the entire thread is hubris Ireland is an integral part of the organization & excellent GM easier & more likely that you to leave than he is replaced
Havent had much internet these days so I havent been able to come here and defend my post, but I read most of the replies and respect the opinions however I feel Ireland has to go, and I feel it better to bring in experience with Bill Polian. Sure he was better back in the days and did not have a backup plan with the Colts but he wasnt in the urgency to get better since he had Peyton Manning. Now we could find a GM with less experience but it will take many years to wait to see if he is good or bad and it could set us back more yers.
I follow this team and this forum quite religiously. Therefore, I've long considered the ramifications of moving on to a new GM. I will say my feelings are that Ireland has not performed to a very high standard of competence in talent acquisition. He has done better on the defensive side of the ball than on the offensive side. He has also done a good job this year with putting the team in a pretty good place regarding the salary cap and with 2013 draft picks. My feeling is to give Jeff one more year for the following reasons. One, it is pretty hard to argue against the QB position being such a strong factor in winning in this league. While Tannehill shows promise he is not performing at a particularly high level currently. Except for Pennington, we have not had high level quarterbacking during the years Ireland has been here, and therefore I would give him some benefit of the doubt. If Tannehill performs strongly by next year then the team should demonstrate an upward trend which would point to vindication for Ireland. Two, we have had a significant change in the style of play offensively with Joe Philbin. We all knew, or should have known, that it was going to take more than one year to draft or acquire the types and numbers of players that will flourish in this offense. It was always a two year proposition to garner these acquisitions. I think Ireland should get the two years to work closely with Philbin to build this team, particularly on offense. Thirdly, for the sake of continuity, let Ireland have one more year. It is a critical juncture for this team, and the upheaval that would be caused by this move would be detrimental to the team at this time. Personally, I would not trust Polian to be the one to turn to if Ross decides to hire a new GM. He's had a lot of success in this league but his age scares me a bit. Also, a great deal of his success was due to Kelly and Manning. To his credit he did draft them, but they were extremely instrumental to his success. My opinion is to give Ireland one more year to take the final step in building the team under Philbin's guidance. If next year proves a disappointment then no one could rightly say he deserves to continue as GM.
I can assure you that Buffalo fans will never, ever live that down. Loosing those super-bowls crushed that town. Especially the wide-right field goal against the Giants. That was about as bad as it gets for them. I grew up in WNY and let me tell you something, if our fans had half the heart and dedication that the average Bills fan has the stadium would be full every game regardless of how bad we may be at the moment. Those people are amazing when it comes to undying dedication!!! I really can not stress it enough. Anyone else on this board from WNY could attest to what I am saying. Very similar to the Packers.
It's the same thing year after year in the NFL. Same retreads----different team. Everyone screamed for our savior Jeff Fisher. What happened to the Rams? Won't even make the playoffs (3-6). In 2 or 3 years they will still be talking about it. Fisher will do exactly what he did in Tennessee.....be average. Now that Fisher is gone Tennessee is starting to buck up. Good for them. Glad that **** didn't come here!!!
If our team of the mid 80's (with Marino, Clayton, and Duper) were afforded the same rule advantages that current QBs get, I think we would've won a few SBs.
I did not say he was a looser. I actually did a little research: Teams that were under Polian tenure: Buffalo Bills 1986-1993 81-46 Carolina Panthers 1994-1997 26-22 Indianapolis Colts 1998-2011 143-81 Interesting statistic: With Peyton Manning in place Polian/Manning went 99-29 or 77.3% win percentage. All other games played where Peyton was not part of Polian was 151-120 or 55.7% win percentage Over all factoring all games he was at the helm his Win percentage was 66.6% Not Bad I removed all the Peyton Games because I can not speculate weather those games would have been won or lost with or without Peyton.
The point I am trying to make is many fold. One of the points is complacent fans will not persuade Ross to make a change. Fans who do not show up to the game and demand excellence will not cause change. Like it or not Ross is thinking about how many T-shirts and over priced Beer he is gonna sell not necessarily building a winner immediately. It is an investment and weather Ross is willing to shell out the cash necessary to effect change rapidly remains to be seen.
I can assure you that the Bills fans are as bandwagon as it gets! Their attendence was the worst in the NFL for YEARS! Then when they finally got a good team they set an NFL record for attendance. Their stadium is huge is why that happened. Then they lost their star players and the team could hardly sell out a game. Then they got some decent players again and were picked to be a playoff team and possibly a SB contender. The fans, once again, came out in droves. The team fell flat on their faces and bills fan disapeared before the season ended. Then in 2010 they saw the worst drop in attendance in the entire AFC. Then we go to this season. They made some great signings on paper and the Bill fan came out of the closets again! Now halfway thru the season and ........................... That is the typical explanation of a bandwagon town.
One of my best friends, who happens to be a huge Jets fan, feels the same way you do about Ireland. He hopes the Dolphins sign Ireland to a new long term contract. This way he knows that the Dolphins will continue to remain the same mediocre team they have been for the past decade for at least another decade. I am sure fans of the other teams in the AFC East love the fact that Ireland is the Dolphins GM. They clearly understand he doesn't know what he is doing. Even if some so called Dolphin fans seem to think he is a good NFL GM.
If we've got a 50-50 decision that'll produce a HOF QB out of it at #1 overall, then we can call him and give him a consulting fee. I'm not sure I really trust fans of other teams to have a more informed opinion than our own fans, who aren't generally doing so hot on any number of issues.
You could use that same logic to defend Jeff Loria. Oh, well he brought in guys like Pujols last year and has probably already contacted Josh Hamilton about being the main event in his 2013 circus; he must care about winning. I think both Ross and Loria do, genuinely, want to win...but it's not their primary motivation--profits are. Winning is a bonus. Something to get your name in the papers and bolster the bank account a little. They'd be stupid not to care about winning. Objectively ignorantly stupid. When the dust settles, though, if you don't need to spend money to make money..........why spend money? One is a real estate mogul, the other an art mogul. They flip things to make money. Same concept with different products. Why would they treat their sports teams be any different when the formula is proven to work?
And where are they? Not here. Fisher, please, the guy has never done anything. Another NFL Retread that will go put up some 8-8 seasons get paid millions of dollars and the fans are supposed to be happy. Have you seen the Rams (3-6), with a "FRANCHISE QB". If Ross was 100% serious Harbaugh would be here, he could have offered him 10 mill a yr to coach but he didn't. Come on the guys a billionaire, 10 mill is like a $20 to us.
It's easy to say that on the outside looking in. I was there when the super-bowls went down. These people are crazy for the Bills, they have 7-8 dollar an hour jobs and will save there pennies to buy a bills coat that cost $200.00. They don't know if they'll be able to eat next week but hell they look good at the food pantry!!
Albert Pujols is an LA Angel, not a Miami Marlin. This describes Loria, but not Ross. I don't know where you get this notion about Ross not caring about winning from, but it's not true.
Jeff Fisher and Jim Harbaugh are Rams and 49ers, respectively. If you're going to give me a curt "put me in my place" response, you should follow the conversation so this doesn't happen to you It doesn't describe Ross? He's whoring away the team to celebrities, while grabbing a bunch of TMZ-worthy knuckleheads like Marshall, Bush (although, I admit, Bush exceeded my expectations), and Ocho Cinco. Where has this team gone under Ross's ownership? It's consistent mediocrity accompanied by horrid attendance for one of the NFL's best franchises in history. Ross is not the worst owner in the NFL, nor is he as bad as Loria... but they share a key trait: they're better at making money off their teams than winning with them. Lets see him bring in a real GM and cede control. Lets see him invest some more in the NFL's oldest stadium without renovations. Lets see him open the wallet to bring Miami football back to greatness. Tannehill will be a great player. I don't want to see his career ruined because Ross doesn't care what happens on Sundays.
Are you guys saying Ross doesn't care about making money?? That this is only a side gig. Part time? Things are getting worse fellas, not better; if you haven't noticed. I'm talking about attendance, concession sales, etc. If you want to win you got to shell out the Denero', the moola, the change. Screw all this nonsense of Jeff Fisher and Alex Smith and they other guys brought here to appease the fans. If Ross really wanted to get it done Harbaugh would be our coach and Peyton Manning our QB, and money would have been no object coming from a guy that's a multi Billionaire And before you guys can respond, personally I prefer Tecmo Bowl
Ross is a billionaire on paper, it doesn't mean he has that kind of cash. His holdings are mostly in real estate and I imagine he's not worth but maybe half of what he was worth in 2008 when he bought the team.
He tried to get those guys, didnt work out but I think plan B is working out fine, with Philbin and Tannehill. Give them time. They already won more games then most people though they would this season anyway. Dolphins went to be the laughing stock in the NFL to a decent football team with a bright future. Dolphins were suppose to be Chiefs and Browns bad...they are a lot better then that
yes, because that's the only thing he's ever done right in his entire career... it's truly a wonder how he was promoted to be president/gm for the colts after his stint with the expansion panthers.
i just don't know where to begin. this is like tapping on the side of a gorilla cage, while dressed in a banana suit.
Its funny thing sports, no fan base is happy. Yeah when your team wins the super bowl you are happy from that moment-preseason, after that its we are great after a win, we suck after a loss
Which part of it? Bringing in Marshall at a time when we had no team leader? He's a talent, but a head case. If you are in favor of that, in hindsight, I'd say you're the one stuck on madden, son. OchoCinco? He was washed up despite being rated highly in your game. Not being able to catch Tom Brady passes proved that. Signing Reggie Bush? At a time when he was viewed as a complete bust and a perpetual injury risk? There being more people wearing orange seats to the game than Dolphin jerseys? Which part? Let me fix my logic so that I can get your approval.
Well, for starters Sport, Ross didn't make those decisions. Its beyond ignorant and actually dipping a toe into the waters of duh, to attribute those moves to Ross. Tell you what, prove that bunk, then we'll talk, until then..well...Thanksgiving just happened so maybe there's still a seat at the kids table for ya'.
if we ever win a super bowl I'm going to freeze time... literally... I'm going to freeze myself to preserve the feeling.
