In of Chad Johnson on Sunday, Joe Philbin made the first substantial move of his NFL head coaching career.
The Miami Dolphins had a one-strike arrangement in effect with Johnson, . Of course, if you watched the season debut of "Hard Knocks," you already knew Johnson was finished.
, Philbin had a firm, honest conversation with Johnson following the receiver's expletive-loaded first press conference with Miami media.
"But I want you to know if I have something, I'm going to come to you," Philbin said in a prophetic in-practice chat captured by HBO. "You need to be ready to deal with that. Do you know what I mean?"
Later, Philbin crystallized his feelings during a one-on-one with a "Hard Knocks" producer.
"We all have an obligation; we all have a responsibility," he said. "He needs to either fall in line, or not. It's pretty simple."
With his threat on record -- in the world of print, online and premium cable -- Philbin would've appeared weak to look the other way following . His reputation as an NFL head coach remains in its embryonic stage. He had to act.
Knowing the background, it made Sunday's announcement inevitable.
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