LOL someone asks for reasons why he is better than anyone, and the only answer you can muster up is that 'no one is better'. Can't make this stuff up.
I don't believe he is the sole reason either. We agree on that. I do believe he has been hurt by the injuries the team has suffered. I do believe he can make the playoffs actually with a healthy squad. The reason I want him gone is pretty simple. In the NFL you are going to face adversity as a team and coach. The great coaches all have -something- they do at a high level to overcome that adversity and keep the ship afloat. Whether its motivation, scheming, player development...whatever. I don't see Philbin as having any of those qualities. It's kind of like the pilot of an airplane. All of them are pretty decent and no-one cares unless the plane is having issues, but when your plane is experiencing those problems you want the best damn pilot possible and not a guy who is "average". Honestly if I had to make a comparison I'd call him a socially awkward Marvin Lewis.
I think that's a good summation Alex. It's hard to look at Philbin and see that little piece of something transcendent that would put him a cut above. He probably doesn't have the kind of ceiling the elites do. But don't fool yourself, we have been competitive this year at times when we shouldn't have. I had the home opener against New England pegged as a loss. I didn't see us staying close with the Packers. I never saw us going into Denver and exploding for 5 TDs. I was scared to death of San Diego and we beat them like ragdolls. Those are definitely the kind of signs you're looking for. There are some "wow" moments and some "almosts." That's what you get in the early stages though. You're only looking for something to invest in. I have a sneaking suspicion that we haven't seen Philbin's true upside because we've always had to hide the bad O-line, the young QB or the out-of-place WRs. When you continually overhaul you will be stuck always trying to hide the young and inexperienced guys. Let Tannehill get those 5 or 6 years of experience and then you'll see Philbin treat him more like Aaron Rodgers or Joe Flacco. Those guys have a full offense to work with. I don't think we've ever gotten to see the real Philbin. You just have to invest time in development. 3 years is not enough to evaluate talent, overhaul a roster and install everything you want. Bring in Harbaugh and you'll be saying the same things in 3 years. The same excuses. At some point, you just have to roll with you who have and trust the decision you made. Philbin's hiring was about offensive development. We are getting there slowly but surely. I think with 2 or 3 more years worth of settling in, gaining experience and finding just the right personnel we could very well become a dominant offense that is more consistent than it is and that winds up winning the majority of the close games.
How is that an "LOL"? If Philbin's team loses to New England he'll have exactly the same win percentage as Sparano [.478 to .475] despite possessing a more talented roster, a significantly better OC, and markedly improved QB play.
Good post. I'm of the belief that Sparano would've made the playoffs maybe even a few times with Tannehill instead of Henne.
Tannehill is notably better than Henne so I'll be the first to say that the team would've been better off. But you won't hear me approach the idea that Sparano was a good head coach. That dude contributed no advantage whatsoever to the team and had no answer to it's many problems. He left us bereft of talent and directionless. I can't think of a better example of the kind of coach who's ceiling is embodied by the word "mediocre." If you're going to stand by the Tony Sparano's of the world long-term, you'd better have some excellent talent scouts, a great GM and a pair of superb coordinators.
