The many failures of Jeff Ireland and Miami Dolphins management
By Jason Marcum
The Miami Dolphins were dubbed the Super Bowl champions of the offseason this year after going on a free agency spending spree that netted them the likes of Mike Wallace, Tyson Clabo, Dannell Ellerbe and Dustin Keller.
Not to mention they were able to move up in the NFL draft and select Oregon Ducks defensive end Dion Jordan, who was widely-regarded as the draft’s best pass-rushing prospect.
But to this point, he and may of the other offseason acquisition have been major busts to this point. Jordan played just 13 snaps yesterday in a loss to the New England Patriots, and has gotten less than 30 snaps in six of the seven games he’s played in.
He began his career on the sideline as he recovered from shoulder surgery, and has never seemed to catch-up this season. He still hasn’t earned the starting position yet as Olivier Vernon continues to play more than him.
He’s just been one of many disappointments this year, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald did an in-depth piece on not only the team’s biggest disappointments this year, but also the players who have left Miami and are playing at high levels elsewhere now:
"It’s notable that many of the veterans that moved on from Miami during Jeff Ireland’s tenure –– though some of the early decisions were made by Bill Parcells –– have performed clearly better elsewhere, from Brandon Marshall (averaged 83 catches in two years here; 106 in four other recent years with the Broncos and Bears); to Ninkovich (a backup and special teams player here); to Philadelphia’s Evan Mathis (cut by Miami and now rated the NFL’s No. 1 guard by Pro Football Focus), to Reggie Bush (averaging 121 yards per game with Detroit, compared with 79.8 last season in Miami)."