Letting Ireland stay is extremely risky for very little reward imo. I seriously think some of the more respected Finheaven posters could do as good a job as Ireland.
As fans we often see only the negatives of those in leadership roles. We expect certain things and don't realize how hard it is to get those things accomplished without over paying for them. Too often we fold to the knee jerk actions that say pay whatever we have to pay to get a player that MIGHT help a position of need, even if it damages our future.
Fans often think about a GM only as a person who sits behind a desk and judges talent. When in truth it is more the logistics and framework of decisions made that make a good GM. It is not just about bringing a player in but understanding how they fit in with the direction of the team/lockerroom, and even the cap for the next few years that matter. I read it once shortly after they implimented the salary cap that a GM would now be judged as much by the players they DIDN'T bring in as the ones they did. And you have to say he has been very good at staying away from players, that alot around here wanted, that turned out to be bust.
Another important role of a GM is to contol the team's cap. This works hand in hand with not bringing in too many big name FAs that are signed to longterm contracts. But again he was unwilling to sign offseason players, this past year, that might not work out when he understood that his young QB needed a year to mature. We all knew that this was not going to be a superbowl year, but next year we were going to have room to make some moves that could give us a shot at being contenders. Now going into the offseason we have probably the best cap/draft outlook of any team in the league. To be honest that kinda scares me because I haven't loved either his drafts or his FA decisions. But bottom line is he suffered through being fugal to get to this positions, even at the cost of taking a lot of heat. So IMHO he deserves a chance at spending the equity he has established.
One more quality that has to be respected is his negotiation skills. He NEVER gets taken. He gets the best of every deal. He is nobodys bit*h. I absolutely LOVED the way he handled the RT contract. That was a perfect example of him sticking to his guns to insure his owner/team got the best possible deal for the future(a future that might not even include himself), yet at the same time being flexible enough to allow the player not miss too much time, while being willing to meet them half way. That may not seem like a big deal but it isn't as easy as it seems when every moron with a newspaper is out saying you are being too tough, or hurting the team or all the other knee jerk reactions. The Vontae deal was another. We got to see behind what made the decision. He was more than willing to keep the player until the offer got WAAAY beyond the players worth. And even more important was that he UNDERSTOOD the players worth. NOT what we paid for him but what he was worth NOW. He got WAY more than he was worth.
Having said all that I will say that I am on the fence with Ireland. There would not be a word said by me if he were removed, AND someone BETTER came on board. But I personally think that is an extreme long shot. Even if there were a better judge of talent, (which wouldn't be THAT hard to find) there are so many other things that Jeff does VERY well that another GM could be worse. I think we are better off standing pat one more year. If Jeff blows chunks with the equity he has created it will be easy to send him off down the road after next year. Even though I will be holding my breath during the draft, and will break something if we don't get a WR with one of our first 3 picks, I think he should be kept on at least one more year.
Less than 1 in 4 NFL GMs have the support of their fan base. People only see the negative. And no matter WHO they bring in, most of the fan base will be against him in less than two years. So while Jeff has not been perfect (by a longshot) he is the best GM we have had in the last 20 years IMO. He has done a lot right.
Like I said I won't jump off a bridge if he is canned at the end of the year (though I really don't see it happening), I WILL be the first to be as critical of every decision the NEW GM makes as some on here are towards Jeff.
