Miami Dolphins

Dolphins' Mike Tannenbaum denies report that he wanted to hire Dan Quinn

Published Oct. 14, 2015 11:10 a.m. ET

foxsports

Joe Philbin lasted just four games into this season before he was fired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The team got off to a horrendous 1-3 start, ranking last in the league in several key categories such as sacks and rushing yards allowed per game.

While it may seem like the Dolphins cut Philbin fairly quickly this season, there were reports that it could've been much sooner. Dan Quinn, the current head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, was brought up as a candidate to coach the Dolphins, but executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum is adamant that those reports aren't true.

"That’s totally not true," Tannenbaum said on 790 The Ticket, via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. "I took the job after meeting with Steve Ross a couple of times. I knew coach Philbin was on the precipice of being announced with a long-term extension. I knew about it and supported it at the time. I was offered the job with one set of circumstances, which was to work with [General Manager] Dennis Hickey and Joe Philbin, and I’m really proud to say I gave coach Philbin everything I had for seven months. I’m disappointed that the decision was made."

Quinn was on the open market after leading the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl in back-to-back years as the defensive coordinator, but he decided to join the Falcons. Thus far, it seems like he made the right decision. The Falcons are flying high at 5-0 and are considered to be one of the best teams in the league.

It'll never be known how big of a difference Quinn would have made for the Dolphins this season, but if his success in Atlanta is any indication, things may have been different.