Dolphins owner Stephen Ross cleared the schedule for Miami reporters by declaring there would be no coaching search this year.
Of course, Ross has gone looking for coaches when he had one before, but as he retained Joe Philbin, he said that wasn’t the case this time.
“I didn’t put out any feelers,” Ross said, via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. “I did not talk to Harbaugh.”
That would be soon-to-be available Jim Harbaugh, whom Ross once wooed while Tony Sparano was still under contract.
But the Ross stood firm behind Philbin, saying he like the direction of his team even before yesterday’s comeback win.
“I believe in this team, I believe in the coach, we are building something,” Ross said. “I have looked at the whole situation, as I have been looking at it all year. I think the coach has a year on his contract, we are bringing him back and, you know, what else can I tell you? I think we are building something great here. He is the right guy for this team, and we are building something.”
Of course, even as Ross made it clear he was keeping Philbin, that comes with conditions.
“Patience is a virtue, you know,” Ross said, “but I’m expecting big things next year, I’ll tell you that.”
Leaving things as they are is a hard lesson for owners to learn, but Ross is taking an important step, by refusing to play with the shiniest toy of the offseason.