Multiple reports had offensive coordinator Tony Sparano being fired weeks ago, but it looks like the firing is now official, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Brian Costello of the New York Post has confirmed the report.

Also out is quarterback’s coach Matt Cavanaugh, who was fired yesterday. Given the regression of Sanchez – which I’ll admit is on both Sanchez in addition to Cavanaugh  -this was a no brainer. Most would argue Cavanaugh should have been fired at the end of last season.

With so many vacant coaching positions, the Jets new general manager – lets’s call him “he who has not been named” – will have a lot of work to do. Reports indicate the Jets have already targeted  Norv Turner and Cam Cameron as possible replacements for Sparano, with Turner being at the top of the list.

According to ESPN New York, the Jets do not plan to retain offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

The report also details Woody Johnson’s plans to restructure the front office – including the possibility of hiring a new GM – though the report leads the reader to believe that Tannenbaum and Ryan will be reunited for another year.

Meanwhile, according to CBS Sports, the Jets have hired Jed Hughes of Korn/Ferry – an international, executive search firm – to help lead their search for new GM. This firm also helped them find new president Neil Glatt.

The Jets off-season rebuilding got a big jolt this week with the resignation of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and the hire of former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano.

Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum and new OC Tony Sparano held a conference call with the media yesterday to introduce the new OC, discuss the hire, address questions and guarantee hope for change.

From the conference call we learned that (officially) Schottenheimer wanted fresh a start and both Tannenbaum and Rex agreed he should move on. The Jets then interviewed both Bill Callahan (who is now moving on to Dallas) and Tony Sparano.

Based on Ryan’s glowing endorsement of Sparano, it seems no other interviews were necessary, which would explain why the process went so quickly.

As for their hopes for next season, Ryan and Sparano both talked more about a “fresh start” for the team’s offense, with an emphasis on a “physical” and “explosive” style of offense. We already know that Sparano in regarded for his run-first approach in addition to his background as an offensive line coach and we can expect that the running game and protecting the quarterback will be big priorities for the 2012 Jets offense. That said, Sparano also mentioned that he would like to “get big chunks of yardage” in the passing game and stretch the field – something te Jets struggled with in 2011.

Another point Sparano was sure to emphasize that I think Jets fans will identify with : His desire to form an offensive identity.

I am a guy that believes that you have to form an identity. I want to have an identity here offensively. I want our players to be able to walk into the meeting room and not be surprised about some of the things that are going to be in the game plan each week, because they believe that we’re going to do them really well.

In light of the Daily News article released this week, which revealed several “anonymous” Jets players’ not-so-complementary thoughts on Mark Sanchez, Ryan has firm in his opinion on the QB saying he and the team, “have a great deal of belief and admiration” for Sanchez.

I don’t know how many that don’t feel confident in Mark Sanchez. If it’s not all of them, it’s the majority of our football team that have a great deal of confidence in Mark. When he walks through that door, his head will be held high. An anonymous source doesn’t speak on behalf of the football team

Sparano said he believes he can help Sanchez in “a lot of different ways” with will return to fundamentals and an emphasis on clock management and ball security.

As for those anonymous snitches who buried their QB in the Daily News? Rex wasn’t too fond of it.

Saying things and not putting your name on it, that’s not being a Jet. So that’s going to change, without question.

Rex, Sparano and Tannenbaum mentioned that their primary focus will be on building team chemistry

It’s the biggest thing that we can fix, but I also think it’s the easiest thing we can fix. When I look at the things that we can fix in a hurry, that is going to be the No. 1 thing.

They addressed several more questions about team chemistry and locker room troubles throughout the call and ensured that it will not happen again.

You can interpret this in whatever way you see fit, but it seems that Joe Namath is “stumped” by the Sparano hire and mentioned on the Michael Kay Show that he thinks the hire was due in large part to the fact that both Sparano and Tannenbaum are from the Bill Parcells coaching tree. Namath doesn’t necessary agree that Sparano has the credentials to be an OC.

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The team announced late last night that they have hired Sanjay Lal to fill the wide receivers coach vacancy. Lal replaced Henry Ellard. Lal had been the Raiders WR coach for the past three years.

Rich Cimini of ESPN New York suggested that the hiring of Lal does not necessarily impact the likelihood of Todd Haley joining the offensive coaching staff.

Tannenbaum said, “It’s hard to say,” whether Haley will land in New York and that the team has other interviews to conduct. Haley has also received interest from the Arizona Cardinals, and perhaps the decision is his – not the Jets – to make.

Former Vikes defensive line coach Karl Dunbar interviewed with the Jets yesterday.

Lastly, per Jenny Vrentas, the Jets have signed LB Mathias Berning, who played well in camp, to a reserve/future contract.

This photo was too good.

The Jets staff shake-up continued Wednesday afternoon when the team officially announced  that former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano will succeed Brian Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator in 2012. Chris Mortensen of ESPN was the first to report on the hiring late Tuesday night, shortly after Schottenheimer resigned.

Sparano is a former offensive line coach and head coach with a strong background in the running game.

He spent five years with the Dallas Cowboys (2 as assistant head coach) and he called plays for one year, in 2006, as the offensive coordinator. That year the Cowboys were ranked 5th in offense and 4th in scoring.

Sparano then spent four years as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins before being fired late this season. He was 29-32 as their head coach.

Of the Hire, Rex Ryan said, via a team statement:

“When we sat down with Tony, I knew that he was the right person at the right time for our offense. I’ve admired his work as a competitor in the division for the past three seasons. His teams were always physical, tough and hard-nosed.”

Read : Total Rex guy. Not only is Sparano regarded for his run-oriented offenses, but he is also well known for his agressive style and approach. See why Rex likey?

In other words, gear up for more Ground and Pound, people, because it is here to stay.

But wait, there’s more:

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley is set to visit the Jets facility tomorrow. Haley is the leading candidate for the wide receivers coach. I have also heard several people suggest he could assume the assistant head coaching vacancy. Other suggest he would fill the role of “Passing game coordinator,” which would make sense given Sparano’s background with the running game. I don’t know. That was someone else’s title. I can’t take credit for it.

According to the Star Ledger, Sparano and Haley worked alongside one another in Dallas. Haley was in charge of the passing game while Sparano was in charge of the running game. Both worked together under the Parcells tree. So, there is the connection.

Haley could also help provide some assistance for Mark Sanchez, which is an obvious priority fot the entire team.

Jeff Darlington from NFL.com wrote a fantastic piece about the Rex/Sparano combo that I enjoyed. Darlington points out that the fundamental differences between these two men might actually make the perfect fit in New York.