Nice Job, Jeff Ireland......

There are some delusional Dolphins fans that believe Bill Parcells and his entourage/staff will break the Fins playoff drought this season. Not as many as I thought, considering the collective lack of intelligence South Florida sports fans can show sometimes. But some.

Well, after events around 12:45 PM this afternoon at Fins HQ in Davie, I'm here to lower the ax on you Dolfans: 2008 will be the seventh consecutive non-playoff year for the aqua and orange. And for that matter 2009 and 2010 will probably be the eighth and ninth years.

Actually, let me re-phrase that. I'm not lowering the ax. I'm letting G.M. Jeff Ireland's stupidity do that for me.

In what he deemed as a Freudian slip(Ya think?), Ireland midway through a mandatory pre-draft presser with the media, let the cat out of the bag big time. Asked whether signability will drive who the Fins select No. 1, Ireland picked the worst time to have a Miss South Carolina moment:
“I’m going after the player who best fits us. 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."

Hooooooold on a second: Pillar of defense?? Weren't you supposedly negotiating exclusively with OFFENSIVE Tackle Jake Long? Aren't you supposed to bluff interest in QUARTERBACK Matt Ryan? And most importantly, why the bleep are you belting out your intentions???

Now of course, Ireland's boo-boo was roundly called out by several reporters. And Ireland, after acting befuddled over what he blurted out, corrected himself and passed it off as a misspeak. And in most cases, it would be possible to believe that Ireland just got mixed up with his words. Or that he was trying to plant a smokescreen. Or that he was sending a message to Jake Long's agent Tom Condon since negotiations have reportedly hit a snag.

Except I'm not giving Jeff Ireland the benefit of the doubt. Because this is the same guy who two months ago, opened up the Senior Bowl by declaring the Dolphins "Open for Business." Great way to completely piss away your leverage, eh. The "consigliere" thought so, enough to shield Ireland away from any future public speaking engagements, until now. That included the Owners Meetings, in which most other GM's/personnel directors spoke.

But now, Ireland has completely outdone himself. Now, there is no prayer of the Dolphins making a trade. And today would have been a perfect time to start "negotiating" with Matt Ryan, considering that Baltimore is probably desperate for a franchise QB to fall out of the sky. And outside of Chris Long, no potential pillar of defense is likely to sign with the Dolphins prior to the draft, especially at a reduced rate.

What boggles my mind is how inept Jeff Ireland has been so far in handling one of his most important job responsibilities. While I believe Ireland and his minions are very important in terms of unearthing talent and laying the groundwork, virtually everyone believes that Bill Parcells, a la Pat Riley, calls the shots. Of course, unlike the Heat, the Fins are trying to disguise that for numerous reasons. Which means it's that important for Ireland to give off the guise that he's able to competently convey the message from the Tuna upstairs.

And so far, he's 0 for 2 with a pair of 3-pitch strikeouts.

The worst part about it is while I don't know Jeff Ireland personally, he seems to resemble many of Nick Saban's worst traits, from cockiness, to impatience in addressing certain questions, to operating as he's the Smartest Person in the Room. I got news for you Jeff, so far you are nothing more than an extension of Rick Spielman and Randy Mueller. And they were nowhere near the Smartest People in the Room.