Alex Smith also not all that into Dolphins

More bad news?

How about this: Multiple sources tell me that the only way Alex Smith is going to sign with the Dolphins is if Peyton Manning goes to San Francisco.

That's right, even the jilted 49'ers quarterback would prefer to return to the team that jilted him over the Dolphins organization that on Sunday tried to recruit him to Miami. Smith's camp has made this clear to the Dolphins.

I suppose that is one reason they are today scheduled to host former Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard -- a quarterback that obviously does not rise to "franchise quarterback" status but is, well, a body.

I posted previously that the Dolphins should be wise in handling Smith because, frankly, he has been a good-not-great player in seven previous seasons. So the Dolphins must resist the temptation to go overboard on this guy because making a splash for the sake of public relations may soothe feelings short-term but is a long-term road to unemployment.

And there is definitely pressure on the Dolphins, particularly general manager Jeff Ireland, to give a public relations answer to what is a business approach. Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote in his Monday Morning quarterback column that Ireland needs to do something out of desperation.

These are King's words:

"In the history of NFL general managers, Ireland is on the coldest streak ever. He needs to do something right. He doesn't even need to hit a home run. A seeing-eye single would do. That may make him more aggressive on Smith today -- and it may make Smith more inclined to go somewhere I don't think he really wants to go.

"Miami looks like the worst team in the AFC East right now. Would Smith rather rub it in 49er GM Trent Baalke's face and run off to a bad team, and would he rather pray for Manning to pick Tennessee or Denver and go back to where he's got the best chance by far of making a Super Bowl run? Ireland may have to do what he loathes -- overspend for an OK player -- just to deodorize the stink of the last few years in Miami."

So the pressure is on Ireland to pay, probably more than Smith is worth. Of course, if Peyton Manning decides to play in Denver or Tennessee, it is now clear he won't get that chance. Because Alex Smith doesn't want to play here that much.

Comments

[D Man Canada]

Im still livid about the Marshall trade. Wtf over ? He stretched the field. Opened things up for Bush and others etc. This is a huge mistake. Our receiving corps now looks like a CFL team. This team is in more of a funk than Lindsay Lohan. What a joke. Im losing faith more than ever. This qb thing is another mess all together. I dont want Smith or Gerrard. I would rather go with Moore. At least he has Brandon Marshall to throw to. Oh wait a minute we just traded our stud wide out for a bag of footballs...

D Man Canada Out !!

[Cheapo Ross]

Hey guys, can we afford Pat White? LMFAO!!!

[Richard Reed]

Bill Parcels use to say "of I'm doing the cooking I have to buy the groceries." Ireland doesn't know how to shop and Mr.Ross should find another GM. As long as Ireland is there the Fins will never be a contender in the East. I've been folleing this team for over 40 years ab=nd this is one the worst positions I've seen them in. No QB No WR a suspect O-line, whats next? They have become the laughing stock of the AFC. Their fan base is going to plummit. I only hope that mr. Ross reads these posts. If he doesn't, he's noe the business man I thought he was.

docs7691

[NHFINSFAN]

I heard Jeff George was working out for the Fins this week.

[Mark in Toronto]

JS, long time now see. Hello to you too!

[dolphin fan in georgia]

Manning goes to Broncos per ESPN.

[dolphin fan in georgia]

No Alex Smith to Dolphins.

[The Crusher]

if he drafts a qb i think ireland gets 2 years.no one will ever know who bought the groceries in 08,09,10. on his own in 2011 he did real good(pouncy),ok(clay & wilson),decent(gates,thomas).this year draft osweiler,cousins,or tannehill to learn behind,and possibly supplant,moore in 2012(2013 @ the latest)...2 west coast style wideouts...a developmental tackle...the rest of the picks on pass rushing de/olb types.also sign reggie nelson to compete with jones and clemons.we finally have o minded coaches.lets see what they can do.

[Jose9699]

Not that this is any news to most people, but I have a friend that used to play for the Dolphins and is currently playing on another NFL team. Since I am a diehard Dolphins fan, he explained to me that the reason he left is because of the organization. According to him, they don't treat the players right and very few people if any, like the GM, Jeff Ireland. I don't know what will it take for the owner to get rid of Mr. Ireland.... This reminds me of how long the Lions kept Matt Millen, even though year after year they stunk. I hope they can hire a REAL GM pretty soon.

[jim wortman]

9er fan here. It will be a sad day if we lose smith. Kid has finally figured out how to lead a team. 13-3 doesn't happen by accident. You gotta remember he been in the league 7 yrs and he's only 27yrs old. He helped build my 9er team from the bottom up and he can help the fins too. Our loss is your gain, and alot of us will miss him. GOOD LUCK ALEX! you deserve a new home that can appreciate what you do for them.

[dolphin fan in georgia]

This is no lie. Manning goes to Broncos per ESPN.

[Tru]

who care about Manning and the Broncos at this point...why am i still on the damn blog too??? this team, if thats what you wanna call it is pathetic! nobody wants to coach it, play for it and at this point root for it as fans!

[Joe Schmoe]

I just had to vent a little on the state of my beloved phins. It appears most bloggers are a tad irritated with the state of things. I certainly understand.

For me, this has been expected for about 2 years now. Still pains me to see the franchise in such bad shape & unrespected throught the league by players & fans alike.

Something has to give soon!

[dolfanman13]

I hope Smith stays put in SF. Our best bet now is to go with Moore and draft a QB in April.

[Sigh]

The Dolphins are a 7-9, 7-9, and 6-10 team.

They have a terrible offensive line. Ranked 30th even with all the massive over-investment in this unit.

Their offense is horrid on 3rd downs, in the red zone, and in the 4th quarter.

They trade their best WR for two acorn draft picks.

They do not put good pressure on the QB. They cannot stop a good passing game.

They have a terrible salary cap situation and yet have no playmakers or superstars.

The Dolphins, by their own actions, show they have no confidence in Matt Moore.

It's possible the Dolphins are about an 8-8 team next year and then getting a QB in the draft will be as difficult as getting one this year.

[tddd]

draft weeden.

[The Signal]

NFL Network reporting Manning to Broncos too.

Does this mean Ross goes hard for Tebow?

[matty-o]

for anyone who hasn't seen it, read the full Peter King takedown of the dolphins franchise in today's MMQB column. and i wholeheartedly agree with his conclusion - Ross needs to go medieval on the entire front office and give Philbin a fair shot.

[Swamy]

signal,

Ross will unleash the Tebow!

[DC Dolfan]

What's up Joe Schmoe? Long time (wondered where you were, but figured you had enough).

Yeah, just a tad livid.

I for one am trying to give them every benefit of the doubt, just how much can you ask a guy to give (when we see mediocre results year after year?).

We'll see how this plays out, but it smells rotten.

[Sigh]

To Matty-o,

Totally agree with you and Mr. King's take on the Dolphins.

[PA finfan]

Oh my god, now these idiots will try to get friggin Tebow, but remember all he does is win... yeah right.
He's just the luckiest guy on the field.

[Buffalo Bill]

What a clown show!

[Mike Z]

Alex Smith back to San Fran.

[Ohio Dolfan]

DC, JS, Mark in Toronto, Kris, any of the regulars.....

How do you feel about Tebow in Philbins offense? I'm not saying I'm for or against it, but I'm sure the "Tebow could go to the Dolphins" talks will be coming soon and I was curious on your thoughts....

[Buffalo Bill]

Miami will have the #1 draft pick next year~~~

[Jaime]

Swing Low.....sweet.... The phins are toxic to the rest of the league and the only remedy is a front office overhaul (Ireland). New owner like, Mickey Arison wouldn't hurt either.

[NHFINSFAN]

OH...Tebow's accuracy is too low to be effective in a WCO.
Timing & accuracy is huge in this scheme and Tebow just cannot hit receives in stride on a consistent basis.

[Joe Schmoe]

DC, it appears you have turned the page. I still embrace the reality of this franchise but, it's good to see you have embraced optimism.

I had to take a break from some of the bloggers here. The supidity had just become too much for 1 sane person to handle.

So, don't expect an extended stay. I just needed to vent!

[oscar canosa]

Of course not, Armando, there's no $ to be found here.

[We Have Draft Picks]

First of all this whole mess goes back to Ireland saying after the season that the team's Number 1 priority is to upgrade the QB position. Therefore he needed to make a splash with someone to satisfy a fan base that has had to withstand an organization that has been a train wreck for the last ten years. I don't think he should have ever said anything publicly about this b/c Matt Moore was a HUGE surprise for us & played better than anyone could have expected. The Niners played it perfectly with Manning by not coming out & announcing their intentions.

So we lost out on Manning??? Fine. He's 36, he's going to make $20 million a year, & he wants a team that he can win a SB with. This was NOT realistic.

So...Next up is Matt Flynn. I guess we'll never REALLY know what happened here BUT Seattle's GM knows Flynn & their OC Darell Bevel was Favre's QB coach in GB who definitely knows how to run the West Coast offense. Seattle offered Flynn a VERY smart contract by only offering him $10 Million of guaranteed money so if he failed then they could cut ties & move forward. Ireland is an idiot for not beating Seattle's offer b/c after Manning, Flynn was the most attractive FA & he knows how to run Philbin's offense.

And then there's Alex Smith. If Ireland thought Smith was a better option than Flynn & he knew for a fact that he could get him then I can understand why he let Flynn sign somewhere else. However, Smith is not coming to Miami IMO unless the Niners sign Manning & even if that happens there's no guarantee that the Broncos or even the Browns might not make a play for Smith.

BTW--This is on top of not signing a WR after trading Marshall, not signing an upgrade @ RT, & not signing an upgrade @ RG.

There's no reason that Ireland shouldn't have been fired along with Sparano last year & now the Dolphins are getting crushed in the media (even by players like Ryan Clark) & now instead of paying a couple extra million to sign Flynn or Smith, Ross is going to lose a lot more than that this year in lost ticket sales, concessions, & the like. The fan base that attends games has been dwindling for years & at this point the organization has either hit rock bottom or is very close.

[Sigh]

I have a feeling the Dolphins will continue their lockdown for a long time. Lol.

[Ohio Dolfan]

Thanks NH,

and you fell into "any of the regulars" part of my post, didn't mean to leave you out. :)

[Tracy474]

It's the indecision, reluctance to pull the trigger, and low-class dealing of Jeff Ireland that are the problem in Miami.

If you didn't want any of these QB's in the first place, why did you bother bringing them in? And, don't give us that "due-diligence" crap again. You've been around long enough to know what you're getting! This year, the Dolphins had more info on potential starting QB's than any other team, many of which even the media pronounced as "perfect for Miami". But, the slimy stench of working for a bunch of lying snake-oil salesmen ran everyone of them off!

No one wants to play in Miami if they have other options!

That means you'd better draft the players that you want because you're done in Free Agency!

Perhaps, one day, someone will come along and fumigate our front office. Maybe then the vultures will stop circling the stadium!

[Jebediah]

Well Peyton is going to Denver. I kept saying that the guy is a douche. I've never liked him, and now I hope all goes terribly poorly for him including his health. All the worst to you Peyton you POS. I hope you play for one down and get hurt. Go to hell.

[Local Seth]

If we go after Tebow, I will be physically ill.

[Swamy]

Ross will give Denver one of the two 3rd round picks to get Tebow.

Tebowmania will fill the seats.

Can Philbin do a better job than Fox?

[Jebediah]

Tebow is awful. That would be the last straw.

[oscar canosa]

Sure, I remember Garrard. If I'm not mistaken, one year he had the best TD/Int ratio in the League. That's a sign that he makes good decisions of where he throws that ball. Now, he seems like an angry guy and not the easiest to get along with.

[tddd]

oh god we are going to trade for tebow

[bobbyd12]

Anyone and I mean anyone BUT TIM TE-BLOW

[The Crusher]

if manning goes to the broncos they will not trade tebow.he will learn to be a qb by watching one of the best for 2-3 years.draft osweiler,cousins,or tannehill and let philbin & sherman show him the favre/rodgers way of the world.
advice:
-go away peter king
-give 1/2 your paycheck to troy p and the linebackers mr clark.
-for all you doomsayers pining for joe robbie, he was too stupid to keep csonka,kiick,and warfield from going to something called the wfl in 1975
-i love the don.he was the best,but google some of his drafts in the 80's and you will learn why the bills regularly abused us in the 90's

[Blog Fodder]

Tebow...NOT INTERESTED. If they sign this running back to play QB, it is a sure sign that Philbin has no say in personnel matters.

[We Have Draft Picks]

Signing Garrard would be a joke at this point. If he can't get Alex Smith &/or we don't have a winning season Ross will be forced to fire Ireland just to appease the fan base. He might be a billionaire but NO ONE likes to lose money & be publicly embarrassed like this.

Clearly this has gone too far & become a running joke. You'd have to be from Mars to think that Ireland knows what he's doing at this point.

[NHFINSFAN]

Ross has $$$ in his eyes...I see him making a run at Tebow.

[We Have Draft Picks]

"ESPN's Adam Schefter reports free agent Peyton Manning will sign with the Broncos "barring an unexpected snag in contract talks."

Oh boy....There goes Alex Smith. Well played Ireland. Another miscalculation just blew up in your face. LMFAO!!! What an idiot!!!!

[Richard Reed]

Stick with Matt Moore and move on he's a good QB. Jeff Ireland is the worst GM the team has ever had. It's no wonder that even a rookie would shutter to come here. I hope that Ross understands that he made a huge mistake when he kept Ireland. This use to be a very proud organization. Not anymore, Jeff has seen to that after several seasons. Now that the team has no WR a suspect O-line whats this idiot Ireland going to do? I've been a fan of this team for over 40 years and I guess at this rate I wont see them in another Super Bowl in my lifetime. Hopefully my greatgrands will.

[Sigh]

The Dolphins will not trade a 3rd for Tebow. They will trade a 1st. Lol.

[David]

Dolphins QB for next year.
Starter-Brandon Weeden
Backup-Matt Moore
3rd string-Pat Delvin

Dolphin wanted all these QBs on the market and teams taking their QB now, like Seattle just did. The smart team are not always the teams that are making the moves in Free agency. Out of all the playoff teams, only one was with a Free Agent QB-Drew Brees.

By the way watch Brandon Weeden, and his release of the football is like Marino. If it was not for his age, he would be a top 5 pick this year.

[PA finfan]

Jason LaCanfora is a total douche bag, it is obvious he doesn't like our fins, and lately he hasn't even tried to conceal his dislike for us. When he talks about the fins he does it with total sarcasm and disdain. Just venting.

[We Have Draft Picks]

I actually didn't think the situation could get any worse if we lose out on Smith BUT trading for Tebow would DEFINITELY be worse!!!

If you're Ireland don't make it any worse than it already is. Just stick with Moore & pray that you have a winning season.

[furiousfins]

Let Tebow mania begin! Watch the Patriots beat us to him!

[jaksin]

how can last season end on such an upside and with hope turn into such a train wreck in the offseason? i thought fdree agency was meant to help your team? and now all i see is dolphin bashing and what a joke we are on every blog and comment section i read! i mean w.t.f!!! no one to back up moore, no one for him to throw to before he goes down to injury. i cant believe i was just smiling in december and now i want to choke the living crap outta some one down there!!!! im cursed, i swear to god im cursed.

[gofins83]

I'm beginning to see the Dolphin management's philosophy for the upcoming season, “Suck for Barkley!” Hey it may not have the same ring as “Suck for Luck”, but it may be effective. Genius!

[David]

Here is the link for QB Brandon Weeden.http://youtu.be/hpkLIET5uvA

[SANBAR]

Makes perfect sense. He will swalow his pride and be with a winner if ayton goes elsewhere. I don't know this as fact. But I think it is Tennessee or 4ers.

[jaksin]

i bet mallett looks pretty good now, idiots.

[Darryl Dunphy]

...I would be totaly for the Phins signing Tebow if he was signed to play tight end...Come on. I would ask anyone who is of sound mind to ignore any posts reguarding Tim Tebow as a solution to our quarterback situation. Reasonable people, even mentally ill people know that Tebow is not a quarterback. We are going to trade for him? pay something for him? Really?

[We Have Draft Picks]

Richard,

This franchise was a mess before Ireland ever came to Miami. It goes all the way back to when Huzienga bought the team & drove it into the ground when we went 1-15.

I hate Ireland's guts but this organization has not been competent since Don Shula was fired.

[Peter C]

Shut the front door!

Ireland fleeces everyone he trades with.

Can you say Reggie Bush? We get a 1100yarder for swapping 6th round picks?
Can you say Matt Moore? For what?
can you say Charles Clay? Tomorrow's "keith byars" :)
Can you say Brandon Marshall? We were a sneeze from a conditional 5th. We get two thirds.
Manning is today's Favre.
Alex Smith has the same Agent as Manning. Bbig surprise he wants to wait. Also big surprise he wants out of CAA.

Guys, open your eyes! REad between the lines.

If Ireland is fired, I quit the Dolphins. Plain and simple.