McNulty: Moore pumped up for Parcells' Dolphins

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Nat Moore probably knows more about the Miami Dolphins than anyone who has ever played for them.
He's a Tallahassee native who played at the University of Florida and still lives in South Florida, where he spent his entire 13-year NFL career catching 500-plus passes for more than 7,500 yards and 74 touchdowns for the Dolphins.
He caught passes from Bob Griese, David Woodley and Dan Marino, played in two Super Bowls and was the ninth inductee into the team's Ring of Honor. And he now serves as the Dolphins' director of alumni affairs, a visible and respected liaison between a proud past and what he believes is a promising future.
"For them to do what they did last year was impressive," Moore was saying the other day here at a pro-am golf event at PGA National Resort and Spa. "You could see something had changed."
Everything, really.
The commitment. The toughness. The attitude.
And, of course, the results.
After suffering through the embarrassment of a 1-15 disaster in 2007, the Dolphins were a stunning 11-5 in 2008, playing their way to the top of the AFC East and into the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.
It was no surprise, then, that Moore likes what he has seen since Bill Parcells showed up to run the show. He is excited about where the Dolphins' football boss is taking a team that, for too long, was headed the wrong way.
"It's obvious that the players have bought into what he's doing," Moore said. "And the reason is simple: He came here with credibility. He's someone who has done it before. He has been to the Super Bowl, won championships. He knows the way, and everybody knows he knows the way.
"Then he brought in his people -- in the front office, the coaching staff, a few players -- a group that knew what he wanted done and believed in his way of doing things. And to the guys already here, he basically said: 'Here's the path. If you stay on the path, we'll be successful. If you go off the path, we'll be successful without you.' And the players went for it because they want to get to where he's been."
They played harder, played hurt, played Parcells football.
They put the team first.
And they won.
They won more and sooner than anyone thought was possible. They were back where they belong, at least in the minds of the Dolphins' success-spoiled fans.
"Darn right, people here are spoiled," said Moore. "For most of this franchise's history, this team has been a winner."
In fact, the Dolphins have endured only five losing seasons in their 43-year history, dating back to 1966. They've made 22 playoff appearances, played in five Super Bowls and won two of them. Don Shula, who arrived in 1970 and was foolishly forced out after the 1995 season, is the NFL's all-time, winningest coach.
That's why the recent past -- until Parcells' arrival -- caused such angst. The Dolphins, who had only two losing seasons from 1970-2003, stumbled through three in four years.
Dave Wannstedt failed, Nick Saban bailed and Cam Cameron got nailed after one infamous season. Tony Sparano, though, is being hailed as one of the NFL's best new coaches.
"Bill gets the credit because he set the tone, but the guy who runs this ship is Tony," Moore said, "Sometimes, that gets lost."
And the reason is simple: The Dolphins are Parcells' team, Sparano is Parcells' coach and they're winning because they're doing it Parcells' way.

(Ray McNulty is sports columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. Contact him at ray.mculty@scripps.com or on the Web at www.tcpalm.com.)

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