50 moments in Miami Dolphins history

Towards the end of the 2007 season, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga swooped in and made a huge offer to Bill Parcells to take over the football side of the team. Parcells was set to join the Atlanta Falcons but the offer from Huizenga was too much to pass on and Parcells already made South Florida a home spending a lot of time in Jupiter, Fl. Parcells brought with him the bravado he had displayed throughout his career.

Unfortunately, Parcells couldn’t find the success in Miami that he had elsewhere. He hired a top personnel man to be his defacto GM and an offensive line coach to be his head coach. Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano would come to Miami as friends but would leave on non-speaking terms. Parcells’ failures were not just in his coaching decisions. During the first three years Parcells’ failed miserably in the draft and in free agency. Opting to draft Jake Long with his first pick in 2008 and subsequently failing with Pat White and Chad Henne, Parcells stepped aside and turned the team over to Ireland who didn’t find much success.

The Dolphins “czar” would leave the team permanently one week before the start of the 2010 season putting Jeff Ireland in full control of the team. Parcells would leave the Dolphins taking with him a fully guaranteed contract. The Dolphins made the playoffs one time, his first season with the team but it was on the heels of the Wild Cat that drove the team.

Next: September 23, 2001