“I said I came here to compete for championships and we had a chance to get in the tournament last year. We didn’t. But I expect us to be in position again to do that and hopefully be a year more mature and be able to handle things better and be a year smarter and do a better job. Top to bottom on this football team there’s no place we can’t improve from coaching to playing. I think we’ll do that. I expect us to be a good football team. I really do.”
The Dolphins weren’t a bad team a season ago. Their 8-8 record actually represented the team’s first non-losing season since 2008. But Dolphins fans want better than a .500 team. Ross is expecting more than a .500 team.
Philbin knows this. And he knows there are skeptics who don’t think he can deliver.
Profootballtalk.com, a highly popular website among NFL fans, coaches, agents front office people, and yes, owners, recently ranked all 32 teams. The Dolphins were ranked 31st.
The ranking raised eyebrows within the Dolphins organization. Ross even called Philbin to talk about the matter and see what the coach thinks.
Well, this is what he thinks of whoever set the rankings:
“I don’t think he knows the guys in our looker room or the guys that come to work in this building every single day from top to bottom,” Philbin said.
The coach is making strides to know his players better this year. Communication within the franchise and with fans and media outside the franchise is being emphasized.
Philbin is working at being more transparent. And perhaps that’s one reason he easily acknowledges what he thinks is right about his team and also what needs significant hard work.
The team’s strength?
Playmakers, the coach suggests.
