Sparano keeps pushing Dolphins
DAVIE (AP) – Jason Taylor is playing for his sixth head coach in six years, which makes him something of an authority on pep talks, sideline rants and those who deliver them.
He likes the way Tony Sparano gets his message across.
“I think he’s great,” Taylor says. “His attitude, his demeanor, what he expects, and the way he is very demanding and sometimes a little rough – I love it.”
That sentiment is widespread in the Miami Dolphins’ locker room as the team begins its second season under Sparano. Such popularity is understandable, given Sparano’s success as a rookie head coach last year, when he led the Dolphins to an improbable AFC East title and their first playoff berth since 2001.
It’s a big change after years of declining fortunes and a revolving door to the coach’s office. Players praise Sparano’s intelligence, blunt candor and attention to detail. They say his no-nonsense approach hasn’t varied since he took the job.
“We saw last year – win, lose or draw, he comes in on Monday the same way,” linebacker Channing Crowder says. “I don’t care if he goes 19-0 this season and wins the Super Bowl, I guarantee he comes back next year the same way. He’s going to be Tony. He’s going to be a straight-up guy. Guys respect that, because, not calling any names, but I’ve had some coaches here who would say one thing and mean another thing and try to play mind games and lie. He’s not all that bull.”
Sparano’s predecessor, Cam Cameron, lost 13 consecutive games and the players’ respect. Cameron’s predecessor, Nick Saban, quickly concluded his Napoleonic ego was better suited for college.
With Sparano, the fit seems right. Taylor could sense it even in Washington, where he played last season after spending his first 11 years with the Dolphins. Now he’s back in Miami.
“When I left here a year ago, I said I wanted to play for Tony,” Taylor says. “Now I have a chance to do it, and I’m happy.”
As Sparano enters his second season with Miami, he has altered his approach only slightly. Mindful of the team’s 0-2 start in 2008, he opted for a less arduous regimen in training camp, holding more practices indoors to ensure his players will be fresh for the first game Sunday at Atlanta.
“Getting them out of the heat a little bit, without them thinking I’m soft,” Sparano says with a laugh.
One afternoon during the drudgery of the exhibition season, he sprung a surprise by calling off a practice, instead loading the team on a bus to go to a movie.
“‘G.I. Joe,'” Sparano says. “Lots of popcorn, big smiles, and some rested bodies.”
Perhaps Sparano’s biggest change is to set the bar higher, proclaiming a division title as his goal. That objective would have seemed laughable a year ago, when Miami was coming off a 1-15 season.
With the franchise finally headed in the right direction, Sparano is eager to keep moving forward. He told players they’re starting over and should forget about last year.
“He’s not resting on his laurels,” quarterback Chad Pennington says.
Sparano was hired as part of an organizational shakeup soon after his mentor, Bill Parcells, took over football operations. Sparano spent most of his career as an offensive assistant, and his only previous head coaching experience was at New Haven in 1994-97.