Where does Sparano Rank in the list of Miami Dolphins HCs?

[jtex316]

Was Tony Sparano:

A. Better than Don Shula?
B. Better than Jimmy Johnson?
C. Better than Dave Wanny?
D. Better than Nick Saban?
E. Better than Cam Cameron?
F. Better than George Wilson?
G. Better than Jim Bates?
H. The worst coach in team history?
I. Other (Please Explain).

[jtex316]

Note: the above list is not sorted in any specific order.

[Tenshot13]

C, D, E

[Frimp]

D and E. Wanny would have gotten us a ring if Fiedler hadnt gotten hurt.

[BigDaddyFin]

vs the current list I'd rank him somewhere between D and B.  He's definately better than Nick Saban, and I have to think if I were a player at any level still I'd want Sparano before I'd want Jimmy Johnson.  Nobody's gonna top Don Shula anytime soon.  I wish he were younger we could bring him back.

[Spider-Dan]

Shula needs no explanation.
Wanny was clearly better in any measurable way.
JJ made the playoffs and won playoff games.
I'd put Sparano right above Saban.

[DZA]

My opinion, Sparano was better than  saTan , JJ, Camoron And Wannadouche.

Camoron ----  Ted Ginn, 1-15 , lost locker room,

JJ-  had constant battles with Marino, build a good defense , suck on offense oh, Yatil Green & Jerris Mcphail

Wanny -- OMG Jay Feeley nuff said

SaTan --- left to go to BAMA.  drafted Jason Allen 1st round  WHY



To me Sparano fault was that he was inconsistent and my excuse for him was that his is his 1st HC position.  Bill Bellicheat was not great in the beginning nor is he still but according to stats Bellicheat is among the footbal GODS so oh well.  I feel  Sparano will do good at the College level or hell maybe another shot in the Pros.

[jtex316]

I agree with Spider Dan.

There's no way Sparano's tenure was any better than Jimmy Johnson's tenure. JJ not only built a defense (that lasted well after he left the team), he drafted extremely well. He also won playoff games - on the road - Sparano did nothing in 2008 at home in his lone playoff appearance.

[Phishfan]

Wanny -- OMG Jay Feeley nuff said

Jay Feely wasn't with the Dolphins during Wanny's tenure.

I rank Sparano between Saban and Wanny. That position puts him ahead of Saban, Cameron, Bates (not sure he should be included), and Wilson. I expect Wilson is getting left off many people's lists either because they are too young or he is getting cut slack for coaching an expansion team.

[Dave Gray]

I like Saban better than the rest of you.  He would've done good things, had he had the heart to stay around, I think.

[Phishfan]

Dave, I get your point. But is essence, you are giving him credit for something he didn't do. You can't judge him on waht could have been. You can only judge them on what is.

[masterfins]

I like Saban better than the rest of you.  He would've done good things, had he had the heart to stay around, I think.

I think Saban would have done good things if he stuck around, but he was a Quitter, so he ranks below Waanny and Cam.

[Dave Gray]

Dave, I get your point. But is essence, you are giving him credit for something he didn't do. You can't judge him on waht could have been. You can only judge them on what is.

I grant you that point.

However, you can't blame him for what he didn't do either.  I don't think Saban really hurt us, wasted picks terribly, destroyed the franchise, etc. -- moreso than some of these other guys.

In short, even though Saban did less than Wanny, he hurt us a lot less, too.  I rank Wanny very low (below Saban), because of the long, slow damage that he caused.

[Phishfan]

I don't think Saban really hurt us, wasted picks terribly, destroyed the franchise, etc. -- moreso than some of these other guys.

He traded a second rounder for Culpepper, drafted Jason Allen with a first, and Derek Hagan with a third. That 2006 draft was about as bad as any I can remember while being a Dolphins fan. The highlight of 2005 was Channing Crowder. He wasn't very impressive at all with the draft nor what we traded picks to get.

[Dave Gray]

^ Yes.

But....

I try to be fair when assessing a draft.  I don't think it's just to simply look at guys that worked and guys that didn't and make a judgment based on that and attribute it to the decision of the coach.  The draft (in terms of who's going to be good) is such a crapshoot.  Sure, there's an aspect of talent evaluation, but it's also a lot of luck.

In short:

I have no problem with us picking Jason Allen.  Too bad that it didn't work, but it wasn't like he was a huge reach.  The general consensus is that the guy was a good fit, was drafted in about the right spot, wasn't a huge risk, and had the physical tools to do the job, not to mention that it was a position where we really needed help.  It just didn't work out.  Saban is somewhat reposible for not recognizing that the guy wasn't going to make it, but he's also doesn't have a crystal ball -- nobody does.  Just like I don't blame the Saints for picking Reggie Bush, I don't blame Saban for Allen...or Hagan for that matter.

When I do assess blame, it's for guys like Jamaal Fletcher or Ted Ginn.  In both of those cases, the picks just didn't make sense.  In Fletcher's case, even if he worked out, we're talking about a 5th corner, when we had huge, pressing areas of need.  For Ginn, we reached for a guy that didn't have the physical tools for the position we were asking him to play.  Those were lapses in judgment, not in luck.

In my opinion, at least...