BY NICK ST. DENIS
Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano was fired Monday after the Dolphins lost their ninth game in 13 tries, and his now ex-players acknowledge Sparano wasn't the whole problem.
"I think the part that we control, we kind of failed Tony a little bit," Dolphins veteran linebacker Jason Taylor told the media Monday during his annual ping pong benefit.
"I always talk about Tony not being between those white lines. He's not the one missing tackles, throwing interceptions or giving up touchdowns... You feel bad, you feel responsible in way."
Sparano's termination seemed inevitable after the team started the season 0-7, but Miami won three games in a row and four of its last six, so the Dolphins players were feeling pretty good with what Sparano was doing.
"If you look at the way this season has gone, starting 0-7, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a coach or a guy anywhere that could keep a team together, keep a team going and really kind of start over from scratch after seven losses and get this team rolling," Taylor said. "I think it's a really testament to the kind of guy Tony is... I don't think I've ever met a tougher person than Tony Sparano. He's unbelievable."
Assistant coach Todd Bowles was named interim head coach while the Dolphins search for Sparano's replacement.
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