The Ireland Mythology Index

[LANGER72]

Agreed. I could also take facts to prove that Ireland has been a Top 15 GM in this league. All that's proving is that Ireland has been average and our continued mediocrity (6-10, 7-9, 8-8) helps to prove that. Also, how bad was Sparano and co. in harnessing any talent provided to them. I also could care less about whether Ireland stays or go's, a GM is important but unless you have the other pieces in place, a good GM could end up being worthless.

In my opinion, our focus as fans should be on evaluation of our rookie coach and QB. These next 6 games are going to be very critical in determining whether or not we are on the right path.

I disagree. The Coach and QB should be part of the equation, not the focus.

We have too many holes and a lot of picks in the next draft.

Do you trust Ireland with those picks?

I absolutely do not!

[registeredguy]

**** Bill Parcells.

[SkapePhin]

I disagree. The Coach and QB should be part of the equation, not the focus.

We have too many holes and a lot of picks in the next draft.

Do you trust Ireland with those picks?

I absolutely do not!

Do you trust the next guy? At the very least, Ireland has proven that his 1st round picks aren't total wastes like previous regimes here. There are no Jamar Fletchers or Jason Allen's on his résumé. There is no guarantee the next guy will even perform as well as Ireland. But like I said, I certainly won't shed tears if Ireland goes. I think people thinks he is a lot worse than he really is, when in reality he is average. Average GMs can put together championship teams under the right conditions.

[Etuoo33]

Did I miss something? Isn't Tannehill and Bush in the play maker category. B. Marshall was, but he also brought too much negativity to the table. As for free agents in the Ireland only time frame, I notice he has NOT broken the bank to get any one free agent. Yes there have been what I would call "budget free agents" signed and there has been some you could make the arguement that some like R. Marshall was an overpaid bust, just as you could say that Wake or Thigpen were bargain basement steals. Nice write up though!

[Alm1ghty]

This is perhaps the best post I've seen on here in a while... Thank you Spesh for such a great read.

[petefins]

Email this to Ross.

[Cleetus]

You did well confirming what I have believed for a while with facts yet it seems that even a well thought out fact based argument will not be enough for some on this board to see the light. I can only hope that Ross goes through the same process that you did and can reach that conclusion

[spiketex]

Good article based on facts and data. Small detail for correction, Austin Spitler is still on the team roster...

[raving]

First of all, proof is in the pudding! This version of the Dolphins STINKS! Like the past 10 versions of the Dolphins....

I definitely blame Ireland...And everyone else who has in their own way contributed to our STINKINESS!

Get him out of here. He had his chance. If we want to call him average fine - I know there are a lot of other guys out there that can do this SO much better. Maybe one of them is listed in your original post - maybe not. But get someone ELSE in here and give them a chance.

[mfish41]

The thing about GMs, is that practically EVERY fanbase thinks their GM sucks... until they win the Superbowl.

Case Study: Ted Thompson

Ted Thompson was a reviled figure in Green Bay in the days leading into Favre's retirement, and the circus that ensued. He continued to be reviled, and fans made case after case of his futility, until the Packers squeeked into the Playoffs at 10-6 and rode that to a Superbowl victory.

Just browse through this petition (that was made before their Superbowl victory) for some true gems from "knowledgeable" fans:
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The same can be said of many more GMs throughout the league.

Jerry Reese (2 time Superbowl winner) -
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Mike Tannenbaum - Once toast of the town in NY after back-to-back AFC Championship games, now has attained "Fireland" status from the fanbase:
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Scott Pioli - Remember the GENIUS who put together the Patriots Dynasty? Ya, he is getting run out of KC after a horrendous tenure.

The fact is, there is SO much that goes into the performance of a GM. A lot of that goes unseen until the perfect storm conspires to bring the team on a run. IMO, a lot is determined on the coaching staff's ability to develop the drafted players, and the QB to elevate the play of all the players on the team and mask the deficiencies. That is why Pioli (and Belichick) looked like genius in NE, but looks like an oaf in KC.

Is Ireland great? No, but he has shown to be at least middle-of-the-road to adequate, like the vast majority of GMs in the league. That "adequate" talent acquisition could turn into a Superbowl winner if the right circumstances come into a play and you have that one ingredient to make it all work. In most cases, that ingredient is superior QB play.

If Ireland is run out of town, could we get a GM that brings in better talent than him? Yes, but the odds are that the next GM will perform similarly to Ireland, or possibly even worse.

I don't know if it is worth risking, and honestly, I don't care at this point. Ireland has had many failures, with some successes. While this far exceeds the handful of GMs that preceded him here in Miami, it obviously hasn't been good enough to return us to the playoffs. That being said, there is a possibility that Tannehill is that missing ingredient who could make all his moves look like magic ala Ted Thompson.

These guys have all built teams that at the very least played for conference championships and two of them won superbowls. All three can be differentiated from our current GM; there's always going to be irrational people in the fanbase.