By PFW staff
Jan. 16, 2008

Updated 4:10 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Jan. 16

What had been speculated for weeks became official Wednesday morning. Tony Sparano has been hired as the new head coach of the Dolphins. Sparano has been with the Cowboys for the past five seasons, serving as TE coach from 2003-04, OL/running game coordinator in 2005, assistant head coach/offensive line/running game coordinator in 2006 and assistant head coach/offensive line this past season. He becomes the eighth head coach in Dolphins history, and the fourth since 2004.

Sparano comes to Miami after head coach Cam Cameron was fired following a 1-15 season, his first season on the job.

The PFW spin

This decision comes as no surprise. As soon as Bill Parcells was coaxed back into the NFL by owner Wayne Huizenga to serve as executive V.P. of football operations, Sparano sat atop the coaching wish list. Even more than most executives and coaches, Parcells surrounds himself with people he has experience working with. Just as new Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland and assistant director of player personnel Brian Gaine were front-office personnel evaluators in Dallas during Parcells’ tenure as head coach, Sparano was on his coaching staff.

"When Bill and I discussed what we were looking for in a head coach, we talked about one of high character," Ireland said before introducing Sparano at a Wednesday press conference. "We wanted someone that understood how to develop young players, coach the team, and one that could instill a culture that is all about winning. … That guy is Tony Sparano."

The Dolphins did conduct interviews with three other coaches — Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan — but none of them was ever seriously believed to be able to wrestle the job away from Sparano.

Although Sparano, 46, was revered as a prime head-candidate throughout the league for his work in helping to shape the Cowboys’ explosive offense, he doesn’t come without some questions. His lone work as a head coach came at Division II University of New Haven from 1994-98, and he has never officially held the title of offensive coordinator at the NFL level. However, he was the primary play-caller in 2006, when the Cowboys finished fifth in the league in total offense.

Assembling a staff will be Sparano’s first order of business. Only LB coach George Edwards and assistant special-teams coach Steve Hoffman were retained from Cameron’s staff, although former University of Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee has been brought on board as QB coach. A few current Cowboys coaches — most notably secondary coach Todd Bowles and LB coach Paul Pasqualoni — are believed to be likely candidates to assume prominent roles on Sparano’s staff.

"(Hiring a staff) is the first move for me and one of the most critical moves," Sparano said. "I've been in some of those situations and I just think you've got to surround yourself with the best people that you can and some of the people that believe in your philosophies."

Instilling a discipline that was sorely lacking under Cameron will be looked on as another key component in reversing Miami’s losing culture. In a report first issued by Fox’s Jay Glazer, a gaping player-coach rift developed in the last few weeks of Miami's season.

“I think discipline is critical,” Sparano said. “At the same time, (players and coaches) will treat each other with respect.”

Sparano didn't specifically address the future of any individual players, saying he wanted to meet and evaluate every current player before coming to any conclusions about the makeup of the team.