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 A year ago Thursday, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga embarked on a two-week coaching search that took him as far as Central America to interview at least a dozen candidates.
Now the Dolphins are starting over.
Cameron was fired Thursday after winning only one game in his first year as an NFL head coach. The move means Miami will have its fifth coach in five seasons.
Such instability has contributed to the Dolphins' decline. This season they lost their first 13 games and finished 1-15, the worst record in franchise history.
Late last month, they brought in Parcells to run the organization. He hired Jeff Ireland as general manager this week, and they fired most of the coaching staff Thursday.
"They were struggling on both sides of the ball," Ireland said. "Looking at it from afar, we've just got to put the right person in place."
Parcells made the decision to fire Cameron in consultation with Ireland, who spent the last seven years in player personnel with the Dallas Cowboys.
Parcells, the Cowboys' coach in 2003-06, may tap the Dallas pipeline again. The early front-runner to replace Cameron is Cowboys assistant head coach Tony Sparano, who is scheduled to interview Friday for the head coaching vacancy in Atlanta.
"Tony's an outstanding coach," Dallas head coach Wade Phillips said this week. "He's got all the attributes, I think, to be a head coach. He works well with people. His players play for him; I think that's important. And he's a really sharp, sharp guy as far as Xs and Os. And I think he'd work well certainly putting a staff together."
All but two members of Cameron's coaching staff were also fired, although some might be rehired by the new head coach, Ireland said. Retained were assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards.
Cameron was under contract through 2010. A perceived difference in philosophy with the new regime ranked as a bigger factor in his firing than Miami's 1-15 record, Ireland said.
"We just felt in order to move forward and not look back, we needed someone in place who shared the same philosophical compatibilities we shared," Ireland said. "We didn't really know the guy that well. We were going to try to get someone that does share those things, and we weren't completely sold that he did."
Ireland said the philosophy he and Parcells share involves creating a culture of winning. That would be a change for the Dolphins, who missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, extending a franchise record.
"We want strong character around here," said Ireland, who added he'll have final say regarding all player personnel decisions. "The vision of the team will be discipline, passionate players, highly competitive. And we'll be a big team."
Plans for the coaching search were still being formulated, Ireland said.
"We're going to try to make a quick decision, but we don't have a timetable," he said. "We'll have a broad range of candidates. We'll look into every possibility."
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The search last year was the most extensive since the franchise's first season in 1966, but Cameron quickly became a disappointment. Until Miami beat Baltimore in overtime Dec. 16, he was in danger of becoming the first NFL coach to go 0-16.
Throughout the worst season in team history, Cameron won praise for maintaining a calm demeanor with the media and his players. But as the losses mounted, players became coy when asked if they believed in their coach.
Defensive end Jason Taylor, Miami's only Pro Bowl player, took a neutral stance on the firing.
"We've had a difficult year, and it's one of those times when it's a little unsettling," he said. "As a player on the team, you can only control what you can, and for other things, you have to let others do it."
Cameron was hired after five years as offensive coordinator for the high-scoring San Diego Chargers, and the Dolphins' offense improved early in the season. But when John Beck became the third starter at quarterback this year, the unit failed to score a touchdown in three consecutive games, and the rookie returned to the bench.
Cameron took over a team that had gone 19-29 the previous three years and was in decline following a series of bad drafts. Poor depth made this season's wave of injuries catastrophic.
Running back Ronnie Brown led the league in yards from scrimmage when he was sidelined for the season by a knee injury, and quarterback Trent Green and linebacker Zach Thomas also went on injured reserve. When 2002 NFL rushing champion Ricky Williams returned from a suspension, he lasted only six carries before a chest injury ended his season.
In addition, top receiver Chris Chambers was traded after six games.
The coach's office became a revolving door in 2004, when Dave Wannstedt quit after nine games and was replaced by Jim Bates. Nick Saban became the coach in 2005, but lasted only two years before leaving for Alabama.
His departure was announced by Huizenga on Jan. 3, 2006. One year later to the hour, Ireland was at the same lectern to discuss the start of yet another coaching search.
"My commitment is to try to rebuild this franchise," Ireland said. "It's a great chance for me, and it's a great chance for the Dolphins, in my opinion."
[Associated Press; By STEVEN WINE]
AP Sports Writer Jaime Aron in Dallas and AP Writer Damian Grass in Miami contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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