Rugby had better watch its back as the NFL comes scouting for players and the Dolphins make drastic changes to their coaching staff.

The Big Stories

Dolphins Fire Head Coach

It was clear going into the week four in London that it was make or break for Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and after a dismal 27-14 loss to the Jets it was clearly a break.

With reports that Philbin had lost the locker room, it was no surprise when Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced Philbin’s departure on Monday, despite the rarity of an NFL team releasing a coach during the season.

Tight Ends coach and former player Dan Campbell has stepped in as interim head coach and in his first press conference he made it clear that the culture in Miami needed to change.

On paper Miami have a great team, a potential play-off contender; its problems lay in the coaching.

Unlike Philbin, Campbell is respected by the players, which will go a long way both on and off the field and five days into the new job, he is making some big changes to the staff.

On the offensive side of the line, Campbell has hired Al Saunders, the former Raiders senior offensive assistant to work alongside offensive co-ordinator Bull Lazor to find solutions to the problems there.

It was announced on Thursday that defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle has been dismissed and replaced by defensive backs coach Loy Anarumo.

Coyle had been with the Dolphins since 2012 but with the rift between himself and star defensive signing Ndamukong Suh growing and a general unhappiness with his scheme on the defensive line, his departure was inevitable.

Stephen Ross has stated his belief the team will still make it to the playoffs this year but for now, the Dolphins have a bye week, and time to adjust, before facing the Tennessee Titans in week six.

Ref call questioned in Lions loss

The Seahawks appear to have all the luck when it comes to calls in the endzone.

After the 2012 fail Mary touchdown controversy, another disputed referee call tainted the end of their week four win against the Lions.

Lion’s receiver Calvin Johnson fumbled the ball on the one-yard line in the fourth quarter. The ball bounced into the endzone and Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright intentionally batted the ball out, an illegal action in the NFL.

However the on field officials ruled it a touchback for Seattle, handing them possession and victory as they ran the clock down.

After the game, Dean Blandino, NFL head of officials stated the Lions should have maintained possession, as it is against the rules for a player to intentionally bat the ball out of the endzone as Wright had done.

Calvin Johnson said after the game; “Its unfortunate, but you can’t put the game in the referee’s hands.”

Lions fans were upset by the ruling and a small group have purchased billboards around Detroit showing a blindfolded referee and the tagline ‘blind as a bat.’

Drew Brees joins 400 club as Saints win in overtime

Drew Brees followed Tom Brady into the 400 touchdown pass club with an 80-yeard hook-up to CJ Spiller to seal the Saints first win of the season in overtime against the Cowboys.

Brees also joined Brett Favre and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to have achieved 5,000 career completions.

International Series expansion approved

At a league meeting in New York this week the NFL clubs approved an expansion of the International Series, with regular - season games to played overseas until 2025.

This is good news for the 13 million UK fans, as with games expected to continue at Wembley and start at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium in 2018.

The expansion also allows for games to be held in other locations, with both Mexico and Germany having been discussed as potential hosts.

Rugby World Cup Scouted

NFL scouts have attended the Rugby World Cup, on the lookout for players to follow in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne, an Australian Rugby League player, and transition to the NFL.

The scouts have reportedly been impressed by players ability to run through opponents and move the ball.

The league will hope that the fan base of a player would follow them through the transition and therefore expand the popularity of the sport overseas.

Rumour has it that several of England players are potential targets for the scouts who hope to lure them away with the promise of big pay checks.

Sam Burgess is England’s highest paid player on £500,000 a year, a salary that is one of the lowest on offer in the NFL with top earners bringing in over £15 million a year.

Week Five Preview

Chicago Bears @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Bears come into the Chiefs came off the back of their first win of the season, a result they will want on build on to move their record to 2-3.

Jay Cutler’s return from injury wasn’t a great but he managed to get the Bears to the endzone and put points on the board.

However the Bears arrive in Kansas City with a weakened offensive line, which could prove costly as they attempt to get their first away win since last November.

The Chiefs are coming off the back of three straight defeats, despite Alex Smith’s league leading, 386 yards passing last week.

In their last two games the Chiefs have surrendered 893 and Smith was sacked five times by the Bengals.

Smith needs to connect downfield with his receivers, while trusting his offensive linesmen to protect him if the Chiefs are going to improve.

New England Patriots @ Dallas Cowboys

The Patriots are aiming to continue their winning streak as they come off a bye week to face America’s team, the Cowboys.

The Patriots are one of the strongest teams in the league right now, while the battered Cowboys continue to do damage limitation during the absence of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

It will be a long day for the Cowboys defense on Sunday as the key to stopping the Patriots is to stop Rob Gronkowski. So far this season three defensive lines have tried and failed to do just that.

Brandon Wheedon managed to hold his own against an injured Drew Brees in the Cowboys loss to the Saints, but Tom Brady is on another level.

Fired up by the deflategate saga, Brady is playing faster, better and stronger, helping the Patriots to dominate the AFC East.

San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants

Colin Kapernick looked like he had all the makings of an elite quarterback during his rookie season with the 49ers in 2010, five years later he is anything but.

Plagued with problems, Kapernick has struggled all season and against the Packers last week, he was indecisive and slow.

While his ability to run the ball is still impressive, it lacks the finesse of those early seasons, and everything else is a mess.

Eli Manning on the other hand has managed to get the Giants back on track after a troublesome start to the season, with wins against the Redskins and the Bills and he will need to get the ball to his playmakers as quickly as possible on Sunday.

The 49ers defense was able to put Aaron Rodgers under pressure last weekend, but he has the skills and ability to keep himself and his team out of trouble; will Eli be able to do the same this week for the Giants?

Next week: Can the coaching changes in Miami make a difference against the Tennessee Titans?