Merged: Jeff Ireland Extended

If Ross were to promote from within, that would only prove that he really has no desire to turn this organization into a winner again. He needs to completely clean house in the personnel department and commit to doing whatever is necessary to build this team into a legitimate SB contender. If he isn't willing to do this, he needs to sell the team to an owner who actually wants to own a Super Bowl winner.

Firing Ireland, (which I think he has to do), and merely promoting Gaine to the GM position will not satisfy the season ticket base. In fact this would only reduce season ticket sales for 2014.

It is beginning to look more and more that the real problem with this organization is ownership and until that changes, the Dolphins will remain nothing but a mediocre to bad team in the NFL.

 

There is no internal salary cap since the Dolphins don't pay out of Stephen Ross' pocket for player contracts. National TV contracts provide the necessary money. Stephen Ross has never limited spending even when he should have tapped the brakes on a couple of acquisitions.

The Dolphins should be an appealing job to anyone who wants to make changes on the defense (due to expiring contracts) and/or thought Tannehill was a franchise QB during that candidate's draft prep.

Gaine would be more of the same.

 

What internal salary cap? I think Miami is a pretty attractive situation. I think there are a lot of talented players there, and some of the messier contracts can be expunged sooner rather than later. Not to mention, Miami appears to have at least gotten the quarterback mostly right. Any GM that came in and wanted to deal with things on the defensive side could pretty easily turn this team into a hybrid or 3-4 defense, which seems to be the more effective trending defense these days.

Brian Gaine? Really? Other than Cameron Wake, what's he really known for? His lasting impression coming off Hard Knocks was that he thought Roberto Wallace had what it takes to be an NFL receiver.

 

How much cap space has Miami been carrying over since Ross took over? They have consistently been well under the salary cap. Its been three consecutive years now, I don't think its a coincidence.

I'm also not sure how attractive a GM position is when there is already a VP of Football Administration that is reportedly in charge of the salary cap. The GM of Miami is going to be ceding some power to Aponte.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Unfortunately Stringer, I think you are 100% correct. That is why I think the real problem with the Dolphins organization is Ross. I think he is more concerned with getting the taxpayers to pay for much of the upgrades to HIS stadium and less concerned with putting a winning team on the playing field. He will make a lot more money when he sells the team if the stadium is upgraded and I think making more money is far more important to him than having a winning football team.

The Dolphins have been in a rebuilding process since he became the majority owner of the team. The Jets went to two AFC championship games in 2009 and 2010. They needed to start their rebuilding process in 2011 and they are already ahead of the Dolphins. The Bills have been as bad or worse than the Dolphins over the past four years, and now it appears they have caught up with the Dolphins and will likely surpass them this year or next year.

This organization just can't seem to get headed in the right direction with Ross as its owner. I hope he comes to this same conclusion and decides to put the team up for sale immediately.

 

I don't agree. Making money is important. Winning is important. No owner is going to lose tens of millions willfully. There isn't an owner in this league that isn't receiving any subsidies, aside from Ross. He took over a dumpster fire of an organization. The team is paying $20M per year just on interest on the renovations Huizenga undertook. Thats just the interest. There is still the $200M principal loan that is coming due.



Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

The team is headed in a better direction than it was under Huizenga IMO. They are spending much less now to produce a product that's having about the same success. Huizenga was basically an easy mark for anyone with a big name.


Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Would she still be in place? I believe she was brought in when Bill Parcells was here. Perhaps that's just a way to check Jeff Ireland as he is a first-time GM.

 

I think it would be worse.

 

She was just promoted to Executive VP so I'm assuming she wont be fired? The problem is that we have very little information regarding how the organization actually functions. We know titles and job descriptions, but little else.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

I'd like to fire everyone in the building, including the owner.

 

I don't care how much they are spending. Who cares that Ross has more money in his pockets, while the Dolphins continue to have the same type of success they had when Huizenga was the owner. I care only about having a team that goes to the playoffs on a consistent basis and actually makes it to a SB every once in a while.

I'm not sure how Ross keeping more of his money by spending less and providing the same mediocre product we have all grown tired of is a better direction. Like I stated in an earlier post of mine. The Dolphin fan of today seems satisfied with a mediocre team or one that can go 9-7. Mediocrity is what Dolphin fans over the past two decades have grown used to and therefore they don't see how badly this organization is being run today.

I really don't care what happened or didn't happen when Huizenga was the owner. He hasn't been the majority owner for over four years and the Dolphins haven't had a winning season since he sold the team to Ross. In fact the 11-5 season the Dolphins had in 2008 was the last year Huizenga was the owner of the Dolphins. Its been downhill ever since.

Why you care how much a billionaire owner spends to put a mediocre product on the field makes no sense to me. He needs to be less concerned with being millions under the salary cap and more concerned with putting a better product on the field.

You might also note that while spending less and having similar success as Huizenga, the number of fans sitting in the seats during Dolphins home games has severely dropped over the past five years. Obviously fans are showing they are fed up with Ross and his team by not attending games.

 

This organization is a joke. Ross has done a LOT of things wrong and he continues to do so. For ex. signs Ireland and announces it after a few wins.

At this point, we are looking at 3-5 again and a losing season so whats his excuse now?

He spent his $, got his "explosive WR' that isn't required in the NFL when you can find so many in the draft that have the same things Wallace does, which is LOTS of speed. It doesn't take $ to win, it takes talent EVALUATIOn which is what Ireland lacks. Name 3 SUPER STARS Ireland has drafted. Name 3 that we wanted and they passed on and we are just fans that KNEW that player would be great. Ireland has NEVER EVER been good at finding talent, hes good at finding players that are desperate for a job and retaining them after seeing hard work. In example, is MIsi worth taht money? HELL NO. That money would have been better spent on Starks or Soliai, **** even getting both back as opposed to getting Misi back, a cornfed LBer that is average in every aspect. Name 1 thing he is GOOD or GREAT or ABOVE AVERAGE in. Name 3 plays he made that contributed to a win. I can name 10 that starks or Soliai have.

Ireland wasn't going to let Misi go because hE DRAFTED him. If you notice one thing, ireland sticks to players he drafted or signed that put in hard work and are strong but not affective. He has always held on to them and when the time has come that htey have left they have been out of the league.

 

Ireland was given an extension during the off season. Does that mean he isn't getting fired either? God forbid.

 

There is a difference between an extension and a promotion. The extension just prevents him from being a lame duck. You don't just promote someone to an executive position if you aren't strongly endorsing their performance.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

The people making the decisions care? I'm not sure why this is controversial. What you or I care about doesn't really matter until we own the team? How is the owner not going to consider tens of millions of dollars when making business decisions???

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

I understand the difference, I was just hoping that Ross will sell the team and all the front office will leave with him. I don't have a lot of use for anyone in the front office at this time.

 

Agreed, I think we would have to know who promoted her to know that. If it was Jeff Ireland, then she's expendable. If it was Steve Ross, probably less-so.

 

That certainly is not going to happen. Nobody is buying the team until something significant changes regarding its financial issues. Huizenga tried to sell the team for how long?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

If it is all about the money, he shouldn't be an NFL owner to begin with. I have no problem with Ross making as much money as he can, if he is putting a quality product on the field. I am just sick and tired of spending over $6000 a year on season tickets and traveling to at least one away game a year to watch the same mediocre product, year after year.

Fortunately I will be moving to Hawaii after the first of the year and I will find other ways to spend this $6000.

The best NFL owners are those owners who care more about the fans and putting a winning product on the field. Not cutting costs by having large amounts of money under the salary cap every year. If you are happy with Ross and how he runs the team, that is on you. I don't like him as the owner of the team I have followed since 1966. If he doesn't do something about the mediocre product he is putting on the field, I doubt that he will find buyers for the four season tickets I won't be purchasing anymore after this season.

I look forward to getting up early in the morning next year and watching the Dolphin games at 7:00am Hawaii time. Maybe when I not wasting $6000 a year on this team anymore, I won't be as upset at the direction this organization has been going with Ross as the owner, but I doubt it.

 

I don't know how long it took Huizenga to sell the team, do you? Ross overpaid for the team and stadium, but that was his fault. Obviously he wants taxpayers to help pay for the renovations so he can get back the money he overpaid for the team. I just don't see that happening.

 

There is no owner in the league who is willing to eat tens of millions in operating losses. This isn't a fairy tale where some rich guy is just going to spend his fortune to make fans happy. Its not about making every dollar he can - Ross isn't turning much of a profit. At best he's breaking even. The problem is that he can't justify losing $20M a year, when the difference would be marginal. The two most fundamental aspects of consistent winning are QB and HC, and money won't change those things.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

You don't know what you're talking about.

 

I guess you left out the GM position on purpose. As long as you have a GM who has no idea how to select quality talent throughout the roster, your team is going to be nothing but mediocre and that is what the Dolphins have been the last five years with Ireland as this teams GM.

Perhaps if he hired a better GM and coaching staff, the team would perform better on the field. This would increase attendance and that would mean Ross wouldn't lose any money by owning the team. As the owner, it is the responsibility of Ross to hire the best people possible to turn this into a successful organization. So far in the five years he has been the majority owner of this team, he has done a terrible job of hiring the right people for the most important jobs.

You can continue to make excuses for Ross if you want to. I just think he is a rich billionaire who is fortunate to have the money to own an NFL franchise, but doesn't have a clue what he is doing as an NFL owner. He may be smart when it comes to buying and selling real estate, but when it comes to owning an NFL team. He is out of his league and therefore as a long time Dolphin fan, I wish he would sell the team immediately.

 

I don't think you're following the conversation. I didn't include the GM because the theory I posed was that Ross would have a tough time finding a GM when the team isn't willing to spend all the way up to the salary cap.

And attendance isn't what has ruined the team financially. Its the debt.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

Notice how the Dolphins haven't won since they announced this extension a month ago. Sure he was extended before the season, but its all too fitting that since we've known about it they've been a disaster.

 

It seems that they were waiting for the right moment to make the announcement.After 3 wins it seemed like the right time.Imagine if they announced it this week.

 

That's exactly right. Ross Sparano'd himself again with an extension for a lame duck employee.

 

At this point I think you have to keep Jeff. He is doing incrementally better. As far as drafts, I do not like his approach. he will leave Gronk opn the board for Misi, or he will not consider drafting Demaryius Thomas in the first round. He doesn't go for beasts, he goes for good. Drives me nuts. But he has been doing better.

As far as philosophy, I am on board for getting Philbin and getting the passing system in place. That was a good decision. I am just not convinced that the Sherman A&M system is the right system, which led them to draft an A&M QB. Now they and we are stuck in this Sherman A&M RT predicament. Good decision bad choice maybe.

Of course, an argument can be made that any system is good with the right people. But apparently then we do not have the right people. right now.
There is definitely some tweaking needed.

 

You are just accepting that the Dolphins have all this so called debt, without any actual proof . Just because the owner says he has debt related to his ownership of the team, doesn't make it true.

In fact the owner of the Marlins claimed the team was losing millions of dollars every year and that is why he claimed he didn't have the resources to put more money into the building of the new Marlins stadium.
After the fact, it was shown that the Marlins were actually making millions of dollars a year and that the ownership of the Marlins had hid this fact from everyone by refusing to open their financial books during negotiations with the city of Miami and the county. The politicians who agreed to fund the stadium without closely examining the Marlins financial records were complete fools, but it also shows that rich individuals have no problem lying to get what they want from the taxpayers.

I don't believe Ross is losing all the money he claims to be losing. In fact I don't think he is losing any money by owning the Dolphins. I think he is making plenty of money as an NFL owner and he just wants to make even more. It is very difficult to to think Ross has any debt related to the Dolphins when he can easily donate $200 million dollars to the University of Michigan, just so he can have a building named after himself.

Ross is worth in excess of four billion dollars. So he certainly can afford to completely pay for all the renovations to the stadium or even build a brand new stadium without going into debt. Unfortunately there are individuals who want to feel sorry for him and use the excuse that he isn't making any money as the Dolphins owner. I think this is a complete falsehood, but as long as he can convince enough Dolphin fans that he needs this money, these fans will continue to make excuses for the reason this team has been so mediocre since he took over majority ownership of this organization.

I just find it ridiculous that anyone would feel sorry for someone that has a net worth over 4 billion and claims his debt is the reason this team can't hire qualified personnel to run this organization. Ross is pulling the wool over many people's eyes and these people just can't see the truth. People need to open their eyes and clearly see that he is not the right owner for this organization.

 

TooGoodFor Dez,

This is absolutely the worse excuse for keeping a GM I have ever seen. He has been the teams GM for six years. This team today is just as mediocre as it has been for the past four years. We don't need someone selecting the players for this team who is doing, "incrementally better". We need a GM who can come in and build this team into a SB contender. That is not Ireland.

I swear I think people on here who write comments like yours are actually a fan of the Jets, Patriots,Bills, or some other NFL team. These fans are quite happy to see the Dolphins remaining a mediocre team year after year and they know that with Ireland as the teams GM, that is exactly what the Dolphins will remain, a mediocre team.

Not only should Ireland not be kept around. He should have been shown the door at least two years ago. I actually wonder what team you actually root for if you think Ireland should remain the GM after this season.

 

Are you suggesting the Dolphins don't have debt from the last time they renovated the stadium? Who paid for that exactly? Did you miss the part where they refinanced:

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2010/03/22/daily5.html

Did the County's own consultants just lie?

Ross isn't losing money. The team is operating ~$20M under the cap space they have available, which pretty much offsets the fundamental financial issues.

I could afford to give the homeless man outside my building $1000, that doesn't mean it is a wise decision.

And absolutely by no means has anyone said the team has been average because of the team's debt. This team could spend the $20M it is saving, and it the difference would be on the margins. The two biggest factors in a team's success are going to be the QB and the HC. How much the team spends isn't changing those things. The extra $20M would likely buy a couple of wins, which isn't fundamentally changing the outlook of the team.

Who the world feels sorry for Stephen Ross??? He isn't pulling the wool over anyone's eyes.

The reality is that he hasn't been willing to spend up to 100% of the salary cap. That absolutely is a huge factor when it comes to hiring a general manager. Do you really think someone is going to join an organization where they have to spend less than their competitors?

 

Hiring a general manager isn't going to be an issue as there are only 32 of those jobs in the world.

 

He should've been fired 2 years ago if the team/Ross was thinking proactively.
But from this position, thinking proactively does not necessarily mean Jeff should be fired. A GM should not be fired as a punishment but because he is not doing better. I cannot say that Jeff is not doing better as far as personnel and philosophy. As a matter of fact, I think he is doing better.

 

Huizenga didn't take long to sell the team. He renovated the stadium and then set about finding a buyer. Did not take long.

Your cries of revenue problems are pretty silly, considering how quickly the Browns and Jaguars sold, and the bidding process for the Rams. The biggest problem in selling an NFL team is finding someone with a billion dollars to spare.

 

Its not a revenue issue, its a debt issue. The revenue isn't varying a great deal from team to team. The NFL's sharing model dictates it. Miami's revenue is about average. The problem is the debt. The only teams with greater debt are the two NY teams, and they have a brand new stadium to show for it.

 

Weren't there reports last season of someone interested in buying Miami if Ross were going to sell? Can't think of the name but I'm almost positive PFT reported that.

 

His arguments never seem to make any sense.

 

What doesn't make sense here? The Miami Dolphins have an obscene amount of debt. They've consistently been under the salary cap. I'm not sure how that is controversial?

 

How do you know the amount of debt they have?