Should the Dolphins Have Kept Dan Campbell?

Should the Dolphins Have Kept Dan Campbell?

The Miami Dolphins have finished their first joint practice with the Detroit Lions, coached by former Dolphins Interim Coach Dan Campbell.  The irony here is pretty amusing for fans who remember when Campbell took over for then-Head Coach Joe Philbin. Having served as the tight ends coach, he took over a 1-3 team that had lost three straight games.

At his first press conference, Campbell said he wanted the team to be more physical. He said the team would wear full pads during Thursday’s practices.

Given that Campbell has looked like he could still play in the NFL since then, this was not a surprise. The Dolphins won their next two games handily. The first was a 38-10 win over Tennessee. The next was against the Houston Texans, where quarterback Ryan Tannehill posted a perfect passer rating.

Things looked up for the team, and everyone loved Dan Campbell. The team was chest-bumping in the locker room and reportedly chanting the coach’s name.

After the second game, Campbell, for reasons not known, did a complete turnaround. He began saying he wanted the team to “have fun”. He ditched suits on game day. No more pads on Thursday’s practice. His record as Coach with the Dolphins was 5-7.

With the start of the 2025 regular season still two weeks away, the media still has no choice but to keep discussing the same narratives of every team. For the Miami Dolphins, the question of “softness” is still the main topic in football news, especially since Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard said the Dolphins would not be tough enough for the Lions’ practices and preseason game. The Lions pretty much dominated the first practice.

So far, Coach Mike McDaniel has not shown a significant change in the culture of his team. Against the Chicago Bears in the preseason opener, he ran the ball with Jalen Wright four times on the one-yard line.

They did not score. Understandably, he wanted a film of Wright and the offensive line. However, changing the narrative for the team is paramount. Having Ollie Gordon, or Alexander Mattison, come in on 3^rd down to punch it in would have made a major statement. Instead, the team knows that they couldn’t score on the one-yard line.

Steven Ross said he liked Dan Campbell and knew one day he’d be a Head Coach. He was correct. Why he felt this way and hired Adam Gase is, well, a mystery.

The Detroit Lions are one of the best teams in football. They are known for a solid offensive line and physical play. The Miami Dolphins must be resigned to wondering what could have been.