Dolphins' interim coach Dan Campbell taking over dysfunctional team

Miami Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell had some forceful words for his players during his first news conference as the team's new leader.

"We have to change the culture," said Campbell, who was named interim after team owner Stephen Ross fired Joe Philbin on Monday. "I have to change the culture. And that’s what I intend to do. And what that means – if we need to become a more aggressive front, or a team in general, we need to get our front four on defense, our front five on the offensive line, just as a whole, we need to breed a culture of competitiveness, finish, intensity. To me, that’s where it all starts.

"That’s where we have to change, and we change it in practice. We make it much more competitive. We need these guys to go after each other a little bit."

Philbin led the Dolphins for three-plus seasons and zero playoff appearances.

And it sounds like Campbell is inheriting a dysfunctional situation. On National Football Post, Aaron WIlson reported that the week in London was "extremely tense" and that quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been getting rattled in practice.

Wilson wrote:

Sources say this has been going on for the past few weeks as the practice squad players have been intercepting Tannehill and frustrating the former Texas A&M wide receiver turned quarterback.

...

Philbin told the practice squad players to take it easy on Tannehill to not affect the young quarterback’s confidence.

Miami fell to 1-3 after Sunday's loss to the New York Jets, and Philbin became the second coach in as many seasons to get the ax after his team lost in London. (Last year, the Oakland Raiders fired Dennis Allen after their Week 4 blowout loss across the pond; coincidentally, Oakland lost to Miami in that game.)

Campbell, 39 and looking very much like he could still play, said it was "a little surreal" to find himself in charge of the Dolphins. A third-round pick of the New York Giants in 1999, the tight end had an 11-year career as a player, and began coaching six years ago when he was hired by then-Miami coach Tony Sparano as a coaching intern. Campbell became the Dolphins' tight ends coach in 2011.

Despite being a relative newcomer to coaching and not having experience as a coordinator, Campbell says he's ready for the gig.

"I can do this," he said. "I understand this league, I understand these players, I know what it takes to win in this league. I’ve been around it, I’ve been around some really good coaches, and I know what it needs to look like."

Campbell hammered home the notion that the Dolphins will begin to fix their problems in practice, saying it isn't possible for players to simply turn it on on Sundays when they're not being challenged on the practice field.

"I feel like there’s a lot more that we can get out of these guys and we need to get out of them," Campbell said. "We need to change the culture as such ... that it is so competitive on Wednesday, Thursday, maybe even Friday, that these guys, it is very intense. It is very heated. It may even teeter on the fact that I have 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 out of your players, is when they have to compete. Because you just can’t go through the motions on Wednesday, Thursday, even Friday, and then you’re just going to turn it on on Sunday. It doesn’t work that way. It just doesn’t. You want to get the most out of them? You have to challenge them.

"That goes from the best player we have on this team to the one that’s not the best. Mike Pouncey, as great as he is, he needs to be challenged every day. He needs somebody that’s going to push him every day, that’s trying to beat him every rep. That goes for every player. I don’t care if it’s [Ndamukong] Suh, I don’t care if it’s Koa Misi, I don’t care if it’s Jarvis Landry. They have to be pushed, and they have to be worked. They have to be challenged. And that’s the first thing I’m changing – I’m going to challenge these guys. I want them to have to compete."

Campbell played for Sean Payton with the Giants, Cowboys and Saints. Payton praised Campbell on Monday, after the move was announced.

"He’s a fantastic guy, great worker, great teammate. He’s someone that is tough, strong, I can’t say enough good things," Payton said, via ESPN Saints reporter Mike Triplett. Payton added that it's tough for assistants to replace head coaches in-season, "But Dan’s someone I know well and know that he’ll handle that as best he can."

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