Tony Sparano Fired: Why Miami Dolphins Made Right Move

Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano has been fired, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

It was an expected move based on rampant speculation concerning his job status and is the right decision for a franchise struggling to keep pace in the AFC East.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports assistant head coach Todd Bowles will take over on an interim basis.

The Dolphins went 29-32 in the regular season under Sparano, including an 11-5 mark in his first year at the helm. That was good enough to win the division in 2008, but Miami didn't break the .500 barrier in any of the following three seasons.

Owner Stephen Ross has made it clear he believes his team is good enough to compete with the New England Patriots and New York Jets on a yearly basis. Sparano couldn't meet those expectations and is now out of a job.

It's a firing that comes despite a contract extension given to the 50-year-old coach last January, which was supposed to secure his placement with the team through 2013.

While the Dolphins have shown glimpses of promise during Sparano's tenure, improvement hasn't continued on a consistent enough basis to warrant keeping him in charge. Not to mention, it's a lot easier to replace one coach than 53 players.

The tough-minded Sparano went through a lot during his time in Miami, including the team talking with then-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. He never let the adversity affect him, though, instead focusing solely on his players' performance on a weekly basis.

But in the end, no coach can survive the dog-eat-dog world of NFL football without a winning résumé. That's why the Dolphins had no choice but to let him go.

Sparano started his NFL coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1999. He made stops with the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys before being hired by Bill Parcells to lead the Dolphins.

Bill Cowher heads the names of potential replacements. The former Pittsburgh Steelers stalwart previously told Ross that he wouldn't discuss the job while Sparano was still entrenched as the coach, according to Josh Alper.