Miami Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Kevin Coyle

The Miami Dolphins agreed to terms with their new offensive and defensive coordinators, Mike Sherman and Kevin Coyle, respectively, yesterday. With the hirings, it's time to take a look at who exactly head coach Joe Philbin is bringing in to serve on his staff. After taking a look at offensive coordinator Mike Sherman yesterday, it's now time time look at defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle

Coyle began his college coaching career in 1978, after one year as a high school coach, as a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati. In 1980, he moved to Arkansas, where he served as a coaching assistant for one year, before moving on for a year at the US Merchant Marine Academy as the defensive coordinator.

From 1982 to 1985, Coyle was an assistant coach at Holy Cross, before becoming the team's defensive coordinator from 1986-1990. During his time as the Holy Cross defensive coordinator, the school has the winningest Division I-AA team in the country, going 49-5-1 over those five years.

In 1991, Coyle moved to Syracuse, serving as defensive coordinator. In the 1992 season, Syracuse led the nation with 24 interceptions, and set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed in an 11-game season (1,007 yards).

Coyle moved on to Maryland in 1994, spending three years as the Terrapin defensive coordinator, before taking the same job at Fresno State from 1997 to 2000. In 2001, Coyle was hired by the Cincinnati Bengals to serve as the team's cornerbacks coach. In 2003, with the hire of Marvin Lewis as the team's head coach, Coyle was promoted to defensive backs coach. Since that time, the team has intercepted 150 passes, 133 of which were by defensive backs. Those 150 picks rank fifth in the NFL over that span.

Despite 35-years of coaching experience, Coyle is not a name known to most Miami Dolphins fans. As such, I turned to Josh Kirkendall from Cincy Jungle, SB Nation's superb Cincinnati Bengals blog, to give us a run down of who Coyle is and what we can expect from him.

"Since Kevin Coyle was promoted as the team's secondary coach in 2003, Bengals defensive backs have posted 133 interceptions, including Pro Bowl players like Deltha O'Neal, Tory James and alternate Pro Bowlers in Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. Coyle, who has some defensive coordinator experience in college at Holy Cross, Syracuse, Maryland and Fresno State, is good at identifying a player's strength and where he can contribute. In the past four years Cincinnati has started a seventh-round safety, a re-tread Reggie Nelson and an aging Chris Crocker, all of whom contributed within a top-ten defense two of the past three seasons."

If the Bengals had lost current defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who interviewed for the Dolphins head coaching position, and was considered one of the front-runners for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach vacancy, it was speculated that Coyle would have been the Bengals top prospect to fill their defensive coordinator position. Instead, the Dolphins land Philbin's top choice for the defensive coordinator position.

Thank you to Josh Kirkendall for helping us learn a little more about Coyle.