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Production factors behind Joe Philbin's firing

Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin speaks during a press conference at Allianz Park in London, Friday Oct. 2, 2015. The Dolphins are preparing for an NFL football game against the New York Jets at London's Wembley stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

After falling to the Jets 27-14 in London and dropping to 1-3 on the season, the Miami Dolphins have decided to part ways with head coach Joe Philbin.

Philbin was 24-28 during his tenure in Miami, with zero playoff appearances. The Dolphins looked to be a team on the rise this offseason, with quarterback Ryan Tannehill improving, and with the addition of Ndamukong Suh to an already-talented defense. Suh has played up to his potential, and is currently our eighth-ranked defensive tackle, with a +8.4 overall grade.

The inability of Philbin and his staff to coax more out of Tannehill and the offense as a whole could have been the biggest reason for their early-season failures. Tannehill finished with a +9.8 overall grade last year, which ranked 11th out of all quarterbacks. Thus far this year he sits at a paltry -9.6. Sam Monson covered his struggles in a recent post.

Firing coaches during the season has always been met with mixed results. We will discover the Dolphins' fate within the next six weeks, and things don’t look promising. Miami will get a bye week before traveling to Tennessee, and then playing the Texans at home. The best case scenario has them at 3-3 before a tough three-game road trip, in which they play at New England, at Buffalo, and at Philadelphia.

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