As the Dolphins season continues to unravel and owner Stephen Ross considers making a change in the coaching staff, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald shares a story regarding the manner in which the current dissatisfaction with one of Joe Philbin’s top lieutenants is being manifested.
Per Salguero, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh wore sneakers to a full-padded practice on Thursday. A “prominent handful” of teammates viewed the choice in footwear as an expression of dissatisfaction with defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle.
The gesture came three days after a closed-door meeting in which defensive players aired out grievances regarding Coyle’s system, which for lineman employs a two-gap approach, with one player responsible for the hole on both sides of an offensive lineman. The players, according to Salguero, want Coyle to switch to a one-gap attack.
Salguero asked Suh about the gear he wore to practice after Sunday’s game in London, and Suh responded with, “Next question.”
Salguero also was next-questioned in response to questions for Suh regarding the Monday meeting and why the defense has started slowly, giving up a score on the opening drive of every game this season.
The only real question that remains is whether Ross will decide to send Philbin packing as soon as Monday. And then whether Ross will give the interim job to someone on the staff or hire someone from the outside. While the notion of bringing in an outsider is impractical for various reasons, Peter King and I spitballed last night on the question of whether one specific outsider who used to be an insider is the answer -- former Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who coached quarterback Ryan Tannehill at Texas A&M and has worked with much of the personnel still on the team.