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One little goof won't sink new Dolphins GM
by Alex Marvez
DAVIE, Fla. - The gaffe will be forgiven, provided Jeff Ireland also doesn't slip up in next weekend's draft.
Ireland had a "Wanna Get Away?" moment Thursday during his first pre-draft news conference as Miami Dolphins general manager. Reflecting upon having the No. 1 overall pick, Ireland said he hopes that player becomes "a pillar of your defense for a long time."
Oops.
The Dolphins were reportedly negotiating exclusively with University of Michigan tackle Jake Long. Now, it appears highly touted defensive ends Chris Long and Vernon Gholston are back in the picture.
Ireland tried putting the genie back in the bottle by jokingly claiming the comment was a "Freudian slip." But that still didn't stop the flood of media and internet speculation that followed.
One local television station breathlessly teased whether Ireland had given away Miami's draft plan when touting its late-night newscast. Others believe Ireland intentionally leaked bad information hoping to lower Jake Long's asking price and/or affect other teams' pre-draft preparation.
And to think Ireland began the day as a virtual unknown on the South Florida sports landscape.
Bill Parcells became the public face of the Dolphins in December when hired as the franchise's executive vice president of football operations. Because of his legendary standing, Parcells is generally attributed with any personnel and draft decisions Miami makes.
He unsuccessfully sought such power while New England's head coach in the mid-1990s. Parcells bemoaned that situation with one of his most famous quotes: "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Ireland, though, is the one providing Parcells with the list of necessary ingredients in Miami.
Parcells didn't attend the Senior Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine or any "Pro Day" workouts on college campuses. Ireland was there, doing groundwork to try and improve the league's worst team in 2007.
"I think Jeff has a tremendous amount of input in Miami," said Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, who has worked closely with Ireland and Parcells. "Obviously, the scouting department does a lot of the heavy lifting."
Poor drafting has heavily contributed to Miami's decline. Only nine of 48 picks between 2000 and 2006 remain on the roster and none have even sniffed a Pro Bowl berth. This problem was compounded the past four seasons by a revolving door of coaches and general managers, all of whom made ill-fated attempts at roster overhauls for personnel that better fit their respective systems.
"There are certain core positions that you have to have," Ireland said. "Cornerback, left tackle, pressure players (i.e. defensive ends/outside linebackers), a quarterback, a No. 1 receiver, nose tackle ...
"We don't have a whole lot right now. We need probably all of them in every area."
The Dolphins hope Ireland is the right choice to fill those holes. With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also entrenched as general manager, the Cowboys didn't object when Parcells courted Ireland for that role in Miami.
"Jeff has a good eye," Stephen Jones said. "At our place, we call it vision for a player. He could see what we needed and the college players out there who could fill that need. And he was very good verbalizing that information."
The latter trait was key to Ireland's promotion as Cowboys vice president of college and pro scouting in 2005. Ireland spoke his mind to Jerry Jones and Parcells, who had become the team's head coach in 2003.
"You had two very high-profile and big-time personalities as Jerry and Bill," Stephen Jones said. "Jeff knew how to manage and work through that. He got us the information to where we all could ultimately come up with the right answer."
For example, Parcells had pegged Louisiana State defensive end Marcus Spears for the 11th overall pick in 2005. Ireland swayed Parcells to instead target Troy linebacker DeMarcus Ware because of the belief Spears would still be available when Dallas chose again at No. 20.
The Cowboys netted both players. Ware blossomed into one of the NFL's top pass rushers; Spears has started since midway through his rookie season. That same draft also produced running back Marion Barber and defensive linemen Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff with second-day picks.
"Jeff is not afraid to say what he thinks," said New York Jets personnel director Terry Bradway, who also has worked previously with Ireland and Parcells. "They could have differing opinions on a player. But at the end of the day, they respect each other to the point where it's healthy and can make it work."
Ireland, 38, seemed destined to work in football. His stepfather was star Kansas City Chiefs center E.J. Holub. His grandfather: Jim Parmer, who worked in Chicago's personnel department after retiring as a Philadelphia Eagles player.
Ireland himself was a four-year letterman as Baylor's kicker before becoming a college special teams coach for two seasons. Ireland then turned to scouting in 1993. His work for the service that runs the Combine caught Bradway's eye when he was Kansas City's player personnel director, leading to a scouting job.
Bradway said Ireland heavily influenced Kansas City's decision to use 2000 third- and fifth-round picks on wide receiver/returner Dante Hall and safety Greg Wesley respectively.
"He didn't take any short cuts in terms of the evaluation process," Bradway said. "He didn't just watch tape. He watched practices. He got to know coaches and got background information, which is really almost as important nowadays as the video work."
Ireland wants to place that same stamp on the Dolphins. Ireland already has tweaked Miami's grading system for college players. He is expected to implement more changes — including an overhaul of the scouting department — after a draft in which Miami has nine selections.
"Ultimately, I'm responsible for what goes on here," Ireland said. "But it is a collective effort about how we decide who we're taking."
Regardless of whether an offensive or defensive player is picked at No. 1.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8046388/One-little-goof-won't-sink-new-Dolphins-GM
by Alex Marvez
DAVIE, Fla. - The gaffe will be forgiven, provided Jeff Ireland also doesn't slip up in next weekend's draft.
Ireland had a "Wanna Get Away?" moment Thursday during his first pre-draft news conference as Miami Dolphins general manager. Reflecting upon having the No. 1 overall pick, Ireland said he hopes that player becomes "a pillar of your defense for a long time."
Oops.
The Dolphins were reportedly negotiating exclusively with University of Michigan tackle Jake Long. Now, it appears highly touted defensive ends Chris Long and Vernon Gholston are back in the picture.
Ireland tried putting the genie back in the bottle by jokingly claiming the comment was a "Freudian slip." But that still didn't stop the flood of media and internet speculation that followed.
One local television station breathlessly teased whether Ireland had given away Miami's draft plan when touting its late-night newscast. Others believe Ireland intentionally leaked bad information hoping to lower Jake Long's asking price and/or affect other teams' pre-draft preparation.
And to think Ireland began the day as a virtual unknown on the South Florida sports landscape.
Bill Parcells became the public face of the Dolphins in December when hired as the franchise's executive vice president of football operations. Because of his legendary standing, Parcells is generally attributed with any personnel and draft decisions Miami makes.
He unsuccessfully sought such power while New England's head coach in the mid-1990s. Parcells bemoaned that situation with one of his most famous quotes: "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Ireland, though, is the one providing Parcells with the list of necessary ingredients in Miami.
Parcells didn't attend the Senior Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine or any "Pro Day" workouts on college campuses. Ireland was there, doing groundwork to try and improve the league's worst team in 2007.
"I think Jeff has a tremendous amount of input in Miami," said Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, who has worked closely with Ireland and Parcells. "Obviously, the scouting department does a lot of the heavy lifting."
Poor drafting has heavily contributed to Miami's decline. Only nine of 48 picks between 2000 and 2006 remain on the roster and none have even sniffed a Pro Bowl berth. This problem was compounded the past four seasons by a revolving door of coaches and general managers, all of whom made ill-fated attempts at roster overhauls for personnel that better fit their respective systems.
"There are certain core positions that you have to have," Ireland said. "Cornerback, left tackle, pressure players (i.e. defensive ends/outside linebackers), a quarterback, a No. 1 receiver, nose tackle ...
"We don't have a whole lot right now. We need probably all of them in every area."
The Dolphins hope Ireland is the right choice to fill those holes. With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also entrenched as general manager, the Cowboys didn't object when Parcells courted Ireland for that role in Miami.
"Jeff has a good eye," Stephen Jones said. "At our place, we call it vision for a player. He could see what we needed and the college players out there who could fill that need. And he was very good verbalizing that information."
The latter trait was key to Ireland's promotion as Cowboys vice president of college and pro scouting in 2005. Ireland spoke his mind to Jerry Jones and Parcells, who had become the team's head coach in 2003.
"You had two very high-profile and big-time personalities as Jerry and Bill," Stephen Jones said. "Jeff knew how to manage and work through that. He got us the information to where we all could ultimately come up with the right answer."
For example, Parcells had pegged Louisiana State defensive end Marcus Spears for the 11th overall pick in 2005. Ireland swayed Parcells to instead target Troy linebacker DeMarcus Ware because of the belief Spears would still be available when Dallas chose again at No. 20.
The Cowboys netted both players. Ware blossomed into one of the NFL's top pass rushers; Spears has started since midway through his rookie season. That same draft also produced running back Marion Barber and defensive linemen Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff with second-day picks.
"Jeff is not afraid to say what he thinks," said New York Jets personnel director Terry Bradway, who also has worked previously with Ireland and Parcells. "They could have differing opinions on a player. But at the end of the day, they respect each other to the point where it's healthy and can make it work."
Ireland, 38, seemed destined to work in football. His stepfather was star Kansas City Chiefs center E.J. Holub. His grandfather: Jim Parmer, who worked in Chicago's personnel department after retiring as a Philadelphia Eagles player.
Ireland himself was a four-year letterman as Baylor's kicker before becoming a college special teams coach for two seasons. Ireland then turned to scouting in 1993. His work for the service that runs the Combine caught Bradway's eye when he was Kansas City's player personnel director, leading to a scouting job.
Bradway said Ireland heavily influenced Kansas City's decision to use 2000 third- and fifth-round picks on wide receiver/returner Dante Hall and safety Greg Wesley respectively.
"He didn't take any short cuts in terms of the evaluation process," Bradway said. "He didn't just watch tape. He watched practices. He got to know coaches and got background information, which is really almost as important nowadays as the video work."
Ireland wants to place that same stamp on the Dolphins. Ireland already has tweaked Miami's grading system for college players. He is expected to implement more changes — including an overhaul of the scouting department — after a draft in which Miami has nine selections.
"Ultimately, I'm responsible for what goes on here," Ireland said. "But it is a collective effort about how we decide who we're taking."
Regardless of whether an offensive or defensive player is picked at No. 1.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8046388/One-little-goof-won't-sink-new-Dolphins-GM
