After the press conference introducing Joe Philbin, I had a chance to soak in the excitement and reflect and collect on some of the main points that he shared with all of us Dolfans, media, and players.
The new coach in Miami spelled out what could unequivocally be the end of some of our favorite players that don the aqua and orange.
Joe Philbin does not want diva guys. He doesn’t want “me” guys. This is the no “I” in team philosophy that is synonymous with some of the NFL teams that have had Miami coaches reaching for the Maloxx after football games and stomaching tough losses.
He wants players that want to win and do not care about statistics. I can certainly think of guys on the Miami Dolphins that are this way or appear to be this way. Even some guys with large contracts such as Brandon Marshall might be in this category of selfish or statistically driven. We will certainly see how this pans out. (Could be a sign on draft direction either up or down.)
Philbin absolutely wants to win first and foremost and wants his players to believe they can win and practice to win. Every week, the Dolphins will be focusing on winning each and every opponent.
I found his comment about what scheme the Dolphins plan to run quite interesting. He first mentioned that on the defensive side of the ball, the team would have a fundamental focus on tackling, taking the ball away, and getting pressure on the quarterback.
Will the Dolphins switch from a 3-4 to 4-3? Is a BJ Raji type nose tackle needed to be the stalwart of the defense? Are more explosive pass rushers like a Clay Matthews type needed?
On offense, Philbin is not going to copy the Green Bay Packer playbook and teach the current Dolphin players to play the same explosive offense. No, he is going to look at the offense and find out what they do well, get them focused on doing well, and hide any of the negative attributes that might exist. (It is possible to install the west coast offense in Miami with the talent that is presently there. Guys like Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley couldn’t hurt that installation of this “South Beach Offense” as perspective Dolphins.)
Philbin truly is a man that is all about the game. He is a football coach. He is a teacher and he is quite the speaker and leader that a lot of people were clamoring for in South Florida.
I have seen many Miami Dolphin coaching press conferences and if the Dolphins expect to rise in the standings next season then today was a monumental day in Dolphin history and a first step toward success in 2012 and beyond!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
