Miami’s interim coach little nervous about debut vs. Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dan Campbell has been busy since being promoted to interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

He’s switched locker room assignments, changed his coaching staff, reworked practice schedules and tweaked schemes.

All that work has kept him from thinking much about Sunday, when his Dolphins visit the Tennessee Titans.

Yes, the tight end who played 11 NFL seasons is a bit nervous about his head coaching debut.

“I start thinking about Sunday a little too much, I start wanting to throw up a little bit,” Campbell said. “That’s in a good way, but then I think about the fact Saturday night I have no idea how I’m going to sleep.”

Campbell certainly has enough to handle replacing Joe Philbin, fired Oct. 5 after the Dolphins (1-3) lost their third straight game 27-14 to the New York Jets in London. The Dolphins‘ bye gave Campbell time to replace his defensive coordinator, promoting Lou Anarumo, and making special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi his assistant head coach.

He’s also looked for suggestions by talking to coaches such as Bill Parcells, who Campbell called a huge resource. Taking over all those duties as head coach might be easier than fixing an offense that has scored only a field goal in the first quarter and is one of only two NFL teams yet to run for a touchdown. The defense also is the league’s worst against the run.

Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill thinks the tone set by the head man filters through the team and Campbell’s trying to push the Dolphins to compete harder.

“I think we have the guys to do that,” Tannehill said. “Now it’s just a matter of taking that on as players, owning that and going forward.”

The Titans (1-3) have a three-game skid of their own to snap. They’ve blown double-digit leads in the past two losses, the last 14-13 to Buffalo, and haven’t won on their own field in more than a year.

“We just got to close it out, and we’ll find a way to win,” Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota said.

Here are some things to watch from the Dolphins and Titans on Sunday:

START FASTER: The Dolphins have been outscored 37-3 in the first quarter, and they have done little to keep themselves on the field, ranking 31st in rushing, averaging 69.3 yards per game. Time of possession also may be key. Miami is next to last holding the ball for 25 minutes, 41 seconds, while Tennessee is tied for first with 34:18.

RUN TITANS RUN: Miami ranks dead last in run defense through four games, and that’s the one thing the Titans have done pretty well, using a handful of running backs. Now Mariota finally is starting to show off the legs that helped him win the Heisman Trophy at Oregon. He ran as much in the last game as he had in the previous three games combined, and Mariota averaged 9.2 yards off five carries.

IDLE ROOKIE: Dolphins first-round draft pick DeVante Parker demurred when asked to rate himself so far. “I haven’t gotten enough snaps to rate myself,” he said.

Fair point. Coming back from foot surgery, Parker has played sparingly and has only four catches for 49 yards. A receiver from Louisville, he repeatedly has said he’s 100 percent, and one thing that could change with a new coach is his playing time. “Every practice he has gotten a little bit better,” Campbell said.

PROTECT TANNEHILL: With Dick LeBeau calling the defense, the Titans lead the NFL in sacks per pass play, and linebacker Derrick Morgan already has 4 ½, two off his career high. The Titans also are allowing the fewest yards passing in the NFL. Tannehill ranks 31st among quarterbacks with a 56.7 completion percentage, but he may get left tackle Branden Albert back Sunday from a hamstring injury suffered in Week 2.

WHERE IS SUH: Conversely, the Dolphins have only one sack, and ultra-expensive free agent signee Ndamukong Suh has been shut out. Asked if that number was a bit surprising, defensive end Cameron Wake said little would be an understatement, “but that’s the situation of where we are.”