Tony Sparano has had a chance to evaluate it all. Free agency. The draft. The make-up of his team as it begins the OTA days and the final stages of the offseason. Sparano recently sat down with Dolphin Digest editor Andy Cohen to discuss these and other topics in this column for MiamiDolphins.com.
May 22, 2009
Q. Now that you've had a chance to digest it all, what are your thoughts on the Dolphins draft?
A. I'm very excited about it after getting a chance to see the players out on the field. Watching them work out really confirmed my excitement. The two corners we took early, both showed outstanding skills. I was impressed with the two receivers. We picked a player in the fifth round, Chris Clemons, who really did a nice job. And, of course, Pat White was very impressive.
Q. The Pat White selection has gotten a lot of national attention. We're talking about a player who has rushed for more yards than any quarterback in NCAA history. Can you take us through the thought process of this selection?
A. First of all, one of the things we did in the process of evaluating Pat was first just concern ourselves with evaluating him as a quarterback. To me, a Wildcat quarterback contender had to be able to play another position. He had to be a slam dunk at another position for us. In this case, we see Pat White as a guy who is going to be a really good quarterback. Of course, his athleticism and what he did running the ball was important in the process. But this was really about how he threw the football and what we saw on tape. His completion percentage being over 62 percent, that was important in the decision.
Q. How much was the selection of the two cornerbacks related to the amount of big-name, big-play receivers in the AFC East?
A. It had something to do with it, no doubt about it. With losing Andre' Goodman to free agency, we filled some of that with the signing Eric Green from Arizona. But we also knew our division got a little bit better with Terrell Owens going to Buffalo and, of course, Randy Moss already in New England. In order to play against those type of big receivers, you've got to have big corners. Now, with that being said, as we look down the road here a bit we also feel very good in general to have two corners with that kind of size.
Q. How do you react when a player like Vontae Davis is questioned for character issues? How do you research that?
A. I don't really react, to be honest with you. We did all of our homework with Vontae. We got a good chance to know him and what he's all about. As far as what other people say, that doesn't bother me. I feel confident in us doing our due diligence on all the players, but obviously we spent a lot of time with this player being that he's our first-round pick. I went down there myself to meet with him. Jeff Ireland did the same. We sat, we talked, we visited several times. I think we had a pretty good idea of what he's all about.
Q. Sean Smith is listed at just over 6-3. How unusual is it for a man that size to be able to play corner and what advantages does that give him?
A. It's very unusual. If I'm correct, I think there's only been a few others that big. He brings a specific skill set to the position in that he has very good man-to-man skills and very good press technique skills. He can get his hands on you and do some things to disrupt you. He shows good feet. There are things from a fundamental standpoint he has work on. After all, he is a converted wide receiver, but that's also why he's so good with the ball in his hands.
Q. A tight end from Monmouth in the fifth round? Give the fans some insight into how a player like that gets on your radar screen.
A. Monmouth plays in the same division that my sons play in. The University of Albany plays Monmouth every year. So there was some insight there. My sons knew about him. His coach knew about him. When you try to dig into players, you reach out to as many people as you know.
Our scouts did a wonderful job identifying Nalbone. At the same time, we sent our coach down there when we heard about him. He came back and spoke volumes about him. It was easy to get information on this guy. After watching him in the rookie camp, I think this guy has some real good upside.
Q. Is there a number of first-year players that you believe are important to add to this football team as it continues to grow?
A. I don't really have an exact number. But, yes, I do believe that several of them need to make our team if we are going to be where we want to be. I think you build your team through the draft. So you're hoping for someone like Chris Clemons out of the fifth round to have a chance to make your team. What we feel good about, after watching the rookie camp, is that our fifth and sixth round picks all have a chance to make our team. That being said, there's a lot of work ahead for them to do that. But if you can continue to get younger through the draft, like we did a year ago, little by little you are becoming better for the long haul.
Q. On to some other topics. How can you turn the most difficult schedule in the league into an advantage?
A. When you look at our schedule, from my end it's very easy to get your players motivated. If you're going to be where you want to be at the end of the day, you have to win your division. Those teams haven't changed from last year. That being said, I think the out-of-division teams we will face will probably look at us differently as well. The challenge isn't only one way here. We know right now going into the season that we are going to get everybody's best shot. What we need to do is prepare ourselves to give them our best shot every week as well.
Q. Do you think your training camp roster is basically set or do you still expect some considerable changes in the weeks ahead?
A. I wouldn't say it's set. There could be changes. We are always looking to turn the bottom of the roster. We are always looking to find some other people who can help us win. No, I wouldn't say it's set at all.
Q. How much more comfortable does Tony Sparano feel right now than you did a year ago at this time?
A. A lot more comfortable. More comfortable in the fact that I know my team. I have a year's body of work underneath us right now. Everything we are doing isn't the first time we are doing it so there's credibility there. Our players' are working hard this offseason and not asking many questions about it. Our coaches are able to go a little bit faster now because they know how our players learn. All the day-to-day things are easier. From my end, I feel a lot more comfortable. But I'm one of those guys who never likes to feel too comfortable.
Q. Finally, can you give the fans some early insight into your expectations for the 2009 Miami Dolphins?
A. I think this team will continue to build on our team chemistry, will continue to be exciting. I think we'll try to take giant steps toward solving some of the problems we had a year ago. We don't mislead ourselves into thinking that because we won 11 regular season games last year that means we're really good. What we need to do is understand that we need to go back to ground zero again. We can't rely on anything that happened in the past. We're going to work our tails off to make sure when the ball drops in Atlanta that we're ready to go.
