Speculation that still-current Cowboys assistant Tony Sparano will soon be named Miami's head coach is getting more media attention than Britney Spears would if she left the Palms and fell face-first onto the pavement with her skirt hiked up to her necklace.
Regardless of where he's going or even if he's certainly leaving, it seems like Sparano would be an excellent fit in Miami, as he not only has experience and success as an NFL coach but also the right networking contacts in this case.
Presently serving as assistant head coach, Sparano has done admirably in various roles as a member of Dallas' staff. Most notably, his stint as tight ends coach of the Cowboys coincided with the commencement of Jason Witten's pro career. Witten has of course become one of the best receiving ends in the game since he was drafted in 2003.
Sparano held the same job in 2002 for Jacksonville, where he got a pretty good performance out of Kyle Brady: A player better known for his blocking caught 43 passes for 461 yards that year. He was in charge of the tight ends in Washington the previous season, while Sparano spent 1999 and 2000 helping Cleveland's offense, first as quality control coach and then as head of the line.
More importantly for Sparano, he was brought to Dallas during the reign of a football legend named . . . Bill Parcells. After serving as the aforementioned specialty receiver coach for two years, Sparano was moved to offensive line boss in 2005. It's a position that's still under his jurisdiction, and, while the unit's execution in the Cowboys' playoff loss against the Giants has been maligned, it has generally been considered to be an impressively stout group in recent seasons.
Additionally, Sparano called the offensive plays over the course of Parcells' final year with the Cowboys, taking over the responsibility from current New Orleans coach Sean Payton; anyone who saw the Saints try to run that reverse against the Buccaneers earlier last month can understand why. Interestingly, Sparano helmed the offense at the same time that Tony Romo began his rise from anonymous backup to emerging superstar.
It could be coincidental that Dallas' current quarterback managed to make a smooth transition from the bench to the huddle, specifically in the way that he effectively spreads opportunities for receptions among a deep, talented receiving platoon. It's also possible that Witten would have become an ace without Sparano, but it gets to the point where it's clearly not a mere fluke that talent emerges at whatever spot he coaches.
On the other hand, as for head coaching experience, his résumé is a bit thinner. He did lead his alma mater, the University of New Haven, from 1994-98, the high point being an appearance in the 1997 championship game. Of course, that was a Division II school, and, jokes aside from whether the talent level there might be on par with that of last year's Dolphins, Sparano has not been the top guy for an NFL team. Still, he's done well with a range of assignments in the pros, including the time he served under Parcells.
The Ravens and Falcons also think highly enough of the assistant that they're pursuing him to fix their wrecks, too, although Miami has at least one inside advantage thanks to its vice president. That looks like good news for the Dolphins, as Sparano's track record for getting fine efforts out of his players in Dallas would be a great asset to a young, struggling team that's about to be overhauled.
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