Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin talks to season-ticket holders

[CF DolFan]

I like what I'm seeing from Philbin. If it wasn't for this hire it would be hard for me to keep paying attention.

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2012/04/quick-hits-miami-dolphins-coach-joe-philbin-talks-to-season-ticket-holders.html

The Miami Dolphins continued its pickaxe campaign at what once was a perceived wall of secrecy.
 

Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin
 
On Tuesday, first-year coach Joe Philbin participated in a teleconference with season-ticket holders taking select questions from fans.
 
On multiple occasions since Philbin’s hire in January, the Dolphins have made Philbin, general manager Jeff Ireland, chief executive officer Mike Dee and owner Steve Ross available to fans and reporters to answer questions.
 
Here is a synopsis of Philbin’s key talking points during the 45-minute call:
 
* Philbin’s No. 1 goal taking over as Dolphins’ head coach was to assemble a coaching staff. He noted the success of offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle. Philbin said the Dolphins tried to reach out to fans, and media members. He also mentioned his home is filled with a lot of moving boxes, and quipped he would welcome volunteers to assist in unpacking.
 
* On the West Coast Offense: Philbin said it’s an offense with a lot of diversity, one he hopes the Dolphins can utilize to stay unpredictable in games. He said he’s confident in his coaches’ ability to teach the offense, and his players’ ability to learn it.
 
* What about the Wildcat? Philbin said he spends the offseason studying opponents, and looking to adapt to newer trends. But regarding the Wildcat, he said, “Don’t know if we’re gonna turn into a Wildcat team.”
 
* On the wide receiving corps: Philbin was asked a few times about the Dolphins wide receivers. Basically, he said at this point he will look to develop the players currently on the roster. He did not rule out signing a free agent receiver, or using one of the Dolphins’ eight picks in the NFL draft to add one to the roster.
 
* On in-game coaching: Philbin said Sherman will call the game, but that all facets of coaching will use a collaborative approach. Philbin said he will help install the offensive game plan. “This is not gonna be a one-man operation on any side of the ball,” Philbin said.
 
* On taking advantage of Reggie Bush’s versatility: Philbin said Bush is very talented. The Dolphins want Bush to be a running back, but that he can do things as a wide receiver. Philbin said he wants to create mismatches. “With Reggie, we want to be multiple – not just hand the ball off to him,” Philbin said.
 
* On the quarterback position: Philbin said he’s pleased with Matt Moore, David Garrard and Pat Devlin. He said all three want to win the starting job, and all three are good locker room guys. He said Moore and Garrard have proven they can play winning football in the NFL. Philbin pointed to next Tuesday as the start of the Dolphins’ offseason program when the position battles will begin. “We haven’t promised anyone anything,” Philbin said welcoming the competitive environment. “…It’s gonna be fun.”
 
* On red-zone offense: Philbin said he wants to be aggressive in the red zone, but he also preached patience.  ”You have to take your shots, no question about it,” Philbin said. “…You have to be aggressive, but patient.”
 
* On this year’s expectations: Philbin wouldn’t commit to a win-loss total, or even predict a playoff berth or declare he has a Super Bowl roster. That would be foolish. He said it’s been his experience teams often forge their identity through adversity. “One of the great parts about my job, you’re never sure exactly what you have,” Philbin said. “…Your job as a coach is to get the maximum out of the players. To say we’re gonna be 7-9, 9-7 … we have a broader prospective at this point. This team has a lot of character. The key is how quickly we can forge this group into playing like a team.”
 
* What will be the Dolphins’ focus in the draft – offense or defense?: Philbin said it would likely be a combination of the two. He said the Dolphins are in final preparations, and focused on the final three weeks heading into the draft.
 
* On choosing to coach the Dolphins: Philbin said he interviewed for other NFL coaching jobs, but he picked the Dolphins because owner Steve Ross showed a commitment to winning in a first-class manner. Philbin said Ross vowed to do the things necessary to win the right way. And there was one more reason: “After being in Green Bay, I like palm trees,” Philbin said.
 
* More on wide receivers: Philbin said he wants his offense to be balanced, and he wants various players involved. He wants to spread the ball around. “It will make us less predictable, harder to defend,” Philbin said.
 
* On middle-round draft picks: Philbin said they can be the heart and soul of an NFL team. The Dolphins have two third-round picks this year. Generally, what he expects from middle-round picks is significant contribution starting in their second and third seasons[/b]

[suck for luck]

Not much there. A lot of talking without really saying much of anything.

I'm not ripping the guy, that's just the way it is with coach speak.

[Doc-phin]

I think the players will respond well to coach Philbin.  I know they appreciated Sparano having their back in the media, but I figure Sparano was a bit annoying to most of the guys.

I wish we had just a bit more youth in our coaching staff as a whole, but overall not a bad set of coaches.  Now we have to see if they can work miracles too.

[Pappy13]

Not much there. A lot of talking without really saying much of anything.

I'm not ripping the guy, that's just the way it is with coach speak.

Agreed, but it's nice to see a reverse of the "bunker mentality" that Miami has had the last few years which frankly to me seemed outdated if not a downright stupid approach.

I'm not asking you to give away your draft or free agency plans, but you can at least be a bit forthcoming that you have a draft and free agency plans and that they will be revealed once the draft and free agency period is completed. There's no harm in that.

[suck for luck]

Agree. Seems like a good guy. I like his sense of humor.

[Dave Gray]

Agreed, but it's nice to see a reverse of the "bunker mentality" that Miami has had the last few years which frankly to me seemed outdated if not a downright stupid approach.

I agree that it's nice to see the reverse, but I think the "bunker mentality" has a place, too.  If you're winning, revealing nothing about your team makes you look enigmatic.  I think it makes people fear you and overthink you.  If you're losing, it makes people assume the worst.

When you haven't been good for 10 years, being closed off doesn't help your image.

[CF DolFan]

I like that he has a sense of humor and can laugh at things. He is going to need that in the future.

On choosing to coach the Dolphins: Philbin said he interviewed for other NFL coaching jobs, but he picked the Dolphins because owner Steve Ross showed a commitment to winning in a first-class manner. Philbin said Ross vowed to do the things necessary to win the right way. And there was one more reason: “After being in Green Bay, I like palm trees,” Philbin said.

[MikeO]

It shows Philbin is smart enough to at least say the right things. Unlike our last bozo who was the head coach who wasn't even smart enough to lie to the media correctly!