Grading Dan Campbell's First Victory Coaching the Miami Dolphins

In a recent ranking of NFL head coaches, CBS Sports ranked Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell 31st in the National Football League. Only Houstons Texans head coach David Culley was ranked below Detroit's new head man.

Many supporters questioned how Campbell could be ranked that low, prior to ever coaching a game in Detroit.

Recall, back in 2015, the Miami Dolphins parted ways with Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start to the season. Campbell was named the interim head coach for the remainder of that season.

"I'm not here just to finish the season up,'' Campbell said. "That's not my plan. We're coming here to win games. It's still early. We have time to turn everything around. But, we can't wait.''

SI All Dolphins beat writer Alain Poupart recalled the excitement level for Campbell's coaching debut against the Tennessee Titans.

"There absolutely was a sense of excitement before Campbell's debut at Tennessee simply because he was so energetic and vibrant, and that was such a stark contrast to the very low-key Philbin," Poupart said. "Campbell pulled out the Oklahoma drill in his very first practice as interim head coach, which signaled a whole new approach to the way the Dolphins were going to be doing things."

In rewatching the game, the excitement and effort level of the Dolphins players was quite noticeable.

Against the Titans, the strategy was simple: Pound the rock.

The Dolphins rushed for a season-high 180 yards. In doing so, they were able to control the tempo, and eventually wore out the Titans defense en route to a 38-10 victory.

In its first four games of the season under Philbin, Miami's defense only recorded one sack.

Against the Titans, Campbell dialed up the pressure, as Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked five times and looked befuddled all throughout the blowout loss.

Dolphins running back Lamar Miller rushed for a season-high 113 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive end Cameron Wake single-handedly dominated the Titans' offensive line, earning four sacks and constantly pressuring Mariota. The Dolphins' defense also forced two interceptions and two fumbles, paving the way for the offense to dominate the game.

Campbell had this team motivated, and the team appeared as though it was having fun out on the field.

When Campbell explained how he wanted the Lions to play at his introductory press conference, he signaled a change in culture and attitude.

This was quite evident in the play of the Dolphins' defensive line, which frequently attacked Mariota and rattled the young quarterback.

Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon was penalized twice for roughing the passer, including hitting the rookie low in the left leg.

"Those guys were dying for something like that," Campbell said following the victory. "It gives you momentum, it gives validity to everything that's being done, and those are the fun ones, right? Because now you're up and everybody's having fun and they're playing hard, and it's back to like it was when you were a kid."

Grade: A+

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