Miami Dolphins Retain Tony Sparano: Pursuing Josh McDaniels as Coordinator Next?

Stephen Ross is in the infancy of his tenure as an NFL owner, and fittingly, his time with the Dolphins been littered with a myriad of embarrassing, perhaps "rookie" mistakes.

Ross fell flat on his face pursuing every big name on the NFL coaching carousel with promises of record shattering contracts, completely belittling his incumbent head coach in the process. Despite Ross' mistakes, Tony Sparano will remain on board for at least another season, coaching a team whose respect he allegedly has already lost.

Regardless, the Dolphins will proceed into the offseason with just one vacancy left to fill: offensive coordinator.

Fortunately for Stephen Ross, there is one unemployed candidate floating around the coaching carousel who could fulfill both his desire for a big name and an innovative offensive mastermind. Josh McDaniels may have failed to fulfill the "boy wonder" label he garnered under Bill Belichick as the Denver Broncos head coach, but his offensive track record speaks for itself.

McDaniels served as Belichick's offensive coordinator in New England from 2006 through 2008, overseeing arguably the greatest aerial attack in NFL history, then leading a Matt Cassel-led offense to an 11-5 record. In 2009, the Broncos hired McDaniels as their head coach, but after a miraculous 6-0 start, he compiled a 5-17 record, enough evidence for Denver to fire him in Week 13.

But the failed head coaching stint aside, Josh McDaniels has an uncanny midas touch with quarterbacks, and that may be the ultimate factor that lands him in Miami.

In all likelihood, the Dolphins will start the 2010 season with either a rookie or some kind of short term replacement at the helm of their offense. And who better to tutor that quarterback than the coach who squeezed a combined 11,148 yards and 52 touchdowns out of Kyle Orton and Matt Cassel? Not to mention the the 16,137 yards and 128 touchdowns Tom Brady tossed under McDaniels.

If Ross manages to lure McDaniels onto his coaching staff, he also provides the team with two potential replacements for Tony Sparano. Both McDaniels and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan have head coaching experience, so if Sparano is fired at some point during or after the 2011 season, Ross might not have to look very far (instead of say, flying to California) to find his successor.

McDaniels has experience with multiple prima donna receivers (including Brandon Marshall himself), knows how to extract maximum talent, and he has orchestrated some of the more explosive offenses in NFL history. All of these traits make McDaniels a nearly impeccable fit for the Dolphins, and if Stephen Ross wants to start resurrecting his reputation, hiring "boy wonder" would be a good start.