Cameron out as Dolphins coach

Cam Cameron was fired as the Miami Dolphins’ coach Thursday by new boss Bill Parcells after plunging to an 0-13 start in his first year on the job and finishing with only one victory.

The dismissal comes three days after Parcells ousted Randy Mueller as general manager and means the reeling franchise will have its fifth coach in five seasons.

Parcells began work Dec. 27 as executive vice president of football operations and quickly concluded the Dolphins need another fresh start.

All but two members of Cameron’s coaching staff were also fired, although some might be rehired by the new head coach, the Dolphins said.

Retained were assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards.

Parcells made the decision to fire Cameron in consultation with new General Manager Jeff Ireland, hired Wednesday after seven years in player personnel with the Dallas Cowboys.

“We just felt in order to move forward and not look back, we needed someone in place who shared the same philosophical compatibilities we shared,” Ireland said. “We didn’t really know the guy that well. We were going to try to get someone that does share those things, and we weren’t completely sold that he did.”

The early front-runner to succeed Cameron is another Cowboys employee, assistant head coach Tony Sparano. He’s scheduled to interview today for the head coaching vacancy in Atlanta.

Warren Sapp announced his retirement, ending the career of one of the best defensive tackles to play in the NFL.

Sapp posted a two-word message on his website announcing his intention: “I’m Done!” He had told Oakland teammates and coaches his plans after the season finale Sunday against San Diego.

Sapp, 35, played for 13 years, lining up between the guard and tackle and splitting that gap. Few did it better than Sapp, who made seven Pro Bowls and was a key cog in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl-winning defense in the 2002 season.

The Detroit Lions promoted Jim Colletto to offensive coordinator, succeeding Mike Martz.

Colletto was Detroit’s offensive line coach in 2007. In 2006, he was UCLA’s offensive line coach.

Colletto has 41 years of coaching experience, including eight seasons as an NFL offensive line coach and as a head coach at Purdue and Cal State Fullerton.

Martz, who had one year left on his contract worth a reported $2 million, led Detroit’s offense the last two seasons.

Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams is going to the Pro Bowl for the fifth consecutive season.

Williams took the roster spot of the late Sean Taylor, the Washington strong safety voted in as a starter.

“I appreciate being the first alternate to go,” Williams said. “We are going to do something special for Sean and his family. . . . It’s an honor to be going in his place.”

Terrell Owens’ two-week absence from practice because of a sprained left ankle hasn’t caused any high anxiety for the Cowboys. Not yet, anyway.

Owens didn’t practice again Thursday, the last workout for the NFC’s top-seeded team before its three-day weekend.

When the Cowboys return Monday for a light practice, they will know the opponent for the divisional playoffs. But they still might not know Owens’ status for their Jan. 13 playoff game, the first at Texas Stadium in nine years.

Bill Belichick was named the Associated Press 2007 NFL coach of the year.

Belichick, the first coach since the Dolphins’ Don Shula in 1972 to lead his team through a perfect regular season, won the award for the second time in four years.

The Tennessee Titans will be without top wide receiver Roydell Williams for the first round of the playoffs after he broke his right ankle in practice.

The San Diego Chargers received a 24-hour extension from the NFL in an attempt to sell the final 500 tickets for Sunday’s playoff game against Tennessee and lift the local TV blackout.

The Chargers have until 1:30 p.m. today to sell the remaining tickets.

Chargers spokesman Jim Steeg said he was surprised the game hadn’t yet sold out, since every regular-season game did.