Just a few days ago, we heard that Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy thought he was the favorite for the Dolphins head coaching job.
That job, of course, went to Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. McCoy reportedly thinks the Dolphins passed on him because he didn’t want to hire Dolphins secondary coach Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins made it clear to McCoy they wanted him to hire Bowles as defensive coordinator. Bowles was one of the three finalists for the head coaching job and remains under contract in Miami.
McCoy reportedly resisted the idea. He wanted a defensive coordinator that had experience in the role so that he could focus more on upgrading the team’s offense. He didn’t want an assistant forced on him. Philbin, meanwhile, is reportedly receptive to the idea of making Bowles his defensive coordinator.
We can’t know whether this is the reason the Dolphins chose Philbin. McCoy thinks it is. It would seem like an odd deal breaker if the Dolphins truly preferred McCoy, but Dolphins management have done a lot of odd things lately.
We can’t help but wonder if McCoy or those around McCoy did a disservice by letting it become public that he thought he was the favorite. We’re not sure if letting this information about Bowles out there helps McCoy’s long-term interests either. It sounds like sour grapes.
Meanwhile, Bowles has to wonder if the Dolphins have been upfront with him throughout the coaching search process.