Mixed Signals on Dolphins Direction This Off Season?

[roy_miami]

If it was Irelands team as you indicate then the facts sure do not support your post. Fact Ross demoted ireland last year publicily supporting the fact that Philbin and Aponte were running the team. Fact 2 years ago Ireland supported McCoy for the job as head coach and Ross supported Philbin, Philbin was hired proving that Ross was running the team not Ireland. Fact 3 Philbins 1st and 2nd years we trade Marshall, Davis, let Bush walk, release Dansby and Burnett, chose to let Jake Long walk and Paul S. this year basically because these guys were not Philbin guys or fit his schemes. You put all those players on the team last year and we would not be having this conversation this year. Fact Parcells chose both Sporano and Ireland as his coach and GM meaning Ireland never had the opportunity to choose his own coach while the GM of the Dolphins between Parcells and Ross and thus underlining Ireland never had complete control of the team as many may want to indicate on this forum. I have been following the Dolphins drafts for 25 plus years and Irealnd has hit on everyone of his first round picks as GM and that has never been done in that time frame So if you want to believe all is sunny in south florida go ahead and hope but the facts do not support that hope.

I don't think anybody is arguing that Ross wasn't in control of who we hired as head coach. Ireland was in control of building the roster. Philbin was in control of hiring his coaching staff and preparing Ireland's roster. Philbin probably had some influence over the roster but no control and when they had disagreements over the roster it was Ireland that had the final word, i.e. control.

 

[DolfanDuBbZ~]

Did you watch the final 2 games of the season by chance? Piss poor failure and the coach needs to have a good deal of accountability for that.

Divisional opponents who have superior talent upfront, dominated in week 15 and 16? Yep, I watched those games. While you Philbin haters will hold the coach responsible. Fair minded people will understand that in the last 2-4 weeks, MIAMIs chickens were coming home to roost. You can scheme teams, but in the division, the AFCE, you can not hide the utter trash at LT,LG,RG and RT for two games.

 

[HoneyB]

How Martin found his way on the roster is irrelevant, the fact of the matter is Philbin didn't want him at LT which means it was not Philbin's team at the end of the day.

If he didn't want him at LT, then why, as the coach, did he move him from RT to LT???

If you don't think your lineman has earned a promotion, you keep him at RT, or you bench him. So obviously, with a vacancy at LT, your manager is put into the position of drafting one or buying one in FA. The reason this didn't happen is because he believed in Jonathan Martin and was too stubborn to admit he may have made a mistake, after initially supporting him.

 

[roy_miami]

If he didn't want him at LT, then why, as the coach, did he move him from RT to LT???

If you don't think your lineman has earned a promotion, you keep him at RT, or you bench him. So obviously, with a vacancy at LT, your manager is put into the position of drafting one or buying one in FA. The reason this didn't happen is because he believed in Jonathan Martin and was too stubborn to admit he may have made a mistake, after initially supporting him.

Wrong.

Last off season, coach Joe Philbin wasn't sold Martin was a capable left tackle and wanted a backup plan, two team sources said. Ireland thought the second-year player would develop and didn't make an expensive move for Kansas City veteran Branden Albert.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...nd-philbin-offensive-coordinator-mike-sherman

Andrew Abramson ‏@AbramsonPBP 3m
This is interesting: I'm told Philbin wanted to trade for Branden Albert last year but Ireland said Dolphins would be fine with Martin at LT

http://www.finheaven.com/showthread...-for-Albert-Ireland-said-no&highlight=philbin

 

[FinHopeful]

Some Phans belive that we should be rebuilding with young talet for the near future, while others want to see immediate results after many years of patience. To me, it seems like Philbin and Hickey are kinda on the fence in going both ways.

On one side, we seem to want to build through the draft, and have signed some young talent in FA. On the other hand, we have signed/re-signed older players like Grimes, Finnegen, Starks, and Albert to big contracts.

Is the combo deal the right way to go or, would it be better to go one way or the other?

You framed your initial topic as which approach is better, but I believe that strategy is not so cut and dry. There are a number of avenues for improving your team: free agency, draft, improving current players, players cut during season, and raiding practice squads. During free agency they are looking for veteran players with an edge. The young players from free agency appear to be players with opportunities to develop that are starters or near starter. I believe they wanted to improve the tenacity of the team and add people with leadership. Hickey seems to favor edgy, leadership oriented, talented, smart players in the draft. The common thread appears to be an identity for the team as a whole.

You see inconsistency. I see attempts to maximize each channel for improving the team.

 

[gregorygrant83]

I just wish some people would make up their mind. One day they're saying Ireland did a horrible job drafting and signing talent and the next they're saying the roster had playoff caliber talent and the head coach and coordinators did a poor job. Based on what I hear at finheaven the quarterback is talented but very raw, the receiver have been average or horrible, offensive line was the worst talent ever, the running backs sucked, the linebackers couldn't tackle and aside from Grimes the secondary wasn't very good either. Considering all of that, any coach that took that mess and almost made the playoffs couldn't have been that bad.

Actually posted this in the wrong for thread.

 

[insomnia411]

Divisional opponents who have superior talent upfront, dominated in week 15 and 16? Yep, I watched those games. While you Philbin haters will hold the coach responsible. Fair minded people will understand that in the last 2-4 weeks, MIAMIs chickens were coming home to roost. You can scheme teams, but in the division, the AFCE, you can not hide the utter trash at LT,LG,RG and RT for two games.

I'm not saying it's all Philbin's fault and I'm not a "hater". The reality is though that while our o line sucked, that's been established and they didn't match up well with the Jets front line, we were swept (and dominated) by Buffalo which is embrassing and as a whole we had more talent than the Jets did last year. Losing each of those games in that fashion is inexcusable and bad coaching had a lot to do with it.

 

[DolfanDuBbZ~]

I'm not saying it's all Philbin's fault and I'm not a "hater". The reality is though that while our o line sucked, that's been established and they didn't match up well with the Jets front line, we were swept (and dominated) by Buffalo which is embrassing and as a whole we had more talent than the Jets did last year. Losing each of those games in that fashion is inexcusable and bad coaching had a lot to do with it.

Upfront where it matters, Miami had no talent outside of Pouncey. None.
Coaching, does not block Mario Wiiliams.