"A man named Joe Philbin is the newest caretaker put in charge of the Miami Dolphins' deeply tarnished good name. He must chip away a decade of losses and lost luster, and erase years of fan erosion and growing cynicism. He must reestablish the abandoned stature of this team, this brand, in what used to be a "football town."

He has become the man in charge of hope for a fan base so desperate for that.

He must win. Now.

And he must do all of this even as he mourns his own loss, one far greater than any coach ever encountered on any football field.

Philbin, 50, is the Dolphins' new head coach as of Friday evening, the eighth in the franchise's 46-year history (or 10th if you include two interim coaches). He also is a father who just buried his son, Michael, who drowned in Wisconsin's Fox River on Jan.?9 at the age of 21 — personal tragedy and professional challenge intersecting now.

Maybe this is where the healing starts.

For a man.

For a franchise.

You want to support this hire, and not just for the emotional element, the sympathy due Philbin.

You want to support it because the job he leaves to take this one, the bottom line on Philbin's coaching resume, looks very, very impressive:

Offensive coordinator, Green Bay Packers.

The faith emanating from those five words is why Philbin will be the man formally introduced Saturday at Dolphins' headquarters in Davie."