Dolphins Fire Sparano
The Miami Dolphins have won four out of their last six games, but it wasn’t enough to save Head Coach Tony Sparano, as owner Stephen Ross announced his firing today. Sparano has faced speculation of his ultimate demise for more than a year, and that only intensified after the team got off to an 0-7 start this season. A mid-season turnaround seemingly quieted the chatter, however, but Ross delivered the decision Monday after Miami got blown out at home, 26-10, to the Philadelphia Eagles just one day earlier.While Ross and the Fins will immediately begin to look for a successor, Todd Bowles, who is currently the defensive backs coach, was named the interim head coach for the team’s final three games. Jeff Ireland, who is the General Manager of the team, has retained his position and will probably play a key factor in who is named the next head coach of the storied franchise. Sparano was with the team for nearly four years and totaled a record of 29-32 during that time. With this season’s current 4-9 record, Miami will now have failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
It’s no secret that Ross and the Dolphins always seek star power, from their flashy ownership group to the players they choose to put on the field. Don’t expect their search for a new head coach to be any different, as the team will certainly be expecting that their next coach will be a big name. Early reports surfacing have Bill Cowher, Jn Gruden, Jeff Fisher and Brian Billick as names being tossed around for Sparano’s replacement. However, despite these early indications, don’t expect the Fins to name a new field commander any time soon, especially not before the end of this 2011-12 season.
The timing for such a decision has caused great speculation around Dolphins country, but ultimately, Ross said that it was in the “best interest of the Miami Dolphins” and that the team’s record is “not indicative of what this team is capable of.” Now, the Fins will be under new leadership for their final three contests vs. the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Check back to MiamiDolphinsTickets.com for more updates on the coaching search, as well as player reactions to Monday’s news. And as always, if you are interested in seeing the Fins live in person one more time, get your Miami Dolphins tickets right here before the season is over!
