Cowboys assistant head coach Tony Sparano will be a busy man today and tomorrow. Sparano will meet with Falcons owner Arthur Blank today at 2:30 p.m. in Dallas to discuss their head coaching vacancy.
On Saturday, he'll interview with the Dolphins in the morning and the Ravens in the afternoon. Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will also meet with the Falcons today and likely the Ravens tomorrow.
The 46-year-old Sparano is considered the leading candidate for the Dolphins job. He joined the Cowboys staff in 2003 as Bill Parcells' tight ends coach, and helped develop Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten. He became the offensive line coach in 2005, and took over the play-calling duties in 2006, when Sean Payton left for New Orleans. He's had the opportunity to interview for three offensive coordinator positions over the past two years, but owner Jerry Jones denied him permission each time.
The Dolphins moved quickly to set up an interview with Sparano after firing head coach Cam Cameron on Thursday. Jones had an extended conversation with Sparano before practice at Valley Ranch on Thursday while players jokingly shouted for him not to leave.
Sparano has been a popular coach in the locker room. Witten and quarterback Tony Romo have both told me that Sparano has a "presence" that a head coach needs. This season, Sparano landed three offensive linemen on the Pro Bowl squad.
Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and Jones have both talked about the important role Sparano played in helping the transition of a new coaching staff. During his nine years in the league, Sparano has coached under Tom Coughlin, Marty Schottenheimer and Parcells, so he obviously knows how to work for demanding people.
Sparano and Garrett are eligible to interview with teams until Saturday by virtue of the Cowboys earning a bye in the wild-card round. If the Cowboys make it to Super Bowl XLII, Sparano and Garrett would be eligible for second interviews during the off week following the conference championship game Jan. 20.
"I think anybody that is hired is going to go back to certain people they believe in," Phillips said Thursday. "We thought [Parcells] might try to get certain people or talk to certain people from our organization. But it's good for Jeff Ireland, and it could be good for some other guys."
At this point, it's pretty obvious that Sparano will end up in Miami, and he might take secondary coach Todd Bowles and linebackers coach Paul Pasqualoni with him. Stay with us for more details.
