When a new head coach comes on board, it is not uncommon to have to makeover the entire coaching staff. The Dolphins are looking for that new coach, and it seems like that new coach will have some work to do in putting the staff back together. According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, Mike Nolan has left the Dolphins coaching staff to accept a position with the Falcons.
The two-year deal Nolan signed in 2009 is over, and the head coach that hired him, Tony Sparano, is gone. And so is Nolan, whom sources say has accepted the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator position, reuniting with head coach Mike Smith, whom he worked with in Baltimore. Returning the Dolphins, if he had a good rapport with whoever is hired, was an option. But reuniting with an old colleague was preferred.
Nolan helped organize a potent defense this year in Miami, and it will be difficult to replace his presence.
For more on the Miami Dolphins coaching search, please visit The Phinsider, SB Nation's Dolphins blog.