page_title: 2012 Miami Dolphins season
section_title: Personnel changes
hierarchical_section_title: 2012 Miami Dolphins season / Personnel changes
caption_attribution_description: English: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline jumps to catch a pass, while Oakland Raiders defenders Tyvon Branch (#33) and Joselio Hanson (#23) chase after him.
context_page_description: The 2012 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League, and the 47th overall in the American Football Conference Eastern Division. The season concluded with the Dolphins finishing second in the AFC Eastern Division with a 7–9 record, and no postseason play for the fourth consecutive season.
  The Dolphins entered the season under new head coach Joe Philbin, with hopes of revitalizing the franchise from three consecutive losing seasons under head coach Tony Sparano. The team started with drafting quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the first round of the NFL draft, to compete for the starting job against incumbent Matt Moore and free agent David Garrard. Tannehill was eventually named the team's regular season starter heading in the second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. The team finished the preseason with an 0–4 record for the third time in franchise history.
  The Dolphins opened the regular season with a disappointing 10–30 loss against the Houston Texans, but a week later ended up with an impressive 35–13 win over the Oakland Raiders.
context_section_description: Despite getting an extension through 2013 in the early 2011 off-season, head coach Tony Sparano was fired by the team after 13 disappointing games into the 2011 season with a 4–9 record. In Sparano's first year 2008, he orchestrated the second greatest record turnaround in NFL history with an 11–5 record from a 1–15 record between the 2007–2008 NFL seasons, and finished second behind Atlanta Falcons' head coach Mike Smith in voting for the 2008 AP NFL Coach of the Year. However, Sparano failed to capitalize, posting mediocre records in his final three seasons as head coach. Following Sparano's firing, assistant head coach Todd Bowles reigned control of the team for the final three games, and entered the off-season as the lead candidate for the 2012 Miami Dolphins' head coaching position.
  Former Tennessee Titans' head coach Jeff Fisher entered talks as becoming the next Dolphins' head coach, and the Dolphins organization openly pursued him as a top candidate. Other coaches drawing interest were Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, Chicago Bears' special teams coordinator Dave Toub, and Denver Broncos' offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. Ultimately on January 13, 2012, Fisher decided to pursue the vacant St. Louis Rams' head coaching position, and subsequently on January 20, 2012, the Dolphins hired former Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator Joe Philbin as the franchise's tenth head coach.
  On January 27, 2012, the new coaching regime came into shape with the signing of Philbin's longtime friends: former Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman and Cincinnati Bengals defensive back coach Kevin Coyle, as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively.
  Sherman, who was fired by Texas A&M earlier this year after posted a 25–25 record in his four seasons, gave Philbin his first NFL job when he served as head coach for the Green Bay Packers. At the time of signing with the Dolphins, Sherman was also a finalist for the vacant head coaching job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coyle had spent the last 11 seasons as a part of the Bengals organization. Both had served as coaches together at the College of the Holy Cross between 1985 and 1988.
  The rest of Philbin's coaching regime includes the acquisition of linebackers coach George Edwards, and assistant quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor on January 30, 2012.  Acquirement of offensive line coach Jim Turner on February 1, 2012, assistant defensive line backs coach Blue Adams, defensive assistant Charlie Bullen, offensive assistant Ben Johnson and Chris Mosley as offensive assistant line coach on February 10, 2012. Philbin also retained the contracts of tight ends coach Dan Campbell, strength coach Darren Krein, special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, and Jeff Nixon as running backs coach from coach Sparano's tenure.
caption: Brian Hartline in the game against the Oakland Raiders, September 16
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