Dolphins new captain steering ship in right direction

BOSTON-- Tony Sparano was a nice guy, he really was.  The players loved him, his coaches respected him, and he wanted to coach this football team as badly as he wanted to take his next breath.

But after what Joe Philbin's done over his first ten days as head coach, it's becoming increasingly evident why the Dolphins had losing seasons in three out of four years under Sparano.

Tony Sparano didn't have what it takes to be successful as an NFL head coach.

Joe Philbin, so far, does.

No, I'm not talking about the X's and O's part of Philbin's game, we won't have a good grasp on that until sometime in September.  But from a publicity standpoint?  Oh yeah, Philbin's got that part down, and that's something Sparano severely lacked.

Take last week for example.  Joe Philbin, GM Jeff Ireland, and CEO Mike Dee visited two of South Florida's biggest newspapers, The South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Miami Herald, to conduct interviews and let Philbin meet the Miami media for the first time.  This was the first time the Dolphins had ever done this.  Not during the Sparano era, not during the Jimmy Johnson era, and not even during the Shula era had a Dolphins head coach visited the media like this.

Joe Philbin hasn't even been in Miami two weeks and he's already doing things that his first nine predecessors failed to do over the last 40 years.

This is a good sign for Miami Dolphins' fans.

A very good sign.

Philbin has been busy on the football end of things as well.  Late last week he hired Mike Sherman and Kevin Coyle as offensive and defensive coordinators, both his first choices to fill the positions, and both widely respected as NFL coaches.  With the two most important positions filled it is expected that the remainder of Philbin's staff will be complete by February, in time for the NFL combine.

This shows initiative.  This shows ambition.

Two more things I won't say that Sparano lacked, but were definitely not his strengths.

Again, a good sign of things to come for this organization.

If you've watched any of Joe Philbins' press conferences than you know what I'm talking about.  He's a man of integrity, high character, and preaches excellence.  That being said, he's also got a dry sense of humor to him, and a father- like personality, which isn't hard to believe seeing as he's a father of six.

Will any of this transfer into wins come September?  Who knows.  But if you've followed the Dolphins over the last decade like I have (unfortunately), then doesn't it just feel different this time around?  Doesn't it feel like this team is finally growing up?  They finally hired a head coach who makes sense!  Nothing against Tony Sparano, like I said he was a nice guy, but did we really need an offensive line coach in 2008?  Don't think so.

On the other hand, Joe Philbin is EXACTLY what the Miami Dolphins needed this time around.  An offensive coach descended not from Bill Parcells, but from Mike McCarthy, who brings with him an aggressive, up- beat scheme.

"Aggressive," and "up- beat,"- two words that have been foreign in South Florida for the last decade.

Well it seems that Joe Philbin is bringing a lot of things back to Miami that have been foreign for a long time.  Right now its good publicity, smart hires, and an aggressive offensive scheme.

Let's hope in September he brings back the most foreign thing of all:

Wins.

Brandon Marshall dooms QB Matt Moore with postgame comments (with video) PLUS poll question

Brandon Marshall may have been outnumbered in Hawaii being only one of two Miami Dolphins' that participated in yesterday's AFC vs. NFC Pro Bowl game.

But then again, hasn't Marshall always been a one man show?

Marshall reeled in six catches, four of them for touchdowns, in his 177 yard MVP performance in the AFC's 59-41 win on Sunday night. But it wasn't only Marshall's actions that stood out, unfortunately.

It was also his words. I know, shocker.

“Quarterbacks make it easier for me,” Marshall told a NBC sideline reporter during the Pro Bowl. “These guys are putting it in the right places and I’m making plays. It’s easy right now.”

"Down in Miami, getting a feel for different quarterbacks, I had three or four of them throughout my two years there,” said Marshall, who caught 81 passes for 1,214 yards and six touchdowns last season. Marshall would also go on to say that "elite QB's put the ball in the right spot."

Ouch.


Marshall has a point though. In his first two years in South Florida the sixth year receiver out of Central Florida has caught passes from Chad Henne, Chad Pennington, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Moore, and JP Losman. Five different starting quarterbacks for a receiver who only had one, Jay Cutler, in four years with the Broncos.

His frustration is understandable.

That being said, if the Dolphins cannot sign a Matt Flynn or a Peyton Manning and are stuck with current starter Matt Moore, then yesterday's comments have the potential to become a problem. There is not a more important relationship then that between the QB and the number one receiver. Just take a look:

Brady and Welker

Manning and Cruz

Romo and Bryant

Newton and Smith

Stafford and Ca. Johnson

Rogers and Jennings

Shaub and And. Johnson

Ryan and White

Brees and Colston

Get the picture?

If Matt Moore should go into 2012 as the starter then one of two things will happen: Either both Moore and Marshall will get together and clear the air OR the two will have run- ins throughout the season building up to an eventual explosion. Owens and McNabb ring a bell?

 I don't see either of those two happening, however, because if Moore's fate wasn't already sealed before the game yesterday, between Marshall's in game actions and post game comments, it definitely is now.

Brandon Marshall doomed the fate of QB Matt Moore.  And that may be a good thing for the Miami Dolphins.

Check out the highlights of Marshall's performance and his post game comments below, and after that go and vote on our latest poll. Enjoy.

• Brandon Marshall Pro Bowl Highlights

• Marshall post game interview

Go vote on our latest poll question!

Which QB would better suite Brandon Marshall?

• Peyton Manning
• Matt Flynn
• Robert Griffin III
• Matt Moore
• Other

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Philbin family, Miami Dolphins need each other now more than ever

BOSTON-- Joe Philbin stumbled his way through the question that sends chills down the backs of parents worldwide. With GM Jeff Ireland sitting on his right and a camera positioned directly in front of him, Philbin had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, nowhere to look but down.

"Obviously it's been a heartbreaking experience for all of us," Philbin said in response to his family's coping with the loss of their 21 year old son Michael just two weeks ago. "It's certainly not over, today I had to go look at the bio for myself in the media guide and there's my son's name in there, and ya know, how am I going to write that in my media guide?"

"I was in the office by myself and it was very, very difficult."

"Very difficult" is the lightest, most mild way of putting what Philbin and his family have been through over the last two weeks.

But then again, "very difficult" may have been the only words he could get out.

Visibly, Philbin is a broken man. The emotional toll of the last fourteen days has been the equivalent of the toll some people experience in a full year. Philbin lost his son, Michael, on January 9th from an apparent drowning accident in a Wisconsin river. Just six days later Philbin was on the Packers' sidelines for the NFC Divisional game against the Giants, a game in which they lost 37-20.

With his son gone, and his team given an early playoff exit, Joe Philbin was seemingly down and out.

"I came home Sunday night and really the TV hadn't been on in our house for a week. The Miami Dolphins maybe have hired a coach, I had no idea.  I walked down and I was talking to my son, Tim, and I saw he was kind of dejected and he asked me, ‘Dad what are the Miami Dolphins doing?' And I said I have no idea what they're doing. 'You're going to go after the job aren't you?' I said I don't know what I'm going to do. I was dejected on a lot of different fronts. He looked at me and said, ‘You better go after that job...

Your son, Mike, would want you to go after that job."

Just five days after that conversation, Philbin was on a plane, sent by owner Stephen Ross, to Miami, preparing his introductory speech at his first press conference as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

The Philbin family had been given a fresh start, one they desperately needed.

And what team to better take a fresh start with than the one that resides in South Florida? The one that hasn't won a playoff game in over a decade.

The one that hasn't won a Super Bowl in nearly four of them.

As badly as Joe Philbin needed the Miami Dolphins, the Dolphins may have needed Joe Philbin even more.

You see, football is more than just wins and losses, who's in first, and who's the best. Football is about new opportunities, second chances, and leaps of faith. Joe Philbin may not be the flashiest head coach ever, he may not have the most experience, and his name certainly isn't Jeff Fisher.

But sometimes, in football, none of those things matter.

Sometimes, the only thing that matters is a second chance, a fresh start, and a new beginning.

And for both Philbin and the Dolphins, those three things are what they need now more than ever.

Whether it be the loss of loved one, or the loss of a once premiere franchise, Joe Philbin and the Miami Dolphins found each other in their darkest hour.  With the Philbin family losing one of their own, and the Dolphins losing coveted coach Jeff Fisher to the St. Louis Rams, both parties had been knocked down, with two very different situations mind you, but knocked down nonetheless.

The Miami Dolphins took a chance on Joe Philbin, but a chance very much worth taking.  They've given the family a reason for hope, a reason for optimism, and the opportunity to recover.

Like I said, both parties have been knocked down in two very different ways over the last two weeks.

But both seem ready to help each other get back up.

Miami Dolphins name offensive, defensive coordinators

Joe Philbin has wasted little time in getting to work since being named head coach of the Miami Dolphins a week ago today.

Philbin and the Dolphins have reportedly finalized deals today with former Packers and Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman, and Bengals Secondary coach Kevin Coyle. Sherman will take over as offensive coordinator, all but ending Brian Daboll's brief stint in South Beach, and Coyle will fill the void at defensive coordinator left behind by Mike Nolan.

Both these hirings were Philbins' first as head coach, and on top of that both were reportedly his first choices as well.

Sherman, 57, has known Philbin for the better part of 30 years, teaching his English class in Prep School and giving Philbin his first NFL coaching job nine years ago when he was the Packers head coach. Speaking of that time with Green Bay, Sherman led the Packers to a 57-39 record in six seasons and a 2-4 postseason record before his firing after the 2005 season.

Sherman is expected to run the West Coast offense in Miami, which is the scheme he's run his entire career. This hiring will undoubtedly make the 'Matt Flynn to Miami' talk all more credible seeing as now both head coach and offensive coordinator have Green Bay ties.

On the defensive side, Kevin Coyle runs the 4-3 defense, which may cause some turnover on a defensive unit that's run a 3-4 scheme for the last two years under Mike Nolan.

This is Coyle's first time serving as a defensive coordinator. He's spent the past 11 seasons leading a Bengals secondary, which has developed top notch cornerbacks like Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall.

His unit has helped the Bengals record 160 interceptions and he's also found a way to properly utilize safeties Gibril Wilson and Chris Crocker, two former Dolphins safety starters that were major busts as free agent acquisitions.

Philbins' next major hire will come on the Special Teams side of the ball, and that may be the easiest one of all as reports out of Miami indicate that Philbin plans to retain current special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who's unit was one of the best in football in 2011.

New Dolphin added to Pro Bowl PLUS question of the day

A relatively quiet Wednesday for the Miami Dolphins as owner Stephen Ross and GM Jeff Ireland continue to spend the week scouting and evaluating talent at Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, AL.

The only bit of news to report is Dolphins nose tackle Paul Soliai being added to the AFC's Pro Bowl team, taking the place of injured Ravens defensive tackle Haolti Ngata.

"It's an honor to be named to the Pro Bowl," said Soliai who combined for 27 tackles and two pass deflections this season.  "I am looking forward to going to Hawaii and representing the Dolphins as well as the AFC. I would like to thank everyone who helped me get here."

This is Soliai's first Pro Bowl selection.

Anyways..

Today's poll has to do with ESPN 2's controversial First Take analyst Skip Bayless. As you may or may not know, Skip has a running history with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who has come onto the show a number of times to take on Skip in a debate.

During Monday's show, Suggs phoned in to talk to Skip about the Ravens season ending loss to the Patriots just a day prior, and some ESPN analysts, not to mention any names Stephen A Smith, have accused Bayless of being disrespectful during the interview seeing as it came just a day after the loss to New England. Suggs apparently thought so as well, calling Bayless "a douche bag" during the interview.

So, watch the interview and tell me what you think. You can also write in the comments section if you either become a follower or leave your comment as "anonymous," or you can post your comments to our Facebook wall. Enjoy.

Was Skip Bayless "disrespectful" during the Terrell Suggs interview?

• Yes
• No
• That's just Skip Bayless

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Oh brother: Why a Giants win would be GREAT for the Dolphins

BOSTON-- Over the last decade, the Manning brothers have dominated the sporting world.

The first seven years were dominated by Peyton, the coveted first overall pick out of the University of Tennessee.  Bursting onto the scene in 1998 with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning struggled out of the gate, going 3-13 in his first full NFL season.

That would be his first of only two losing seasons since then.

Manning quickly established himself as one of the premiere quarterbacks to ever play the game, winning his first of four MVP awards in 2003, just five years into the league. Three seasons' later Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to their first ever Super Bowl title, beating the Chicago Bears 29-17 while being named Super Bowl XLI MVP along the way.

But like I said, there are two Manning's to this story, and while Peyton was celebrating his first Super Bowl title, brother Eli was slowly making a name for himself as well.

Drafted two years prior in the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, who then flip-flopped him for Giants draftee Phillip Rivers, Manning was thrown into the New York spotlight halfway through the year due in large part to his last name, not his first.  He went 1-6 in his first seven NFL starts, falling under immediate scrutiny from the New York media.

A year later, in his first full season, Eli bounced back, leading the Giants to the playoffs only to throw three interceptions in a loss against Carolina.

Again, Eli took the backseat to brother Peyton.

 It wasn't until January 2008, a full year removed from his brothers' Super Bowl run, that Eli Manning nudged Peyton out of the spotlight, and into the backseat where he'd sat for so long.  And maybe it wasn't even until he beat Brett Favre and Tom Brady in back to back games, on the road, that Eli Manning truly established himself in the NFL.

It took beating the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII for Eli Manning to finally garner respect for his first name, not his last.

So here they sit today, both with rings on their fingers' and both with Super Bowl MVP trophies on their shelves.  The only difference is, Eli is preparing for a date with the Patriots;  Peyton is preparing for a date with owner Jim Irsay to discuss his future.

And this is GREAT for the Miami Dolphins.

Assuming Peyton Manning is released, and reports out there speculate he will be, then the only thing left for the Dolphins to root for will be a Giants victory.  Not because it would signal the decline of the Brady/Belichick era, which is also a reason to pull for New York, but because of what would follow.

 Eli would have finally overtaken Peyton!  To the media it would be a changing of the guard, the rise of one Manning and the falling of another.  But to older brother Peyton, it will be one thing and one thing only:  Motivation.

Motivation to come back from his third neck surgery.  Motivation to return to the NFL, a league that was once his and has since been taken away.  Motivation to return to the limelight where he once had a seat reserved for him, only to since have the reservation name changed from Peyton to Eli.

Because right now Eli Manning has taken the lead, and Peyton knows it.

He also knows that with a win he'll [Eli] start pulling away on the Manning family spectrum while he stands hopelessly by in a therapy room watching his once untouchable legacy be smeared by his younger brother.

Ever heard of the term "brotherly love?"  Well throw that out the window if Eli beats the Patriots in two weeks.

Because whether he admits it or not, Peyton Manning will.

And that's great news for the Miami Dolphins.

The case for each QB

Yesterday I wrote that owner Stephen Ross has made it crystal clear that finding a franchise QB is at the top of his to-do list now that Joe Philbin has been hired:

"I'm not stupid," Ross responded to the question he's been asked a hundred times, "I'm looking for a franchise QB, that's the highest thing on our agenda!"

I also opened the latest poll at the Dolphinsider asking who you guys wanted to man the ship for the Dolphins in 2012- Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn, Robert Griffin III, or Matt Moore?  So please go vote now if you haven't done so already.

Now I'm going to expand on those four names, giving you the pros and cons that come with each QB:


  Peyton Manning:  Pros- Where do I begin?  A sure fire first ballot hall-of-famer, with two super appearances and one super bowl ring, the four-time MVP would turn the 6-10 Miami Dolphins of 2011 into an immediate playoff contender in 2012.  Cons- He's 36 years old, but age doesn't have as big of an effect on QB's.  The big concern with Manning is his neck.  If he can return to full health, and that's a big IF, then Manning has 2-3 good years left in him.


  Matt Flynn:  Pros- Flynn is only 26 years old, and on top of that he's worked closely with new head coach Joe Philbin being that he's from Green Bay.  While he's only started two games in his career, due largely in part to Aaron Rogers, he threw for seven touchdowns and over 700 yards in those games.  Cons- He's only started two career NFL games, two!  Enough said.


  Robert Griffin III:  Pros- The 2011 Heisman winner has a tremendous upside.  He's garnered a lot of comparison to Cam Newton, who by the way just made the Pro Bowl, and has shown he can do it all:  Run, throw, and think.  He could be the QB of this team for a long, long time.  Cons- As I wrote yesterday, it would take a a kings ransom from the Dolphins to move up in the draft to acquire RG3.  How good could he be without Jake Long and Brandon Marshall?  And with every rookie QB comes one thing:  Uncertainty.  There's no guarentee he'll pan out.


   Matt Moore:  Pros- His teammates love him, and how could they not?  Moore stepped in for a winless team last season and led them back to respect, going 6-3 after the 0-7 start.  Moore was also the league's 12th rated QB, and threw 16 TD's to only 9 interceptions in limited time.  Cons-  You have to ask yourself, will Matt Moore win this team a super bowl?  Does he scare opposing defenses like a Manning or Griffin III would?  There is no doubt that Moore will be on this team next year seeing as he's under contract, but it'll likely be as a back-up.

So now I ask you again, who do you want to QB the Dolphins next season?  If you haven't voted please go do so, and remember to like us on Facebook!