Stephen Ross is no Chicken Little. His Miami Dolphins are 0-4 and looking nothing like a competent football team, he refuses to admit the sky is falling.
Ross has already gone on record in support of head coach Tony Sparano. It turns out he is also a believer in general manager Jeff Ireland.
The Miami Herald reported Wednesday that the Dolphins owner has not considered replacing Ireland (unlike Sparano, whose dismissal is nearly assured despite Ross' recent vote of confidence).
"Ross believes Ireland is a smart, savvy talent evaluator, even though several of his moves haven't panned out," according to the Herald.
While the consensus amongst the fan base seems to be the team has major talent deficits on offense and defense, Ireland has somehow convince Ross "that Miami should have enough good players to be a good team."
Maybe Ross should double-check to make sure his GM has been watching the 2011 Dolphins, and not, say, a highlight reel of the 1972 Dolphins.
At least someone is satisfied with Ireland's tenure as Dolphins personnel chief. His two signature moves as Dolphins GM have been asking WR Dez Bryant before the 2010 NFL Draft if his mother is a prostitute and the aborted effort to acquire QB Kyle Orton.
Ireland was general manager when the Dolphins made a number of disastrous personnel moves between 2008 and 2010, like drafting Pat White. But Ross blames those missteps on Bill Parcells, who was President of Football Operations at the time and largely dictated player acquisitions.
Another major reason Ross supports Ireland is the GM's refusal to overpay for players, "even if the player can help Miami and even if there’s cap space." The Dolphins were not profitable as recently as 2009, so Ireland's thrift is doubtless appreciated by the guy who signs the paychecks.
That could all be moot if Ross ends up firing Sparano and courting a coach who wants full personnel control, as Bill Cowher (a long-rumored target) does.
Until then, it looks like Dolfans are stuck with Ireland, even if they might be liberated from Sparano before the season is up.
