Things have not gone very well for the Miami Dolphins since Jeff Ireland took over as the team's general manager in 2008. That first Wildcat-inspired winning season, in which the Fins took the AFC East in a surprise coup, has been followed by three full seasons with a total of 20 wins.

In that time, Ireland has become "famous" for asking current Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute in a pre-draft interview, botching the team's quarterback situation so badly that Peyton Manning didn't even want to visit Miami in the 2012 offseason, and looking like quite the goof in the the most recent edition of "Hard Knocks" that featured the team.

Fans have been apoplectic for a while now, and a few organized a "Fireland" protest in March, but Ireland has managed to keep his job. That may change if Ireland keeps going after the fans, though -- owner Steve Ross seems PR-conscious enough to take what recently happened between Ireland and one fan pretty seriously.

[More: NFL owner admits that the confidence in replacement officials is eroding]

That fan caught Ireland in the concourse of Miami's Sun Life Stadium during the Dolphins' 35-13 win over the Oakland Raiders last Sunday. After Ireland signed autographs and took pictures with fans, "Sean" told Ireland, "We need you to fire yourself." Ireland patted the fan on the shoulder, said "Good one," and called him an "ass----" as he walked away.

"I don't begrudge the guy for not appreciating what I had to say," Sean told a Miami radio station. "I can't tell you I wouldn't respond any differently if someone said I should fire myself. By the same token, I'm not the general manager of a professional football team.

"I feel like I expressed an opinion he probably needed to hear."

Once that story broke, Ireland called Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald and gave his side of the story.

"It did happen at halftime and I was going back to my booth after seeing my wife and I did talk to several fans that were very nice," Ireland said. "But as I'm walking back this guy introduces himself to me and says I should fire myself.

"It caught me off-guard. I just turned and walked away, but I did say the word. I regret I used the word I used. I thought I was using it under my breath. I guess I kind of said it loud enough that he could hear it. I literally said it under my breath. At the time I felt I handled the situation pretty good. Probably muttered it a little too loud. I regret that I said anything."

Per our friends at CBS Sports' Eye on Football, one enterprising soul has turned the entire episode into a fun little T-shirt:

We doubt Ross is laughing about the whole thing. Perhaps Ireland can excuse himself to the team's owner by claiming that the incident happened at halftime, and the Dolphins did come back from a 10-7 deficit after the fact.

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DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland admits he muttered a profanity as he walked away from a fan following an unfriendly conversation at halftime of the team's most recent game.
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Fins GM Ireland could be in ‘serious trouble’ – Dolphins Offense | MIA

09 Sep
2012
Citing a friend of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, the Miami Herald reports GM Jeff Ireland will be in "serious trouble" if the team "bombs" in 2012.
Tags: , Dolphins Offense, Fins, , , Herald, , , , , serious trouble, , , trouble
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Anatomy of a trade: Vontae Davis’ departure on ‘Hard Knocks’

29 Aug
2012

The trade of former Miami Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2013 second-round pick and a conditional late-round pick started raising bad feelings among the Dolphins' players soon after it happened. One player, speaking to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on the condition of anonymity, said that the trade was endemic of a talent drain that had been going on for a while.

"What in the world are we doing? No way are we better without Vontae," the anonymous receiver told Kelly. "We're supposed to be getting better and with every decision we keep getting worse. We need to see something positive happen."

That criticism became more public when one reporter asked running back Reggie Bush for his opinion on the trade.

"It's tough, obviously. It's tough," Bush said. At that point, one Dolphins publicist called across the room for the interview to end. Dolphins PR director Harvey Greene told Pro Football Talk that the move was based on scheduling, and Bush's preference to do media just once a week. I know Greene and am inclined to believe him, and the Dolphins didn't try to squelch other player takes on the trade.

Linebacker Karlos Dansby, who was also critical of the decision to release receiver Chad Johnson after Johnson's domestic abuse arrest, had more to say.

"I'll leave that up to you all," Dansby told the media. "I don't know what the situation was or what occurred to cause the trade. He's a great player, one of the best corners in the game. I'm not sure about the direction of the team. That's not my place. My place is to play hard and be the leader of men."

Even Richard Marshall, who had essentially replaced Davis at starting outside cornerback, was shocked. "None of us saw this coming," he said. "I don't know how to take it."

What was interesting was that the entire trade process was shown on the penultimate episode of "Hard Knocks." Davis had been a disappointment through training camp -- his conditioning and attitude had been called into question by various coaches -- and when general manager Jeff Ireland received a text from the Colts asking about a trade, that got the ball rolling. HBO showed Ireland texting as the NFL Network was speculating about Colts owner Jim Irsay's tweets regarding a potential blockbuster trade. The Colts started by offering fifth- and sixth-round picks, upped it to a third-round pick, and settled on a second.

Head coach Joe Philbin didn't seem too broken up about losing the inconsistent Davis, whose awareness on the field became a real issue.

"He's a good kid, but I wonder if we're ever going to get him to where we would like him to be," Philbin said.

At final negotiations, Ireland is seen telling a Colts executive, "I've been honest with you this whole time. It has to be something that's gonna blow me away. You called me."

Eventually, Ireland got what he wanted -- then, it was time to tell Davis.

"The rumor is true," Ireland told Davis in Ireland's office. "We just traded you. We traded you to the Indianapolis Colts, all right? So, you OK?"

"I'm gonna call my grandma," Davis said.

"This hasn't hit the papers or anything like that," Ireland said. "Why don't we do a little business first, before you call grandma? There's a little bit of urgency because there's a storm coming and they want to get you on a plane pretty quickly."

Ireland then tried to give Davis advice about his future. "You've been up and down. You've got to get it to where that's just a small little wane. The consistency level is more consistent. Before you become a great, which I think you have the ability to be, these waves have got to be a lot smaller. That's probably why you're being traded -- I'm just being transparent with you. I want you to know why it hasn't worked for us here. I think the world of you as a person, and I appreciate you busting your ass here as a Miami Dolphin these last three years, and I know you'll do well."

Davis then asked Ireland who he was being traded for. "A couple picks," Ireland said. Ireland then gave Davis a pep talk as he was walking out the door, which seemed a little awkward -- that was the first time I started wondering if Ireland was playing to the cameras.

As is always the case when a player leaves the building, the "Hard Knocks" guys did the "removing the stuff from the locker" montage, and Davis was off to Indy.

Whether you like the way the trade was handled or not, this segment showed the value of the "Hard Knocks" series. That kind of inside look at a team's process is a great addition to the knowledge base of every hardcore football fan.

Tags: Dansby, , , , , , , , , , Vontae, Vontae Davis
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