Joe Philbin’s seat couldn’t be any hotter as his Miami Dolphins prepare to take on the New York Jets in London on Sunday morning.
According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Philbin could very well lose his job is the Jets blow out the Dolphins.
“If the Dolphins start this game poorly again, suggesting their preparation is lacking … If the Dolphins show little fight again — as they did at times in the second half of the Buffalo game … If the Dolphins are dealt a loss this week similar in size and scope to the one they suffered in that 41-14 thrashing by the Bills…Then Joe Philbin’s job will definitely be in jeopardy during the bye week,” Salguero wrote on Friday night.
He does make sure to note that owner Stephen Ross is being firmly tight-lipped about the entire situation, which points to a stressed relationship. If Ross were completely confident in Philbin, then he’d have no issue saying so.
In this case his silence speaks volumes.
This was supposed to be the season the Dolphins ascended to potentially knock off the New England Patriots in the AFC East. Instead, the only victory we see on the record at this point is against a Washington team that nobody would call scary.
Amidst rumors that high-priced free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh ignored play calls against Jacksonville, coaching blunders and a general lack of discipline, there is no doubt Philbin’s job is on the line.
At this point, doing it heading into a bye week sounds like the most reasonable way to execute such a sensitive and tricky move. But it certainly appears as if Philbin got in way over his head in Miami, and many believe he’s the man holding this organization back.