Literally a 'Parcells Guy'
Calling this one was relatively easy the minute Bill Parcells walked into the Dolphins team offices to oversee the football operations and it became clear that Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel were staying at their current places of employment. It became crystallized when Parcells tabbed Jeff Ireland to be his general manager.
Parcells and Ireland worked together in Dallas. They would stay in the family and hire Cowboys offensive line coach Tony Sparano to be the next head coach of the Dolphins. And Sparano is truly a fabled 'Bill Parcells guy.' Actually, he's right out of central casting; talking, walking and, most especially, working like Parcells.
Miami, a 1-15 team in desperate need of an attitude adjustment, needed someone with Sparano's fire. Like his mentor Parcells, Sparano's practices are going to be long and strenuous. Anyone who doesn't fully buy in will get kicked to the curb. There will be no in-fighting in Miami or calling out fellow players and coaches.
Now, the variable on Sparano, like Zorn, Harbaugh and Smith, is the fact that he's never been a head coach before in the NFL. In fact, the University of New Haven is the only program he's run. But when you talk to his players from the Cowboys, ranging from Jason Witten to Marc Columbo, they tell you how everyone in Big D' knew that Sparano was a head coach in the making.
The concern over Sparano being a first timer is minimized with Parcells as a sounding board. Hiring Dan Henning to run the offense was a solid move. Paul Pasqualoni is a detailed-oriented football coach who will run Sparano's 3-4 defense and shares the same principles.
After the Cam Cameron disaster, the Miami players will have no choice but to listen to whatever Sparano says in his thick Northeast accent. I like the hire and the re-building of the Dolphins football program from top to bottom.
