Tony Sparano
In an effort to rebuild trust within the organization’s hierarchy, the Miami Dolphins have rewarded their coach with a new deal.
Per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Dolphins have extended the contract of Tony Sparano two-years; it will now run through 2013. Along with the peace of mind that his job is now safe, Sparano will also be given an “expanded role” in player personnel decisions. His $2.8 million salary for the upcoming season isn’t expected to change.
Going forward, it seems as if it’s all water under the bridge now between Sparano and general manager Jeff Ireland after a very shaky week.
“There’s no problem there,” the source said Friday night of the Sparano-Ireland dynamic.
Miami had called a news conference to announce Sparano’s return, but it was canceled as he didn’t comfortable returning to the team. Things were eventually worked out, and the news conference is now set to begin at noon on Saturday.
Of course, this comes just one day after the Fins’ plan to recruit Jim Harbaugh, now the 49ers head coach, as the new head coach failed. The plan — which was to offer the former Stanford coach around $7-8 million annually — blew up in their faces and they chose Sparano as their fallback plan. In a sense, you can’t blame him for having apprehensions about returning when the owner, Stephen Ross, and GM went behind his back with the intention of jettisoning him for the then-hottest coaching commodity on the market.
Now that things appear to be resolved, Sparano has the unenviable task of reloading and retooling the Dolphins into a playoff-bound team again. Despite winning the division in his first year on the job, along with an overall winning record of 25-23 in three seasons, many have criticized his coaching style and conservative nature, while pointing the finger solely at him for the team’s poor play down the stretch.
If the tandem can work together, and put all of this behind them for good, Sparano and Ireland will have to evaluate the Dolphins in many areas, starting at quarterback. Deciding whether Chad Henne is the team’s future at the position will dictate their success in 2011 and beyond.
