As I said on page one, this is not surprising at all to hear. The surprising part is that some of you seem surprised by this. It was pretty apparent after Philbin was hired that Ireland was pretty much given a clean slate after the Parcells/ Sparano era. The moves Ireland made during the 2012 offseason was that of a GM with time to build and not a GM on the hot seat. Ireland always appeared to be part of the plan in 2013 unless the team completely bombed and were among the very bottom of the league. That didn't happen. In fact you could say the Dolphins exceeded national expectations since the Dolphins were originally pegged as a 1-2 win team.
2013 is the make or break it year for Ireland, it was never 2012. Five draft picks in the first three rounds and near $50 million in cap space sets up for a big offseason that will shape the team for the near future. Ireland got the quarterback in 2012 now he needs to finish building the team around him and will have major weapons at his disposal to do so. Ireland is also under contract until the end of the 2013 season, so he needs to show a lot to Ross in 2013 to prove he deserves a contract extension.
2013 is the make or break it year for Ireland, it was never 2012. Five draft picks in the first three rounds and near $50 million in cap space sets up for a big offseason that will shape the team for the near future. Ireland got the quarterback in 2012 now he needs to finish building the team around him and will have major weapons at his disposal to do so. Ireland is also under contract until the end of the 2013 season, so he needs to show a lot to Ross in 2013 to prove he deserves a contract extension.