New Dolphins Coach Goes Medieval Hoping To Prove 2016 AFC Championship Odds Wrong
By Abraham Gutierrez
One of the funniest things about NFL betting odds is how swiftly a team can go from being one of the conference's top contenders, to all of a sudden sinking towards the bottom of the barrel just a quarter into the new season. That summarizes the (1-3) Miami Dolphins' 2015 NFL experience, as new interim coach Dan Campbell will have his work cutout if 2016 AFC Championship odds prove to be accurate.
That's because the demoted Dolphins have fallen into a category reserved for the American Football Conference worst. Heading into their Week 5 bye, the Fins' chances to represent the AFC in the 2016 Super Bowl are almost as bad as the (1-3) Jacksonville Jaguars [+10000] and (1-3) Cleveland Browns [+20000].
The shocking – and quite frankly, depressing – part about that notion is that neither the Dawgs nor Jags possess the amount of talent this year's Fins have on their roster. But, as Bill Parcells once said, "You are what your record says you are," and thus, Campbell inherits a team whose NFL odds to be relevant are calculated at a whopping +6000.
Sure, there are instances where a devastating injury occurs, justifying why NFL oddsmakers would make those types of drastic adjustments to their betting lines. However, that's not the case with these Dolphins, who after four weeks, appear more like a group of spoiled millionaire babies rather than the prideful, tough bunch they're supposed to be with guys like Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Mike Pouncey at the forefront.
Enter Dan Campbell, who in his first practice as interim head coach went (in Marsellus Wallace voice) "medieval," utilizing "violence" – and the old "Oklahoma Drill" – to light a fire under a Dolphins team that's gotten a little too comfortable going through the motions collecting paychecks.
"Ultimately, all I wanted to see is guys come out and violently compete," he said in his opening remarks following Wednesday's practice. "I felt that today and I think they felt it too. I don't think, I know. So, it's a good day."
Seriously, what's not to love about this guy, Dolphins fans?
Coach Campbell is not only a former player, but also a Super Bowl champion, which means the players can relate and respect him for his accomplishments on the field. He has an old school, blue-collar approach to the game, which is a complete culture shock compared to Joe Philbin's passive approach. And, fingers crossed, he might be just what this team needs to prove NFL oddsmakers wrong.
"Yes, absolutely," replied the former third-round pick out of Texas A&M when asked about using violence as a tool to reshape the pro football culture in Miami. "That's what they have those pads on for, they've got to learn how to use those things again."
Even though it's early, coach Campbell is not only saying, but also doing all the right things to try and preserve a very salvageable season… and guess what? The players not only appear to respond well to his tactics, but – those who have spoken publicly – stand behind him 100 percent of the way.
"He loves football and it's a guy that you can get behind and like I was saying before, everybody would run through a wall for Dan Campbell," said Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron. "Everyone in this locker room would say the same thing and I think it's awesome, the loyalty we have towards him is huge. It's going to be a good thing."
Needless to say, the moral of the story is particularly reserved for casual South Florida NFL fans: Before hopping off the bandwagon and becoming Patriots supporters for the remainder of the 2015 NFL season, "Dolphins fans" might want to pay attention to what Dan Campbell has in store in the coming weeks. By the looks of it, his plan is to revive the golden years of Miami Dolphins football, with hopes of, not only getting the players to compete with the same pride as their predecessors, but more so, honor all the digits in some of these guys' paychecks.
"Dan [Campbell] is a guy who can bring a different element to the game than Coach Philbin did and if anyone can get this turned around, he can." added Fins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Heading into Week 5 of the 2015 NFL season, here's how the rest of the conference stacks up in the category of odds to win 2016 AFC Championship:
New England Patriots +175
Cincinnati Bengals +500
Denver Broncos +500
Indianapolis Colts +1500
New York Jets +1500
Pittsburgh Steelers +1800
Baltimore Ravens +2000
Buffalo Bills +2000
San Diego Chargers +3000
Kansas City Chiefs +3500
Tennessee Titans +3500
Oakland Raiders +4500
Houston Texans +5000
Miami Dolphins +6000
Jacksonville Jaguars +10000
Cleveland Browns +20000
Related: Dolphins Fire Philbin – New Coach Dan Campbell: 'Some Players Need A Kick In The Rear'
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.
