The best way to keep Philbin/Tannehill is hire Peterson or Gaine.

[phinatic1399]

If we finish 6-10 then Ireland has to go. I think he has to go anyway. But the concern will be if we get rid of him will a new GM want his own people? One route we can take is to promote Brian Gaine. I dont know much about him other than he came from Dallas but it would insure that we keep philbin and tannehill. Another option would be to hire Carl Peterson who was a big reason we hired Philbin and said it was the best job interview he has ever been involved in so he wont get rid of philbin. Or peterson and ross can conduct a search and hire somebody new under the conditions they keep Philbin and Tannehill.

[finfanaz]

I don't think we should get rid of Ireland. He's been scouting to find replacements to fit our system all college season. I truly believe that with working under Philbins game plan, as far as the type of talent we need on the team, that his drafts will start getting better every year.

If they were to hire a new GM they would consult Philbin a lot regarding this. For the reason I stated above, you can't just bring a GM in that hasn't been recruiting for talent that fits our offensive scheme.

[Nublar7]

Carl Peterson is not the answer. In fact, Peterson is a big reason why Ireland is still here.

If Ireland is fired, which I truly think is a major if, Gaine would be the best choice for an inside hire. Other than that, unless you let Philbin pick the GM, he might not be back.

[Strangeworld]

Ireland WILL be fired... this team has ONE winnable game left on its schedule.

[Hayden Fox]

FYI, Brian Gaine and Joe Philbin have a common mentor....Kirk Ferentz. They might have a lot more in common than anyone realizes. Joe coached under Ferentz and Gaine played for the coach at UMaine in the 90's. Possible match.

Also, I disagree about the dangers of Peterson. Peterson would have a group of highly qualified executives that currently not working that had success in KC. Those that want Joe to stay should rally at the idea of Peterson being involved. There is no way Philbin would have been hired last year without the stamp of approval via Carl Peterson for Mr. Ross

[Nublar7]

Ireland WILL be fired...

The only one that can fire Ireland is Ross, and I just don't get the sense that he is looking to replace him. Ross never stood up for Sparano or Parcells, but he has placed a lot of confidence in Ireland and has backed him every step of the way. Don't be shocked if Ireland is here next offseason.

[MadDog 88]

Ireland will be back no matter the final record. He gets a pass on the rookie QBs back.

[Doctor Phibes]

Based on past history Ireland is much more likely to get an extension and a pay rise than the sack

[Valandui]

I like the Elliott Wolf idea people have been floating on here, but I think it's more likely that Gaine is promoted.

[Austin Tatious]

Gaine has worked on the pro player scouting IIRC. And that has been worse than our college scouting. I don't see how Gaine is an improvement over Ireland.

A bigger issue is we need better evaluators at certain positions. Just because a GM knows how to identify a DT does not mean he is smart about DB's or receivers. We need help with scouts who can work on DB's and receivers and do a much better job.