Constant in a sea of change

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http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/Special_Reports/sports/footpreview08/dol5.html

Constant in a sea of change

By ARMANDO SALGUERO
asalguero@MiamiHerald.com
 
It is an unorthodox setup these Dolphins have conjured.

Wayne Huizenga, the owner, is called the Managing General Partner because he sold half the team to Stephen Ross, who is now merely the "Partner" despite shelling out half a billion dollars for half the franchise and Dolphin Stadium.

When Ross completes the purchase -- which sources say will happen as early as next offseason -- Huizenga will step aside and Ross will have controlling interest but still have very little say over the football team.

One billion dollars doesn't buy as much as it used to.

That is because Bill Parcells, who now answers only to Huizenga and eventually will answer only to Ross, will continue to have final authority over all football decisions -- meaning he really answers to neither.

Which leads us to coach Tony Sparano and general manager Jeff Ireland.

Parcells has been an accomplished coach and general manager in the NFL, but he jokes with friends that his current job with the Dolphins simply is to baby-sit.

"My job is to make sure those two guys don't screw up," Parcells has told friends.

And that is why Parcells, not Ireland, was the guy who negotiated the Jason Taylor trade. That is why Parcells often pulls players aside during or after practices and tutors them much as a head coach would do.

But despite this obvious influence, despite his seniority and reputation, Parcells is treading lightly in public. He refuses to speak to the local media and is sensitive to the idea he is interfering with Ireland or Sparano.

TUNA HELPER

After one training camp practice in which Parcells actively coached several players, the team's football czar knocked on Sparano's office door and politely asked for a moment.

Parcells asked the coach he hired and could ostensibly fire if it was all right for him to talk to players and give coaching tips. Parcells, after all, didn't want Sparano to think he was interfering.

"That's not a problem," a disbelieving Sparano told his boss.

Are you getting the idea that everyone is feeling everyone else out around here?

That has become evident to assistant coaches when they have nightly film sessions and what Sparano calls personnel "wrap-ups," following games.

Ireland typically sits in on the daily breakdown of the practice tapes.

"Jeff watches the tape with us at night at times when we watch the tape," Sparano said. "And anytime we have a personnel wrap-up they're both in there. They'll both be in and we'll talk about personnel and go through it all at the end of the game or at the end of a big scrimmage or where we've seen them play for a lot of plays."

Which leads to this question: Who has final say on roster cuts?

Ireland has final say on personnel matters such as drafting, trading and signing of free agents, although everyone knows Parcells must give his approval of Ireland's final say. So what happens when the Dolphins trim their roster to 53 players?

Sparano says it will be a consensus opinion.

"They're information gatherers, so Jeff and Bill will gather their information just like I gather my information from what I see out here," Sparano said. "And then we'll spend some time together."

The current Dolphins hierarchy is interesting in that outside of Parcells, it resembles the system in place last season when the team endured a 1-15 season. In fact, it could be said, Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller, both fired for that forgettable nightmare, had better combined résumés when they were hired than Sparano and Ireland.

While Sparano and Cameron were starting their first NFL head coaching assignments, Mueller had built teams in Seattle and New Orleans while Ireland has no such experience.

EXPERIENCED BACKING

But Sparano and Ireland have Parcells. He gives them and the Dolphins legitimacy and experience. And so it is important for the Dolphins to keep him.

Parcells has a four-year contract, but he made it clear the reason he came to Miami was his attraction to Huizenga's hands-off management style. So if Ross takes over next year as expected, he has little choice but to stay out of his employee's way.

All makes sense doesn't it?