Sparing Sparano?

Zach Dean

12.7.11

11:32 pm

BOSTON-- On sunday, two 4-8 teams will square off in- front of an already, and surprisingly so, sold-out Sun Life Stadium.  Both sides feature head coaches who could be heading into their final month of a job, and two teams going in entirely opposite directions.  

The two teams are, spoiler alert I know, the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, if you had to guess which head coach, Tony Sparano or Andy Reid, was more likely to survive to see next season, who would you guess?  

No, it's not Andy Reid.  No Seriously, just hear me out.

The dolphins were winless through the first seven games of the season, and on top of that they were the first of many fallen victims to the almighty Tim Tebow.  At that same time, the Eagles were a modest 3-4 and in the thick of the NFC east race, coming off a 34-7 drubbing of the Dallas Cowboys.  That was week eight of this marathon NFL season.  Right there, did you catch it?  That word, marathon, is exactly what the NFL season is, and that's the difference in these two head coaches, Tony Sparano knew that, Andy Reid did not.  

Sparano preached this, day in and day out, press conference after press conference, meeting after meeting.  Eventually, nine weeks into this marathon, it finally clicked.  Since then, since that 31-3 laugher in Kansas City, the dolphins have been the hottest team in the NFL, rattling off three more victories in four games.  The eagles have gone 1-4 in those same five weeks, and Andy Reid's seat is hotter than ever.  In Miami, however, it's a bit like that one Seinfeld episode, you know the one, the Bizarro Jerry, where everything is the opposite.  Thats what we have here in South Florida, a bit of a bizarre situation.  The seats are beginning to fill up again, despite a 4-8 record, and the national media is catching on more and more with each victory, and now, the real fun begins.  

Now the question of what to do January 2nd, the day after the dolphins season finale against the Jets, becomes a legit one.  What to do with Tony Sparano?  What to do if the dolphins win out, finishing with an 8-8 record and a 7-1 second half?  Those questions were not taken seriously two weeks ago, heck, maybe not until the latest dolphins routing of the raiders, 34-14, have Tony Sparano's boys been taken seriously.  But now, with each dolphin win, the pressure mounts on owner Stephen Ross, because his decision of what to with Tony Sparano has gotten considerably more difficult in the last five weeks.  

The Eagles will be the healthiest they've been in months this weekend, and yes, that means Michael Vick will be behind center.  Both teams may be out of playoff contention, but boy, will it feel like a playoff game.

At least for Tony Sparano it will.