Even before his regular-season head coaching debut Sunday, Sparano has achieved an important victory: He has won the respect of his players -- something Cam Cameron never fully achieved, and something Nick Saban had for a time, but lost. ''He changed the whole attitude of the team,'' Bell said, noting Sparano pushes players a ''lot harder'' than Cameron did. 'Like he tells us, `Sometimes, I can be a nice guy. Sometimes I can be a mean guy.' As players, we appreciate when someone tells us when we're doing something wrong. We needed people who would jump in our face. Last year, guys were taking it light because they knew nobody would.'' And ''what he'll tell me,'' Joey Porter noted, ``is the same thing he'll tell the last guy on the team. That's a big factor. That sends a message.'' Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano wins over his team - 09/03/2008 - MiamiHerald.com
