While it’s generally a good start to be rid of Mike “It Was The Right Call” Sherman, let’s not celebrate yet. You must remember that Sherman and his pal Joe Philbin have the same mindset when it comes to running an offense. So if Philbin gets rid of one Sherman, he is likely to replace him with another.
Let’s hope not. Let’s hope Philbin sees the error in his ways and gets an aggressive OC in here to shake things up.
It’s good that we got rid of an offensive coordinator who makes poor choices. But it’s bad that we’re still stuck with a head coach who thinks that poor choices are “right.”
The Good:
In 2012 in the Cardinals game, the Dolphins had the lead late. We had the ball at around midfield with under 3 minutes to go. The running game was working well. All we had to do was run out the clock for an easy victory. Even if the run got stuffed 3 downs in a row, we’d punt the ball and pin the Cards back deep, led by a backup QB. But instead, Mike Sherman decided to call for a pass play. Sack. Fumble. Opponent scores. Game over. Dolphins lose. The Dolphins lost this game because Mike Sherman called a pass play.
Jump ahead a year to the first Bills game….EXACT same scenario. Sherman should have learned from the Cards game. But he called a pass…again. Again another sack. Fumble. Loss.
It is GOOD to get rid of such a play caller who stubbornly refuses to learn from his mistakes.
The Bad: Joe Philbin sided with Mike Sherman on BOTH of these atorcious calls. Philbin said “it was the right call” both times. The same exact call in two separate games cost us both games. When a play costs you a game, it is not “right.”
The Good:
Mike Sherman is gone.
The Bad:
Joe Philbin defended his pal Sherman to the end, and only fired him because team ownership demanded it. How did Philbin not recognize the games that Sherman cost us? You have to question Philbin’s judgment for hiring and protecting a man as inept and unaccomplished as Mike Sherman.
The Good:
Mike Sherman is gone.
The Bad:
Philbin has an identical philosphy as Sherman, so whoever Philbin hires next, he will also have to adhere to this philosophy. For example, Mike Sherman refused to run a single QB-sneak all year long. If Joe Philbin thought that was wrong, he would have corrected it in Week One. Instead, he never corrected it because he agrees with it.
The Good:
Stephen Ross forced Philbin to make this change. It is a good thing for the owner to assert himself. He’s telling Philbin that 8-8 ain’t good enough for my team, and I’m going to make changes if you won’t do it.
The Bad:
Mr. Ross allowed Philbin to announce the firing, making it seem like it was Philbin’s own choice. Some may disagree, but I would have preferred if Mr. Ross made this announcement himself…in a direct address to us fans.
The Good:
There are many qualified candidates out there who would be excellent in this role. We prefer Brian Billick, a former SuperBowl-winning head coach who knows how to make the most out of a so-so offense. Trent Dilfer, anyone?
The Bad:
We fear that Joe Philbin will act his own OC next year. And that means the same exact calls that Sherman made. Remember, even though he was the OC in Green Bay, Philbin was never allowed to call plays. He was not involved in any personnel packages whatsoever. He did not choose any players. We at Dolphins Truth have questioned Philbin’s qualifications since day one, but we’ll save that for another article.
I heard that Gary Kubiak will be the new OC.