Well now we're getting into behind-the-scenes matters that nobody knows about for sure. Either way, this regime is starting off with a highly-touted QB and is therefore pointed in the right direction IMO. It's entirely possible that Philbin and company convinced Ireland that this was the way to go, and Ireland's flexibility in responding to his coaching staff's wishes was responsible for the pick of Tannehill. Either way, you have what appears to be a coaching regime and a GM who are on the same page and moving forward in a good direction.
You're simplifying the situation too much. "Right now" wasn't only the result of not having a young stud QB, and "right now" also isn't a position in which the only thing we're lacking is a young stud QB. We have glaring holes at multiple fronts, we have positions that are a perpetual work in progress despite heavy (one might even say absurd) investments to those positions, and we have ignored some areas to the point of gross negligence. When Henne busted, we at least knew that it was on him (though some people still seem to prefer Sparano and Henning), if Tannehill busts, it'll be on a regime that gave him literally the worst WR corps in the league, a receiving TE project and a RT everyone knew would have issues making the transition from LT.
The same guy is building a team for a different coach, who runs different schemes, and has different positional priorities and archetypes.
And if all that happens, there will be a legitimate reason for firing Ireland. At this point, however, the team is pointed in the right direction the best it can be, and it's possible that the personnel is sufficient to help it turn the corner. We have to wait and see.
If a coaching scheme and blueprint was as pertinent to talent acquisition as some people infer, then maybe we shouldn't have the talent acquisition done but someone who has pretty much zip all experience in any other scheme than the Parcells one
That's not the argument and your continued misrepresentation of that argument proves you haven't actually paid attention and your analysis of the state of this team is based on pure emotion...like a teen girl....watching Twilight.
I'd rather him do that to. I don't think he had a choice when Parcells was here. I think he found exactly what Parcells was looking for but the problem was what Parcells was looking for was outdated.
Well, that's the point where we'll have to agree to disagree. With the exception of Ryan Tannehill, and to a degree the addition of Marshall (whom I hoped would play safety), I like neither draft nor offseason. Time will tell, but I'm pretty sure we're in for a train wreck season.
Maybe, but I don't think that the process of acquiring or judging talent is significantly different, just the priorities.
Well, if a guy wasn't particularly good at something he at least had significant professional experience in (outdated as it may have been), what makes you think he's going to be good at something he's never done before? When you discount his working under Parcells, then there's literally no body of proof that he's even an average GM.
Oh I agree that it'll be a train wreck season. But in the end I think you'll be able to chalk it up to future improvement, in that we'll have developed a QB and a team culture. I think we have to remember that the drafting of a QB in the first round and the starting of him in his rookie season represents a major team overhaul that calls for patience and the recognition that the team's priorities have now become the establishment of a QB and a team culture. This season will be a "win" IMO if Tannehill looks promising and the team appears to be playing from the position of a culture of hard work and professionalism. At that point the foundation will be laid for huge strides forward next year and the year after.
Ireland has already publicly accepted responsibility and said that if fans want to blame him for everything from 2008-10, they can. Even if you set that aside, Ireland was gushing about Jake Long after drafting him, referring to him publicly as the best player in college football for what was then the past two years.
Oh, that's nice and dandy in theory, but reality is, if Tannehill loses game after game and looks exactly like the raw rookie with 20 college starts that he is, then we will take a long hard look at Matt Barkley next season - possibly under a new regime. I'd be all for giving the young QB the time and game situations he needs to develop, but when you surround that rookie with few weapons and a shaky right side, life in the NFL often dictates that you can look for the next rookie. If this team goes Cam Cameron (not that I say it will, but one would have to wear pretty rosy glasses to discount the possibility) or Cam Cameron light, then Miami will be in full 'blow up everything' mode next season.
I think if Philbin and Ireland and company had been given any indication by Ross that they were on that short a leash, you'd see Matt Moore starting rather than Ryan Tannehill. They'd be letting Ryan Tannehill develop on the bench while they try to win enough games to lengthen their leash a bit.
It doesn't have anything to do with a short leash. Cameron and Mueller weren't on a short leash by Huizanga either; heck, the guy didn't even fire Dave Wannstedt. But when things get ugly and a high profile option turns up (Chucky, for instance), the leash gets short by default and happenstance. And Ross is no Huizenga.
Just guessing here, but I think Ross is probably of the mind that Ryan Tannehill's development is the top priority here. We could play poorly as a team, and if Ryan Tannehill develops and looks promising, that will buy the staff additional time, as well as put the butts in the seats that are a concern to Ross. Tannehill could have a very good year for a rookie, and this team could be poised to make a huge splash in free agency and the draft, surround Tannehill with lots of talent in a hurry, and make that the sales pitch to the fans who would then buy tickets, satisfy Ross, and buy Ireland and Philbin more time. Now, your point is well-taken, in that Tannehill may not have enough surrounding talent to develop to that extent this year, but I'm hopeful.
Oh, hope springs eternal, so I'm totally with you. I'm just not convinced that putting yourself in a position where hope is one of your best buddies is a sensible course of action for a franchise
I think you are putting more of the overall team result on Ireland than is warranted. After winning about a third of its games over the 4 years before he got here, the Dolphins have won about half since he has been here. That has been accomplished with a sub-par first time head coach (Sparano), no elite QB, injuries to the starting QB 3 games into 2 of the last 4 seasons, etc. It seems fairly clear that the current WR situation is due to a HC/OC who don't feel they need (and maybe don't even want) a "No. 1 receiver." Philbin clearly had a hand in the Marshall trade and the rationales behind it (which were his) seems to be the same reason we didn't chase any of the numerous quality WRs in the free agent class. What Ireland seems to understand, many here don't: the GM's job is to serve the coaching staff and provide them with the kinds of players they want and will use. Philbin made it clear he didn't need or want a No. 1 receiver. Maybe his mind is changing and maybe they'll no try to get one, but everything Philbin said before indicated that was where he was coming from. The major draft resources we have spent on the OL are still here and still pretty good (Long and Pouncey). The prior regime had certain types of OLs that they wanted and that is what Ireland tried to supply them with. As it happened, both Jake Grove and Justin Smiley basically had career ending injuries. They both played pretty well when they played though. John Jerry is still here, but he was a Sparano-style OL, not a Philbin-style guy. In terms of pass rush, the Dolphins have the 6th most sacks in the NFL since Ireland has been here, so the pass rush has been pretty good overall. Cam Wake is one of the top 5 pass rushers in the NFL. Sure, it would beher pass rush stud on the other edge, but the truth is not many teams have that. How many teams have 2 double digit sack guys? Maybe 3-4 at the most. We are only 3 games into the preseason and none of our edge rushers has played more than 6 quarters of football. It is a little early to be complaining about that yet. Criticizing the pick of Egnew because he came from a school that has produced two 3rd and 4th round TEs that didn't work out is more than just a little silly, for obvious reasons (not to mention that the school did produce arguably the best receiving TE of all time, Kellen Winslow).
I guess I'm not being clear or the Ireland haters need to pay attention, because the stance is not being understood. I'll try again: - Ireland picked the players. (Except for the ones we know for a fact Parcells did, like White). He did this all without Parcells over his shoulder or pulling his strings or without his hand up his *** to make him talk. - Ireland did the deals, trades, etc. He did this all without Parcells over his shoulder or pulling his strings or without his hand up his *** to make him talk. - However all of that was done based on what Parcells was looking for in players. Is that really so hard to understand? Really? Example: I don't think Parcells told Ireland to draft Henne. I think Parcells had Ireland look for a QB that fit his blueprint and Henne fit it perfectly.
What I don't get is how a team with no bigtime playmakers on either sde of the ball has very little cap space. He should be fired just for grossly mishandling the cap while having mediocre to below average talent on the roster.
I believe we are in a pretty good cap position come next season....as far as quality players goes, that's a big problem.
No, it's not. But what you seem to fail to understand (or I fail to get across) is that Ireland's familiarity with the Parcells blueprint is what got him his job to begin with. His major body of work and work experience comes from leaning on this (or a similar) blueprint. It's what he's good at because it's what he's been doing. Now, if talent acquisition and coaching systems/schemes were indeed as intertwined as has been suggested, then wouldn't we do well to find a GM who has experience in the Philbin blueprint? Especially considering that our current one wasn't exactly a booming success in the system he was really familiar with? You're wrong on the "Ireland hater" part, by the way, and I would appreciate you not putting me in a silly category that says a lot more about the people who do the labeling than it does about the ones being labeled
But that doesn't excuse him for the crap he has put on the field since he's been here. And I think all the "Ireland haters" want to know is why he was spared. He should have been shown the door with Sparano.
It's not like Parcells religiously adhered to his blueprint when the need or opportunity to do something different arose. But I guess what I'm wondering about is this: If Ireland drafted according to the Parcells blueprint when Billy was here, and then according to what Sparano wanted, and is now doing moves according to the Philbin blueprint ... what the heck is his blueprint? Because as much as GM and coach need to be on the same page, I'd like a GM who knows what he wants, knows which players/positions he's comfortable evaluating and knows where to put a premium and where not.
You're misunderstanding I think. The blueprint dictates the type of player to acquire. It doesn't change an evaluation processes, it changes the priority of the attributes. Odrick (based on preseason games) is miscast for his role this year. He would have been (and this is opinion) dominate in the same role he played last year if he played it this year. Does that make him a bad pick, or even an average pick? Do you have a problem with the value that Ireland gets with his trades? The price he pays for free agents? Those would be job components that would be completely independent of the Parcells blueprint. I am not saying that Ireland is great at his job. I just want to see what he does with Philiban to see what he is. I think the Parcells blueprint was not good for today’s NFL, so I don’t solely judge Ireland by the team he assembled to meet those requirements.
I want a GM to build for his coach. His coach is the subject matter expert when it comes to the schemes and such. The GM needs to be able to evaluate and draft for the schemes properly, get value when it comes to trades, get value for free agents, and find those preverbal acorns. But, he needs to do all that with what his coach wants in mind. The jury is still out for me when it comes to Ireland. That's probably becuase of Parcells though. I don't think you should minimize the impact he had on the team, top to bottom.
As I'm well aware. But I do happen to think that it changes the evaluation process quite dramatically, because you're in the business of identifying different attributes. When you've never really looked for an undersized Tampa 2 linebacker, for instance, you're going to have to change the way you're evaluating linebackers. It's not just a different priority of attributes, it's also about the (right) combination of attributes. I wouldn't call Odrick a bad pick, I just wonder how good Ireland would be at identifiying prime 4-3 DE pass rushers since he's hardly ever done that before. There are hardly any GMs who are adept at all positions; most do really well in some aspects and rather poorly in others. Ireland, for instance, really had a knack at finding good 3-4 ends and tackles. Well, those we don't quite need anymore. Is he, on the other hand, able to identify WRs that fit a west coast scheme when his teams never really ran a west coast scheme? I don't know. Do you?
I don't. I want a GM to have a very clear idea about how to compose a team, and then go ahead and find a coach who shares the same vision and, for a lack of a better term, blueprint. Or to use the Tuna's old food analogy: A good cook should be able to make me a good meal if I'm giving him prime ingredients
Nope, hence my saying the jury is still out. For someone to say that he sucks... they are also saying that they know.
If it you do understand it, then you'll no longer classify my stance along these lines: ok? Now you're not entirely correct about why Ireland got the job.
