Greg Cote: Fired Dolphins coach Joe Philbin proves sometimes nice guys do finish last

Joe Philbin is a good man. He might even be a good football coach. But he did not do enough to offer proof of the latter and to keep his job leading the Miami Dolphins.tmpplchld His firing on Monday was not unexpected, not unjustified and not premature. He had three and a quarter seasons _ 52 games _ to move the Dolphins forward and set them right. He did not. The franchise celebrating its 50th anniversary season is today stuck in neutral, again, mired in mediocrity, again, just like when he took over.tmpplchld The NFL has become a worst-to-first, fast-forward league, one where slow rebuilding is as out of favor as the Statue of Liberty play. Impatience is all the rage. You cannot be an unproven first-time head coach, like Philbin, and take this long to produce. For him that was especially so in the context of high expectations, and of recent dismaying, dispiriting performances that mocked those hopes.tmpplchld Philbin’s 24-28 record with Miami doesn’t explain his ouster as much as a 41-14 home-opening loss to division rival Buffalo does, followed by Sunday’s 27-14 London loss to the division rival New York Jets, a clobbering not as close as the final score suggests.tmpplchld “I’ve seen the same old, same old,” owner Stephen Ross said Monday in explaining his move _ echoing a phrase oft-used by frustrated Dolfans.tmpplchld Miami played under Philbin this season like a team that had quit on its coach and was all but involved in a mutiny. Miami was outscored 70-27 in the first half of the four games that find the team 1-3 after three straight defeats entering this bye week.tmpplchld Philbin’s troops seemed to mirror his outward lack of fire, seeming complacent and uninspired in situations that demanded the opposite.tmpplchld The new interim head coach, promoted tights ends coach Dan Campbell, alluded to that complacency Monday in saying he would challenge players, even prominent starters, to prove they deserve their playing time. He mentioned a lack of intensity that was obvious even to casual fans. He alluded to clear underachievement in calling this the most talented roster in his six years with the club.tmpplchld I think the coaching change is called for and well-timed, and I like the promotion of Campbell, who, at 39, becomes the NFL’s youngest head coach. He’s a holdover from Tony Sparano’s staff and counts himself as a no-nonsense Bill Parcells disciple who also played under Sean Payton as a 10-year veteran tight end in the league.tmpplchld Campbell is seen as a rising young talent on a staff with too little of that. Now, he’ll have a big chance, a dozen games, to rally Miami into playoff contention and prove he’s the man for the job beyond this interim shot. And his youth and playing experience will play very well in the locker room, which had grown detached from Philbin.tmpplchld Campbell said Monday, “I don’t want guys to just do their job. I want them to dominate.” And even something as simple as that attitude was a little gust of bravado seldom heard under Philbin, the vanilla of coaching flavors.tmpplchld The fact the braintrust led by Ross and VP of football ops Mike Tannenbaum promoted Campbell over higher-positioned assistants is telling. Part of Philbin’s downfall was the staff he assembled, reflected in the fact neither offensive coordinator Bill Lazor nor defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was entrusted with the interim role.tmpplchld Sacking Philbin should not be the end of the staff upheaval and upgrade. Everyone should know they are fighting for their jobs now _ and none more so than Coyle.tmpplchld This staff (not just Philbin) somehow managed to oversee a team that has neither run the ball well nor stopped the run adequately, the fundamentals that must be a starting point. Ross’ frustration and impatience was plain to see, considering the club spent more than $200 million during the offseason to sign defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and then extend the contract of quarterback Ryan Tannehill.tmpplchld In exchange for that investment all Ross saw, in lieu of winning, was Suh frustrated to the point of snapping “next question” when reporters inquired about his lack of productivity, and Tannehill frustrated to the point of reported heated exchanges with practice-squad players during mid-week practices.tmpplchld This was a team, a locker room, with simmering frustration threatening to reach a full boil.tmpplchld A good man was sacrificed, but for the good of the Miami Dolphins, this anniversary season and fans who deserve better.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld ABOUT THE WRITERtmpplchld Greg Cote is a columnist for the Miami Herald.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 Miami Heraldtmpplchld Visit Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld