Jeff Ireland thought it wise to make phone calls to the media explaining Miami's offseason. (US Presswire) |
After whiffing on Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn and Alex Smith -- but still managing to land David Garrard! -- it seems clear the Dolphins front office felt a little PR massaging was the right way to spend Tuesday.
So, general manager Jeff Ireland spent time calling various media outlets, including the Miami Herald, and explaining what exactly is going on in the organization. Or, you know, what’s not going on in the organization.
When you add head coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Jeff Fisher, both of whom were courted by the Dolphins before deciding to go elsewhere, to that trio of quarterbacks who declined Miami’s advances, it’s become a disturbing trend to wonder if there’s something wrong with the organization itself.
Ireland, of course, doesn’t think so.
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With Flynn, the Herald writes that the issue came down to money. The Dolphins were only willing to go so far to entice the former Packers backup to sign with the team -- which might mean that new Dolphins coach/former Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin actually isn’t sold that Flynn can be a better starting quarterback than Matt Moore or Garrard -- and now they’ll have to see if Moore (who was solid last year after taking over for Chad Henne) or Garrard (who was solid for a season or two in Jacksonville) is a better option.
But not everybody is impressed by Ireland. Clearly.
"Jeff Ireland has a big part to do with (the situation the Dolphins find themselves)," former Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter said Monday on the NFL Network. "He's a guy that -- I don't think when you come in being recruited by him you really believe the things that are coming out of his mouth. I think he's a guy that's not trustworthy. He's a guy that doesn't really hold up to what a GM is supposed to be. He has the right tools to lead that franchise in the right direction but obviously nobody's buying into it."
And some fans are upset. Upset enough to have a mini-protest rally in front of team headquarters on Tuesday. As the Palm Beach Post reports, about 25 fans showed up with signs proclaiming their desire for another general manager and their distaste of owner Stephen Ross.
“Being scorned by Manning and then last night with David Garrard, I think David Garrard just added more fuel to the fire,” 25-year-old Matthew Cozzo told the Post. “It’s just one thing after another. Ross and Ireland, I don’t know what they’re doing.”
Cozzo, it would seem, is not alone in his thoughts.
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