The Miami Dolphins are preparing to cast the wide net into the water as they kickoff their head coaching search on Monday. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has repeatedly said recently that current interim head coach Dan Campbell will be interviewed for the position, having held it since the team fired Joe Philbin four weeks into this season. Reports earlier this week also indicated the team is likely to contact the Chicago Bears and their offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Now, a report indicates there are a few more names to add to the rumor list.
The Miami Herald's Adam Beasley wrote on Sunday that the team has interviews set for this week, meeting with Gase, as well as former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone and former Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. He also writes that Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith are "on Miami's radar."
Ross said in a letter sent to fans that the team's search for a new head coach "will be thorough and we will take it wherever we need to go." He added, "We've also identified several promising candidates and will begin work immediately."
From Beasley's reporting, it sounds like the Dolphins are ready to start the process of finding their coach, and should kick it off, officially, first thing Monday morning. There is no telling how many candidates the Dolphins will contact, or how many will be interviewed, but it does sound like the Dolphins are not limiting themselves to an offensive or defensive coach, nor are they limiting the search to just coaches who have been NFL head coaches. The team should do an exhaustive search for their next coach, making sure the fit and the schemes are right. And, ultimately, making sure the coach is the right guy to finally end a decade of mediocrity for the Dolphins franchise.