Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland was on WQAM's The Joe Rose Show on Friday and, echoing many of the comments he has made since the ill-fated Jim Harbaugh recruiting trip earlier in the month, discussed the team's primary needs, the relationship among owner Stephen Ross, himself and coach Tony Sparano, his stance on quarterback Chad Henne and his recent coaching hires, among other things. Here is a Q&A of excerpts of the interview:
JR: What was that whole thing like, you and the owner heading out West, and what's going through your mind as that whole thing is taking place? We're just curious.
JI: I was actually scouting at the Sugar Bowl, and then he asked me to go out there with him. You know, obviously a very uncomfortable feeling. As I said in the press conference, my support for Tony Sparano never wavered one bit during the season. You know, this was a thing that Mr. Ross wanted to satisfy a curiosity in talking to Jim. And so we did and he satisfied his curiosity and came back and it was Tony Sparano the whole way."
JR: Hey Jeff, I wanted to ask you, and I know it's one thing that's been out there, and the owner comes out and talks about this certain style of offense he wants, aggressive, creative, down-the-field, hurry-up, explosive and all these things he has a vision for. And I'm listening to all these things, and on the other side of it, I'm thinking, Tony doesn't want to run that style of offense. That's not the makeup of Parcells' and Tony's background. What do you tell people when you hear both sides of this thing?"
JI: (Small chuckle) Well, you can tell everybody that the owner is very passionate about his football team. He's a very passionate fan. He never makes [any] bones about [it that] he's a fan. He's a fan that has a vested interest in this football team and obviously, he wants to see what all the rest of the fans want to see. They want to see an explosive offense. But he makes no bones about it either, that the football people are going to make the football decisions. And that's Tony and me right now, and I think that Tony has put together a fantastic staff offensively.
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