Offensive Coordinator Woes Continue
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Tony Sparano is using all his lifelines to rebuild the Miami Dolphins the way he see’s it without Bill Parcells calling the shots. The 2011-2012 season will be redemption for Sparano to prove himself. Like Parcells however, Sparano is continuing the trend of poaching from the Dallas Cowboys, to the dismay of the many Dolphins fans. Though many have come in the form of recruited Cowboys players rather than coaches, the outcome has been similar – failure. It’s no secret that the current frontrunner for the vacant offensive coordinator position is Cowboys tight end coach John Garrett. Sparano has ties with Garrett from when he was the offensive line coach in Dallas. Not to write off Garrett simply because he is a Cowboy but the Dallas offense this past season speaks for itself. Like Garrett, Sparano’s other candidates have been questionable.
In a recent report from ESPN, Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has interviewed for the open OC position. Daboll was previously in New England as a defensive coaching assistant and a wide receivers coach from 2000 to 2006 winning 3 Super Bowl rings alongside Bill Belichick before moving over to the Browns with Eric Mangini. This year the Browns offense ranked 31st, one slot behind the Dolphins. One would question interviewing an offensive coordinator that had a worse season than Dan Henning did.
Though Sparano’s connection with Daboll are thin, his next candidate, UFL head coach of the Hartford Colonels, Chris Palmer, is said to be coming in for an interview this week. Palmer brought Sparano over to the NFL as head coach of the Browns in the 1999-2000 season as an offense quality control coach but their lineage traces back to 1986 when they met while both coaching at the University of New Haven. Palmer’s career in the NFL, which has spanned from the Browns to coincidentally the Cowboys, among many other NFL teams, has been sporadic. His candidacy for offensive coordinator sounds unqualified.
Also up for consideration is current assistant head coach of the San Diego Chargers, Rob Chudzinski. While the Chargers looked good on paper this season with a number one ranked offense and defense, they were unable to capitalize and win games. Chudzinski is also unproven as far as being an offensive coordinator but shines in comparison to both Daboll and Palmer.
Sparano has a lot to prove this offseason and he must start with bringing in a qualified offensive coordinator who can restart the Dolphins offense. His candidate choices thus far are a scary sign of what may come.
Follow me on Twitter @NandoCasinelli for more on the Miami Dolphins.