Manso on Philbin's ouster, 'The right move'

Dolphins had seen enough to determine whether he was right coach

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Stephen Ross made the right move to fire Joe Philbin.

The fact that he waited four games too long is another story altogether.

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After three mediocre seasons under Philbin, we had seen enough to determine whether he was the right guy to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs.

He wasn't.

But, now comes the bigger questions: could anyone lead this roster to the playoffs?  And is this team really playoff quality?

Ross said after firing Philbin that he still believes the Dolphins can make the postseason, while at the same time admitting he may have overestimated the talent on the roster.

Let's make one thing clear about Joe Philbin; he didn't get fired because he's a boring guy and not fiery enough.  He got fired because he didn't win enough games.  Period.

It's easy to make the narrative that the Dolphins need more energy and attitude, hence, enter former tight end and self-proclaimed hard-nosed guy in Dan Campbell as the new head coach.

If Philbin had led the Dolphins to playoff appearances and a 3-1 start, we would be praising his calm demeanor and even-keel attitude.

Instead, we're saying he didn't know how to get the most from his players.

That may be true, but the jury is still very much out on this team.

At some point players have to look in the mirror and play better and play to their capabilities.  Can Campbell bring that out of the players?  Maybe.

He fits the bill.  He's an in-your-face "tell it like it is" guy.  When he was done speaking to the media, I felt like dropping down and doing 100 push-ups.  Campbell is that intense.

And maybe this team needs that.  Philbin's message had clearly been lost or never received.

Or maybe, like Ross may have, we overestimated the talent on this team.

One thing's for sure, winning the media isn't the reason why Campbell got this job.  Winning games is.

He'll get his chance now to win with the roster Philbin couldn't win with.

Ross says he will definitely be considered as a permanent candidate for the job.

But, like everything, winning will be the only determining factor in that, not how well he speaks or handles the media

As for Ross, his handing of this franchise has been nothing but poor. From having too many voices at the top, to his taking too long to see Philbin wasn't the right man for the job.  His indecisiveness has set back this team for years now.

Four games too late, it's time to pick up the pieces.  Don't be surprised if those pieces are still being moved around come the offseason.