could be a great opportunity for him in St Louis or San Diego http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/12/27/2663395/jon-gruden-espn-coaching-2012-season
Not hard to figure out. Both places have good QBs and from what I read, the Rams will have almost 40 million in cap space for the 2013 season. He can buy whatever he needs the second year on the job.
Why would any top coach want to come to the Dolphins and have to work with Ireland? The Rams and Chargers have much better QB's and while the Rams certainly took a giant step backwards this season. The talent on the Rams is about equal with the Dolphins and they will get an impact player with the first or second pick in the draft. If they happen to get the first pick in the draft, they will be able to trade this pick and pick up enough high picks over the next three years to become a very good team in the near future. No big name coach is going to want to come to Miami with the prospect of having Ireland selecting his players. Also with no prospect of the Dolphins having a top tier QB next year and the pressure to win immediately, I just don't see the Dolphins as a team these higher profile coaches would want to take over. I expect the next coach to be another Sparano clone. The next coach will be grateful for the opportunity and will accept the job, even if it means that Ireland remains the GM. If this scenario should happen, I expect the Dolphins will continue to struggle and that we will be looking for a new head coach in another three or four years. Until Ireland is no longer the GM and Ross actually hires someone who knows how to build a football team, the Dolphins will remain a bad football team.
For what it is worth, Chris Mortensen said on NFL 32 tonight (no link) that he had talked to people outside ESPN and was pretty adamant that Gruden would not be coaching in 2012.
What exactly makes Bradford a better quarterback than what Miami has? Is it that career 74 passer rating that he has posted compared to Matt Moore's career 81 passer rating (87.3 passer rating as a starter)? Or is it that career 6.0 yards per pass attempt compared to Matt Moore's career 7.1 yards per pass attempt (7.3 YPA as a starter)? Once again, my stance on the perception issue is proven. Sam Bradford was the 1st overall pick, so he has to be better than Miami's undrafted, unheralded free agent even if the numbers show that he is far worse.
Little to do with the players. I'm talking about a plane on its way to San Fran while your dude is sitting back home thinking his job is safe.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. As for me, I think that Bradford is a far superior QB, when compared to Matt Moore. The problem with Bradford is that the Rams right now are a poorly coached team with a lack of talent in many areas. I think if they should end up with the first pick in the draft, they will trade this pick and get a load of high draft picks for the foreseeable future. Once Bradford gets a good team around him, I think he will be one of the best QB's in the NFL. In fact I would love for the Dolphins to try to trade for Bradford if the Rams decide they want to take Luck or RG3 in the draft. I have no doubt that if Bradford came to the Dolphins, Moore would once again be the backup QB for the Dolphins.
Funny how Ireland gets credit for a few good personnel decisions and Parcells seems to get all the blame for the bad decisions. If you are going to praise Ireland for selecting Long and trading for Marshall, you also have to blame him for the fact the players he has selected over the last four years are a combined 30-34 over this same period of time. To me this shows a GM who doesn't know what he is doing. and needs to be fired immediately.
So are you saying that Moore has been surrounded with superior talent and good coaching? And no, I am not insinuating Moore is a better QB then Bradford, just saying Moore might do better with better surrounding talent and better coaching also, maybe not better than Bradford but better.
Oh I disagree with that, Bradford's flaws are more correctable then MMoore's, but production wise it is not even close. And they both played behind equally crappy Olines, Bradford has the problem I'd thought he'd have in the NFL, he is a small guy and was hit with injuries at OU, that has followed him to the NFL, Moore is a fumbler, and I'm just not sure that can be corrected with coaching as it has dogged him wherever he has played.
Ireland is a survivor Bro, he's been around this business for a long time. Love ya Tony, but not like that.
Sam Bradford....much like Landry Jones was a product of the phenomenal tools around him. It is showing int the NFL even with Stephen Jackson in the backfield. His career stats are very pedestrian. http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/13197/sam-bradford
So he is supposed to just overcome all by his own sheer will, the overall lack of talent surrounding him? The Rams offense has played 1026 snaps this season. Their two starting OTs have played 618 and 331. The most snaps any one WR has played is 574. They have started 7 different WRs this season and the Rams version of Bess or Welker, that being Danny Amendola, was lost for the season 40 snaps into the 1st game. No TE has played over 574 snaps, and playing mostly behind a makeshift OL that sometimes had guards Harvey Dahl and Adam Goldberg playing OT, Bradford has only been healthy enough to play 691 snaps himself. Probably anyone but Brady or P. Manning would struggle playing QB under those conditions, and the 2nd year versions of both would have struggled too.
You're right nobody can do it by themselves. What you are failing to see with what I am saying is simple. Sam Bradford is overrated. Even in a non injury plagued rookie of the year season, he managed this for stats 354/590 60% 3512 18 15 for a QBR of 76.5 For comparison Manning Rookie season 326/575 56.7% 3739 26 28 71.2 2nd year. 331/533 62.1% 4135 26 15 90.7 Tom Brady 2001 264/413 63.9% 2843 18 12 86.5 2002 373/601 62.1% 3764 28 14 85.7 Notice the upward trajectory? Now show me Sam Bradford's upward trajectory...... 2010 354/590 60% 3512 18 16 76.5 2011 191/357 53.5% 2164 6 6 70.5 Let's be generous and say he would keep the same 10 game pace Leaving us with 305/567 53.7% 3460 10 10 70.86 What about those stats screams good QB?
I see that you said Sam is overrated. I just don't agree. IMO, he was just in an impossible situation this season. Not all rookie QBs explode in their 2nd season. It is too soon to pass judgement on him IMO. I don't believe a 2nd year Manning or a 2nd year Brady could have done much more in the same situation.
I agree. The Rams have no wide receivers and one of the worse offensive lines in the NFL. Nothing he can really do about that.
Obviously there is a major difference of opinion on this forum regarding Bradford. I think Moore has had far more talent to work with on the offense this year then Bradford has. While I think that the Dolphins offensive line is still a weakness overall. I still feel that the Dolphins offensive line is much better than the Rams offensive line. In fact I believe that the Rams have the worst offensive line in the NFL at the moment. Moore certainly has better wide receivers to throw the ball to, when compared with the receivers Bradford is forced to play with. I feel that Moore has certainly performed well, considering that he came into this season as the teams backup QB. I just don't feel he is the long term answer at the QB position for the Dolphins. I do on the other hand feel that Bradford will eventually be one of the top QB's in the NFL and I would have absolutely no problem with the Dolphins trading the Rams a couple of number one draft picks for Bradford, if the Rams get the first pick in the draft and decide to select Luck. I just don't think the Rams are going to take Luck, because I think they also realize that Bradford to going to become a top tier QB in the NFL in the very near future.
Fairness to Bradford, he was playing with a bad ankle behind a horrible OL with a limited Wr corps for most of the yr. Not saying he will be great, or a bust, am saying he was in a very difficult situation to perform in.
Nobody said anything about exploding, how about a little improvement? His stat line is no more impressive than a certain QB that a fair portion of fans here(myself included) want gone.
I'll riot if he's coming back to coach any other team than the Miami Dolphins! I want him to be out next HC not some other scrub or w/e Ross & Ireland have in mind!
Sam Bradford was f%^& up by Josh McDaniels. With McDaniels headed to K.C I suspect the Rams will find another WCO disciple (Mike Sherman?) to get Sam Bradford back on track. The Rams only good receiver Brandon Lloyd will follow McDaniels to K.C. Making a trade up by dangling Brandon Marshall a possibility.