Does Jeff Ireland Have a Tell?
Did new Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland tip his team’s hand today during Miami’s pre-draft press conference? Here are his comments, courtesy of ProFootballTalk.com:
“I’m going after the player who best fits us,” Ireland said. ”That’s the best way I can say it. I don’t want bad guys on my team. Of course I want guys who have great upside; it’s the first pick in the draft. You hope that this guy is a pillar of your defense for a long time. Of course we think he’s going to have upside. I, the economics, to me . . . ”
And then Ireland was interrupted by delayed laughter. And then he clarified, to more laughter, that he meant defense or offense. He even called it a Freudian slip.
Moreover, the Dolphins PR department fanned the flames by modifying the conference call’s transcript before disseminating it to the press, replacing the word “defense” in Ireland’s quote with “[team]“.
Now I know what some of you are thinking and you’re right for doing so…that Parcells put Ireland up to this, scripting his words. While that is a possibility, here’s a link to the audio clip. (starting about 1 minute 20 seconds in). What do you think?
And while we’re on the subject, Peter King has been on Sirius NFL Radio’s “Opening Drive” this week (and doing a good job, I might add) and noted that Parcells has a tendency to go defensive with his first rounders. He’s right. Here’s a look a Parcells’ recent draft history:
Dallas
2006 – LB Bobby Carpenter
2005 – LB DeMarcus Ware
2004 – No first round pick
2003 – CB Terrance Newman
Jets
2000 – DEs Shaun Ellis & John Abraham, the first two of four first round picks
1999 & 1998 – no first round picks
1997 – LB James Farrior
Patriots
1996 – WR Terry Glenn, a player “forced” on Parcells by then Patriots personnel director, Bobby Grier, which led to Parcells “shopping for the groceries” with the Jets.
1995 – CB Ty Law
1994 – LB Willie McGinnest
You have to go back to 1993 and Drew Bledsoe until you can find a Parcells-blessed first round pick of an offensive player.
10 Responses to Does Jeff Ireland Have a Tell?
-
Doctor K says:
I would be ecstatic if Miami selects Gholston, as it takes him out of the mix when we select and sets up a rather interesting cascade:
1) VG
2) Jake Long
3) Matt Ryan (ATL or trade with CAR, BAL)
4) Chris Long
5) Dorsey (KC or trade)
6) Run DMc
Remember Tannenbaum was frantically trying to get Bush in 2006 as a splash 1st pick of his reign as GM, but New Orleans balked. -
Bent says: It’s a good point that the Jets presumably would have taken Bush if they could have moved up, but they did only offer a fourth rounder, which is maybe not all that frantic (although these days, that might not be far from the value required when you take into account the added salary from moving up).
However, there are parallels, so it bears thinking about.
-
Johnny Styne says:
New Orleans did not balk. Tangini refused to give them the draft picks they wanted. We ended up with Ferguson, Mangold, and Clemens instead.
-
ramble914 says:
If Miami takes Gholston first, it will probably pan out like this:
1. V. Gholston
2. J. Long
3. G. Dorsey
4. C. Long
5. M. Ryan
6. D. McFaddenBut in any scenario I think we will end up with V. Gholston; C. Long or D. McFadden, not necessarily in that order. I’d be OK with any one of the 3.
-
alex says:
ACE…
Already got the “my adidas” commercial planned out and the song rewritten.Ireland could just be using that as leverage for his negotiations with Jake Long, the extra bit with the Dolphins editing would be gold for that situation.
-
Does the current CLong/Gholston, who’s preferable debate remind anyone of the Manning/Leaf quandry? Obviously it’s QBs vs. DE/OLBs, but Gholston now seems to have more upside, with CLong being the plain Jane. It wouldn’t surprise me if CLong drops to us. I think that the Jets prefer him over everyone.
-
Big A says:
What I like about Chris Long is that he is a smart football player who has produced every year. I would pick him over Gholston, even though I think Gholston has greater potential because he’s a freak. That doesn’t mean that freakish strength and speed will translate into production on the field. At the NFL level, he’ll have to develop more than just a speed rush. Remember BT and how tough a time he had adjusting? Didn’t he have something like 25 sacks in college?
goo … the new GM isn’t exactly Tannenbaum when it comes to keeping his audience guessing. I know it might seem a little loopy but with rumors out there that they don’t like Chris Long as much as previously thought, it’ll be Vernon Gholston.