through two years as head coach, Philbin is 12-14, a .462 winning percentage. For comparison purposes, the coach Philbin replaced, Tony Sparano, compiled a 29-61 record as head coach of the Dolphins, or a .475 winning percentage over nearly four years as head coach.
Philbin still has a chance to right the ship with five games left this season, but he'll have to do it by beating the Jets, Steelers, Bills, and/or Patriots. It's a tall order for a team that is struggling to do anything right when it has the football.
In losses to Carolina and Tampa, the Dolphins' running backs Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas have combined to run 24 times for 16 yards, or .67 yards per carry, a little more than 24 inches each time a running back touches the ball.
Overall, the Dolphins' running game ranks 30th out of 32 NFL teams in rushing attempts; 26th in rushing yards; and 18th in rushing touchdowns.
The Fins' passing game is only marginally better. Miami throws the ball a lot, ranking 12th in pass attempts. However, Miami ranks 20th in passing yardage with 2,471 yards; 21st in passing touchdowns with 15 on the season and 19th in interceptions with 12 this year.
The Dolphins are averaging 5.5 net yards per attempt this season, which is 27th out of 32 teams. The Fins also rank 23rd in total points scored this year and 28th in total yards gained in 2013.
Last year, when quarterback Ryan Tannehill was a rookie, the Dolphins ranked 27th in points scored; 27th in yards gained; 24th in pass attempts, 26th in passing yards; 30th in passing touchdowns and 10th in interceptions.
However, with Reggie Bush running the ball, Miami was ranked 14th in rushing attempts; 17th in rushing yards; 11th in rushing touchdowns; and 19th in rushing yards per attempt.
Compounding the problems for Tannehill is he's getting sacked nearly 10 percent of the time he drops back to pass. Tannehill has been sacked 44 times this season and lost 313 yards on those sacks. The numbers might be higher, but Tannehill has run 31 times for 142 yards as well this season.
Between the Dolphins' on-the-field offensive woes and the team's nightmare of problems off-the-field; changes may be coming to the staff on the field and in the front office.
One thing Dolphins fans should get used to though be the likelihood of drafting yet another offensive lineman, probably in the first round of next year's NFL Draft. Among the names to remember are: Cyrus Kouandjio, Taylor Lewan; and Jake Matthews; all of whom are considered the top tackles in the draft.
