Our cap space is deceptive because we have so many starters pending free agency, we have cap space but we have more holes to fill than most teams. We have a starting LT, starting CB, starting WR, ie premium positions that demand big salaries or high draft picks so it isn't like our team is in great shape this offseason, we have to sign a ton of our own players or sign other teams players or hit with need draft picks to fill holes. Its not that great of a situation as people make it out to be. Ireland planned poorly for the future IMO, hopefully he has a big offseason because this offseason will either make the team for 4 years or destroy it for 4 years. I've never seen cap space make a tackle or catch a touchdown, it has to be spent on the right talent and it needs to be used to keep good players too.

 

Eh, just not all that excited about cap space deej, FA if you are good at it can add some pieces but you really don't build a winner based on it, ask the Redskins.

Now add maybe 3 starters (Te, G, Wr possible Cb) and have a great draft that produces quickly then I'll say "good job"

 

Firelanders, where y'all at?

 

Very well said. :up:

 

Not sure about credit, but how much do we really have....sure it's reported to be $47m, but that's also without 9 starters from last season....lets see what the figures are on 3/12 before we count our chickens.....

 

A lot of cap space isn't all that important on its own, but it's difficult for the timing to be better and Ireland deserves credit for that.

 

Tannehill is also working relatively cheaply as well.

 

Yeah we need a backup Qb as well.....ours is leaving, good ones aren't that cheap....

 

Actually, I think its more than brilliant if it plays out the way I think. I can't go into it right now, but I will expand on this at another time. It could be stunning when looked at in hindsight.

 

I like the sound of that.

 

Where does the credit go for this amount of cap space?.. Armando defends Irelan

Just tell us what you know!

 

We have cap space because the core of what was intended to be a playoff team expired at the same time. Simple as that. It's not particularly praiseworthy, IMO.

 

Where does the credit go for this amount of cap space?.. Armando defends Irelan

You resign the core, we'll still have a healthy amount of cap left. Praise that.

 

Thing is, in Cinci, they just did not really pay for secondary help, iirc they had Hall and Joseph, let Joseph walk and just pretty much used "whoever' at Safety, they did invest a ton in the front 7 though.

Thing with Wr's though, I've heard agents don't like to steer guys to Miami for fear of Rosenhaus poaching them, and Wr's are flighty to begin with, those dudes are sort of nutty.

Deep Te class of FA's so not too worried there

Would hate to lose Big Jake, but it's apparent his play has declined and paying him 12 millie just makes no sense.

 

When a team loses the core of its offense...#1 RB, #1 WR, #1 TE, starting LT, a proven #2 QB, starting DT, #1 CB, and starting S (32% of its starters), if that team doesn't have salary cap space available then the GM that assembled the team should not only be fired but tarred and feathered. Especially when every single one of those players is at an age in which they are either in their prime or soon will be. It isn't like Miami has a bunch of over-the-hill vets becoming free agents.

 

We didn't lose a #1 WR (LOL but nice try), nor a #1 RB (our #1 back of the future is still here), nor a #1 TE (he's a #2 TE), and you're piling on #2 QB just to be dramatic, but that's pretty much the theme of your post, right. Secondly, we didn't "lose" anything b/c we still have the cap space. Thirdly, we didn't lose our starting DT nor anyone else at the moment b/c we may still re-sign a few of them.

 

when will this whining stop about our own FA, if they would have played better they would have gotten an extension already...besides randy starks , these guys had their chances to deliver and show some playmaking, they havent so why not try to upgrade, probably not possible to replace them all with better players, but the parity in this league is so obvious right now, everyone has holes on their teams

 

Bush as well, this is a part of the reason why I've been saying we are in for a mini rebuild.

 

If you're gonna tempt us and tease us like this, you danged sure better be right. Or else I'm a gonna have DJ and phinsational swim over to Bermuda and whip you with a knotted plow line. :yes:

 

Wasn't signed, he was traded for prior to the 2011 draft

Nate Garner as well, remains to be seen with Fasano.

 

Bush was traded for after the 2011 draft, at the start of training camp.

 

Ireland didn't do anything any other GM couldn't do. Trade away your best players for high draft picks and let 7 starters all hit the market at the same time? Wow, major props deserved!!

Lol please, the reason this doesn't happen with other teams is because when those GM's actually draft well they lock up their good players long term before their original deals are up. we haven't done that, but then again why would we, all our free agents are pretty much expendable, which is a poor reflection on the GM that brought them all here to begin with.

 

I tried to understand the point of your post and then I realized there isn't one.

 

Lets see our starting rb wr te cb dt lt fs from last season are all free agents yes no **** we have cap space. I also view making cap space this way a huge negative because now to resign any of these players they know they can up the price because we have room in the cap.

 

so tell me which of these 7 starters ireland failed to lock up longtime, can't be replaced with better players ?

 

Its not whining, its just being realistic, we have a lot of cap space but we have a ton of holes so it isn't like we can just pick up a couple of nice FAs to add to an already good team to get us over the top. We have a ton of holes, starting holes and we don't have young guys ready to take over for most of them either. It wasn't great planning on our front offices part, it shows that we didn't plan well. Good teams just don't have massive turnover like this, they get rid of older players and they usually have a young guy ready to take his place. Look at the teams that contend year in and year out, Pitt, NE, Baltimore, etc, they draft well and plan well, they don't have huge roster turnover every few years, they replace some key pieces and move forward. I hope that things work out, with the draft picks that we have and cap space we can do some good things but our track record doesn't inspire confidence.

 

Let be honest here, of our FAs how many would we want Jeff to sign if they came from other teams? 2?? maybe 3 at most. And most of our FA we would kill Jeff if he signed because they are average at best wanting more money then they are worth. So in reality are we loosing that much by not signing our own FAs?

 

I don't really see that having all this cap space is a sign that the Dolphins and Ireland have done a good job. It only shows that the players the Dolphins signed or drafted over the past few years and are now free agents weren't that good to begin with. The reality is that if Long, Starks, Smith, Clemons, Hartline, Bush, Fasano, Moore, and the remaining free agents were to be signed by the Dolphins this off season, they would have no cap space left.

It is only because the majority of these free agents aren't worth the money they want to sign with the Dolphins that the Dolphins have all this cap space to begin with in the first place. Ireland has been the GM since all these free agents were drafted or signed by the Dolphins and most of them will be playing somewhere else next year, because the Dolphins don't feel they are worth the money they want in free agency. Why should we believe that Ireland will do any better in free agency or in the draft than he has done in the previous five years?

Hopefully Ireland will do a much better job of signing free agents and in drafting players who can actually help this team win games. His record so far as the teams GM has been well below average, as the teams record proves. Having a lot of cap money and a lot of draft picks means absolutely nothing if the person selecting the players for the team doesn't have a clue of how to build a winning football team. Ireland either proves all his doubters (including me) wrong, or he will hopefully be looking for a new job after the 2013 season.

 

Or maybe because the fan base is so myopically entrenched in the "Ireland is the anti-christ" that it stands out.

 

By the way, whatever happened to this thing called 'middle ground'?

This one extreme or the other is worse than a bi-polar chick with a crack habit, on the rag. I can't wait for the next 6 weeks to be done.

 

Good teams, don't change their entire coaching staff and offensive and defensive philosophies either.

I don't know why this is constantly ignored. Its baffling.

We weren't a good team. We are trying to be. The coaching staff was changed, now the players need to be changed.

I want people to stop with their frustration and be rational for a minute.

We followed Parcells blueprint. Its outdated, but can work. For it too work you need a solid running game, a solid QB and a great defense. The problem was QB. Penny was not solid enough to get big plays because his arm was spaghetti. To compensate, we went to the WildCat. The WildCat + Penny = solid QB play. Which was great for a year.

Problem is, we continued to try and live in two worlds with the Parcells blueprint and the WildCat with Sparano being too conservative. <-------That sentence is the entire reason for team woes since the Parcells started.

We are now under a singular philosophy, with a HC who is actually in charge of his staff and players. This philosophy is vastly different that Parcells and requires different players to implement. That's why we have turnover.

 

I will admit that I don't think Ireland is a good NFL GM. I also hope he proves me wrong and that he signs players in free agency and drafts players who can come in and turn this team around.

The only thing I have to judge Ireland on is the five years he has been the teams GM. The Dolphins have a losing record over this period of time and that is why I question his ability as a talent evaluator.
Some people want to give him a pass for the years he worked under Parcells or Sparano was the HC. I just see him as part of the trio who came here in 2008 to turn this organization around. Parcells failed and Sparano failed, and so far Ireland hasn't shown that he is any better in his job than either of these men were in their jobs.

I think it is only because so many people on here are willing to give him a free pass for his first three years with the Dolphins that he has any support at all. He now has plenty of cap money and a number of high draft picks to prove that he knows what he is doing. I hope for the sake of All Dolphin fans that he gets it right this time. I would much rather be proved wrong about Ireland than go through more losing seasons.
I only hope that after the 2013 season is completed, I can come on here and admit that I was 100% wrong about Ireland.

 

Im still here, for now.
Just hoping Teflon Jeff can shut me up this offseason.
I said at the end of the regular season that I would do my best to not bash Ireland until I see what happens during the business season.
I dont hate Ireland, hell, Im Irish.:lol: I just either want him fired or want him to start being a better GM. And Im truly hoping for the latter.