What Must Dan Campbell Do to Turn Miami Dolphins Around?

Joe Philbin's reign as head coach may be done, but the Miami Dolphins have only just begun to deal with the drama surrounding their team.

Philbin's replacement, former tight ends coach Dan Campbell, is looking at a long list of hurdles he must clear if the Dolphins are going to turn the season around. 

Unit	Offense	Defense
Points	65	101
Rank	30	19
Yards	1259	1598
Rank	25	30

The Dolphins made 2015 the second consecutive season in which a losing coach at Wembley Stadium has been fired in the days following the team's return from London. Philbin became the fifth coach fired either during or immediately after a season in which his team lost a game at Wembley Stadium. Indeed, it appears London is where NFL head coaches are put out to pasture.

Given how poorly the Dolphins have performed on both offense and defense, it's no mystery why neither offensive coordinator Bill Lazor nor defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle were offered the interim gig. 

But the Dolphins returned to the United States with more baggage than they left with. Since 1990 (the birth of the current playoff format), there have been just 25 playoff teams to start with a record of 1-3 or worse through four games. But the loss wasn't the only bad thing that happened to the Dolphins in London this week.

There are varying reports of tension between Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the scout team. One thing everyone seems to agree on, and was reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, is that there was some kind of "minor confrontation" between Tannehill and the scout team after the defense intercepted a couple of his passes in a Saturday walkthrough. 

To paraphrase Jackson: Tannehill "flipped" when backup linebacker Chris McCain did something "more aggressive than typical" when he forced a turnover in a Saturday walkthrough. Tannehill then "said something to the effect that he would prepare a scout team trophy case for McCain," which only drew more ire from at least a couple of defensive players. The defensive players kept going after Tannehill's passes aggressively until coaches "told them to take it down a notch."

Saturday walkthroughs are typically quite literal to their name. They are held at a walking pace, and are not intended to be highly competitive. That being said, this anecdote lends some context to Campbell's proclamation that the Dolphins needed to focus on their practice intensity:

"

We need to change the culture such where it is so competitive on Wednesday, Thursday and maybe even Friday that these guys—it is very intense, it is very heated, it may even teeter on the fact of having to break a few things up, but that is when you really get good, that is when the juices start flowing, that is when you get the most of your players, is when they're having to compete during the week because you can't just go through the motions on Wednesday, Thursday, even Friday and then you just turn it on Sunday. It doesn't work that way, it just doesn't.

"

Maybe the intensity that caused a rift on Saturday is the kind of intensity Campbell would like to see more of from his team. 

The roots of the problem rest in the Dolphins' practice habits, but also in their game plans and their struggle to successfully develop players at certain positions. Thus, while Campbell can help change the culture and turn the Dolphins into a tougher football team, there are strategic changes that must be implemented as well. 

Once again, the Dolphins got off to a slow start in the first half that left them with a deep hole to dig themselves out of. They have now been outscored 37-3 in the first quarter of their first four games, and 77-27 in the first half of those games. Once again, they completely abandoned the run by attempting 44 passes against just 11 rushes. Once again, their vaunted defensive line failed to register even a single sack.

These are just some of the problems that have led to the Dolphins' 1-3 record. But without better practice and game planning, without better balance on offense and without more aggression on defense, the Dolphins' fortunes won't change anytime soon. 

Unless otherwise noted, quotes obtained via team news release.