Tony Sparano Named Offensive Coordinator of New York Jets

It did not take the New York Jets long to find Brian Schottenheimer's replacement. According to Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger, they have hired former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano as the offensive coordinator.

Sparano was fired during the 2011 season, after the Dolphins got off to a 4-9 start. Prior to his Dolphins start, he was the offensive line coach and assistant head coach for the Cowboys.

The decision to fire Sparano in Miami was a no-brainer. While the Dolphins did finish this season on a high note, they had gotten progressively worse since his hiring in 2008. Either he was not ready to be a head coach, or is just not head coaching material. 

But he could still be a good coordinator. Sparano is an excellent hire for the Jets. He knows the Jets well, having gone against them twice a season for each of the last four years (although he was fired before their second 2011 meeting). 

Still, that means he's familiar with the talents of the current players. The job of a coordinator is to find the strengths of the players and use them heavily. It's also his job to identify the weaknesses and try to keep them hidden. 

When you're preparing against a team, it's the exact opposite. You want to exploit their weaknesses and hide the strengths. Facing the Jets as often as the Dolphins do, Sparano knows the strengths and weaknesses of the offense.

This is also significant as Sparano is an offensive coordinator being brought in to work with Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez, assuming he remains the Jets starter. Schottenheimer had been the team's offensive coordinator since 2006, while Sanchez and Ryan didn't arrive until 2009.

What that means is that the Jets don't have any excuses in 2011. They have a new offensive coordinator who has been specifically brought in for this set of talent. If they don't show significant offensive strides in 2012, significant changes will need to be made in New York.

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