Earlier today, we posted a little something about the Dolphins’ plan to be more open with the media and the fans. In the remarks announcing this plan, owner Stephen Ross was open in his defense of G.M. Jeff Ireland, who recently has come under increased attacks from the media, the fans, and some players from other teams.
“He’s done a great job with the draft,” Ross said, via Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "[Ireland is] a great talent evaluator. He’s as hard working as anybody I’ve ever met. He’s a smart as they come on the football side. The idea is, what are you judging him on?”
That’s a good question for Ross. What is he judging Ireland on? What does Ross know about football that would allow him to make an informed decision about the factors that would be relevant to determining whether Ireland has done a good job of setting the table for the head coach?
“The team is certainly not the same team it was when he started here,” Ross said of Ireland. “It’s a lot better.”
But the team was 6-10 last year, the third straight losing season since Chad Pennington fell into Miami’s lap after the Jets picked up Brett Favre.
Complicating the assessment of Ireland’s performance over the past four years is the fact that most believe former V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells was calling the shots for a large chunk of Ireland’s tenure.
We’re not saying Ireland should be fired. But it’s impossible for Ross to proclaim that Ireland should stay without articulating some standard that Ireland’s performance has met or exceeded since 2008.