Miami is switching coaches. Joe Philbin is out, and Dan Campbell is in. But could this make any difference? Or is Miami just a bad team that needs to address its issues in the offseason? Looking at the results of previous in-season coaching changes, my leaning is that it certainly won’t hurt, and maybe Campbell can provide the kick in the rear this roster needs.
The Dolphins have some talent. Especially on defense, it seems like some scheme adjustments, maybe a lineup change or two and simply wiping the slate could do a lot of good.
Similarly with the offense. They have some talent. How about some tweaks to play calling and tempo – maybe run the ball more. It’s not as if the Dolphins don’t have some good players.
And as I like at past teams that have gone to new coaches during the season, I see that the majority have gotten a boost. In the last 10 years, 17 teams have switched coaches during the season. Of those 17, only three had a lower winning percentage under the new coach. The 2010 Broncos won 25 percent of their games under both Josh McDaniels and his replacement (Eric Studesville); the other 13 teams won a higher percentage of games under the new coaches.
I’ve got all of those coaches listed below, and in each case, the coach with the better winning percentage is in bold.
Coaches who didn’t finish the season went 43-115-0, for a winning percentage of .272. The takeover coaches went 44-70-0, with a percentage of .386. That is, they won one more game while being in charge for 44 fewer games overall.
| IN-SEASON COACHING CHANGES SINCE 2005 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | First coach | Second coach |
| 2005 | St. Louis | Mike Martz (2-3) | Joe Vitt (4-7) |
| 2005 | Detroit | Steve Mariucci (4-7) | Dick Jauron (1-4) |
| 2007 | Atlanta | Bobby Petrino (3-10) | Emmitt Thomas (1-2) |
| 2008 | San Francisco | Mike Nolan (2-5) | Mike Singletary (5-4) |
| 2008 | St. Louis | Scott Linehan (0-4) | Jim Haslett (2-10) |
| 2008 | Oakland | Lane Kiffin (1-3) | Tom Cable (4-8) |
| 2009 | Buffalo | Dick Jauron (3-6) | Perry Fewell (3-4) |
| 2010 | San Francisco | Mike Singletary (5-10) | Jim Tomsula (1-0) |
| 2010 | Dallas | Wade Phillips (1-7) | Jason Garrett (5-3) |
| 2010 | Minnesota | Brad Childress (3-7) | Leslie Frazier (3-3) |
| 2010 | Denver | Josh McDaniels (3-9) | Eric Studesville (1-3) |
| 2011 | Miami | Tony Sparano (4-9) | Todd Bowles (2-1) |
| 2011 | Kansas City | Todd Haley (5-8) | Romeo Crennel (2-1) |
| 2011 | Jacksonville | Jack Del Rio (3-8) | Mel Tucker (2-3) |
| 2012 | New Orleans | Aaron Kromer (2-4) | Joe Vitt (5-5) |
| 2013 | Houston | Gary Kubiak (2-11) | Wade Phillips (0-3) |
| 2014 | Oakland | Dennis Allen (0-4) | Tony Sparano (3-9) |
—Ian Allan