NFL teams
James Walker, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Joe Philbin says expectations are high for Dolphins in 2015

NFL, Miami Dolphins

DAVIE, Fla. -- Expectations are very high for the Miami Dolphins this season. They finished 8-8 the past two years, and the addition of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is one reason many believe Miami is poised to end its six-year playoff drought.

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin not only is embracing those expectations, but he's raising the bar internally with his team. And he isn't afraid to say publicly that he expects Miami to win big in 2015.

"I came here to win championships. I didn't come here to be average and be 8-8," Philbin told ESPN.com on Sunday. "Steve Ross doesn't own the team to be average. Our fans don't want to be average. Our players don't want to be average. So that's what we're here for. That's why we invest and put the effort, the time into what we do."

Philbin is eager to shake the "average" label, which has been associated with him since he joined the Dolphins in 2011. Philbin is 23-25 as Miami's coach and has yet to post a winning season. The Dolphins also suffered a pair of collapses in December the past two years that kept the team out of the playoffs.

Upgrades with offensive skill players, the addition of Suh and further growth from quarterback Ryan Tannehill are three reasons Philbin believes Miami is going in the right direction. It also doesn't hurt that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will serve a four-game suspension following the fallout from Deflategate, pending results of his appeal.

"There's three championships right now that are out there: There's the AFC East, there's the AFC and there's the NFL championship," Philbin said. "So nothing's been decided. I can honestly tell you sitting here we've had a couple of clunkers in three years. But we haven't had a ton of clunkers where we just got manhandled from start to finish. So I've gone into every game thinking we're going to win every game."

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