I think Ross may have understimated the celebrity that comes with being an owner of a team. I don't think he understood the lengths at which fans and media go to get information out of their team, especially in the media locked down Dolphins. Honestly, if I was a billionaire, I wouldn't expect people to be tracking my aircraft ledgers either. I think he'll get it. Miami is a good place, we aren't a disfunctional team, we just need to get better. I have faith that Ross will do that. I'm no where near as gloom and doom as others around here.

 

It's not a great sign if it requires concentrated effort and an outside study to not be an idiot.

 

IMO He hasnt learned anything from last year.Commentator Lombardi mentioned that Harbaugh was turned off because Ross was accompanied by Ireland in their meetings.

Now we will be begining a coaching search with Ireland deeply involved in the coaching selection again.I think we will begin to see some of the top coaching candidates signing with other teams in fairly quick succession until we will only have retreads and unproven cordinators to choose from .

What HC prospect will want to be saddled with an unproven and unexperienced GM that is not of their choice or liking.?

 

But he fired Tony Sparano two weeks before CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!! CHRISTMASSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We managed to hire Nick Saban with spielman still in place.

Ireland has not received some kind of lifetime cotnract here. If the enxt coach is of such a stature as to demand his own personnell guy he will get him. Or he will have final authority and will evaluate Ireland during the off season, just like Saban evaluated Spielman.

 

I'm convinced Ireland is playing a worm tongue roll with Ross.

 

question is, who is Saruman?

 

Totally off topic, but Brad Dourif plays such a wonderful villian.. He even stood out in the absolutely horrid 1980's version of "Dune" as Piter DeVries..

 

Goodell the White????

 

:lol:

 

Richard, raf, and a couple other guys have already touched on it. GM's are rarely fired before the draft. It just doesn't happen in the NFL.

You lose too much. Ireland and his group have been scouting college prospects for just about an entire year. A new GM would have the herculean task of scouting players for 2 1/2 months AFTER the college season has ended. That's not conducive to success. He very well could be fired after the draft, but bringing in a new coach and a new GM would force them to come up with prospects out of thin air. Any GM not already in the NFL was NOT spending their free time scouting players extensively. The only thing you could do is bring in a GM from another team which is next to impossible and pretty stupid if you want to please a new coach.

As bad as the Jaguars have been at talent evaluation over the past few years, only del Rio got canned. Dolphins fans love to think that their terrible is a special kind of terrible, but it's not.

 

Back on topic... Ross is catching a lot of media, and fan, bovine scatology at this time because he is a newbie in the arena. Anyone who can make billions legitimately enough not to be investigated by the FBI, SEC, and an ever searching media looking for the next big story is not an idiot. Naive, possibly. And those who think he is stupid are just venting, and can be safely ignored until they grow up.

An internal investigation by someone whose sole allegiance is to the Boss is a dangerous thing to behold.. I have been in several organizations which endured such calamities. It can uncover a lot of misfeasance, if not malfeasance which can be hidden in plain view. Those who are seeking to feather their own nest at the expense of the organizational strength and community good will can be devastating - such as those who keep leaking tidbits to the media which we so dearly love. Some of that may dry up, but only signals that the operation is working. In this immediate gratification seeking world, we may not hear anything for a while, but see a few structural changes which seem obscure, but have an impact on the operation of the team. BTW, keeping Ireland as GM, or even as Team President, does not preclude Ross from adding someone as an intermediary who can evaluate the decisions Ireland makes and consult with Ross as needed.

This will not be a quick fix, if Ross is a perspicacious a business man as his wealth intimates...

 

I stand corrected!

 

A paid vacation over Christmas . he was fired it just had not happened yet. That isn't an issue , and he had an extension plus a raise. Not fun being fired but there is no reason to make it more than it is.

 

Mike Florio had a huge, entirely misguided rant about Steve Ross pulling out the term "a young Don Shula" when asked what he was looking for in a coach. I mean, you want to talk about making mountains out molehills.

People are just looking for something, anything to criticize about Steve Ross. It's sad. The biggest mistake he made wasn't talking to Jim Harbaugh. It was not doing what it took to GET Jim Harbaugh. Otherwise he's been a fine owner.

 

Agreed , signing Harbaugh would have quelled the discontent and also would have resulted in a better w/l record imo. This hire is critical , and if Ireland is here for longer than getting past the draft , the new coach and Ireland have to mesh well and move ahead as one , this organization has to be focused as one and that has not been the case as I see it.

 

If Ireland has the same power Spielman had after Saban came to Miami, I could live with Ireland remaining with the Dolphins. Because he would have absolutely no control over the draft or free agency. Saban had total control of these thing during his time as the head coach of the Dolphins, not Spielman. In fact if Ross wants to keep Ireland as part of the organization, he should make him head ball boy. That is about all Ireland is really good for to begin with.

 

There is no way he would have fired Ireland right now. If he did, we would be screwed for the upcoming draft.

Ireland and his staff have likely been working on the 2012 draft for months. You don't give up that work to make some media members happy.

If a coach comes in that has enough pull, he can easily ask that he be given say over personnel decisions and that Ireland be relieved of his duties right after the draft.

 

Nobody will give 2 ****s about the Harbaugh situation or anything else if he makes the right coaching hire and this team is winning.

 

you mean firing Ireland and convincing Harbaugh to uproot his family? idk if there really was much of a chance

i do agree that Ross gets too much flak. Florio is getting a little too big imo. the site has been generally unreadable after the season started imo

 

John Clayton was on with Sedano this morning and said...

Jeff Fisher will not want to work with Ireland and would rather coach the Colts or Chargers, also said that Brian Schottenheimer is a name to consider and that Todd Bowles took over extra responsibilty in the defensive playcalling because the team was unhappy with Mike Nolan's playcalling. Nolan may get fired.


It has begun .I expect we will hear more of this type of commentary as the coaching search goes on. The top coaching candidates going to other teams because of Ireland.Ross should leave Ireland at home or at least make it clear to prospective HC candidates that keeping Ireland is not off the table.


BTW I am perfectly aware that most GMs job contracts run through the following years draft and I have taken that into consideration.I expect that Ireland will be involved in next years draft but I hope he will have someone with authority over him ,perhaps the new HC .Subsequently I hope he will be fired
​

 

I wonder if that coincided with the improved play on defense at about the mid season mark? You know, when they started winning?

I think these next three games could be very interesting. At least from a coaching standpoint.

 

I dont think it would be bad to fire a gm before the draft because right now its at least 4 months maybe 5 months til the draft so you cant tell me that our scouting deparment cant get it all together. sure it will be tough but we have no offensive superstars so changing a gm right now wont kill this team if the scouting department stays on top of things.

 

Why anyone would want Ireland involved in the 2012 draft is beyond me. Perhaps those who are defending him staying have missed the fact the the Dolphins were 7-9 the last two years and 4-9 so far this season. Maybe the best thing that could happen would be to get rid of Ireland and the scouting staff before the draft. Having Ireland and the rest of the personnel staff the last three years making decisions in the draft and in free agency has already made the Dolphins one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Keeping a GM through the draft, who has done an awful job so far, just because that is the way things are usually done, is a lousy excuse for Ireland staying as the GM. The next GM would have nearly five months to prepare for the draft and based on the record of Ireland, I have no doubt the new GM could do a far better job in selecting talent for the Dolphins.

 

really? Awful? Do you know what word means?

 

Ross might be trying but, by keeping Ireland as the GM, he is not trying hard enough. Once he fires Ireland, that is when I will believe that Ross is actually trying to provide a winner in Miami.

 

WTF? I thought Nolan was doing a great job with our D? This doesn't make any sense.

 

The problem is no one knows how much Irish was responsible for ALL of our drafts. At this point, you can only say Irish was entirely responsible for the 2011 draft.

 

Honestly, I don't think someone as successful as Ross would get played like that. Ross being successful in the business world makes me think that he will figure things out on his own and not be played for a fool. If anything I think Ross is playing a worm tongue roll with Ireland to be honest.

EDIT: damnit someone else already said this...

 

i don´t want any of the schottenheimers, man that would suck so much

 

You just don't gut the organization, based on business experience if the right guy is available and he doesn't want to work with Ireland then Ireland is gone period.

 

Yes, I understand what words mean. I also do not apologize for calling Ireland an awful GM. If you look at the talent, (or lack of), on the Dolphins and the teams record over the past three years, and you still think Ireland deserves to remain the teams GM, I have to question your relationship with Ireland. You must be related to him in some way if you feel he has been anything but a total failure as the Dolphins GM.

 

from Dictionary.com

Besides an "awful" understanding of the full meaning of the word, I would have to question your understanding of how the team actually works. One can assemble an all star cast, or team, and still have it led in such a fashion that it produces nothing worthy of note. Such seems to be the case here. The insistence for the immediate dismissal of Ireland just because he arrived with Parcells and Sparano is nothing more than a demand that the baby be thrown out with the bathwater. Such is not worthy of serious thought, as it is not more than a disgruntled knee jerk reaction. The fact is that we do not KNOW anything about how Ireland functions, the manner in which he operates, nor even the exact means by which the question was asked nor the context of that question that those who can't seem to stomach his presence in the organization throw out ever time Ireland's name is mentioned - the question of Dez Bryant's Mother's occupation. All we know is that Bryant (not exactly known for an inspiring command of the English language) went out and spouted it loud and long - and the rest of the world reacted in the worst possible fashion. Yet everyone has an opinion and nothing of any real significance about that conversation has come to light. But again, the media frenzy was great for all to see. It resembled nothing better than a gathering of great white wannabes in the presence of a crippled blue whale.

This type of thinking is nothing more than mass hysterical guilt by association being pursued with a lynch mob mentality.

This team is much better off with regards to personnel than when the triumvirate arrived. This despite, it seems, the interference of the leader of the band who had fallen out of step with the times - Parcells, who led much of the drafting for the first two years in the organization - and had final say. The last year was the only year that Ireland led the who shebang himself. Yet he is being blamed from everything from the sinking of the Maine to the Black Plague in the NFL and would make Typhoid Mary look like Mother Teresa.

It would appear that the most intense desire of a number of people on the boards is to have the general manager be a person of great personal skill who is as wise as a wolf in finding prey, as knowledgeable as a full tenure professor, experienced as a 40 year businessman, as secretive as a double agent, as smooth as a used car salesman, as cunning as a cat burglar, as boisterous as a politician on campaign, and has the personal demeanor of a virgin eagle scout being invested at a church service, AND who never, ever, ever makes a single solitary mistake at any time at any point in anything.. Good Blooomin' Luck there folks.

 

Since I certainly consider Ireland an extremely bad GM. I would say that the word," awful", in describing his ability as the talent coordinator of the Dolphins, certainly appears the right word from my perspective. The team has gone from 11-5 the first year of this regime to 7-9, the last two years, and now they are 4-9 this season.

You somehow equate this with the Dolphins having improved their personnel under the direction of Ireland, as the teams GM. You can certainly sit over on the West Coast and be happy with the direction of this team under Ireland, but as someone who attended Dolphin home games and many away games for over forty years, I am not happy with the direction of this team.

I did not renew my season tickets for the first time in the past forty years because Ross kept Sparano and Ireland after last season. I will not purchase season tickets next year if Ireland is still the GM after the new coach is hired. I only hope the new coach is Gruden, Cowher, or Fisher, because I have no doubt that the first thing they would tell Ross is that they would only take the job if Ireland is no longer the GM.

As far as your view of what is expected by many Dolphin fans from our GM. The only thing we expect is someone who actually has a clue when it comes to drafting the best talent or in selecting free agents. An 18-27 record over the last two plus seasons certainly shows that Ireland does not meet this one simple criteria.

 

Well, for one.. How did you get me on the West Coast. I grew up in Palm Beach County and now live outside of Savannah.

2. You may or may not have any seniority in fanship, but I've been a Dolphins fan since they announced in the Miami Herald and on WTVJ that Joe Robbie, Danny Thomas, et. al, were bringing a professional football team to Miami and they had a contest to name the team.

3. If you cannot look at the roster and see that this team is improved over the 2007 team, I don't know how to even begin to discuss the work of a GM with you because we do not have a common point of reference - thus you will think he is crappy at personnel, I think he has done a good if not better job that had been done here in the previous decade to his arrival - including the years when Parcells had complete control - which leaves him with only one year as being in complete control of the draft.

4. If you want to bail on the team because you don't like management - that is your perfect right. I only wish I could have afforded to attend one Dolphin game in person, instead of hoping that they would not be blacked out so I could see them on television. Consider yourself blessed that you had the opportunity. A great many of us in South Fla did not. I guess that means we do not have the right to express equal opinions in some people's thoughts.

Grace and peace!

 

First of all, I apologize for stating you live on the West Coast. In looking at your location, it stated San Bernardino, so I assumed assumed you live in California. Of course we all know what happens when you assume anything, so I obviously was entirely wrong in suggesting you live on the West Coast.

I have been a fan of the Dolphins since 1966, and I was a charter member of the Dolphins Huddle Club. In fact I was at the very first Dolphin game, when Joe Auer returned the first kick off in Dolphins history for a TD against in the Oakland Raiders. You and I are probably among only a few fans on this forum who actually remember that Flipper was the first mascot for the Dolphins and was actually in a pool in the end zone, for the first few years of the organization.

Do I think the talent level on the team is better today than it was in 2007. Of course this team has more talent, but I just don't feel that Ireland has shown that he is an effective GM. The fact is as I stated earlier, the Dolphins are a combined 18-27 over the last two plus seasons. Sparano is certainly to blame for part of this, but the Dolphins just don't have the game changing play makers on offense, defense, or special teams, which are needed to become one of the better teams in the NFL. I completely blame Ireland for this lack of game changing play makers.

I still watch the games on TV and root for the Dolphins, but I will continue to boycott the actual games until Ireland is replaced. Over the last forty years I have spent well over $150,000 purchasing four season tickets a year, plus traveling to nearly 30 away games. I am not bailing on the team as you stated. I am merely using the only resource I have to show my displeasure with the Ross decision to retain Ireland. I realize you do not agree with my view of Ireland and I certainly accept your right to express you own opinion regarding Ireland. I guess in this case, we just have to agree to disagree.

Have a happy holiday season.

 

Oh, yeah.. I just looked at my location spot again. One would have to be an absolute Naval History Nut with a bunch of esoteric knowledge to recognize that - because it really didn't happen. It is what would have prevented what is known in some circles as "The Battle of Bull's Run" - or Halsey hauling off after Ozawa and not leaving San Bernardino Strait covered. I have a deep interest in all things Naval, and that is one of the great "What If's" in my hobby.

I had just turned 16 when I heard the radio broadcast of Joe Auer's runback. And both my wife and I remember Flipper (we were in the same class in High Schoolo) ... IIRC, he was in the pool and he would return the ball after PAT's.

My take on Ireland is that there was such a necessary foundation to built from that mess they inherited that it still is not complete (not to my satisfaction, anyway. They are playing with the OL way too much - and took some chances under Parcells direction that I feel it bit us in the tookus - Smiley and Groves for example. Columbo sounds like a case of intellectual flatulence!)

That in mind... the only real chance we had for a possible franchise QB, as I see it, was last year, but Minnesota took Ponder first. Even if that were to have taken place, and Henne had not been hurt - there would still have been screaming and gnashing of teeth because Sparano would not have played Ponder unless it appeared as if the Apocalypse was on the horizon.

I still think Ireland can be an effective, and, I suspect a good, GM. Good business men who do not want to be out front are not always known for their suave demeanor before a camera or in a croud. I don't know if he will survive the purge because I do not for one minute think it had been completed with the dismissal of the Head Coach... but I do hope that if he is terminated that it is a considered one, and not just a knee jerk reaction because of the feelings of the moment. I also think he deserves another shot at Free Agency and the Draft without the Shade of Parcells Past lurking over his shoulder - which is also to say that I think that if the players we had on the roster this year had been properly used at the beginning of the season we would have to be looking at trading a lot of picks for a first round QB anyway - because our record would have been much better. But then, we probably would not be having this type of conversation on the boards.