The Dolphins have hired 50-year old Joe Philbin as their new head coach.  It will be his first go around as an NFL head coach.  Philbin spent 9 years with the Packers as an assistant coach.  During his last four years, Philbin helped develop Aaron Rodgers into the QB that he is now.  The Packers averaged 97.4 yards rushing (3.9 ypc), 307.8 yards passing (122.6 QB Rating) and 35.0 points per game last year.  The Dolphins already have a decent defense and they have solid skilled players on offense, with the exception of a big time QB.  If the Dolphins’ get improved play under center, they could start to take off in 2012.  I like the choice of Philbin as the Dolphins’ new head coach.

27-year old WR Brandon Marshall and 26-year old OT Jake Long have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl.  Marshall has played in all 15 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has caught 77 passes for 1,177 yards (15.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  With the situation the Dolphins have had at QB this year, it makes the numbers he’s putting up that more impressive.  Jake Long played in 14 games (all starts) for the Dolphins this year.  He was elected as a starter but he’s going to miss the game due to a torn biceps muscle.

The Dolphins won’t have 26-year old OT Jake Long when they played against the Jets this weekend.  Long has torn his right biceps.  Long played in 14 games (all starts) for the Fins this year.  He has now played in 62 games (all starts) in his first four years in the NFL.  The Dolphins are going to miss Long as he is their best offensive lineman and he blocks on QB Matt Moore’s blind side.

The Miami Dolphins have fired 50-year old head coach Tony Sparano.  The Dolphins are 4-9 on the season and that’s just not good enough.  Sparano compiled a 29-32 record (47.5%) during the regular season for the Dolphins and he was 0-1 in the playoffs.  48-year old defensive backs coach Todd Bowles will take over as the interim head coach of the Dolphins.  This is his fourth year with the Dolphins and his 7th season as a NFL head coach.  Bowles has little chance of getting the head coaching job next season even if he goes 3-0 the rest of the way.  That’s because Dolphins’ ownership will be looking to catch a big fish as the next head coach.

The Miami Dolphins have waived 29-year old DE Igor Olshansky and 33-year old kicker Shayne Graham.  Olshansky played in 8 games for the Dolphins this year and he had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 forced fumbles.  Other players have stepped up at DE and have bumped Olshansky off the roster.  Shayne Graham played in 2 games for the Fins and he made 4 of 5 field goals (80%).  He also made six of six extra points as he had 18 points for the Dolphins.  Dan Carpenter is ready to return to action after missing the last couple of games with a groin injury, which led to Graham’s release.

The Dolphins have placed 24-year old WR Marlon Moore on the Injured Reserve List due to a foot injury.  Moore played in 6 games for the Fins this year but the didn’t catch any passes.  He did have 3 tackles this year.  Moore has now played in 12 games in his two years with the Dolphins and he has caught 6 passes for 128 yards (21.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also has carried the ball 1 time for 16 yards for the Fins.  This will hurt the Dolphins more on special teams than on offense the rest of the 2011 season.

The Dolphins have signed 27-year old cornerback Jonathan Wade.  Wade played in 12 games for the Bengals & Lions last year and he had 44 tackles, 5 passes defensed and 3 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 59 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 111 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions and 12 passes defensed.  The Dolphins need all of the help that they can get in the secondary, so this was most likely a good signing for them.

UPDATE:  (11/19/2011) – The Dolphins have released Jonathan Wade.  He played in 2 games for the Dolphins and he didn’t have any tackles.

The Dolphins have signed 30-year old QB J.P. Losman.  Losman last played in a regular season game in the NFL back in 2009 with the Raiders.  Losman has played in 43 games (33 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 558 of 942 passes (59.2%) for 6,211 yards with 33 TD passes and 34 INTs (75.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 103 times for 489 yards (4.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far in his career.  Losman is only 10-23 (30.3%) as a starting QB in the NFL.  The Dolphins place Sage Rosenfels on I.R. (undisclosed illness) to make room on the roster for Losman.

The Dolphins have signed 27-year old safety Gerald Alexander.  He was one of their last cuts before the 2011 season started.  Alexander has played in 39 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 159 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions and he has defensed 14 passes.  This was a good move to bring Alexander back, as the Fins need all of the help that they can get.

UPDATE:  (11/2/2011) – The Dolphins have waived Gerald Alexander.  Alexander played in 2 games for the Dolphins but he didn’t have any tackles.

The Dolphins have signed veteran Sage Rosenfels to back up 27-year old QB Matt Moore.  Moore is now the starting QB for the Fins now that Chad Henne is done for the year.  He had a chance to start last season for the Panthers but he couldn’t hold onto the job due to a combination of a lack of performance and injuries.  He has a better offensive line and better WRs and TEs to work with in Miami, so they hope he will take advantage of his newest opportunity to prove that he’s an NFL caliber starting QB.  He has played in 1 game for the Dolphins so far this year and he has completed 17 of 26 passes (65.4%) for 167 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also has carried the ball 1 time for -1 yard so far this year.