If your'e Ross..

[zach attach]

Just for a minute, you are Ross, the team owner and not a diehard fan. You have to make decisions for upcoming seasons in regards to player evaluation, attendance, stadium renovations, and general success moving forward.

How would you, as Ross, decide on the future of Jeff Ireland? How do you evaluate him? Past drafts or future moves based on what Ireland has learned over these past years?

I'm just curious as to what makes Ross say Ireland stays or leaves. I think it's a mixture of how past picks have worked out, what Jeff's vision of the future is, and does it mesh with Ross' and Philbin's view of the future.

 

[MRojas4]

OK I'll give it a shot.

If I'm Ross, I keep Ireland, he has shown improvement and growth in the draft. Along with not falling for one hit wonder QB's in Kolb, Flynn.

Yes, the revolving door at WR is a problem but the stock pile of draft picks this year keeps me calm and hopefull for the future. We have our franchise QB in place and can now build around him, instead of building a QB around a team. I would also say 2013 season is his "deciding" year. Ireland will have a boat load of cap space to re-sign our own FA's as he sees fit or move onto other teams FA's. Also as mentioned before he has a high number of picks (5 in the first 3 rounds) to get this team going for the next decade.

Stadium attendance is a major concern, one that is also connected to the teams reputation of delivering a sub-par product that people would not spend $400 on. Once the on field product improves so will attendace. Stadium renovations are at the front of the list thought, some sort of roof to cover seating but not the field would be in the works. Also, the high profile celebrity parades would stop immediatly as the national media turns this into a sour note.



As for player evaluation, I am fairly happy with our decision making so far based on what was availalbe. We did not spend money on one hit wonder QB's that every media outlet was drooling over. Our draft last year looks solid apart from one or two late round picks (Egnew is still a toss up), also brought in some promising UDFA.

 

[Hayden Fox]

If I am Steve Ross I would have dumped Ireland as soon as Bill Polian was fired last year. Upon getting Polian, I would have allowed him to hire a coach and do whatever was possible to make Peyton Manning comfortable and bring him in Miami.

Between Polian and the new coach, Manning might have felt comfortable enough to come to Miami.

 

[2413fanphins]

If I am Steve Ross I would have dumped Ireland as soon as Bill Polian was fired last year. Upon getting Polian, I would have allowed him to hire a coach and do whatever was possible to make Peyton Manning comfortable and bring him in Miami.

Between Polian and the new coach, Manning might have felt comfortable enough to come to Miami.

Than do what when manning is done playing in a handful of years?

 

[Phins40]

I do not Think Ireland is that bad like others said this is the first time we have has a QB to build around.
Right now we have about 10 players from our last three drafts starting or getting serious playing time that was drafted by Ireland.

Im not a huge Ireland lover but I will not die if he gets one more year.
This team could go 7-9 with a rookie QB minus an all pro WR from last year.
If we finish with that record 4 ( assuming we lose to NE) of our loses would have been to the Sanfran Houston and NE twice with three of those games on the road.
And we all know about the two OT loses.

 

[Tiko377]

If I am Steve Ross I would have dumped Ireland as soon as Bill Polian was fired last year. Upon getting Polian, I would have allowed him to hire a coach and do whatever was possible to make Peyton Manning comfortable and bring him in Miami.

Between Polian and the new coach, Manning might have felt comfortable enough to come to Miami.

Polian is just like Parcells the game has passed him as well he had terrible drafts the last couple of years he was still with the colts.

theres a reason why Polian hasnt been hired yet by anyone

 

[Kdawg954]

This is tough because he should of fired Jeff Ireland after last season.

Anyway I'd still fire him. I mean have people seen the amount of TD's our WR's have this year? 3 . .. 3 damn TD's by 3 different WR's, meaning no WR has more than 1 TD this year. Outside of our top 2 WR's, no other WR has more than 6 catches. That is ****ing pathetic.

We also have 12 turnovers in 14 games and will set a new Dolphins "lack of turnovers" record this season.

It is 2012 and Jeff Ireland can't evaluate skill position players . . . maybe you could get away with that in the Parcells era back in the late 80's and early 90's but you better have talent at those skill positions in today's game or you just won't have a team to compete for higher stakes.

I know stadium renovations are a hot subject but personally I'd focus on putting a winning product on the field. That will fill seats up, especially for a fanbase that is hungry as hell for a every year contender. Once you get the support of the fans back, it just makes it easier to approach renovating/building a stadium. Nobody gives a damn what you do right now to the stadium because the teams has been losing for over a decade. As the Marlins found out, you aren't going to fill a stadium right now with a losing product, even if it is brand spanking new.

Seriously I would do my best to bring in some quality offensive talent to this team next year . .. and I'd resign Reggie Bush.

 

[Roman529]

If you are Ross you have to ask whether getting rid of Ireland would also mean Philbin would be removed by whoever comes in as GM....and then our OC (Sherman) is likely gone, and that could kill Tannehill's progression as a QB.....so I am fine with leaving things as is and hopefully Ireland will make better draft decisions.

 

[Hayden Fox]

Than do what when manning is done playing in a handful of years?

I will worry about your question while I look at my filled stadium and my Super Bowl ring.

 

[Zounds]

From a business perspective, you have to keep Ireland because the team is currently trending upward. I know many will point to a losing record, but I'll point to a franchise QB and an great salary cap situation, along with additional draft picks.

If I were Ross, I would have tried to negotiate a deal for a new stadium, rather than supplement a ****ty stadium with a half-assed water park idea.

 

[Dmarino110]

If I am ross I need to think about what makes me the most money. Attendance is big but its not what makes the most money. Its the Dolphins brand that makes me money. I need to do everything in my power to make sure people are excited about the dolphins.

1st we look at the very real possibility that Miami does not get another superbowl with its current stadium. how much money is ross willing to put into it to fix it up? is the city willing to put money into a new stadium (not likely after the marlins deal). a new stadium is a pretty good way to put buts in seats for 1 year but you need to hold them there.

2nd i need a winning product. I told Ireland to get me a QB, now he needs to gat me an exciting receiver in the draft and fa. I also tell him not to even look at OL or DL in the Draft. I want sexy picks. I want people not to say, oh look another 1.

3rd I make sure I'm back on hard knocks. it got people talking

4.????

5. Profit...

 

[Roman529]

From a business perspective, you have to keep Ireland because the team is currently trending upward. I know many will point to a losing record, but I'll point to a franchise QB and an great salary cap situation, along with additional draft picks.

If I were Ross, I would have tried to negotiate a deal for a new stadium, rather than supplement a ****ty stadium with a half-assed water park idea.

I just don't see the voters/taxpayers in Miami footing the bill for a new football stadium after the way the Marlins sold/gave away most of their top players after this past season....right after the Marlins built a new stadium downtown. It would be sweet to have a stadium like the kind Jerry Jones has in Dallas, but Ross is going to have to pay for most of it himself, and with the attendance problems in Miami I cannot see that happening for a while.

 

[Jeep]

What makes Ross money is to have the football team win!!! and IMO this cant be done with a moron steering the personnel moves.. BUT... the real question should be... Is Ross smart enough to see what a chitty GM Ireland is..? The obvious answer is NO!!

My biggest fear is Ross is going to move the team and blame the fans for not supporting the team.. Instead of supporting the fans by building a winning team..

 

[Dmarino110]

I just don't see the voters/taxpayers in Miami footing the bill for a new football stadium after the way the Marlins sold/gave away most of their top players after this past season....right after the Marlins built a new stadium downtown. It would be sweet to have a stadium like the kind Jerry Jones has in Dallas, but Ross is going to have to pay for most of it himself, and with the attendance problems in Miami I cannot see that happening for a while.

the difference is in the NFL you have to pay out 90% of your cap ...

 

[Dolphins7273]

From a business perspective, you have to keep Ireland because the team is currently trending upward. I know many will point to a losing record, but I'll point to a franchise QB and an great salary cap situation, along with additional draft picks.

If I were Ross, I would have tried to negotiate a deal for a new stadium, rather than supplement a ****ty stadium with a half-assed water park idea.

And this "franchise quarterback" that we've found, has he been playing at a superstar level? Is he gonna be named an all-pro at season's end? And yeah, keeping Ireland, who the fans have absolutely no trust in, makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Losing is what sells.