Dolphins News...

[01/20/12] -- Dolphins Pick Joe Philbin as Head Coach
Numerous news outlets are reporting tonight that the Dolphins have picked Packers OC Joe Philbin as their new head coach. The Dolphins have confirmed on twitter that they have made Joe Philbin the 10th head coach in their history. Fan reaction has been mixed, but a poll on David Hyde's Blog showed that the fans preferred Philbin over any of the other available candidates.

Curt's Comments: I don't know much about Joe Philbin, other than he is Ross' favorite and that he had great success as offensive coordinator with the Packers. Another consideration is that he has worked closely with Packers backup QB Matt Flynn, who will be highly sought after as a free agent this spring. Having Philbin as the head coach could make signing Flynn much easier.

At this point, I will reserve judgement on the Philbin signing. It will be at least 9 months before we have much of a clue as to how this will work out and in all likelihood, much longer than that before we know for sure if he's the right man for the job. About the only thing that is fairly clear is that he was the best candidate available at this point.

[01/03/12] -- Dolphins Have Key Positions to Fill
The 2011 NFL season is over for the Dolphins after a disappointing 6-10 finish that resulted in the firing of head coach Tony Sparano and probably ended the Dolphins' career of QB Chad Henne. As a result, the Dolphins have two very important personnel decisions to make: They must hire a new head coach and they must decide on a quarterback for the future. The administration is already interviewing head coaching candidates and will make their decision as soon as possible. At quarterback, however, the player who will fill that role - for the next season, at least - may already be on the roster. As Phins.com Columnist Chris Shashaty tells us in his latest column, the Starting QB for 2012 will be Matt Moore.

[12/24/11] -- Dolphins Try to play Spoiler in New England
The Dolphins travel to New England this weekend for a game that has little meaning for them as a team, but could mean a lot to certain individuals. Matt Moore has improved a lot this season, but still has to prove that he can be the starting quarterback of the future and having a good game against the Patriots would go a long way towards proving that. Also, interim head coach Todd Bowles could make a strong case to be considered for the permanent head coaching job by beating Belichick and the Patriots today.

>[12/16/11] -- Dolphins Try to Sweep Bills
The Dolphins travel to Buffalo this weekend to try and make it a sweep of the Bills this year as neither team has much left to play for except for bragging rights. It looks like Matt Moore will start on Sunday, despite having suffered a minor concussion in the last game against the Eagles. The last time the Dolphins faced the Bills, they crushed them 35-8, denying the Bills any touchdowns while Matt Moore threw for 3 TDs himself. This weekend, the Dolphins' defense should be able to continue their dominance and Miami should come away with a much-needed victory.

[12/12/11] -- Dolphins Fire Sparano
The Dolphins have fired head coach Tony Sparano and named former Assistant Head Coach Todd Bowles as the interim Head Coach until the season is over. For more info, see the Phins.com News Wire.

[12/03/11] -- Dolphins Host Raiders
The Dolphins host the AFC West-leading Oakland Raiders in Miami on Sunday in a game that probably means very little to the Dolphins - except for the chance to defeat one of their oldest, bitterest foes - the Oakland Raiders. In the glory days of the Dolphins, the Oakland Raiders were the team that the Dolphins hated and feared the most. They were the team that ended Miami's SuperBowl run in the "Sea of Hands" game in 1975. For those of us who have been Dolphins' fans since the early days, the Oakland Raiders hold a special place of hatred in our hearts and any game against them carries echos of some bitter defeats in the 70s.

The Dolphins have an excellent chance of beating the Raiders this Sunday as long as they can get back to scoring touchdowns in the redzone. Matt Moore has proven himself to be a better quarterback than Chad Henne, but he still has a lot to learn and this Sunday will provide another tough test for him.

[11/25/11] -- Dolphins Lose Last Hope by 1 Point
The Dolphins lost to the Cowboys by one point on a last second field goal last night, ending any hopes they might have had of a miracle resurrection of the season. For most of the game, the Dolphins matched the Cowboys play-for-play and gave as good as they got. However, in the end, the Dolphins' offense couldn't run out the clock and the defense couldn't stop the Cowboys' offense from driving down for an easy chip shot field goal to take the win.

[11/22/11] -- Dolphins Seek Hope In Dallas
This has been perhaps the most bizarre season I can remember as a Dolphins' fan. And I've been a Dolphins' fan since they were formed. For the first part of the year, the Dolphins looked like they weren't going to be able to beat anyone as they stumbled to an 0-7 start. Even when they played well - like they did against Denver and the Giants - they couldn't get it done in the end.

And then they went to Kansas City and have since looked like a completely different football team. Starting with that slaughter of the Chiefs, the Dolphins have gone 3 games without giving up a touchdown, have scored 86 points and have a quarterback who has thrown for 6 touchdowns against 1 pick, has completed almost 71% of his passes for 8.5 yards per attempt and a 118.6 QB rating. To quote "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" - Who are those guys, anyway?

Well, this Thanksgiving we should find out the truth about this team. If the Dolphins are to have any chance at all of reaching the post-season, they must run the table and win every game left on their schedule. And that starts with the NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving afternoon. While the Dolphins' previous 3 wins have been dominating, none of the teams they faced are likely to make the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys are a different story and for Miami to salvage their season, they must start by beating the Cowboys. This week, Chris Shashaty gives us his evaluation of the team and more with his latest column For Dolphins, Answers Just Ahead In Big D.

Curt's Comments: Around this time of the year, the football pundits start to talk about "must win" games. Unfortunately, for the Dolphins, every game from now on really is a "must win" game. Losing even one and going 8-8 will definitely keep them home in January. Even 9-7 will only put them in the hunt for a wildcard. Beating Dallas on Thanksgiving will give the Dolphins a huge boost going into December and maybe start a miracle finish. Losing to Dallas - even if they play well - will just prolong the inevitable.

[11/19/11] -- Bills Come to Miami
The Dolphins get another chance this week to show the fans that they have not completely blown the season. The hated Bills are coming to Miami with a 2 game losing streak while the Dolphins have won their last 2 in a convincing fashion. Defeating the Bills on Sunday would restore a little credibility to the Dolphins' season, while losing would put them back with the worst of the league.

[11/12/11] -- Dolphins Have A Chance
The Dolphins have probably their best chance to win their first home game of the season tomorrow against a struggling Redskins team, lead by former Dolphins' QB John Beck. The Dolphins are coming off a dominating first win against the Chiefs, while the Redskins are on a 4 game slide after a decent 3-1 start to their season. Still, as the Dolphins showed the Chiefs last week, prior performance is no guarantee of future results. If Miami wants to salvage what's left of this season, they need to start with a victory over the Redskins.