Mike Sherman fired as Dolphins offensive coordinator

The role of Sherman's offense in Miami's late-season collapse has cost him his job.

By Jeff Gray@Jeff_GraySBN Jan 6, 2014, 1:37pm EST

Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin announced Monday that offensive coordinator Mike Sherman has been fired after the team's late-season collapse, Albert Breer first reported.

Philbin later released a statement on dismissing Sherman:

"I would like to thank Mike for his contributions to the Miami Dolphins. Mike has been a mentor to me throughout my coaching career, dating back to 1979. He is a man of great integrity, dedicated to his family, his team, his players and his profession. On behalf of the entire Miami Dolphins organization I want to wish Mike and his family the very best in the future."

The Dolphins scored just seven combined points in their final two games, resulting in a pair of losses that that cost them a playoff berth.

Head coach Joe Philbin refused to answer questions on Sherman's future at a recent news conference, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, saying simply, "He's an excellent football coach." However, the Dolphins failure to make the postseason once again placed pressure on the team to make some changes.

The Miami offense struggled in losses to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the final two weeks of the season. They made it into the redzone just one time in a 20-7 loss to the Jets in Week 17 that would have put them into the playoffs.

The Dolphins finished the season ranked 27th in overall offense, 20th in passing and 26th in rushing.

Sherman was criticized by players and executives at several points through the season. Wide receiver Mike Wallace voiced displeasure after Week 1 when he didn't get enough touches. Guard Richie Incognito questioned the decision to abandon the run game during a loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8.

In recent weeks, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that quarterback Ryan Tannehill had lost faith in Sherman. Tannehill had a 45 percent completion rate, averaged 143 yards and threw just one touchdown pass to three interceptions in the final two losses of the year.