Tony

Sparano

Sparano spent this season as the 49ers’ tight end coach, getting better than expected production out of Vance McDonald/Blake Bell after the Vernon Davis trade. He should improve a Vikings offensive line that allowed the eighth-most sacks. Sparano is one of the top OL coaches in the league.

Sparano died at his home Sunday morning. He was due to report to Vikings training camp on Wednesday. The long-time coach had been with Minnesota since 2016. Sparano served as the Dolphins’ head coach for four seasons, leading the team to a division title in 2008. He also filled in as the Raiders’ interim coach after Dennis Allen was fired midseason in 2014. Sparano leaves behind a wife, a daughter and two sons.

Sparano, who coached the Dolphins from 2008-11, gets the nod over OC Greg Olson. Olson has no head-coaching experience. A Bill Parcells disciple, Sparano is now most (in)famous for his Wild Cat flirtations with Tim Tebow in New York, but he should be a solid guiding hand for the final 12 games of the season. We wouldn’t consider him a strong candidate for the full-time gig, but the Raiders have a knack for making poor decisions. We wouldn’t rule anything out.

Sparano “very, very badly” wants to keep the job he inherited from Dennis Allen after Week 4, but it would be a Romeo Crennel-esque mistake from the Raiders. Sparano is an adept leader of men, but an ordinary football mind. The Raiders need someone bolder — or at least a retread with a better track record of success — as they look to break their cycle of utter ineptitude.

It’s not a bad idea. Sparano badly wants the job, and that can’t be said for many of the other candidates. It’s not a particularly attractive destination if GM Reggie McKenzie is keeping his gig because another bad season will likely get him fired, resulting in a new GM wanting to bring in a new head coach. So, the Raiders may opt to keep some continuity with the Sparano-McKenzie duo and see if they can build on their 3-9 finish. Sparano is a fine leader of men.

Sparano guided the Raiders to a 3-9 record as the interim head coach following Dennis Allen’s firing. During that time, he won over the players, with many of them coming to his side and making a case for Sparano after the Week 17 finale. If anything, Sparano has the “swag” and attitude as a no-nonsense-style coach -- yet his players would do anything for him -- to win over the Black Hole. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea for the Raiders to keep Sparano and have some continuity in their lives, especially if GM Reggie McKenzie gets to keep his job.

He’s succeeding Eric Mangini, who will likely either be hired as the Raiders or 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Sparano’s background is mostly in coaching offensive lines, though he did work as a tight ends coach with the Redskins, Jaguars, and Cowboys in the early 2000s. The 49ers need to get more out of Vance McDonald and Derek Carrier. They may cut Vernon Davis.