Miami Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum defends decision to retain nine assistants
The Miami Dolphins cleaned house.
Sort of.
After a 6-10 season, their original head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator are gone.
But they did bring back nine coaches from that failed season — including Lou Anarumo and Darren Rizzi, who were Dan Campbell’s top assistants after Joe Philbin’s firing.
Why?
Dolphins football czar Mike Tannenbaum, following the first day of Senior Bowl practice here Tuesday, explained, saying new coach Adam Gase and general manager Chris Grier were in on the decision.
“The coaching staff in particular reports to Adam and certainly Chris and I made some suggestions, but they [all] went through and were vetted through a pretty rigorous process. They wouldn’t be on our staff if Adam didn’t feel good about them.”
Tannenbaum said retaining nine coaches “was the right decision, not the easy one.”
Added Grier: “They’re good coaches and good people and obviously Adam did his background on them and stuff and feels comfortable with them. It’s good to have a little bit of continuity. They’ll help them in the transition.”
Rizzi returns for an eighth season in Miami, and will again coach the Dolphins’ special teams. Anarumo goes back to coaching the Dolphins’ defensive backs after a short stint as interim defensive coordinator.
One notable coach who did not return: Campbell, who was a finalist for the job that ultimately went to Gase.
After falling short, Campbell accepted a job as the Saints’ tight ends coach.
“Obviously he had strong consideration to be our head coach and when that decision was made, Adam was in charge of the staff,” Tannenbaum said. “Him and Dan met and those conversations I would leave to Dan and Adam. Then he had other opportunities and we just felt as an organization it was appropriate for him to explore those other opportunities.”
As for the impact Gase has made, Grier said “you can feel the energy” in the building, particularly among players who have stopped by team headquarters.
Added Tannenbaum: “I think to add to that, two other things come to mind. He’s a very authentic person. And to go back to the previous question, nine coaches staying, it would be easy to come in and say, ‘Hey, this team was 6-10, they’re all gone.’ I thought he was very methodical. I thought he was very fair, very critical, and I think we got a great result.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Miami Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum defends decision to retain nine assistants."