Title: “One of the ways you’re going to make this team is if you’re a tough guy.†Post by: DolFan619 on July 27, 2008, 01:22:12 pm http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/miamidolphins/entries/2008/07/27/camp_sparano_theres_no_light_a.html
Camp Sparano: “One of the ways you’re going to make this team is if you’re a tough guy." By Ben Volin | Sunday, July 27, 2008, 12:46 PM There is no sugar-coating here in Davie. Tony Sparano knows he inherited a mess with the Dolphins, and he’s not dancing around it. His first two press conferences of training camp reveal a man who is enthusiastic about his job and excited about starting the Dolphins over from scratch. And a man who isn’t afraid to kick a little butt along the way. Here was his message Friday to the players, on the eve of camp: “You’ve got to believe in what it is that we are trying to get accomplished here. There are no short cuts. I told them that right now it is very, very dark out. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel, so don’t look for it. We’ll find it somewhere down the road.†Talk about a complete 180 from Mr. Positive, Cam Cameron. And then Saturday, the Dolphins cut three players in between practices. Ricky Williams said that it was three players who didn’t come to camp in the best of shape. Today, Sparano said he likes to maintain the perception that no one’s job is safe. Keep everyone on edge, including himself. “When you get too secure in your job, you probably don’t do your job as well as you should,†he said. “I coach a lot better when I’m on edge, when I’m not settled. The players, I think the same way about. I think (the cuts) kind of keeps them on edge a little bit and I think that’s good for us right now.†“I told the team today, there’s a few ways that you make this team, one of the ways you’re going to make this team is if you’re a tough guy. … Obviously we did place a large emphasis on the offseason program, that was important, and we may have had a couple guys that came in here that didn’t meet quite the standard that way as well.†No sugar-coating going on here. But it’s not all negativity, either. Sparano, from Saturday: “I was happy when I got here and I saw a lot of the players here early on. They were as excited as I was to get out here. I sensed when we got out here in stretch and walk through. Even in the meetings last night, there was a sense of enthusiasm and excitement to get back out on the field and get back to work. It was exciting that way.†“At the end of this process, one of the things I told my players last night is, ‘We picked you, we picked you to be here.’ I think that’s important for them to know that. Every one of those guys, there is 80 of them in that room right now, they’re all mine. We picked them.†How many will be left after today’s practice? |