Even before the Miami Dolphins completely coughed up a 15-point lead over the Denver Broncos with three minutes remaining, embattled Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano acknowledged how tenuous his hold on his job is.
Before Broncos kicker Matt Prater could kick the extra point following Demaryius Thomas' five-yard touchdown reception, Sparano had to burn a timeout to get the replay official to take a second look at the play.
"If I don’t call timeout we’re all (explicit). Now I’m getting fired," Sparano told officials in exchange picked up by CBS4 cameras on the Dolphins' sideline.
The touchdown stood, the Dolphins would fail to recover an onside kick attempt, and Tim Tebow would lead the Broncos on another touchdown drive before plunging into the end zone for the game-tying two-point conversion to force overtime. A strip-sack of Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore by Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams led to Prater's 52-yard game-winning field goal, dropping Miami to 0-6 and ratcheting up the heat that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will make an in-season coaching change.
According to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, Ross' private plane is in Seattle today, so it's unlikely that a change would be announced him on the opposite end of the country. But the clock is ticking on Sparano, who has gone 14-23 over the 37 games since Miami's improbable 11-5 season in 2008.
Ultimately, Sparano won't be the only person swept out of the building. General manager Jeff Ireland will likely be gone, as well. If there is an in-season change, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has head coaching experience and would make some sense on an interim basis.
source: Mac's Football Blog
author: Brian McIntyre
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