Regardless of Options, Miami Dolphins Must Fire Tony Sparano

Tony Sparano managed to survive Black Monday and remains the Miami Dolphins head coach 48 hours later, but the likelihood that he retains that title through the weekend seems, well, unlikely.

Sources reported late Tuesday night that Dolphins owner Steven Ross has reached out to Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and former Pittsburgh Steelers legend Bill Cowher to gauge their interest in taking over the team.

It’s understandable for both men to be on Ross’ radar. Like Harbaugh, Ross is a Michigan alum and one of the school’s biggest donors.

If he decides to bolt Stanford for a shot at the pros, Harbaugh will be the hottest coach on the market after leading the Cardinal to a 12-1 record, capped by Monday night’s 40-12 thrashing of Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Conveniently, the game was played at Sun Life Stadium, the home of Ross’ Dolphins, and Ross and general manager Jeff Ireland were on hand to watch their new prospect.

Cowher has everything an owner is looking for in a coach. Previous NFL experience. Winner of Super Bowl XL. Great football mind. Respect of his players and peers. Most of all, he brings a brand name, and that might be what Ross truly covets after seeing his stadium half full for Dolphins home games this season.

Either one would be a great hire, but at this point there is no certainty that either is going to be available. Harbaugh could remain at Stanford or take the Denver or San Francisco job, and there are reports that Cowher is content working at CBS for another season.

Regardless of their availability, Ross must pull the plug on Tony Sparano. The time has come for a number of reasons.

We can start with the fact that with each passing minute it becomes more evident that Ross simply doesn’t want Sparano to return. If he did, he wouldn’t be putting him on ice while searching for a better replacement. It’s getting to the point of no return, where Ross almost has to fire Sparano because the longer he drags out this search, the harder it is going to be for players to put all their eggs in the basket for him should he return next season.

Sparano is going into the final year of his four-year contract, so technically he’s already a lame duck coach. Knowing this and that the owner was out scouring for his replacement, how do you think players will respond to Sparano next season if it turns sour? Ever heard of turning a deaf ear?

If Ross wanted Sparano back, he would have given his full endorsement by now. If nothing else, Sparano has put everything he had into the job and represented the organization in the classiest way possible. Stop dragging this out and let the man go; he deserves that much.

Another reason to move forward now is that it may not take a poor start or a weak finish for players to tune out Sparano, as it appears he may have already lost his locker room. Since Sunday, a number of players have spoken out against his micromanaging style and how it made the work environment unbearable at times. First it was Ricky Williams and then Brandon Marshall. Then Brian Hartline. Then Channing Crowder.

Excluding Hartline, the other three are considered to be the most outspoken Dolphins, meaning they have the guts to tell it like it is. You have to think there are others that share their opinions but are afraid to speak up. Can Ross bring Sparano back if a mutiny is on the horizon eight months before next season is set to begin?

The biggest factor in Ross’s decision should be that the results just aren’t there. The NFL is a cutthroat, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league where the bottom line—wins and losses—is all that matters. After leading Miami to an 11-5 record and AFC East championship in his first season, Sparano’s teams have finished 7-9 each of the last two years.

Many saw 2009 as a step-back season for Miami, but 2010 was one of high expectations. In fact, Ross himself predicted in June that the Dolphins would play in the 2011 Super Bowl and quarterback Chad Henne would be the next Dan Marino. Since Miami missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year and Henne stunk, 7-9 should be deemed unacceptable.

Consistency has been missing under Sparano, especially the last two years. The Dolphins alternated wins and losses for eight consecutive weeks this season before dropping their final three games. They only won two straight games once, beating the awful Bills and Vikings to start the season, and haven’t won three straight since December 2008.

Most disconcerting has to be how Miami has finished the last two seasons. The best coaches have their teams playing their best at the end of the year, when games are most important. With that said, Sparano can’t be considered one of the NFL’s premier head coaches.

In 2009, the Dolphins were 7-6 and in control of their playoff destiny. They finished the season against three teams that failed to qualify for the postseason—Tennessee, Houston and Pittsburgh—but lost all three games and had to watch the playoffs from their living rooms.

This season, Miami was again 7-6 and mathematically alive for a playoff berth. Its last three opponents were 3-10 Buffalo, 4-10 Detroit and New England.

The Dolphins were eliminated from contention following a pathetic Week 15 performance, a 17-14 home loss to Buffalo. The following week they hosted the Lions and lost 34-27 after blowing a 10-point lead with less than five minutes to play. To finish the year, Miami went to Foxboro and got drubbed 38-7 by the Patriots’ junior varsity squad. Two straight years finished with three straight losses.

After three seasons, Sparano’s résumé looks like this: 25 wins, 24 losses, one playoff appearance, zero playoff wins and a 3-7 post-November record.

Looks mediocre to me. This once proud franchise should strive to be something more than middle of the pack.

It’s time for a change.

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