Only two short days after relieving Joe Philbin of his duties and naming former tight ends coach Dan Campbell as interim head coach, the Miami Dolphins are set to fire defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle, according to a report from Albert Breer of NFL.com. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo will be named defensive coordinator.
Rumors of Coyle's vulnerability had been floated even before the Dolphins made the decision to fire Philbin after the team's putrid performance in London against the New York Jets. Talk that Coyle's schemes were interfering with the unit's playmaking ability and were too complex had begun to swirl in the wake of another report that prized free agent addition, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, had begun to "freelance."
To this point in the season, the Dolphins are 30th in the league in team defense, allowing an average of 25.2 points per game and 399.5 yards.
Reports of Dolphins players' unhappiness with Coyle were rampant over the past week and Miami defensive players apparently held a closed-door meeting with their coordinator in order to clear the air ahead of their game against New York.
Unfortunately, it changed little and Coyle's unit continued to struggle as Jets running back Chris Ivory ran rough-shod over a Miami front that was expected to be among the best in the league thanks to Suh's addition.
The Dolphins were said to be eyeing former head coaches as potential defensive additions - Greg Schiano and Mike Smith among them - though no hires have been made to this point.
It's uncertain at this point what Campbell and Anarumo have planned for the immediate future of the Dolphins defense, but it is clear that it won't include Coyle.
