The Monday comments from Dolphins owner Stephen Ross may have been bad news for G.M. Jeff Ireland. But they’re apparently good news for coach Joe Philbin.
The changes Ross contemplates for his team will occur with the advice of an independent advisory panel. Ross has identified the first four members of the group: Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy, Hall of Fame Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin, and former Dolphins defensive end/linebacker Jason Taylor.
Ross added in a statement released by the team that coach Joe Philbin and others will be part of the process. Ross also said the project will commence after the season.
That strongly implies that Philbin will be back in 2014.
While that conclusion could be premature given the indepedent investigation to be conducted by Ted Wells, it would be foolish to assume that the Dolphins haven’t conducted their own private review of the situation during the past two weeks. By including Philbin within a group that won’t even start its work until the 2013 regular season end, Ross essentially has concluded that Philbin will survive this mess.