February 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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I'm going to explain to you the price tag for a starting caliber quarterback upgrade exactly how it was explained to me by an NFL executive. Imagine you're in the market for a German made luxury automobile, one we don't see on the road very often. There's a reason you don't see them all the time, and that's because these luxurious rides are hard to find. It's part of the appeal."
February 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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It sounds like the first hope for the Dolphins this off-season won't make it past the first hurdle. I was trying to hang onto this idea, but reports from respected writers like Sports Illustrated's Peter King and Yahoo!'s Jason Cole underline how Manning's recovery from neck surgery isn't progressing as hoped. Cole quotes two sources supporting Rob Lowe's idea that Manning will retire. Manning continues to rehab and work hard so there must be some thought of his returning. He also said Tuesday afternoon on ESPN that, "Everything looks good...that I'll be cleared and ready to go.""
January 31
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Mike Berardino
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That was quite a statement Brandon Marshall made at the Pro Bowl. I'm not even talking about the MVP showing he put together during the AFC's 59-41 win, although four touchdown catches against the NFL's best is pretty impressive. Even in a glorified flag football game. Even with the ban on press coverage and no blitzing. That juggling grab a prone Marshall made for his third score was something out of a Lynn Swann highlight reel."
January 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Yes, Jeff Ireland has scouted Robert Griffin III in person. That happened in the final game of RG3's college career, that insane 67-56 Baylor win over Washington at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. The Miami Dolphins general manager — Baylor Class of '92 — also took in one of Baylor's practices in advance of that game. Ireland's early thoughts on the Heisman Trophy winner? "To sit here talking about one player is kind of unfair," Ireland said last week during the Dolphins' visit to the Sun Sentinel offices. "I think he's a really good player. I think he's an explosive player. He's a great kid. The guy comes from a good family. He's obviously well deserving of the award that he received.""
January 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The strain of presiding over three straight losing seasons hasn't finally caught up with the Dolphins' oft-criticized general manager. Instead, it's the echoes of all those legendary influences he's had the good fortune to be around in his football life. "Sometimes all the voices run together," Ireland says during a recent visit of Dolphins brass to the Sun Sentinel, "because it's really the same message.""
January 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall set a Pro Bowl record with four touchdown receptions - the third of which while on his back - as the AFC posted a 59-41 triumph over the NFC on Sunday in Honolulu. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Cincinnati Bengals rookie Andy Dalton and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers tossed two touchdown passes apiece in the highest scoring Pro Bowl game in history. With the NFC nursing a 35-31 lead late in the third quarter, Dalton tried to find Marshall behind the coverage. Two NFC defenders converged on the ball, but unintentionally deflected it back toward the Dolphins wideout. Marshall, who had already fallen to the turf,"
January 29
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Offense has been the variable in the Miami Dolphins' experiment the past three seasons. With a new coach, the players once again have to adjust to another system. After yearly change under former coach Tony Sparano, the Dolphins now turn to Joe Philbin and the highly-successful West Coast offense. "I'm not even sure what the West Coast offense means," Philbin said Thursday. "I do know we're going to be sound, we're going to protect the A and B gaps when we send the quarterback away from the center." The West Coast offense is an expected upgrade after the Dolphins struggled the past three seasons under Sparano. Those teams experimented with a variety of offenses, including the invention of"
January 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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He had a wife, four children and no job. He flew to New Orleans to interview at Tulane. This wasn't the Joe Philbin the Dolphins hired after managing the Green Bay Packers' offense to record numbers and a Super Bowl win. This was a young Joe Philbin who went to Ohio University, was fired with the rest of the staff after one season and was scrambling to find another job before the offseason music stopped. "How'd it go?" his wife, Diane, said after picking him up the airport in Columbus, Ohio, as they drove the 75 miles back to Athens and Ohio U. "Pretty good,'' he said. "Did you get the job?" she asked. "No,'' he said. She held up the pregnancy test. Their fifth child was on the way. And"
January 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Dolphins named Mike Sherman their offensive coordinator and Kevin Coyle their defensive coordinator on Friday. The two veteran NFL coaches became new coach Joe Philbin's first hires. Both were Philbin's long-time friends, and first choices. "They are exactly what I am looking for in terms of leadership, character, and teaching ability," Philbin said. "They are both very passionate about the game of football and the players they coach, and that enthusiasm is evident in the meeting rooms and on the field….I can't wait to get started to work with them." Coincidentally, Sherman and Coyle worked together as assistant coaches at Holy Cross. Sherman, who was fired by Texas A&M earlier"
January 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Mike Berardino
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That wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement Dan Marino gave Matt Flynn this week. Asked about Flynn, who just finished his fourth season as a backup quarterback for the Packers, the Greatest Dolphin of All-Time sounded lukewarm about his former team making a run at the likely free agent. "Some guys are just — I don't want to say it in a negative light — but sometimes there's a reason why guys are backups, you know?" Marino said during his weekly WQAM appearance. "I'm not saying he can't come in here and be a terrific player. Maybe he can be. But he didn't play somewhere the whole time.""
January 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Matt Flynn to the Miami Dolphins? Aaron Rodgers thinks it's a "strong possibility." In fact, Rodgers on Wednesday told a Milwaukee radio station he sees the Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks as the "two top dogs" in the race for the talented backup, expected to become an unrestricted free agent in March. This is based on a conversation with Flynn "in the last few days," Rodgers said of his backup quarterback in Green Bay the past four years. "I think it's a strong possibility that [the Dolphins] would make a run at him," Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on ESPN Milwaukee. "I think it kind of makes sense. Joe [Philbin] in that system, which I'm sure is going to be very similar to"
January 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It's probably the worst kept secret in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins have a solid foundation, a decent core of players, but are missing the engine. During his annual Senior Bowl summit, Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland acknowledged his team's primary goal this offseason is to find a top-tier starting quarterback, or a developmental quarterback with a high ceiling. "We need a quarterback that can get us over the hump," Ireland said."
January 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Former Miami Dolphins receiver Mark Duper has nothing against Peyton Manning. He does, however, feel the Dolphins courting the future of Hall of Famer is a mistake. Duper said Tuesday the team would be better off pursuing a young quarterback rather than one in the latter stages of his career. "I'm going to plead the fifth because I don't want to put my foot in my mouth," said Duper, speaking at Jackson Memorial Hospital to address his fight with kidney cancer. "But they need to draft a young quarterback. That would be the best decision: spend some money on a young quarterback and bring him in.""
January 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Steve Ross clearly felt his intelligence had been insulted. Maybe it was the tone of the question, or the fact the Dolphins' owner has been repeatedly asked about upgrading the quarterback position since his 2010 declaration that Chad Henne would become the next Dan Marino did a belly flop. Ross had heard enough. "I'm not stupid!" Ross said, interrupting a reporter. "I'm looking for a franchise quarterback," Ross said with an emphatic tone. "That's the highest thing on our agenda!""
January 22
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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Joe Philbin won the news conference on Saturday. He was energetic, he was enthusiastic, he was prepared, pleasant and even-keeled. Philbin did as well or better as any of the predecessors who have stood in front of the media and Dolphins nation since 1996 and offered hope, optimism and change. Unfortunately, that's not a guarantee of success. The winning quotes and laudable demeanor don't really mean much on game days. If they did, Jimmy Johnson would have won that Super Bowl he promised in three years or Nick Saban would have been as committed to the organization as he said on his first day. Philbin's success instead will be determined, like every Dolphins coach, by how much talent he has"
January 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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By the end of his first day, in the quiet of a back room, Joe Philbin dropped his head to his chest, all the football fell out of his voice and the new coach became a grieving father again. "It was absolutely heartbreaking,'' he said, so softly. "Nothing can sugarcoat that. It was devastating. The resiliency of our children …" He paused, chin to chest, and took a breath. "… I can't say enough about them …" How do you celebrate with a heavy heart? This is what Philbin tried to explain a few minutes earlier Saturday in his introductory news conference as Dolphins coach. He rewound the clock two weeks to when the day after his first Dolphins interview when his 21-year-old son, Michael, died"
January 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It was more than X's and O's that attracted Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross to newly-hired coach Joe Philbin. Ross said Philbin made a strong impression in the way he was able to conduct a solid interview this past week despite burying his 21-year-old son days earlier. Michael Philbin drowned in an icy river in Oshkosh, Wisc. days after his first interview with Dolphins. "He really impressed me just listening to him, his organization, his plan and how he will execute it and make us a winner as fast possible," Ross said."
January 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Joe Philbin dodged the question like a receiver trying to beat a defenders jam at the line of scrimmage. It was a simple question directed at the Miami Dolphins' new head coach during his introductory press conference. Philbin has spent the past five years orchestrating a high-octane west coast offense in Green Bay, so does he plan to bring that style of attack to Miami? "I've been in the west coast system for nine years and I'm still not sure what that means," Philbin said. Get the latest Miami Dolphins news, scores and analysis with the Sun Sentinel's FREE iPhone and Android app. Download it today "With that being said, I think it's a mistake to take the Green Bay Packers playbook and"
January 21
Miami Herald
columnist Armando Salguero
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Last week was the end of the world for Joe Philbin and the Dolphins. Everything crashed, everything was wrong, nothing could console. And while a football man's personal pain following the passing of his son is much worse than a football team's ache in missing on a coach hiring, the hell each was catching on different fronts for different reasons could only be defined the same. Awful. But now comes a new day. Today, the Dolphins will introduce Philbin to his new digs, they'll show him off as their new coach, they'll give him a new start. Joe Philbin will begin a new life. None of this, mind you, will erase the tragedy of last week. Philbin lost his 21-year-old son Michael, who went missing"
January 21
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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So you say the idea of Joe Philbin being named the new Dolphins head coach doesn't excite you? Well, that's a given. That was the running theme of this coaching search's conclusion, no matter which small name was picked. Philbin is a career assistant. He's 50. He spent 19 years at various colleges. He slowly worked up the Green Bay Packers ranks, from assistant offensive line coach to tight ends coach to the offensive coordinator who didn't call the plays. Can he lead men as a head coach? Become the voice of a franchise? Was Green Bay's electric offense the result of head coach Mike McCarthy, who actually did call plays, or quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won't be coming to the Dolphins?"
January 21
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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No one should ever doubt Joe Philbin's toughness. Not after he showed up at Lambeau Field last Sunday. Not after this longtime assistant went to work for a Packers playoff game just days after burying his 21-year-old son, who drowned in an icy Wisconsin river. Philbin's readiness, however, for the job the Dolphins handed him Friday? That's an open question. His ability to lead this wandering franchise back to the postseason it once took for granted? Same deal. Even at age 50. Even with more than a quarter century of coaching experience, the past nine with the Packers. See, there's an immense difference between quietly putting together the offensive game plan for a Super Bowl winner, as"
January 21
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Based on his experience working with Joe Philbin, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy knew it would be only a matter of time before he parted with his good friend. On Friday evening, the Miami Dolphins announced that Philbin, the Packers' offensive coordinator, had been hired to be their head coach. Philbin was a finalist along with Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Dolphins defensive coordinator Todd Bowles but stood tall above the others. "We are thrilled to have Joe Philbin join the Miami Dolphins as our head coach," owner Stephen Ross said in a statement released by the Dolphins. "Joe has all the attributes that we were looking for when we started this process. (General"
January 21
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Dolphins have hired Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin as the franchise's 10th head coach. Philbin was chosen over finalists Mike McCoy, offensive coordinator in Denver, and Todd Bowles, the Dolphins secondary coach, who was named interim head coach when Tony Sparano was fired with three games left in the season. The three were interviewed for a second time this week after Jeff Fisher spurned the Dolphins for the head coach job in St. Louis. "Joe has all the attributes that we were looking for when we started this process," Dolphins owner Steve Ross said about his decision. "(General Manager) Jeff Ireland and I felt Joe was the right choice to bring the Dolphins"
January 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross makes no secret about the fact he covets a sexy, high scoring offense for his franchise. His first official football hire will go a long way towards moving in that direction because Ross completed his 38-day coaching search by hiring Joe Philbin, according to a team source. The Dolphins are expected to announce the hiring of the franchise's 10th head coach on Saturday. Philbin's spent the past five years as the architect of the Green Bay Packer's west coast style offense, which has ranked in the top eight in total yards and the top five in total points each of the five years."
January 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Factoring in owner Steve Ross' fondness for celebrities and the spotlight, maybe the Miami Dolphins should try an "American Idol"-style selection show, or a catchphrase like the one Donald Trump uses on "The Apprentice." "You're hired!" The Dolphins could use something to jazz up the upcoming announcement, which team sources say is expected on Friday. The second round of interviews for the "next Don Shula," which was how Ross began this 38-day-old quest for Tony Sparano's replacement, has been completed. Mike McCoy was the last to sit down with Ross and General Manager Jeff Ireland on Thursday."