DAVIE, Fla. — Shoes and other equipment filled 4-foot-high bins in the Miami Dolphins’ locker room Monday, signaling the start of the offseason.
Another sign: upheaval in the offices upstairs.
The Dolphins’ latest shake-up began before noon when new boss Bill Parcells fired general manager Randy Mueller and two other members of the player personnel staff. Jeff Ireland, vice president of college and pro scouting for the Dallas Cowboys, was the front-runner to replace Mueller and confirmed he was flying Tuesday to South Florida for an interview.
Still undetermined was the future of coach Cam Cameron, who went 1-15 in his first year as an NFL head coach. He awaited a fateful meeting with Parcells today.
“There’s going to be an opportunity in the next few days to sit down and talk with Bill,” Cameron said. “We’ll treat it as an exchange between two guys who want to see the Miami Dolphins be successful, and what it’s going to take to do that.”
Sweeping changes are anticipated from Parcells, a two-time Super Bowl champion coach who began work last week as executive vice president of football operations. He started by firing Mueller, assistant director of player personnel Mike Baugh and college scouting coordinator Rick Thompson.
The departures came less than a year after owner Wayne Huizenga gave Mueller and Cameron responsibility for rebuilding the Dolphins.
“Any time you have a relationship with somebody you care about, it’s tough,” Cameron said. “But we all know this is a tough business, and we’ve been through a tough year.”
Only an overtime win against Baltimore two weeks ago prevented the Dolphins from becoming the NFL’s first 0-16 team. Instead they’re the eighth team to finish 1-15.
As a post-mortem, Cameron held a team meeting Monday that ended with a five-minute speech to the players by Parcells.
“I think he just wanted to introduce himself and give them a feel for some things to think about going into the offseason,” Cameron said.
“My first impression of him is he’s a guy who means business,” cornerback Will Allen said. “You’ve got to respect him. If anybody can get this thing turned around, he can definitely help us.”
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