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Miami Dolphins: Joe Philbin appears firmly on the hot seat

By Luis Tirado Jr.

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Entering his fourth year with the Miami Dolphins, Joe Philbin is easily on the hot seat to deliver once and for all. The Dolphins decided to stick with him for 2015 in hopes that he can end their NFL playoff drought by finally pushing the team to the next level. With an impressive offseason that included the huge free agency acquisition of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, wide receiver Greg Jennings and drafting top offensive play-maker DeVante Parker, it’s Philbin’s job to put everything together to produce the first playoff caliber team under his tenure.

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Philbin’s first three seasons with the Dolphins has been mediocre at best. Miami finished 7-9 his first year, and then 8-8 the following two seasons, fans are growing tiresome of the lack of making a major leap forward into being contenders in the AFC East. Philbin has no more excuses as the talent on the Dolphins have been upgraded on both sides of the football to at least remain competitive in a division that has seen all their neighbors also get much-improved.

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In an article written by the ESPN.com Staff, here is what popular reporter Rich Cimini had to say about who has the hottest seat in the AFC East:

"It has to be Philbin. All the warning signs are there: He has a mediocre record (23-25) and no playoff appearances in three years, a new boss (Tannenbaum) in charge of the football operation and an owner (Ross) who spent major bucks in the offseason and wants results now. It’s hard to imagine Philbin surviving another playoff-less season. Tannenbaum made a lot of changes to the roster in his first season, and he will bring in his own coach if Philbin stumbles again. How do you think Tannenbaum-Eric Mangini 2.0 will play in South Beach? Don’t laugh: It could happen if Philbin goes 0-for-4. It’s unusual in the NFL for a coach to get a fifth crack at the postseason. Philbin has a $96 million quarterback (Ryan Tannehill), a revamped receiving corps and Ndamukong Suh on defense. Get it done, Joe."

Needless to say, if Philbin doesn’t at least deliver a playoff berth in 2015, he’ll most likely be good as gone. While it’s hard to speculate when a move like this could happen, keep in mind their off week comes in Week 5. That could mean that if the Dolphins start struggling early on, he might be gone even before the end of the regular season.

Sep 26, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin at press conference at Allianz Park in advance of the NFL International Series game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One of the major problems with Philbin is he doesn’t know how to keep the Dolphins in check to finish their season strong. It’s ironic how the Dolphins seemingly put themselves in a position to earn a Wild Card berth by winning a few of their final games of the regular season only to lose and blow their chances when everything is on the line.

Overall, while every win is important, it’s usually those final games of the season that end up defining an entire year. If Philbin plans to continue being the head coach of the Dolphins in 2016, he must deliver a sensation season that makes the Dolphins able to keep up with anything coming their way as they make a return to the NFL Playoffs. It won’t be easy but with his job seemingly on the line, Philbin is easily on the hot seat to deliver if he wants to keep his job past 2015.

Next: Miami Dolphins: If…And…But for 2015

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