SPARANO COMPARES SEASONS AS DOLPHINS COACH (5:58 p.m. ET)
A year later, Tony Sparano can laugh about his first impression of the Dolphins. The team he took over in early 2008 was coming off a 1-15 season, the worst in franchise history. Then came a sudden transformation. The Dolphins went 11-6 in 2008, climbing from worst in the NFL to first in the AFC East. They ended a seven-year postseason drought and became the first team in league history to make the playoffs a year after winning only once.
Now the challenge is to continue the extraordinary progress of last season. As preparation for Year 2 of the Bill Parcells regime begins Sunday with the first training camp practice, Sparano isn't counting on much carry-over.
"What's in the past is in the past," Sparano says. "Nothing is owed to you. Nothing is guaranteed to you in this league. That's not the kind of business that we're in. ...
"That being said, there are some things you can take from 2008. There's a confidence," he said.
Prospects are a lot rosier than at this time a year ago, when there was so much uncertainty following the biggest organizational shakeup in decades. The Dolphins had a rookie head coach, no starting quarterback and 45 new players. The offense and defense have both been significantly upgraded since, and Sparano and his staff have won the respect of the players.
"A year later, they understand what it is that we're looking for as coaches," Sparano says. "They know the system better. There are fewer mental errors. Guys are able to react a lot faster. Without being arrogant, it's like night and day."
As Sparano prepares to lead the first practice, he's confident his players are ready to follow -- more so than at this time in 2008.
"I'm doing the same things right now that I was a year ago," he says. "The difference is they're paying attention a little bit more. Last year, every day you came out, you had to prove something to the players. Now I think these guys understand there is a method to my madness. They have bought in, and there is some history there."
-- The Associated Press
