If this is true and Ireland has his nose firmly entrenched in the collectives asses of Carl Peterson and Stephen Ross, we can forget about getting Bill Cowher next season.
I don't know about actual reports of Peterson's thoughts on Jeff Ireland, but I do know that it's been discussed that Carl Peterson is the man that hired Jeff Ireland to the Chiefs in 1997 after Jeff had worked for the NFL Scouting Combine as a scout for a few years. I think there's a natural assumption that Peterson likes Ireland. But there's also an assumption that Peterson is Stephen Ross' connection to Bill Cowher, and simultaneously an assumption that Bill Cowher wouldn't want to come to Miami unless he could blow up the front office.
Trust me, the worse Miami does this year, the less bullet proof Jeff Ireland is going to end up looking. Tony Sparano may be the closest to the coals, but Jeff Ireland isn't far enough away from the fire to avoid being consumed. If the Dolphins are the team that can't beat the Browns despite all the ugly mistakes the Browns made and the fact that they were missing their biggest star player...then they'll be lucky to win 3 games this year. And if they lose that much, neither Stephen Ross nor Carl Peterson could convince Bill Cowher to come here and keep Jeff Ireland in place. And I doubt Jon Gruden would agree to it either, or any other big name Head Coach which I'm sure is what Ross will want to look for.
I don't like cheering for the #1 pick three weeks into the season but here we are. Any news on improvement out of Indy and KC?
If Stephen Ross is trying to convince a head coach to work with our GM, then there is something seriously wrong. Ross needs to make a decision on who remains in the front office, and who our GM is. Beyond that, all the decisions regarding the football team should be left up to those guys Ross has put in the FO.
The thought of a #1 overall quarterback, a young veteran ahead of him, and a talented team is enticing. It's probably reason to keep Sparano if anything.
There is however evidence that he hired fist pumper because they were buddies. He basically admitted as much.