To the surprise of almost no one, the Dolphins fired Joe Philbin on Monday morning.
"This was a tough decision for me to make knowing how tirelessly Joe worked in his four years here to make this a winning team," owner Stephen Ross announced Monday. "He is a man of the highest character and integrity that I developed a close personal relationship with. I am extremely disappointed with how we have started the season, but I feel confident that we can improve quickly with the talent we have on our roster. We will soon be announcing an interim coach to lead the team going forward."
Dan Campbell, the Dolphins tight end coach, is expected to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Philbin's tenure as Miami's coach was entirely underwhelming, with the former Packers quarterbacks coach going 24-28, somehow surviving the Richie Incognito bullying scandal and ensuing Wells Report.
"I want to thank Steve Ross for allowing me the privilege to serve as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins," Philbin said. "This is a tremendous organization from top to bottom that has a talented and dedicated staff. I want to especially thank the players, coaches and football staff who have worked so unselfishly and represented the team with dignity and class. I would be remiss if I didn't thank the incredible fan base who has supported me and my family unconditionally since day one. It is my hope that the 2015 Miami Dolphins achieve great success both on and off the field."
Here's six things to know about Philbin's firing.
1. London Calling: For the second successive season, a coach was fired following an embarrassing loss in the International Series in London. There's some irony here, too. Philbin was on the hot seat last year, threatened to bench Ryan Tannehill while in London before promptly blowing out the Raiders, who promptly fired Dennis Allen.
Philbin got canned after an ugly overseas loss on Sunday morning to the Jets. The offense was lethargic (Tannehill completed 43 percent of his 44 passes and averaged 4.5 yards per attempt) and the defense continued to struggle badly on Sunday morning. Miami heads into the bye adjusting to Campbell taking over.
2. Weight of Expectations: This off-season set the bar high for the Dolphins. Jarvis Landry was an outstanding rookie in 2014. Lamar Miller was a top-10 running back last season. They improved the offensive line and added Kenny Stills and Jordan Cameron. Ryan Tannehill was set to make a leap. He hasn't.
Even worse for Philbin, the Dolphins went out and signed Ndamukong Suh for more than $100 million this off-season. The defense has been moribund, producing only one sack thus far through four games.
3. Vote of Confidence: This off-season didn't just feature lots of moves when it came to the roster. The Dolphins also gave Philbin a contract extension. How silly does that look now? It happened 196 days ago. DAYS.
4. Tannehill's Struggles: Philbin's role as quarterbacks coach in Green Bay set up the expectation of Tannehill making a leap this season. He looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback during 2014. 2015? Yeah, not so much.
Tannehill's season thus far is the worst of his career, including his rookie season. He's completing only 56 percent of his passes (lowest of his career), gaining 6.3 yards per attempt (lowest of his career) and has seven touchdowns vs. five interceptions. He looks like a quarterback who has regressed.
5. Who is Dan Campbell? The Dolphins tight end coach the past five years, Campbell was a third-round NFL Draft pick for the Giants in 1999 out of Texas A&M. He played in the league through 2009 with four different teams (New York, Dallas, Detroit and New Orleans). He got a Super Bowl ring with the Saints in 2009 despite being on IR. He's a Bill Parcells disciple who latched on with the Saints in large part to his connection with Sean Payton. Campbell has no head-coaching experience. He is now the youngest current coach in the NFL at 39.
6. Possible Candidates: Let's assume two things when it comes to the next Dolphins coach. One, Stephen Ross will want a "home run" hire. He loves him some celebrity; it's amazing Philbin remained in his good graces so long. Two, even if Philbin was an offensive guy and owners tend to go in different directions, it makes sense for an offensive guy to try and "fix" Tannehill. Some names who pop to mind:
Kyle Shanahan: Even if Kyle is the less famous member of his family (dad Mike owns that title), he's got the cache of a headline-grabbing coach. And he has worked wonders offensively at multiple spots, including the Texans, Browns (!) and now with the Falcons. If Atlanta keeps up its hot start, he will be a hot name this off-season.
Josh McDaniels: The one-time Broncos head coach returned to the Patriots as offensive coordinator to salvage his reputation -- and boy, is it salvaged. New England won the Super Bowl with McDaniels prominently featured on offense last year and is shredding people this year. It's only a matter of when, not if, McDaniels gets another gig. Going in division against Bill Belichick would be super aggressive, however.
Adam Gase: Not as big a name but a high-end offensive coach. Gase was one of the hot young coordinators while running the Broncos offense (he came up under McDaniels, actually) and turned down a gig with the Browns previously. After John Fox left Denver, Gase reunited with his old boss in Chicago. If the Bears are even remotely dangerous on offense this year, he'll get some action.
Jim Harbaugh: Really just putting Harbs' name here to troll Michigan fans. Stephen Ross pursued him once though and it would be a BIG NAME. Michigan is a better job than Miami, however.
