MOBILE, Ala. - Firing longtime friend and colleague Paul Pasqualoni wasn't easy for Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, even if he ended up with an even more accomplished defensive coordinator in Mike Nolan.
"It was a very tough decision," Sparano said Monday after leading the South team through the first day of practice for Saturday's Senior Bowl. "I think the world of Paul Pasqualoni. He's a tremendous football coach. I respect and I thank him for everything he did for us and the Miami Dolphins."
Pasqualoni, who left the Dolphins after two seasons, was quickly scooped up by the Cowboys to coach their defensive line.
"We tried to change the culture here and we're starting to get there, and he was a part of that," Sparano said. "We had to make a decision. I did and we moved on and we got a great guy right now to help us."
Sparano said there wasn't any one area that caused him to change the leader of a defense that sagged to 25th in the league in points allowed, but he later noted the Broncos' No. 3 showing against the pass under Nolan.
"Just a feeling that I had," Sparano said. "It takes a while sometimes to sort it out in your head, but it's just the way we had to go."
He later added the players aren't without blame.
"Players are accountable," Sparano said. "I think as we go forward here, that will be pretty clear to them."
Captain wars?
Sparano refused to confirm or deny a report on SunSentinel.com that had multiple sources saying veteran linebackers Joey Porter and Jason Taylor clashed late in the season over Porter's refusal to come off the field on some third downs.
"I can't say yea or nay," Sparano said. "I thought Joey and Jason's relationship, honestly, was very good. I really do. I think they work very well together as captains and I think they work very well with our younger players."
Taylor is a free agent while Porter is due a seven-figure roster bonus in early March and could be cut.
