P-Rez25

Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano won't try to jam a square puzzle piece into a circular hole.




"Our system needs to fit our players. Our players don't have to fit our system, so that's important right now," Sparano said in his lone press conference since being hired last month. "We need to make the system fit the players. In this evaluation that is taking place right now -- and this isn't a one-day thing, so I can't give you the answer that you're looking for right now -- we're watching 16 games of film, all sides of the ball, going back to possibly last year on some guys and also watching preseason tape."


Part of Cam Cameron's problem was giving then-defensive coordinator Dom Capers free rein on the defensive alignments. Capers was partially handcuffed with all the injuries to his unit, but he still failed to properly utilize the skills of Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. In the first half of the season, he had Porter with his hands in the dirt against defensive tackles that outweighed him by 70 pounds, rather than have him freelance from the outside linebacker spot where he is most comfortable.


Sparano and his new defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni won't let that happen -- whether they play the 3-4 or 4-3 alignment.


"Obviously, we have exposure in both systems right now, and so do the players here, from that standpoint. They've been involved in 3-4, and they've been involved in 4-3," Sparano said. "We really need to identify the pieces that are in place right now that way. As far as my philosophy goes, my philosophy is one thing. It is something that you wish for and something that you hope for maybe. At the end of this, we have to do what's best for our people here and for the Miami Dolphins."


Sparano also stressed that while he is the boss, he will rely heavily on his assistant coaches who have more experience than he does, as well as the ultimate boss, Bill Parcells, the head of football operations.


"What we didn't want to hire is guys who are just 'yes' men that shake their head 'yes' in the room," Sparano said. "I feel like our staff is full of knowledge right now to be able to help these players."


Sparano will certainly utilize the 28 years of experience accrued by his newly named offensive coordinator, Dan Henning, who was hired the day after the Super Bowl. Henning will call the plays, a chore Cameron was unable to handle along with his head coaching duties last season.


"His experience that he brings to the table - not only for the team and the players, offensively, but even for me -- this guy has been a head coach a few times and it gives me a great opportunity, a sounding board to kind of bounce things off of a little bit too," Sparano said.


"Getting a coach like Dan, and Paul, two coaches that way, to be able to come into this building to help our players, with the experience they have and the way that they form relationships with the players along the way, I think are really positives. That way you're not trying to coach the coach, so-to-speak. These guys have done it. They've been in some of these battles before, and it will be a little bit easier for us."


Notes, Quotes
• MLB Zach Thomas' release on Feb. 14 didn't come as a surprise. His 2007 season was cut short due to a serious concussion, making it the first time in his 12-year career that he didn't reach the 100-tackle mark.


"I want to thank the entire organization, especially Mr. Huizenga, for making my 12 seasons with the Dolphins as memorable as they were. I also want to thank all the coaches and teammates that I've had during my career for helping me to grow both on and off the field," Thomas said. "I have a tremendous appreciation and admiration not only for the Dolphins organization, but for the fans as well, for all of the support that they have given me.


"I can't thank Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and the rest of Dolphins management enough for handling this situation in a first-class manner. I am healthy and look forward to playing in 2008, but will always consider myself a Miami Dolphin."


• Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel, who grew up in South Florida and has 16 interceptions in the last two years, is a free agent and wouldn't mind playing for his home team.


"As of right now I'm on the team and I'm happy," Samuel said before the Super Bowl loss to the Giants. "Right now, I'm just concentrating on football and the Super Bowl, and enjoying the moment."


• DE Jason Taylor, who has had positive conversations with both Bill Parcells and coach Tony Sparano, was named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl XLII. Taylor hasn't been in the playoffs for six years and never made it past the second round.


"Being on the field, it was great, but it hurts," Taylor said. "I texted all the (former Dolphins in the game) I used to play with. Down there I saw Junior (Seau) and Wes (Welker). Their minds are on something else, obviously. And to be told it was time to get off the field, that hurts."


• DE Matt Roth isn't winning over any of his new coaches, and especially Bill Parcells, after getting arrested for public intoxication in Iowa City, Iowa, two weeks ago. Roth, 25, played for Iowa and was also arrested in 2003 for public intoxication, fighting and for using another person's identification card. Roth had a career-high 44 tackles and 3.0 sacks last season, but he was limited by a strained groin.


• Sparano hired former Panthers offensive line coach Mike Maser, not only because they briefly worked together but because Maser apparently has no ambitions to move up.


"What I love about Mike Maser is his expectation is to be an offensive line coach, to be the best offensive line coach he can be. That's what I love about him. I didn't want to hire me as the offensive line coach. What I mean by that is I didn't want to hire this guy that wanted to be the head coach or wants to be the coordinator," Sparano said.


Strategy And Personnel
With the hiring of Dan Henning the day after the Super Bowl to be the offensive coordinator, Tony Sparano completed his coaching staff.


Henning, 65, has been a long-time friend of Parcells, but don't expect this to be a long-term hire. Henning is the fix-it man. Parcells brought him to the Jets in 1998 and he instantly upgraded the offense enough to turn around a 1-15 team in 1996 to 12-4 in '98 and a trip to the AFC Championship game.


The Panthers were 1-15 in 2001 and a year later Henning took over a moribund offense. Two years later the Panthers were in the Super Bowl behind eventual Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme. Henning is most likely grooming recently hired receivers coach Karl Dorrell or running backs coach James Saxon to be the eventual offensive coordinator so he could retire to the golf course.


TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY


Parcells and Sparano are wasting no time with sentiments for aging, injured players with hefty contracts as the cutting of Trent Green and most recently Zach Thomas proves.


Thomas and Green were coming off concussion-plagued seasons that kept them off the field for 11 games each. The release of receiver Marty Booker was about age, diminishing production and salary cap savings.


The only free agents the Dolphins will probably re-sign is right guard Rex Hadnot and safety Yeremiah Bell. Hadnot, who should command at least $5 million per, is the one constant on a shaky offensive line, although LT Vernon Carey has shown steady progress the last two seasons. It's possible the Dolphins will tag Hadnot with the franchise label to avoid a long-term deal while slowly rebuilding the line through the draft and free agency.


Bell is a playmaker who has been besieged by injuries. On the cusp of a Pro Bowl season, Bell was cut down in the season opener with an Achilles' tear. The Dolphins should be able to get him cheap because of his injury history. It would be a wise move, given the total lack of depth in the secondary.


1. Quarterback: Parcells will not risk his tenure on John Beck's shoulders, so look for him to search far and wide for a replacement, either in the draft with Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan, or a reliable veteran on the market such as Chad Pennington or JP Losman. Dare we mention, mistake-prone Rex Grossman or the return of Daunte Culpepper, who is back in South Florida, waiting for the phone to ring.


2. Defensive tackle: The Dolphins were the worst team in the league against the run, and an aging Keith Traylor was the prime reason. His backup, rookie Paul Soliai, gave no indication that he could be a starter with his three measly tackles in nine games. So, if Parcells can overlook LSU's Glenn Dorsey's injury-prone history, then he could be wearing a Dolphins uniform next season.


3. Tight end: Last year's offseason free-agent signing of David Martin rendered minimal production as he continues to prove his reputation as an inconsistent player at Green Bay was accurate. Martin had two touchdowns - both in the same game - all season. Backup Justin Peelle is a nice backup - but that's it. Parcells and Sparano love the tight end position, so look for them to snag Notre Dame's John Carlson, whose coach Charlie Weis could give good his good friend - Parcells - the inside word on. Missouri's Martin Rucker or Texas A&M Martellus Bennett would also be solid additions in the later rounds.


Medical Watch: Running back Ronnie Brown was in the midst of a breakout season before tearing up his ACL in Game 7 against the Patriots. Brown said his progress has been steady was already running straight ahead this month. Running back Ricky Williams, a bargain at the NFL minimum, had just six carries before tearing his chest muscle when it was stomped on in the Steelers' Monday night loss. Williams and Brown are staying in town working out regularly at Dolphins headquarters. FS Renaldo Hill tore up his knee in the same game Brown went down. I ran into him at the Super Bowl and he said he was ahead of schedule and expected to be ready by training camp. LB Channing Crowder missed the final four games with a knee injury, and the only update on him came when he was charged with misdemeanor for abandoning his crashed car in the middle of the night last month. Crowder has a history of knee problems since his days at Florida. CB Andre' Goodman, who hasn't been the same since undergoing two separate shoulder surgeries last year, ended the season on IR with a knee injury. Soon to be 30, he could be the next victim on Sparano's hit list. S Cameron Worrell finished the season on IR with a knee injury, but he also had serious shoulder problems as well. A solid special teamer, he should be back.


FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:


• S Yeremiah Bell is a playmaker in waiting, but he keeps getting injured. The Dolphins will lock him up if the numbers are reasonable.


• LS John Denney has cleaned up his mistakes from previous years and should be a cheap investment.


• RG Rex Hadnot was the best run blocker on the team and should be re-signed if not too expensive.


• QB Cleo Lemon gave no indication he could be a starter in this league. Unlikely to return.


• LG Chris Liwienski was benched at the end of season. Decent backup, but certainly not worth big bucks.


• G Gene Mruczkowski was snatched from the Patriots; a backup without much value.


• G Ikechuku Ndukwe was signed during season and could be worth cultivating.


• LB Derrick Pope is a solid special teams player and proved he could be a reliable backup at any of the linebacker positions. Won't cost much, so an effort should be made to re-sign him.


• OT Mike Rosenthal didn't play a down in 2007 due to shoulder injury.


• S Lance Schulters was signed at the end of season, but at 32 is way past prime.


• LB Donnie Spragan is going on 32 and doesn't add much to the defense.


• S Travares Tillman ended another year on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. Unlikely to return.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS


• RB Patrick Cobbs won't cost much to keep around for special teams.


• WR Greg Camarillo showed value on special teams and is a blossoming young receiver. Worth a small investment.


• RB Samkon Gado was signed because of a myriad of injuries. Little shot of returning.


• CB Michael Lehan was a solid contributor in a weak secondary. Inexpensive, should be back.


• G Cory Lekkerkerker was mostly a backup who got two starts when Liwienski faltered; could be had for veteran's minimum.


• DT Chase Page finished on IR with shoulder surgery. Didn't show much.

PLAYERS LOST


• WR Marty Booker (released).


• OT L.J. Shelton (released).


• LB Zach Thomas (released).


• OL Joe Toledo (released).


• DT Keith Traylor (released).


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