Here's a fun topic from Happy Hour on South Beach. Let me preface it by saying that all fans have a right to say and think whatever they will. The question here is has it gone too far. We're going to use Tuna & Company for this discussion. Tuna started coaching in 1964 (before many here were born), NFL in 1979. Dan Henning started in 1968, NFL in 1976. Sparano started in 1981, NFL in 1999. That's 140 years of experience, 78 in the NFL. They have had assorted success and failure but, have been doing it for a living, around the clock, for that many years. Phans have played some HS and college football, heard and read a lot about the game from TV and the internet, and most are knowledgeable fans. Others go along with the crowd, which is understandable. There are coaching decisions on plays, moves, etc which are questionable and questioned, as they should be. However, we've gone way beyond that point in thinking that coaches suck, should not be in this business, and Phans know more than they do. This has to be rough on these guys, who many times sleep in their office, work some 16 hour days, watch countless hours of film, players every day in practice, and do their very best to win football games. Sure it's not easy on their families as well. Just a little food for thought.
I doubt Tony Sparano or any other coaches care about what's being said about them on internet message boards.
I'd have sympathy for them if any of these guys were, as Mike Florio recently used the term, "P-H-D (Poor, Hungry, Driven)". But the fact of the matter is these guys can cry into solid gold pillows bought on salaries that us fans pay for by buying tickets and sitting through commercials as we watch them on television. Tony Sparano can retire after he's fired by the Dolphins, never work again, and live a life of luxury. That house he's selling? He's selling it for like $4 million or something like that. **** him. It's a testament to how bad he is at his job that a bunch of common fans can call him to the carpet about all these issues (AND BE RIGHT) in the first place. He's been wrong about **** that a chinese rice farmer's blind sister could have seen coming.
This isn't Tee ball it's the NFL. NFL head coaches know damn well if they don't perform criticism will come. I don't care how hard you work. When you suck, you suck. No excuses at this level. Tony Sparano is in way over his head. So is Jeff Ireland for that matter.
I once had a client tell me he was paying for results, not excuses. Never forgot it. Coaching football is no different. Feeling sorry for the poor human being who can't get it done has nothing to do with it. The bottom line evaluation is the same regardless. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=25.765760,-80.194963
No question on the criticism coming. The question is if the criticism has gone beyond justifiable? I think Sparano has been better than Cam or Saban, which is not saying much. Ireland has brought in more talent than anyone in many a year, although with his fair share of mistakes.
The team is 0-7, and 0-10 or 0-11 dating back to last year. It's 1-and whatever in the last 12 or 13 home games. How many times did we have to listen to Tony in pressers prior to the season saying he had "plans for every scenario" and "this team will win"? They haven't. And he should've been out of a job last January anyways. I'll criticize him until he clinches the 1st overall pick; then he can go do whatever the hell he wants on the $ he's sitting on.
Actually he is selling it for a little under 2 million. Fans no longer pay the bills. TV revenue pays the players and the bills. Ticket sales are not the largest of items anylonger in regards to total income. Many people, and I fully understand, would rather stay in the comfort of their home and we all have to admit with todays coverage, have a far better idea of what is going on during the game then the fans in the stands. Even the price of the NFL Sunday Ticket of around what, 340 dollars for the season is cheeeeeeap compared to going to one game with three people with parking and food and other stuff ( beer ). The way its going IMO, is the stadiums could be half empty but tens of thousands of paying customers are watching it on live TV and have a far better view then the best seats at the stadium. TV revenue, thats where the money is and has been the last 5 years. No one could show up for games and owners would still be able to make the salary cap and still show a profit on TV money alone.
As I have said many times many ways, give any NFL coach a good QB and its magic when it all falls in line. Sparano is no different. Look at the Colts coach. With Manning , good coach, without Manning, he suks. Take Brees out of NO, Rivers out of SD, Fitzpatrick out of Buffalo. In the afforementioned scenarios each and every coach would be on the hot seat as some are. Not knocking Sparano nor waiving the flag for him just stating that if the team had a good QB their record would be far different.
I understand that the man is not being given the most important tool with which to work, but there is plenty of evidence that he sucks independently of the bad quarterbacking. The insistence on ground and pound. The failure to put personnel in a position to succeed. The attempts to fit square pegs into round holes. The failure to make adjustments at halftime. The lack of innovation. The aversion to risk. The inability to adjust his obsolete philosophy to a changing league. The failure of conditioning and preparation. The hidebound conservatism. Playing not to lose. The Cowboy scrubs. The failure of the offensive line, his supposed specialty. The stupid, irritating, inappropriate clapping on the sidelines and fist pumps after field goals. The admissions that he has no clue how to fix it. A good QB would simply mask some of this, but by no means all.
I look forward to the door hitting Tony AND Jeff in the rear when they leave in January. I gave them the benefit of doubt far too long and my reward as a fan? 0-7 And I don't feel poorly for either, they both will quickly get lesser roles that pay tons more than most of us fans even dream of.
You can temper your comments in order to not be over critical, insulting or even negative and it wont change anything. A bad coach can spend 24 hours a day at the facility and be commended for it but that in itself doesn't make a winner out of a loser. Sparano made himself look like a fool when in his press conference he said he didn't know what the problem is and insinuated he didn't know what to do about it. Cam Cameron was a nice guy too but he was an OC posing as a Head Coach. I recently read something from a sports figure that said that Sparano was an OL Coach posing as a Head Coach. We can all be nice to Ireland, Sparano and Parcells but that wont change the fact that we are 0-7 and can't win at home. With those results a coach should be prepared to take the heat and face the consequences and niceness doesn't win games.
This. He's listing for about $200k less than he paid. And the price is nowhere near $4 million. IIRC the listing price is $1.5 million.
I could of lead the Dolphins to an 0-7 record and I do not know crap about football and I would of done it for 1/2 the money he is charging Ross to make us all miserable. I don't care how many years he has been coaching. He is a moron of a HC and has no business in the position. He does not know when to go for a 2 point conversion and when not too. He does not use time outs effectively. He makes stupid challenges. He praises players when he should be sticking his foot up their ***. He is a jerkoff with a whistle. He is not a HC. PS: The prick fistpumps fieldgoals like its some great accomplishment worthy of celebration that his offense was incapable of punching the ball into the endzone. Like putting 3 points on the board is something to get excited about when your down by double digits. He is a waste of human flesh. Screw him.
Agreed. Just look around the league this year. Vick, Rivers, Ryan, Flacco, Freeman, Sanchez, and Bradford not playing as they did last season, and their teams are suffering, in varying degrees, for it. Their coaches are not coaching differently.
I don't think anyone believes Phans should feel sorry for Sparano, other than what Ross did. Coaches deserve a lot of criticism for a number of things they have done. I feel there are other things they are blamed/criticized for where they were not the ones at fault, kinda like a QB.
This is a bit over the top...no need to kick a dead horse. The guy lost his job here back in January, they just forgot to tell him. He won't be back. For all the suffering fans have had to go thru because of this regime, their performance is certainly not not as bad as Wanny-I'll-live-off-of-JJ's-team-as-long-as-I-can, or Nick-I-am-not-lying-Saban or Cam-"the-family"-Cameron... The blame is not just Sparano's. I can't understand how the Weasel..er I mean the Tuna has escaped so much criticism...Fans seem to think that any other coach would have done better, well just look at the clowns we've had since JJ left and Sparano is better than any of them... Of course, that doesn't matter when you are 0-7...
Have to disagree, cdz. A closer look at your criticisms. Ground and pound- Tuna's blueprint for this team, not Tony's. Failure to put personnel in a position to succeed- Not sure who you are talking about here. Attempts to fit square pegs into round holes- Again not sure who you mean? Sound more like a GM deal. Failure to make adjustment at halftime- Agreed but, with Nolan and Dabol. Lack of innovation- Not Tony's idea but, did put in the Wild Cat. Don't know what else could have been done. Aversion to risk- Agreed . Inability to adjust philosophy- Think he's done that since Tuna left. Failure of conditioning and preparation- Conditioning was no problem pre-lockout. Prep has been good to start games. Hidebound conservatism- Agreed but QB has something to do with it. Playing not to lose- AGREED!!! Cowboy scrubs- A few good, a few bad. Not really an issue (other than Columbo). Failure of OL- Many do still not know that the OL was good to VG, until this year. I blame the lockout and Long's injury. FG fist pumps- Not an issue in any way., wish the players would show the same enthusiasm. No clue as to how to fix it- Would yo prefer his taking shots at players mistakes and injuries? Don't think so. I am defending coaches to a extent but, questioning where the blame lies much more.