Jeff Ireland Fish redo: Groupers or Guppies?

Are Jeff Ireland and Joe Philbin enough to turn the Dolphins around

 

For those unaware, a Grouper is a fish near the top of the food chain while a Guppy is near the bottom of that chain.

Entering his 6th season with the Fins Ireland made a big splash in FA and had a host of high-end draft picks at his disposal following some trades. Many have called it “winning the offseason” or simple desperation of going all in to save his job.

Is Philbin the real deal or just a consolation prize that has held things together to this point? Still to early to tell on that. Fins have started the season 2-0 and beat 2 teams that on paper they should have beaten. You can’t make the schedule you just need to play the teams they give you, so far so good.

Are we witnessing a team on the rise or just a solid start that comes undone by midseason, an evil that has struck the Bills franchise several times in recent years? Again no one knows. Everything seems to be moving in the right direction but this team does have weaknesses like most do. Can the OL holdup? Can the run game be enough to keep D’s honest? Can there D continue to limit opponents? It should be fun learning about this team as the weeks go by.

Now I could say this is just a feeling I have but much of what I have learned about the Fish came from Fish fans and there has been an overwhelming negativity surrounding GM Jeff Ireland Ireland, one that I share with them. Don’t get me wrong when a team is down fans want answers or heads as a result leading to emotional out cries.

Ireland has been on the hot seat for too long for me to think he has turned things around in 1 offseason. For 1 leaving a young QB vulnerable behind a suspect OL is arguably one of the biggest no-no’s in the business. To only further complicate the job of his young signal caller he surrounded him with a lack-luster trio of RB’s who garner little to no respect from a majority of NFL defenses. I know, I know, they can improve but this is Ireland we are talking about here. When was the last time he did something, and a year or 2 later you were still calling it a good move?

Most GM’s don’t survive to see a 3rd HC under their watch and Ireland is on number 2 right now, so it’s do or die time for Jeffy. Was last years 7-9 record a peak? Were the Peyton billboards the last blunder? I have a feeling that even after the Tuna departing, even if on his own, and Tony being shoved overboard the Fish might have held on to their biggest issue, Ireland the man (guppy). Ireland has been more of an anchor to this franchise for the past 6 years then a life jacket.

Written by; Jets2013