In a surprise move, the Dolphins have announced the termination of defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni.
“I want to thank Paul for his services to the team, and I want to wish him the best,” coach Tony Sparano said in a release.
Pasqualoni, who served as head coach at Syracuse from 1991 through 2004, was hired as an assistant in Dallas under Miami V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells. Pasqualoni then became defensive coordinator in Miami under Sparano in 2008.
Our first reaction to the news was that the Dolphins possibly are jumping into the bidding for Romeo Crennel, who reportedly is heading to Kansas City. But we can’t imagine Parcells and his son-in-law, Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli, getting into a tug-o-war over Crennel.
The other possibility in this regard would be that the Dolphins have decided to pursue Mike Zimmer, who worked for Parcells in Dallas before Parcells resigned following the 2006 season. Zimmer’s contract in Cincinnati is expiring at the end of February, and it’s possible that the Bengals will release him from his obligation sooner than that.
UPDATE: As a commenter astutely points out, another possibility would be former Virginia coach Al Groh, who also has a history with Parcells. The fact that the move comes two days after the Bengals’ season ended has us intrigued by the possibility that the Tuna is eyeballing Zimmer.