Dolphins coach Tony Sparano says he’s not ready to panic with his team at 0-4, noting that he’s been in worse situations before.
“As a head coach I’ve been in this situation a few times, not necessarily only as a head coach,” Sparano said. “I was 0-5 with Marty Schottenheimer in Washington. That’s a hard place to be 0-5. No place is good. We won our last eight of whatever it was.”
Sparano is referring to the 2001 season, when he was tight ends coach on Schottenheimer’s Redskins staff. That year the Redskins lost their first five games, then won their next five games.
“So, I mean, I’ve been in some of those situations where it’s bounced around,” Sparano said. “It just takes a win to get yourself going and right now that’s all we’re worried about. We’re worried about making our football team better, using this time to develop some of our players here and figure out to win a game.”
Sparano is certainly right that the 2001 Redskins are an example of a team that can turn things around and start playing competitive football after a terrible start. Of course, Sparano probably doesn’t want to take the analogy too far. At the end of that season, the Redskins were 8-8 and out of the playoffs, and Schottenheimer and the staff -- including Sparano -- got fired.