I don't really like Jason Cole, but he made great points about why it would likely be a mistake to part ways with Jeff Ireland at this point. It echoed a lot of what I have been saying throughout the season that firing Jeff Ireland is much more than just changing GMs. A new GM is probably going to want his own coach and not inherit Joe Philbin. A new GM/Head Coach might have a different philosophy than the west coast offense and 4-3 defense that was just established this season. That could mean Ryan Tannehill doesn't fit into the plans of the new GM/Head coach and that certain other players like Wake, Soliai, etc. may not fit what they want either.
It is funny because last season when Sparano was on the hot seat I mentioned that just because we are changing head coaches doesn't mean that the team was going to be headed in the same direction philosophically and even mentioned that guys like Cameron Wake and Brandon Marshall might not fit what the new head coach wanted. I got laughed at and called "blind" and all the other insults in the book for even saying that. Obviously Wake stayed and got an extension, but free agency wasn't even a minute old when Marshall got shipped out of town.
As much as people don't like Ireland and say "He has been here for 5 years" and "We haven't made the playoffs in 4 years", etc. firing him now could be massive mistake and basically kill any momentum and development this team gained this past offseason and regular season. I am not a "fan" of Jeff Ireland but I also agree with guys like Cole, Brandt, Joe Rose, etc. that we should probably stay the course and continue building on what we have, especially now that we have our franchise quarterback in place. Firing Ireland and replacing him with a new GM at this stage will almost be like hitting the re-set button for the second straight year and create even more dysfunction within the front office. Continuity for once might be the best route, even if that means staying with a guy that fans are not real thrilled with.
People may not be sold on his drafting, but it really hasn't been that bad and I think the 2012 class was very good. Of course people always want to zero on Egnew because he hasn't been active, but the early rookie returns have been pretty good. No one is dominating at their positions, but not many rookies do. Some do, but not most. Six of the nine draft picks have contributed in some way this season and it will probably be seven of nine assuming Egnew plays this weekend.