Jeff Ireland good at drafting but sucks when it comes to free agents...why?

[So Be]

not to me. a player your own team drafted that never leaves (even though his contract expires and he is technically free for however long) is not the same as bringing in another team's veteran player in free agency (no matter how many times it happens). while i feel that it is very important to retain your own players and know which ones to re-sign and which ones to let go, they are still your players, brought up through your organization. i also see a distinction between another team's free agent and cam wake coming from canada. i further see a distinction between signing undrafted college players and signing veteran free agents. i take your point as ireland having a somewhat poor track record at signing other teams' veteran free agents, but knowing which UDFA's to sign (which i see as more an extension of the college draft), and mining other leagues for talent (cam wake, marcus thigpen) is somewhat different, and ireland has found good players in those avenues.

I do understand your thinking, and put a ? on Soliaia for the same reason. I also agree that Wake and Bess are kinda different, and kinda the same as a standard FA. They were also a whole lot cheaper, a good thing.

My disagreements with Ireland in FA were Winston and Manningham this past off season, and RT, along with FS the year before, when there were a number of options at both positions. He may have gotten lucky on Martin taking what would have been Winston's place but, that was it on these four positions. Naanee was the worst rated WR the year before, and Columbo was there with him. I could not believe those signings, with what was available, and we lost a year with Jones at FS, where he did not belong.

That being said, when I look at what I believe Ireland has done, he has been average, so far.

*I have to give some credit to this thread. It's one of the VERY few where there are many good posts and points instead of pointless rants on Ireland.

 

[iambanned]

I do believe our big FA acquisition has to be the WR because it's rare for rookie WRs to have an impact, and we NEED impact ASAP out of a WR. I mean, look at Justin Blackmon. That guy is a stud but was invisible for the first 1/2 of season.

 

[So Be]

I do believe our big FA acquisition has to be the WR because it's rare for rookie WRs to have an impact, and we NEED impact ASAP out of a WR. I mean, look at Justin Blackmon. That guy is a stud but was invisible for the first 1/2 of season.

That's what I would do. Bowe, Jennings, and Wallace look like they will be available in FA, and there is nothing at CB or Pass rush there. I think we can also add a good OL as well. Then a CB at the top of the draft.

 

[PALMA]

Until Ireland hits on some dynamic playmakers - ballhawkers, explosive receivers that get separation on anyone, beastly rusher.... I will call Ireland a failure.

We can't rely on Hartline or Bess to get us over the top, especially Bess. We love him, coaches love him, but there's no way he had a chance to catch Tanehill's 1st and 10 beauty down the sideline at the end of the game against the Colts. Bess did all he could, but a studlier guy makes that play to put us in a position to win. Bess = 8 - 8.

The Jeremy Kerleys, Denarius Moores, T.Y. Hiltons, Antonio Browns are all in the draft, we need to stockpile on these guys. Ireland gives too much credit to his own guys, waiting until it's too late to dump them and move on.

 

[So Be]

Until Ireland hits on some dynamic playmakers - ballhawkers, explosive receivers that get separation on anyone, beastly rusher.... I will call Ireland a failure.

We can't rely on Hartline or Bess to get us over the top, especially Bess. We love him, coaches love him, but there's no way he had a chance to catch Tanehill's 1st and 10 beauty down the sideline at the end of the game against the Colts. Bess did all he could, but a studlier guy makes that play to put us in a position to win. Bess = 8 - 8.

The Jeremy Kerleys, Denarius Moores, T.Y. Hiltons, Antonio Browns are all in the draft, we need to stockpile on these guys. Ireland gives too much credit to his own guys, waiting until it's too late to dump them and move on.

Would you consider Tannehill a dynamic play maker? I would. :)

 

[Kistner10]

Hartline and Bess are better than Kerley and Hilton....

 

[circumstances]

I do understand your thinking, and put a ? on Soliaia for the same reason. I also agree that Wake and Bess are kinda different, and kinda the same as a standard FA. They were also a whole lot cheaper, a good thing.

My disagreements with Ireland in FA were Winston and Manningham this past off season, and RT, along with FS the year before, when there were a number of options at both positions. He may have gotten lucky on Martin taking what would have been Winston's place but, that was it on these four positions. Naanee was the worst rated WR the year before, and Columbo was there with him. I could not believe those signings, with what was available, and we lost a year with Jones at FS, where he did not belong.

That being said, when I look at what I believe Ireland has done, he has been average, so far.

*I have to give some credit to this thread. It's one of the VERY few where there are many good posts and points instead of pointless rants on Ireland.

i agree with most of your points. i could point to the free agent signings of starks, dansby and burnett, the trades for fasano and bush (for nothing or close to nothing), the refusal to sign orton or flynn, as examples of good moves regarding veteran players, but there is no dispute he failed the RT position last year, the WR position this year, the safety position in previous years. let's hope that some of this year's lack of free agent signings was at the request of philbin, and going forward there will be much greater success in our limited participation (as i imagine it will be) in veteran free agency.

 

[flynryan15]

Everyone should be concerned if Ireland can adapt to Philbins philosophy can he check his who? If not all those draft picks are square pegs in round holes.

 

[allsilverdreams]

its hard to say anything good about irelands drafting he has only been on his own one year and that was the 2011 draft .i think phiblin had a lot of say in 2012 draft and will prob have the power to pull the trigger for ireland in the following years

 

[circumstances]

i disagree. i look at 2011 and 2012 as equal. the GM should collaborate with his head coach regarding the direction of the team, but the GM does ALL the trigger pulling. not 99.9%. 100% (in my opinion). head coaches don't actively scout college players regularly, nor do they work closely with the scouting staff during the entire college season (meaning now) and after as the GM does. they can't. they are too busy coaching.

 

[utahphinsfan]

Peyton Manning is the obvious exception. All the actions after that Manning derby and comments from Ireland and Philbin point to drafting players and developing them then being big players in the free agency market. Don't be surprised when most of that $50 million cap space goes to retaining players and not a lot of big name free agents from other teams. They might add some low level depth type players in free agency, and maybe they make a run at one big name guy, but the team will be built through the draft.

Agreed.

I heard a rumor that Peyton will be 1 and done. Osweiler is not ready; it sucks to be a donkeys fan.

Regardless, not going all in for Manning and drafting Tannehill was, to quote the old knight in the 3rd Indiana Jones, choosing wisely.

 

[whizafriz]

I wouldnt say Ireland's drafting has been great.
Tannehill was a no-brainer and best available QB.
Of all the other picks, Id say Lamar Miller was the safest one. The rest are either up and down, or not seeing the field.
Ireland does Great with undrafted value picks, like Thigpen and Davone Bess. It's the 2nd-4th rounds that he needs to do a better job with. We take marginally OK players for too high of value.