Parcells on the way out?

Tristram

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/sports/football/08nfl.html?_r=1&ref=football

By JUDY BATTISTA
Published: September 7, 2010

On Tuesday, the Miami Dolphins announced that Bill Parcells, right, had relinquished his day-to-day duties with the team.

On Tuesday, the team abruptly announced in a two-sentence statement that Parcells, who in one season turned a one-win Dolphins team into the A.F.C. East champion, would remain with the club as a consultant but that Jeff Ireland, his protégé, would assume control over all aspects and decisions relating to the team and its support staff.

The statement said this was the intent of the structure put in place a while ago, but this is clearly Parcells’s first step toward eventually leaving the Dolphins. Parcells signed a four-year contract to be the executive vice president for football operations in December 2007 as the Dolphins were collapsing to 1-15.

Parcells was hired by the Dolphins’ former owner H. Wayne Huizenga to essentially rebuild the football side of the franchise. He hired Ireland as the general manager and Tony Sparano as the coach, although Parcells was particularly involved in personnel while Sparano became the public face of the franchise, in large part because Parcells rarely spoke to reporters.

After the team released its statement, there were no further comments, and none are expected. There was also no indication why the decision was made now, five days before the regular-season opener, when it would seem likely to cause a distraction for players and coaches.

Last year, Stephen Ross, a New York real estate developer, took control of the franchise and took steps to glamorize the team, attracting celebrities like Serena Williams and Marc Anthony as minority owners and creating an orange carpet to welcome V.I.P.s to games.

There were those in the organization who quietly worried that the glamour and the way it might infringe on the team — sideline access was assured for a members-only game-day club — might alienate the more old-school Parcells, who protected the sanctity of his team.

Now, the question is whether Ireland is a strong-enough figure to exercise the same sort of control Parcells did.
(AP)

raddo

The timing of this announcement seems strange, few days before the start of the new season or is it?
Reading some Dolphins blogs and various South Florida papers, it seems that this was always going to happen when Parcells thought that Ireland was ready.
Maybe he feels that it is the right time to step away and start a new season with Ireland and Sparano at the helm while he still remains in the background just in case!!

jdivision

Been expected. His draft decisions have been questionable for last few years too

krustydoyle

jdivision wrote: »

Been expected. His draft decisions have been questionable for last few years too

His draft decisions have been cruel.. I think he'll end up in Chicago now... watch this space...