I hope the camel is right

I saw this ESPN story about a camel that picks the winner of football games. Princess the camel picked 11 of 17 winners correctly during the regular season but has been an impressive 8 of 10 so far in the playoffs. She is picking the Giants to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Dolphins add assistant coaches

In the past week, the Dolphins added a few assistant coaches to the staff:

• Karl Dorrell, former UCLA head coach, will coach wide receivers
• Todd Bowles, former Cowboys secondary coach, will be assistant head coach and also lead the secondary
• Paul Pasqualoni, former Cowboys linebacker coach, will be defensive coordinator
• Kacy Rodgers, former Cowboys defensive line coach, will be defensive line coach

The last two moves have not been finalized yet, but people close to Pasqualoni and Rodgers have indicated that both men will likely leave the Cowboys.

Go Giants!

I haven't had such a vested interest in the Super Bowl in years. (That happens when your favorite team hasn't been there in over 20 years.) It will be no mystery who I will be rooting for on Super Bowl Sunday -- the New York Giants. Watching the Patriots march through their (so far) perfect season has been anguish for me. It would be so sweet to see them stumble in the last game.

The Patriots are no gimmes in the game. The Giants almost beat them at the end of the regular season. I figure that the Patriots will either use that as incentive and crush the Giants, or (*fingers crossed*) the Giants have improved enough the last few weeks to beat New England.

Tony Sparano is new head coach

Tony Sparano signed a 4-year, $11 million deal to become the newest head coach of the Miami Dolphins. This was not a big surprise to anyone, but, with the Cowboys losing to the Giants last week in the divisional playoffs, it came earlier than expected. Look for Sparano to lure some more Cowboys assistants to join his staff.

Dolphins hire QB coach

The Dolphins hired Ole Miss offensive coordinator David Lee as their new QB coach. Lee has known Bill Parcells for over 30 years, starting in 1973 when Lee was the quarterback on the Vanderbilt team coached by Parcells. Lee was also the Cowboys' QB coach during Parcells' tenure, helping develop Tony Romo.

In other news, Cowboys assistant coach Tony Sparano appears to be the front-runner for the head coaching job, but he won't be allowed to join until the Cowboys lose in the playoffs (or win the Super Bowl). The Dolphins have also interviewed Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and will interview Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan later this week. Despite Parcell's ties to Sparano, it's not a gimme because Sparano is in big demand from other NFL teams seeking a new head coach.

Ireland hired, Cameron fired

The Dolphins quickly found a new GM, hiring former Dallas Cowboys executive Jeff Ireland to fill the role. Parcells worked with Ireland before when Parcells coached the Cowboys, and Ireland is credited for helping the Cowboys become one of the best teams in the NFL this year. Ireland is expected to begin working for the Dolphins immediately.

On another front, the Dolphins won't be giving Cam Cameron another chance. This morning, they announced that Cameron will be fired as coach of the Dolphins. There is no apparent front-runner to replace Cameron, but Parcells is expected to interview at least one Cowboys coach.

I'm not sure what to think about Cameron's situation. Sure, he had a horrible record, but the Dolphins' failings this year weren't completely his fault, and one year is too short a timeframe to judge a coach. On the other hand, Cameron clearly botched some decisions, such as picking Ted Ginn Jr. in the first round, and that is an area where I hope Ireland will be able to contribute. It seems like the Dolphins haven't had a decent draft since the Jimmy Johnson days.

Dolphins lose finale, fire Mueller

The Dolphins lost their last game of the 2007 season, 38-25, to the Cincinnati Bengals. Lemon and Beck split time at quarterback, and Beck threw his first NFL touchdown pass, a 22-yarder to Derek Hagan. Otherwise, the game held nothing new that disappointed Dolfans haven't already seen this season.

Shortly afterwards, new head of football operations Bill Parcells sent the first head rolling, firing general manager Randy Mueller. The move was expected, and Mueller's replacement could be named soon. Candidates have already been scheduled to talk with the team.