Dolphins' Philbin savors local roots.

• Position: Sports

It's tough to be a Patriots' fan and root for the Miami Dolphins, today or any day.

The teams reside in the same division and have a history that dates to 1966 when the Dolphins joined the AFL, some six years after the Patriots. And for the longest time it was as lopsided a rivalry as a teeter totter with one toddler.

That's best exemplified by the fact the Dolphins are 6-17 in their last 23 meetings with the Patriots and still lead the all-time series, 51-46.

But if you're from Central Mass. there are quite a few reasons to back the Dolphins -- when they're not playing the Patriots, of course -- due to a coaching staff with numerous ties to the area starting with head coach Joe Philbin.

Philbin's dad, Paul, is from Worcester and his mom, the former Mary Burke, is from Clinton. He attended Worcester Academy for a year and landed his first paid coaching job at WPI in 1986, working with the Engineers' offensive linemen for two seasons.

Philbin's coaching journey took him to South Florida two years ago. However, his teams have gone 7-9 and 8-8, leading to speculation that if the Dolphins aren't in the playoffs in January, he'll be out of a job.

It's a topic Philbin understandably had no interest in discussing during a conference call leading up to today's season opener against the Patriots.

"I'm just really focused on this one game with the New England Patriots,'' he politely said. "I've really been pleased with all the things our players and staff have done to get ready for this game, be it the offseason program, the training camp and the preseason.

"The game is not about me. It's about the Miami Dolphins playing the New England Patriots and I want our team to get off to a great start. We are playing an excellent opponent that is extremely well-coached. It should be a great day for football.''

Philbin enters the game with a new offensive coordinator in Bill Lazor, who replaced Mike Sherman after the Northboro native and Algonquin Regional grad was fired by new GM Dennis Hickey on Jan. 6. That was one week after the Dolphins scored seven points in a pair of season-ending losses that denied them entry to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Philbin has known Sherman since he had him as an English teacher at Worcester Academy in 1979, so that was a personnel decision that was particularly personal.

"Mike Sherman is a tremendous football coach, but an even better human being, father, husband and a community member,'' praised Philbin. "He's...