Watch CBS News

Dolphins Fire Philbin - New Coach Dan Campbell: 'Some Players Need A Kick In The Rear'

By Abraham Gutierrez

As expected, the end of the Joe Philbin era came to a screeching halt the moment the team plane touched South Florida soil. With no time to waste, Dan Campbell was introduced as the Miami Dolphins interim head coach during a press conference Monday afternoon. Judging by his demeanor and responses to media questions, the 11th head coach in franchise history might be exactly what this bunch needs to salvage the 2015 NFL season.

However, heading into a crucial bye week, the question now becomes: Can Coach Campbell whip this group of players – that were seen smiling and joking on the sidelines while getting whooped by their arch nemesis with the eyes of the world watching – into shape before it's too late? For what it's worth, all indications are that Campbell's methods will be radically different than Philbin's mellow approach.

"There's different ways to motivate players," said the Super Bowl XLIV champion during today's presser. "Some players, they do, they need a kick in the rear. Some players need to be patted on the back. Some need to be challenged – they need to be told that they're not good enough, because that's when they really rise to the top. So, those are going to be the things that I have to do, and I feel like that is my strength. I understand people very well, and I understand players."

Campbell takes over a team that's 1-3 on the year, but has a great deal of talent, at least on paper. The former third-round pick, who played 11 years in the NFL and has coached for six seasons – all with the Fins – following his (2009) retirement, believes he can earn the respect of a stubborn Dolphins bunch.

"I feel like I relate to the players, I feel that I'm somebody that understands them," he added. "That doesn't mean I'm their best friend, but because I've been in that locker room and I understand what it's like. I've been at the top. I've been at the bottom. I understand what it's like to hit that rollercoaster. I understand what it's like when things start going not the way you'd want them to go and what it takes to bring people back."

Miami entered the 2015 NFL season with very high expectations following what appeared to be a very successful offseason. Heck, even a Harvard study predicted that the 2016 Super Bowl would consist of a matchup between the Seattle Seahawks versus the Miami Dolphins.

Nevertheless, through four games, this squad has proven to be more sizzle than steak. Thus, the Fins go into the bye week as one of the worst teams in professional football, as they've been unable to get anything going on either side of the rock.

Offensively, Miami is penultimate in rushing yards per game (69.2), antepenultimate in points per game (16.2), ranks 25th in total yards per contest (314.8), and the passing game, which has been the brightest spot, is only good enough for 17th place in the league averaging 245.5 yards a week.

"This is my sixth season with the Miami Dolphins [and] this is the most talented roster that we've had in those six years," Campbell said. "We have plenty of talent. We have the people in this building. We have the staff. There may be some things that may have to be moved or shuffled as far as that goes… but we have enough to win.

"We have to change the culture, I have to change the culture, and that's what I intend to do. What that means is that we need to become a more aggressive front, or team in general. We need to get our front four on defense, our front five on the offensive line, just as a whole, we need to breed a culture of competitiveness, finish and intensity. To me, that's where it all starts."

Following the bye, the Miami Dolphins will hit the road to take on the Tennessee Titans (Week 6), before returning to South Florida for a Week 7 showdown with the Houston Texans in Week 7.

Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.