MIAMI – In a stunning turn of events, the Miami Dolphins ownership group has announced the firing of head coach Joe Philbin, just three days after winning the Super Bowl.
"Despite our current success, this is the direction we believe is best for our organization," the press release said. "We appreciate Mr. Philbin's contributions to our organization."
Reactions from Dolphins players was mixed to say the least.
"He is a nice guy," Thomas Rawls said. "But this did feel like a player-led team - I hope we get a coach who can instill some new ideas into our offensive philosophy."
Fullback Roosevelt Nix didn't mix words in his discussion of Philbin's abrupt removal.
"I'm gone too," Nix said. "There's no way I'd sign with Miami again - I'm loyal to coach Joe."
Rumors are already circulating that Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is a strong candidate to replace Philbin in Miami.
TMZ.com reported that the firing had been planned after the team started the season 3-5 following an embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills. In a closed-door meeting, Philbin was stripped of play-calling duties and was told to use the rest of the season to "pad his resume" and that he would be fired once the season concluded. Newly acquired quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick allegedly became the team's "de facto" offensive coordinator with the defense having free reign to blitz at will with "nothing to lose."
"There is no truth to any of that," Fitzpatrick said. "Our coaches played a big part in our title run."
One rival AFC East exec had a differing opinion.
"You saw their playbook towards the end there," the executive said. "It was like watching Georgia Tech run the triple option - they had maybe six plays. They were good plays, but very predictable play-calling from coach Fitzpatrick."
