http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sport...hats-on-dolphins-gm-jeff-irelands-agenda.html It's that time of year again - here he goes. Enjoy -Cobrajet
I think Ireland has matured nicely and seems much less smug and far more relaxed during this off season. He excels at disguising what he is looking at and sometimes he has say a bunch of things that he knows aren't true to throw everyone off the scent. Rest assured that he knows everything possible about everyone possible in this draft. I see us drafting universal Interior Linemen, fast Running Backs / Kick Returners and Free Safety's this year to fill our gaping needs. The QB draft is weak and could be a complication. If it were me I'd sign our QB's and keep them until next year. Next years QB draft class is much better.
Hard to tell Bro, we have no idea if Garner, Incognito and McQ will be back, or how much they are counting on them, or Carey's health, there is behind the scenes stuff that we will never know about that makes predictions difficult. I think Irish would dearly love a trade out of the #15, and then pick up a LG and DE/OLB in rd #2. For me, it is plain as day, if the running game is not fixed it will be a looonnng season in 2011.
Garner and McQ are probably done and Carey is washed up. It all starts on the OL so we will be drafting guys who can do multiple jobs at those positions. I also see us trading down. 2011 will be a looonnng season regardless. We have wat too many holes and issues to fill this year.
Mark my words; one or maybe even two of these guys will be Miami Dolphins in the spring. This is a deep draft at all OL positions and many very talented linemen will go undrafted because of it. Stefen Wisniewski, C/G, PennState Mike Pouncey, G, Florida Marcus Cannon, G, TCU John Moffitt, G/C, Wisconsin Will Rackley, G/OT, Lehigh James Carpenter, G/OT, Alabama Carl Johnson, G/RT, Florida Ireland has got to be drooling over this draft. It is the ideal draft to rebuild an ailing offensive line. This is an offensive line coaches dream come true. We are gonna make holes so big anyone could run the ball through them. PS: If Mark Ingram is there at #15 we'd be stupid not to grab him, if not, we should trade down. If Ingram is there at #15 and we pick elsewhere, please sent the paramedics to my house. I'll either kill myself or have a heart attack.
Eh, Top 8 defense, nice Wr corps, we are not THAT far away. And no one knows what the deal is with any of those players I'd suspect we see some signings this week as players weigh whether or not they want to head into a lockout with no roster spot and no contract. Ross will spend money, Ireland won't overpay.
Really surprised they have not at least tendered Garner because under the best of scenarios, he is a RFA. In the long run it may not mean anything but other teams are starting to do it. I agree, between the time the combine ends and the CBA is done, I imagine we will see a flurry of signings around the league and some if not a lot, of tenders on RFA. The ones that KNOW other teams are interested in them, which I am sure every agent has written down by now and what they are offering, will be willing to role the dice on a roster spot and wait for FA to start.
I will never figure out why free agency happens after the draft. It just makes everything so hard on everyone, and this year will be especially goofy because of the looming lockout. I envy anyone working in any front office who has a brain big enough to figure this whole thing out.
Usually FA starts the first week of March and RFA have until right around the draft to sign their tenders. Not sure UFA starts by usually by draft time, all UFA that wanted to move to other teams or have been offered far more by other teams, have already moved on by draft time.
Maybe it's just the change alone that makes people uncomfortable about it? I don't have a problem with FA starting post draft. Infact, I kinda like the idea. The draft is supposed to be your future, while FA is your short term fixing of holes (usually anyway), so this year's draft/FA order seems to fit that line of thinking as priorities go. Maybe the negative aspect for FA coming later would be on the players, and not the fans, as we may not see the FA frenzies like we saw in the past. Who knows.
I like what he has to say about RBs. Sounds like he gets it. The days of drafting a RB to be the focal point of your team and count on him as a workhorse are effectively over, IMHO as long as the NFL keeps modifying the rules to accommodate the passing game. Taking a RB in the first round is a luxury teams without an established QB can't afford. Just my opinion, but I think Ireland might share this opinion. At least in regards to the value a RB has.
If anything the time of the passing game being seen as the only way is coming to an end, the NCAA is no longer producing 330 to 350 pd Dlinemen who can run stuff, they are producing longer, leaner players to..get after the Qb, which is why a power running game makes more sense now more than even 2 yrs ago. Ireland hopefully is blowing smoke, or of course we can just wait for Chad Henne to morph into Peyton Manning.
Even if what you say is true, money is the reason the league makes and enforces rules to favor the passing game. So while defense could catch up to dominate passing games in the future, the cat and mouse game will continue and the league will make more rules to make passing even easier. In my opinion.
There is no correlation between defensive penalties and losing ballgames. What I'm saying is if a Franchise tries to take advantage of such a rule change, first they must realize that there are likely to be 20 other teams doing the same thing, if not more, meaning that Franchise is stuck in that line for everything from Free Agents, to Draftees, to Coaches, however if a Franchise takes note that opponents are gearing up for more passing, the opportunity is to move in the different direction, to not focus on rule changes but to focus on how to defeat the teams that change the the types of talent they bring in. For example, if you were in a division with the Colts, you'd want smaller, quicker defenders to counter their passing game along with the Texans, now what happens when they play a power running team outside of their division? That is how the Jets beat the Colts in Indy, smaller and quicker defenders got steamrolled by a power running game.