A year after showering since-dismissed coach Cam Cameron with boos, Dolphins fans attending Saturday's draft party departed in considerably better spirits.
Even though the Jake Long selection had been known for days, the official announcement was greeted with mass applause at the party.
And not even a 1-15 season held down turnout -- an estimated 5,000 fans attended the event at Dolphin Stadium, ''which is very good considering we had already made our pick,'' stadium spokesman George Torres said.
That was similar to the turnout at last year's draft party, which was held inside the practice bubble at team headquarters.
''Everything is more positive now,'' said Shaun Koonce, a Dolphins fans who traveled from Jacksonville, N.C. ``Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano are rewriting team history.''
Dolfan Matthew Hall was so excited that he came to the party all the way from Sydney, Australia -- albeit on his honeymoon.
''Jake Long wasn't the sexy pick, but it's something we needed,'' said Hall, who arises at 3 a.m. back home to watch Dolphins games live on television.
The reaction Saturday was a stark contrast to last year's public-relations disaster, when the Dolphins angered fans by passing on quarterback Brady Quinn, and Cameron elicited derision by referencing Ted Ginn Jr.'s ''family'' during his remarks to the crowd.
On Saturday, the only person who addressed the crowd was Long, who delivered a taped message thanking the team and the fans. (Dolphins officials, including Sparano, were several miles away at the team's Davie headquarters.)
The positive feelings among the fans were rooted not only in approval of the No. 1 pick but also in supreme confidence in Parcells.
'It's Parcells' track record,'' said Keith Osborn, who came to the party from Key West, where he is serving in the Navy. ``Parcells succeeds everywhere he goes.''
Because of Parcells' hiring, Dolphins fans will be more patient through the rebuilding process, several fans said.
''Parcells knows talent, and fans who know what's going on understand it takes a while to get it turned around,'' said Fort Lauderdale fan Joel Goldfarb, who works in pest control. ``We should be competitive within two years.''
Another fan, Andre Dessassau, a Miami-based plumber, said: ``Since we got Parcells, people will be patient. A lot of people believe in him and his methods. We'll be all right in three years.''
And what about the selection of Long?
''It's great,'' Osborn said. ``We need to rebuild the line before anything else.''
Among the many Dolphins who signed autographs Saturday: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Ginn, who were not made available to the media.
The event also included interactive games, billiard tables and a magic show. Fans also could select game seats for the 2008 season.
