Things change quickly in the NFL. Tony Sparano wasn't operating as man whose job was in ejopardy during the 2010 season and it probably wasn't, until his owner fell in love with somebody else (Harbaugh) who shot him down.
I don't see how it is baffling in the slightest bit. Jared Odrick is a plausible BPA based on the perception at that time, and in retrospect. There are other reasons, but you can easily and reasonably put it into that context.
The Dolphins and Steve Ross JUST made a head coach change this year without changing the general manager. If that doesn't scream to you that he doesn't consider the two to be a package deal then I don't know what to tell you.
How does a coach operate like their job is in jeopardy, and how did Sparano fail to do so? The most likely thing(getting rid of Dan Henning) was done.
Thats certainly true. But at the same time I don't know if hiring a GM when a HC is already in place is the best strategy. I certainly would think a GM would prefer to make his own choice for that position.
If you read above you'll see that Stringer was indeed making that argument. He believes there will be wholesale roster turnover. I do not. Or a third possibility, that Steve Ross told Jeff Ireland that his job is safe and Jeff Ireland just did what he thought best for the team on the assumption that he'll be here. I don't know why everyone acts like if Jeff Ireland is fired in 2013 then Steve Ross had to have known he was going to do that in 2012. He very well could have felt supremely confident in Jeff Ireland in the 2012 off season and then as the 2012 season went on and the losses began piling up, changed his mind. Every time he talked about his confidence in Jeff Ireland, he tied it to his belief that Jeff has accumulated a lot of talent on Miami's roster and that it's talent that should be going to the playoffs. If that truly was the basis for his maintained faith in Jeff Ireland, and it ends up incorrect, then changing his mind about Jeff Ireland is not only plausible but inevitable.
I've long thought coaches put way too much into how a guy practices. I understand why they do it, I just think there's no substitute for game experience.
And a HC would not? All we heard about all through the coach search process, and even going back to the Jim Harbaugh fiasco, was how Miami's already having a General Manager in place handcuffed them in the coaching search. Bill Cowher will want to bring along Omar Khan. Jeff Fisher will want to have a say in who is hired. Jon Gruden will want to be the final authority on personnel.
My mistake. I don't either. What will have changed? All the same pressures that are there now have been there. If anything, Jeff Ireland is better regarded now than he had been previously.
Not even mad. I knew Ireland would be here next year. Were starting a rookie QB, the owner was fully on board with dumping Marshall, and we have an entirely new coaching staff. I can't imagine Ross believed this team would compete. A couple of weeks ago we were the NFL darlings for being 3-3 and 4-3 when all the analysts predicted that as our season win total. Jeff Ireland is coming back. He'll spend all of his draft picks that he acquired (for less than what we payed for) and he'll likely get himself a year more if that draft shows promise. Were stuck for now.
By whom? Every week we hear from analysts all over that the Dolphins aren't talented enough to compete. Bill Polian and Ron Jaworskie made specific defenses of Ryan Tannehill purely on that basis. Acquiring talent is Jeff Ireland's job and has been since 2008.
I'm not sure how you managed to read any emotional investment in that sobering look at how the future is likely to play out.
Was it a deal breaker for Rick Smith, who was hired as GM of the Houston Texans on June 5th as opposed to Gary Kubiak's being hired on January 26th? Was it a deal breaker for Jerry Reese, who was hired as GM of the Giants in 2007 whereas Tom Coughlin had already been coaching the team for three years? Was it a deal breaker for Kevin Colbert, hired the Steelers in 2000 where Bill Cowher had been head coach since 1992? Or how about Randy Mueller right here in Miami, hired by the Dolphins in 2006 after Nick Saban had already been head coach a year? Did he demand that he could fire Saban and hire someone else if he wanted? What about Ozzie Newsome? When he was promoted to GM, did he demand that he could fire Brian Billick who had been coaching there for three years and had won a Super Bowl? When Ted Thompson was hired as the GM in Green Bay did he demand that Mike Sherman be let go so he could hire his own guy right away? Was Phil Emery given that ability this year with the Chicago Bears? Or Les Snead with the Rams? All of these GMs were hired and told that the coach is the coach, but that could of course change any given year depending on how the team is performing.
How many of the successful GMs you mentioned came from outside of the organization? If you're suggesting that the Dolphins would hire from within, then I would say that is a situation where that type of thing would work, so you may have a point. But I don't know if thats a feasible option.
This is so going to be exactly 100% how it will play out. I'm going to "benchmark" this post for future reference...
Fairly certain Rick Smith was asst. GM when they hired Kubiak, before becoming GM. Reese was with the Giants before they hired Coughlin as well.
Just from those examples? Les Snead, Ted Thompson, Randy Mueller and Rick Smith all came from outside the organization. Not that I see how it matters.
You know guys, there is a chance this team goes 8-8, which - looking back to last summer - would be very welcome when you think about it. I think 7-9 is more likely, but I'm not conceding the Niner game, nor the next Pats game, which could be one of those where BB rests the starters, and we get a look at Ryan Mallet. Never been an Ireland fan, but he isn't going anywhere, and we all know it. Ross wants to see how this "new" regime of Ireland & Philbin works out, and he's not giving up on it after one year (it's not been the worst year guys when you take everything into account). And then you take the decent (if not great sometime in the future) 2012 draft into account (Tannehill, Martin, Vernon, Miller, etc.) and I can see Ross being patient. My question to you guys is, if they go 8-8, how do you feel about the general direction? Even at 7-9, while a little bittersweet given some of the losses this year that very well could've been wins, can't we at least feel we're heading in the right direction? But Omar is right in this sense. Ireland's job security is set now. Let's hope for all our sake's that Ireland gets this offseason right! That's really what we should be concentrating on!
Rick Smith was with the Texans when they hired Kubiak. Him and Kubiak apparently were good friends from their Denver days before all of that as well.
Again, one of those things we just have to sit tight and wait and see. If you believe there's a decent chance the Dolphins finish 8-8 then it's not surprising to me that you consider it unlikely Jeff Ireland is fired. Personally I see more chance the Dolphins finish 5-11 than I do 8-8. Hence, it's not surprising that I still think it more likely than not that Jeff Ireland is dismissed. However, on the subject of a possibility that Stringer just brought up, yes I absolutely do see Brian Gaine as a legitimate candidate to take over for Jeff Ireland. Not saying he should be, but I can virtually assure that he will be in the mix, especially if he can show that certain of Jeff Ireland's biggest wins (hint: think Canada) were actually more of 'his' babies.
Looks like the almost-weekly, obligatory "we just lost, so we must scapegoat Jeff Ireland for it" thread.
Not according to his profile on the Houston Texans website. Rick Smith was with the Broncos through 2005 and was hired by the Texans in June of 2006.
Admittedly, I have no idea what his responsibilities with the team exactly entail. But I would be surprised if Ross fired Ireland only to hire someone that they brought over from Dallas in 08. Certainly could happen though, as he seems to be a somewhat popular name these days.
It would only be scapegoating if it wasn't true. Team lacks top end talent. He's responsible for player acquisition. Who should we blame, oh wise one?
It will be balanced out by you and others I am sure, heaping praise on the man for being just as mediocre as 20 other guys.
For one, you aren't sure if Jeff Ireland will be back or not, yet you already believe that there won't be a wholesale roster turnover. Before I go further, what constitutes a wholesale roster turnover? Would you say it's more likely to occur with a new GM than with Jeff Ireland being retained?
Can you post links to all this praise? I'm fairly certain the most you'll find is people pointing out that Ireland is an average GM.
It would be surprising but then it also would not. It's a way to keep continuity while at the same time, making a change. Brian Gaine is as you say a guy that gets mentioned around the league for GM jobs. We don't know which wins Gaine can claim for his own but since he had until recently been head of the pro personnel department we know that the CFL was under his purview, and in fact Jeff Ireland once directly attributed Cameron Wake's signing (before Wake became All Pro) to Gaine. Gaine stopped being head of pro personnnel and became director of player personnel in 2011. Personally I think this year's free agent class has been a disaster, but it's hard to know if Gaine's promotion first to director of player personnel, then to asisstant general manager, meant he took his hands off the wheel in pro personnel. Who really knows. I'm not saying I'd hire him. I just think he'd be an automatic interview for the Dolphins and he might even be an interim GM through the end of the draft when they would try and hire someone else.
I think you're guilty of not reading through the thread, or at least not properly reading through that post. Stringer believes that Jeff Ireland has targeted the 2013 off season to engage wholesale roster turnover. I do not agree. IF Jeff Ireland is retained, I believe the off season will go exactly how I laid out. That better?
I think a big benefit from firing Ireland would be the PR. I don't think the public would be very happy to hear that they're replacing Ireland with Gaine. JMO.
