Although nothing is official yet, it's become clear that everyone in NFL circles believes that Miami Dolphins boss Bill Parcells and General Manager Jeff Ireland have already decided to offer the head-coaching job to Cowboys assistant head coach and offensive line coach Tony Sparano.Both Ireland and Parcells worked with Sparano in Dallas and think highly of him, and the Dolphins fired their most respected assistant, offensive line coach Hudson Houck, and wouldn't have done so if they weren't sure they were going to have a head coach whose area of expertise is the offensive line. The Dolphins offering the job to Sparano seems more a matter of "when" than "if."
That doesn't mean he's 100 percent certain to be the next Dolphins coach. It's still possible that either Falcons owner Arthur Blank or Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will put together a huge financial package to lure Sparano away, as those teams are interested in Sparano, too. It's also possible (though unlikely) that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will make Sparano the highest-paid assistant in the league and convince him to stay in Dallas.
And it's possible that Parcells, a man not known for his patience, will decide he wants to hire a coach who can start right away. If the Cowboys make the Super Bowl, Sparano can't start a new job for another month.
But none of those obstacles is likely. Sparano is almost certainly the Dolphins' next coach.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Am I the only one who thinks he looks like a 'Hitler starter-kit' with that mustache?
Posted at 9:08AM on Jan 4th 2008 by c_golden07
2. Cue the "Tony Soprano" jokes...
Posted at 9:17AM on Jan 4th 2008 by Matt
3. Aren't they at least supposed to pretend to consider a minority candidate? I mean, I know that requirement is a joke, and GM's and owners hire who they want. But Parcells and Ireland aren't even talking the talk.
Posted at 9:29AM on Jan 4th 2008 by Tipcpup
4. Matt -
Actually, cue the "pregame show plays the opening credits to 'The Sopranos' before playing that sound of a record scratching and having the announcer say, 'wait, wrong Tony...this one's Sparano!'"
I'll give you 2-to-1 Fox Sports already has this thing in the can.
Posted at 10:13AM on Jan 4th 2008 by Greg Wyshynski
5. Haha I totally agree Greg. This guy must get it all the time.
Ahh well.. Good luck to him and the dolphins, let's see if the clearout can help them improve - last season was just embarrasing.
Posted at 11:01AM on Jan 4th 2008 by Superbowl betting man
6. Tuna boy can hire whatever brown nosing coach he wants it isn’t going to help him a damn bit . All Bill knows how to do is raid former teams for players and he has run out of players willing to play for him.. if you hadn’t noticed every one of those great players who went to the wall for him while with the Giants Pats and jet’s are now retired. and he didn’t make to many friends while wearing the head set in Dallas. And just as a reminder someone not named Parcells drafted all those great players. I don’t see to many hall of famers coming out of his tenure as the grocery shopper for gang green. i danced when i heard Miami hired the Tuna and i'll be dancing for a long long time
Posted at 5:01PM on Jan 4th 2008 by Murph
7. I played under Tony Sparano in college and its no surprise that he's the most sought after coach right now. Anyone that the tuna goes after as a coach or player should be held in high regard. Sparano is no exception. As for the "brown nose" comment by murph. Let me tell you something, Tony Sparano is no brown nose. He'd tell the Tuna to shove it just the same as he would tell you. He accomplished what he has on hardwork and dedication. Look forward to the Dolphins being another success story for Parcells' legacy.
Posted at 4:02PM on Jan 5th 2008 by Gutter
8. Gutter thats the way to tell it like it is. Evidently Murph doesn't know how Garrett got the OC job at Dallas, and I'll bet he don't know how to dance either. The nucleus of players wanting to win was instilled by Parcells and Sparano, even you Murph would have looked good on the sidelines. "Player execution" thats what its all about, without that no coach looks good. Phillips, Garrett what a friggin joke. Murph ya got somethin on u'r nose clean it off.
Posted at 10:57AM on Jan 6th 2008 by John T.
9. I also played for Tony at UNH..He is as tough as they come...Best of luck...#65
Posted at 3:35PM on Jan 11th 2008 by joe stefanelli