For Dolphins, A Turnaround Like No Other

It's "the most miserable thing," safety Will Allen said, "you can go through."

Nobody expected the recovery to be easy, certainly not Sparano, who, on the first day of training camp, told reporters, "There's no light at the end of the tunnel, so don't look for it." But nobody sat around. Sparano hovered over his assistant coaches to remind players he was paying attention and yelled full-throttle when appropriate. During individual meetings with players, he told each one he needed to be an active participant in abolishing the losing culture.

"He has a little bit of Bill [Parcells] in his direct approach," said linebacker Akin Ayodele, acquired in an offseason trade from the Cowboys. "At the same time, he reads people."

The now-bustling locker room at the Dolphins' suburban practice facility, located near a local college between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, seems a testament to the team's newfound harmony and sense of purpose. During their lunch break on New Year's Day, five offensive linemen sat in black leather chairs around a table playing dominoes. A half-dozen others watched a bowl game in another cluster of chairs across the teal-carpeted floor. Others happily held court with throngs of local television and radio stations and newspaper reporters, some standing in front of 8 1/2 -by-11-inch sheets of white paper with succinct messages in large black print taped to shelves in their locker stalls.

In safety Yeremiah Bell's stall: "Physical: No. 1. Why not us?"

In running back Ronnie Brown's: "Enthusiasm: The sustaining power of all great actions."

In rookie offensive lineman Jake Long's: "Enthusiasm is contagious. Be a carrier."

The messages? All came from Sparano, who leaves inspirational quotes, players say, in their lockers about once a week.

"He's very enthusiastic," Allen said. "You can see his passion for the game. It translates through everybody. He does a great job of getting his point across."

Parcells, who players say never addresses the entire team and rarely shows his face, has been active behind the scenes. Besides getting rid of Taylor and Thomas, he and his staff brought in a trio of Cowboys, tight end Anthony Fasano, defensive tackle Jason Ferguson and Ayodele, who have proved critical to the turnaround. They also added a rookie place kicker from Montana (Dan Carpenter), an undrafted wide receiver out of Hawaii (Davone Bess) and several draft picks who have played primary roles. But the final touch, and a dramatic one, came in August. After the Jets signed Favre and let veteran but oft-injured quarterback Chad Pennington go, Parcells grabbed him, too.

Teammates all but genuflect when Pennington's name is mentioned. Linebacker Joey Porter had seemed to be on a crusade to earn him the league's most valuable player award. Pennington completed a team-record 67.4 percent of his passes and threw just seven interceptions.

"It's like you have a car sitting there, and all of the sudden you get the steering wheel," Holliday said. "Now, you're ready to go."