Sparano is new head coach

It's finally done. What has been long rumored has finally come to fruition. Tony Sparano has been hired as the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The deal is reportedly worth $11 million over four years.

This is hardly a surprise, as Sparano, 46, had been the heavy favorite to be the next head coach in Miami ever since Bill Parcells came aboard with the organization.

While this is Sparano's first head coaching gig in the NFL, his previous professional gigs have been very successful. Don't think that he won't go through the regular rookie coaching mistakes that everyone experiences (just look at Cameron this past season), but having Parcells around to offer guidance should be somewhat of a help.

Here is a rundown of Sparano's coaching resume:

• 1984-1987: University of New Haven, offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator
• 1988: Boston University, offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator/academic liaison
• 1989-1993: Boston University, Offensive coordinator
• 1994-1998: University of New Haven, Head coach
• 1999-2000: Cleveland Browns, offensive quality control coach ('99)/offensive line coach ('00)
• 2001: Washington Redskins, tight ends coach
• 2002: Jacksonville Jaguars, tight ends coach
• 2003-2007: Dallas Cowboys, tight ends coach ('03-'04)/offensive line coach, running game coordinator, and play caller ('05-'06)/assistant head coach ('07)

As far as his personality, I like the approach that Sparano is going to bring to this team. Here are some of the descriptions I've seen being applied to our new coach:

• confident, but without an overbearing ego
• even-tempered, good at managing pressure situations
• able to teach without demeaning
• highly respected by his players
• very serious and discipline-oriented, but able to joke around when appropriate

And what about his offensive philosophy? Well, it's exactly the kind of offense that I love - heavy on the running game, but when using the passing game, he likes to throw it deep.