Dolphins coach Philbin fired after four games
MIAMI >> Joe Philbin was fired Monday four games into his fourth season as coach of the Miami Dolphins, and one day after a flop on an international stage that helped to seal his fate.
Tight ends coach Dan Campbell, who has been with the Dolphins since 2010, was promoted to interim coach. He has no previous head coaching experience.
“I’m not here just to finish the season up,” Campbell said. “That’s not my plan. We’re coming here to win games. It’s still early. We have time to turn everything around. But we can’t wait.”
The Dolphins (1-3) lost their third game in a row and turned in their fourth consecutive lackluster performance when they were beaten Sunday in London by the archrival New York Jets, 27-14.
Midseason head coaching changes are unusual in the NFL, but few will accuse owner Stephen Ross of impatience. He ignored calls to fire Philbin in December after the Dolphins faded to finish 8-8 for a second successive season.
But doubts only grew this season regarding Philbin’s inability to motivate players with his bland demeanor. Campbell said he respected Philbin but plans to make practices more intense.
“This is my sixth season with the Miami Dolphins, and this is the most talented roster we have had in those six years,” Campbell said. “We have plenty of talent.
“I feel there’s a lot more we can get out of these guys. We need to change the culture to where it is so competitive on Wednesday, Thursday, maybe even Friday, that it’s intense and heated. We may have to break up a few (fights) — that’s when things get good. You can’t go through the motions Wednesday and Thursday and turn it up on Sunday. It doesn’t work that way.”
Ross said the decision to fire Philbin was difficult.
“I don’t believe we were performing at the potential we have,” he said. “I felt this was the time to make this decision. I haven’t seen a lot of improvement. I see the same old, same old.
“My goal is still to make the playoffs. I felt this was the best opportunity we have — to pick Dan Campbell as our head coach.”
The Dolphins have started poorly in every game and have been outscored 37-3 in the first quarter. The offensive line has been a problem throughout Philbin’s tenure, and the defense has progressively gotten worse under coordinator Kevin Coyle. They rank last in the AFC in rushing and offensive points per game, and last in the NFL in sacks and run defense.
Philbin, who was hired as a first-time head coach in 2012, went 24-28. He failed to reach the playoffs or even finish above .500. MLB: NATIONALS FIRE MANAGER, COACHING STAFF WASHINGTON >> Manager Matt Williams was fired by the Washington Nationals on Monday after a season in which the team went from World Series favorite to failing to make the playoffs.
The club announced the move a day after finishing the regular season barely above .500 at 83-79, second to the New York Mets in the NL East.
“This entire season was a disappointment,” general manager Mike Rizzo said during a telephone conference call. “It was not our best year. It wasn’t Matt’s best year. It wasn’t my best year. As an organization, it wasn’t our best year. All of us, together, feel the disappointment.”
Williams is gone after only two seasons in his first job as a skipper in the majors. Last year, he was voted NL Manager of the Year after the Nationals finished with the best record in the league. In February, the Nationals exercised his 2016 contract option.
But he presided over a 2015 season filled with defeats, discord and the embarrassing spectacle of a dugout dustup between NL MVP front-runner Bryce Harper and teammate Jonathan Papelbon during a game the day after the team was eliminated from playoff contention.
Williams said he had no idea of the extent of the skirmish until much later in the day. Even though he was, of course, in the dugout at the time, Williams said he hadn’t been aware of exactly what happened — including that Papelbon grabbed Harper by the throat. None of his players or coaches told him about it right away, and he said he hadn’t asked to know more.
“Not one single incident was the tipping point of making a decision with Matt Williams,” Rizzo said. “Like I said during the season, (we were) going to take his whole body of work into consideration.”
The Nationals also said Monday they will not renew the contracts of the seven members of Williams’ staff: bench coach Randy Knorr, pitching coach Steve McCatty, hitting coach Rick Schu, third base coach Bobby Henley, first base coach Tony Tarasco, bullpen coach Matt LeCroy, and defensive coordinator Mark Weidemaier.
Knorr, who was a candidate for manager when Williams was hired, could be considered for that post again, Rizzo said.
Before Sunday’s season finale against the Mets, Rizzo said the Nationals were “not going to let people twist in the wind” — and, true to his word, the house-cleaning began quickly. He said he met with Williams in the Nationals Park manager’s office Monday morning to deliver the news.
Rizzo said the hiring process would begin Monday afternoon. SOCCER: MEXICO’S DOS SANTOS TO MISS PLAYOFF GAME AGAINST USA MEXICO CITY >> Forward Giovani Dos Santos will miss Mexico’s playoff game at the United States on Saturday, a match that determines which nation will represent its region at the 2017 Confederations Cup.
Mexican interim head coach Ricardo Ferretti made the announcement Monday, a few hours after Dos Santos was included in El Tri’s 23-man roster. Dos Santo has three goals in seven league matches with the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.
Mexico captain Andres Guardado and defender Rafael Marquez were included in the roster.
Guardado, who scored six goals to lead Mexico to victory in this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, injured his left ankle in PSV Eindhoven’s 2-1 Champions League win over Manchester United on Sept. 15. Expected to miss the playoff game, he started Sunday in the Eredivisie against Ajax.