Does the family side of Ireland change your perspective?

I saw a side of Jeff Ireland over the weekend that I wasn't familiar with. I saw him put his youngest girl Annie on his shoulders like dads put their kids on their shoulders to see parades. I saw his pride in his only boy Riley. I listened to Rachel Ireland, the Dolphins general manager's wife, talk of how they met and how Ireland cared for her when she was in an auto accident soon after they met.

He asked her to marry him three months after they met. As I write in my column today, she was in a wheelchair when he proposed.

My column is not about the relationship Ireland and his wife share, although it does touch on it. That relationship seems strong from the outside. It has to be.

Because my column is about the Ireland twins and the struggles and fight and fallout that caused by the autism that attacked them when they were two years old.

I spent time with the Irelands (and Dan Marino as you can see in the photo) during this weekend's Dan Marino Foundation Walkabout for Autism at Sun Life Stadium. Ireland told me he's on the road for the Dolphins 150 to 175 days per year -- scouting, at bowls, at league meetings, at the combine, at player workouts. I've dealt with that side of Jeff Ireland. The General Manager side.

I hadn't dealt too often with the guy I saw over the weekend. The father. The husband. The guy who got a call when he was at the East-West Shrine game from his wife telling him to come home.

Three of the children had Influenza A. Annie had a fever of 105 and it wasn't coming down. Two others were throwing up. The nanny had gone home for the evening and Rachel couldn't get a hold of anyone to watch the other kids.

It was time to head to the hospital so Rachel called Ireland, who was in Tampa for the game. 

"I was taking them all the kids with me so I said by the time I get them all packed up and out the door, you need to be driving across Alligator Alley and come get the other kids so they don’t have to spend the night in the hospital with me," Rachel said. "And he came home.”

What else is a father to do, right?

“That doesn’t happen very often so when she makes that call, it’s a big deal," Ireland told me. "She can balance a lot. We sit there an argue for a second and then I realize it’s serious and I come."

We don't think of football players as people. They are guys on a TV screen that are chiseled and strong and fast. We don't often see their human side behind that helmet.

We don't think of coaches or general managers as people. They're the guys pacing the sideline or making trades from behind a curtain. And all we seem to care is if they get results. We don't much care if their children are sick, or their marriage is strong, or their twins twins have autism.

Or do we.

Look, many of you are very hard on Ireland. Your reasons for that, I assume, have to do with his work in bringing a winner to the Dolphins. But some of the criticism  is personal and cruel.

So now that you've gotten to know the Ireland family better are you as likely or less likely to take shots at the Miami GM?

Remember, professional accountability and criticism is inbounds. But can you agree with me, personal cracks are out of bounds?

Comments

[oscar canosa]

Egnew will probably be cut this year as Gates was last year. Ireland again has failed to draft a Playmaker on O.

[LOL]

It's obvious, Ask armando. Oh better yet, don't and continue to post conspiracy theories! You are a winner!

Aloco rules, I can relate because although my kid isn't autistic, he is considered on the spectrum because of verbal delays.

Perhaps you should join Craig in reading comprehension class. or better yet, continue to post here under fake names, misread what's typed & act like a total jackweed!

[oscar canosa]

Ho!, you didn't like that one. Nevertheless true.

[LOL]

To Mark & Signal, thanks for your posts.

Mark, notice how I left canada out of this one? LOL

Stupidity & a lack of class have no geographical boundries!

[promichael]

Steven Ross says:

I think that Jeff Ireland is a young GM learning on the job and learning from his mistakes. I feel that he will be a great GM one day in the future.

His personal life should have nothing to do with his performance on the job.
=====================================================
Steven, while Jeff is in route to becoming a great GM one day. (this decade I hope) Could you please ask him to stop looking for ACORNS and find the Miami Dolphins some PLAYMAKERS.

[We Need Playmakers]

"...Given time and trust, these men will put together super bowl teams one day. No doubt about that in my mind."

Sticker,

Seriously...A SB team??? How about a winning season first.

BTW--You totally missed the point of the article. The article is not whether you think Ireland is a good GM or not. The article is about the fact that the some fans have lost their grip on reality by hating Ireland as a person b/c they think he has done a bad job as GM.

[Laughingstock Fins]

It'll be another 50 years till these jokers win a SB. Ross and Ireland are incompetent.

[( . ) ( . ) MaGee]

LOL, At Michael, Ireland reminds me of a guy that goes into K-Mart looking for a bargain while others go stright to Lords of London to buy the best clothes.

[We Need Playmakers]

Steven, while Jeff is in route to becoming a great GM one day. (this decade I hope) Could you please ask him to stop looking for ACORNS and find the Miami Dolphins some PLAYMAKERS.

Promichael,

There's nothing wrong with looking for acorns & sometimes they become playmakers. Victor Cruz, Adrian Foster, Wes Welker, Antonio Gates, & Wake were all undrafted players.

[Mark in Toronto]

Isn't that Lloyd's of London??

[Mark in Toronto]

No, wait that's Insurance. haven't heard of Lords of London ...

[Laughingstock Fins]

3 picks for D Thomas was MORONIC

[We Need Playmakers]

Isn't that Lloyd's of London??

LOL@Mark. Yeah & it's one of the most respected insurance companies in the world. Wasn't going to touch that but so glad you did. Ha!!!

Probably would have been better off if he said Bergdorf or Neiman Marcus...

[DC Dolfan]

Mark, he meant Lords of Flatbush.

[We Need Playmakers]

Mark,

There is no 'Lords of London.' Sounds like a new cissy band that plays unthreatening music like Coldplay...

[oscar canosa]

It is boundaries, boundaries.

[klndry]

I don't give a hoot about Irelands personal life. I want him to do great at his job.

Asking a woman to marry you when she is in a wheel chair? Dude, some people might think Jeffy has a bit of a kink on.

My guess is that there is nothing to write about, so we are going to get some family and bible stories.

[promichael]

We Need Playmakers says:

Promichael,

There's nothing wrong with looking for acorns & sometimes they become playmakers. Victor Cruz, Adrian Foster, Wes Welker, Antonio Gates, & Wake were all undrafted players.
======================================================
Your right there is nothing wrong with looking for acorns. One just has to find them once and a while. The acorns Victor Cruz etc...that you mentioned were not found by Jeff. Which makes them irrelevant. It's real easy to be correct on a college prospect in the 1st or early 2nd rounds but anyone on this site can do that.

[CommonSense]

Different Day. Same stupid cries from even dumber people. Go figure...

[We Need Playmakers]

"3 picks for D Thomas was MORONIC"

Laughing stock,

After the season Thomas had it looks like ONE pick was moronic. I don't have any confidence that this kid can stay healthy & help this team.

[oscar canosa]

Speaking about great Organizations yesterday, you can smell the class of the Krafts, the Roonies, the DiBartolos...l

[Mark in Toronto]

Haha, Lords of Flatbush, Coldplay ... good stuff.

Lords of London ... and here I was thinking that I missing out on a new trend ...

Anybody watch the show Suits ... pretty good

By the way, offensive acorns ...Austin, Dallas, Ireland

[Mark in Toronto]

Doesn't Ross have more money than any of them? Not saying money buys class but everyone's tune changes once wins start coming. And SF was down for a long azzzz time.

[DC Dolfan]

SS is saying Bush is likely to walk. Next guy up (Lamar Miller) get ready!

[( . ) ( . ) MaGee]

Sorry Guys Should have said "Lord And Taylors".

[The Blog]

Craig,

You are the poster child for birth control. If you were dying of thirst on the street I wouldn't even p*ss in your mouth!

Disrespectfully,

[We Need Playmakers]

By the way, offensive acorns ...Austin, Dallas, Ireland

Mark,

Not bad. Miles Austin certainly could have helped in 2012. Clearly we needed more contributors on offense.

[DarrylDunphy]

..We all know the Phins have some major holes to fill. The debate which position is most important is a good one. You can make a point for a 3-4 spots that all make sense. Cornerback is one of them.

I was a supporter of the idea to resign Sean Smith. After doing some evaluation(re-watching some games, doing some research on prospects or other free agents) I think it would be a mistake to give Smith anything more then a lower 2nd tier corner contract. Check this out. Smith was the 17 worse corner with guys with over 3 snaps at giving up first downs, and td's 46 7.37 percent of the time smith was being burned for a first down or touchdown. It gets worse. Smith isn't the only offender.

Nolan Carrol was statistically 5th worst corner in this category. 33 with close to an 8 percent snap to FD-TD ratio(7.95) Jimmy Wilson was 20th @ 7.23 percent. The Phins were the only squad with multiple players on this list.

We need upgrade at corner. I don't think the draft is the way to go about it. Free agency, a possible trade could yield the best and quickest results.

[Dennis Mitchell]

We Need Playmakers,

Do you like pineapple yogurt and cat heads? I like both. And pretzels, too.

[DarrylDunphy]

@ 4:14 300 snaps

[The Truth.Com]

Sorry Guys Should have said "Lord And Taylors".

Posted by: ( . ) ( . ) MaGee | January 30, 2013 at 04:09 PM

Dude, Lord and taylors?Is'nt where they sell top end dresses??
Dude Are you a chick?

[Clue]

Grrrreeat an article aboout what a great person Ireland is outside of football. Who cares just draft some GD playmakers and not there acorns.

Marrying a women in a wheelchair is weird

[ALoco]

ARMANDO AND THE DUMB STORIES ...........

YOU SEE DADS EVERY DAY DOING THE SAME ..

WHY OUR GARAGE MANAGER WOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT ..............

I THINK ARMANDO IS KISSING OUR GARAGE MANAGER'S AZZZZZZZ ,SINCE HE'S NOT GETTING FIRED...

[We Need Playmakers]

"Your right there is nothing wrong with looking for acorns. One just has to find them once and a while. The acorns Victor Cruz etc...that you mentioned were not found by Jeff. Which makes them irrelevant. It's real easy to be correct on a college prospect in the 1st or early 2nd rounds but anyone on this site can do that."

Promichael,

I was merely pointing out that 'acorns' can become playmakers.

BTW--Wake was on that list so I don't think that makes them 'irrelevant' considering he's our best player. Regardless, my point was that every year there are guys out there like this.

And I wish it was 'easy' to be right every year on 1st & 2nd round picks b/c if that was the case this team would be outstanding. Just imagine how much better we'd be if some of these 1st & 2nd round picks like Ginn, Jason Allen, Matt Roth, John Beck, Henne, Merling, Pat White, & Daniel Thomas actually panned out??? The truth is that VERY few picks--like an Andrew Luck or a Calvin Johnson--are ever sure things.

[Mark in Toronto]

Just checked Lords and Taylor. predominantly women's clothes but they do have a men's department.

[oscar canosa]

The k in a great Organization is the Owner. It doesn't /_\.

[ALoco]

LOL....
I JUST READ PAGE 3 AND SAW YG TALKING TO ME ABOUT SOME ONE IS FAKING ME,I DIDN'T POST ANY ALL DAY .....

THIS IS MY SECOND POSTING TODAY AFTER THE FIRST @ 3;15PM.....

OK,DONKEYS,,,

[oscar canosa]

We like sure things, the Surer the better.

[promichael]

You guys should have been taught by your wives or girlfriends that the high end stuff are located in various boutiques.....However if you are ever in New York City you can visit the sample sales located around Madson Square Garden. High end designer wear is sold much cheaper there.

[We Need Playmakers]

We need upgrade at corner. I don't think the draft is the way to go about it. Free agency, a possible trade could yield the best and quickest results.

Even with Smith, Hartline, & Fasano our CB's, our WR's, & our TE's are all among the weakest groups in the NFL in 2012. W/o them??? It's even scarier but there's NO WAY I'd pay Smith more than $2.5 Million a year. I just don't believe he's consistent enough or makes enough impact plays to be a starter.

[We Need Playmakers]

Daryl that last post was for you.

[The Truth.Com]

Truth, Female.
Does this scare you?

[ALoco]

LOL....

SORRY FOR THE ARMANDO WHO'S FAKING ME TO GET MORE HITS..........

[LOL]

Aloco,

I honestly don't care if it was you or someone else. If people wanna focus on who's impostering who, have at it. That's baby games.

Conspiray theories on a football blog? Waste of space!

[oscar canosa]

He a pansy?

[ALoco]

LOL.... I JUST BACK FROM WORK,I DIDN'T WRITE THAT CRAP ACCUSING PEOPLE OF IMPOSTRING EACH OTRER ....

[Mark in Toronto]

Playmakers, I pay him $5 - same as we gave Richard Marshall ..

[ALoco]

LOL.....
I KNOW THAT ARMANDO FAKES ME EVERY DAY,THAT'S WHY HE NEVER COMES OUT AND TELL US WHO DOES IT...

ARMANDO IS THE BIGGEST DONKEY ....

[Mark in Toronto]

Wouldn't that make Armando a burro?

[Craig M]

LOL,

Amazing to me that you take a post about JEFF IRELAND and continue to ramble on about YOU and your family and everything BUT Jeff Ireland. NEWSFLASH bud....the blog had NOTHING to do with you or anyone else you might know.

And my comments to you earlier had nothing to with your son but rather about YOU. You've either got a reading comprehension problem or have the need to have the spotlight on you. Regardless, 'who cares'....

[Brian]

Lord and Taylor isn't even upscale anymore. It's a department store for women "of a certain age" stuck deeply in the past.

Nordstrom, Bergdorf-Goodman, and Neiman Marcus offer far more contemporary and exclusive clothing.

You guys probably shop at JCPenney, though.

[Brian]

I imagine lots of shopping for "relaxed fit" jeans, too, lol.

[Craig M]

LOL,

I'm sure you'll KEEP going on about this....you just cant stand to have the spotlight somewhere else, other than on you.

I'm out....

[Mark in Toronto]

Some of my everyday work clothes comes from the men's department at macy's (CK, RL, DKNY, etc). Does this make the grade here at the blog? Slim fit though... I got nothing to hide!

[promichael]

We Need Playmakers,

All of the players you mentioned except for Matt Roth and Jason Allen were picked by the Ireland/Parcells regime. I think Parcells was the one that set this team back big time more than any other person taking the two billionaire's money. (Huizenga and Ross)

[superPHIN]

Ireland might be a very kind hearted person outside of football and thats great for humanity and himself....

However, just becuase your a nice guy doesnt mean you should be ignored in how you've peformed at your job overall since youve been with a business or corperation...if a guy sucks or hasnt performed well at his job and continues to supply a crappy product to his customers, 90% of businesses dont care what type of person you are when you are KINDLY discharged from their services....

This happens to sports players and everyday people daily, its a business armando...and yes its a cruel SOB sometimes but Ireland shouldnt get a reprieve just becuase he's a good guy at heart...HE NEEDS TO BE BETTER AT HIS JOB!!!

[We Need Playmakers]

Playmakers, I pay him $5 - same as we gave Richard Marshall ..

Mark,

Yeah just look at how great that worked out...Was hardly playing very well before he got hurt & now we may have to cut him b/c of the back surgery he had which was no joke.

When I look at every FA we have IMO the safest guy to re-sign for any type of sizable contract right now has to be Hartline. Every NFL player has question marks (can he stay healthy, can he continue to produce at a high level, etc.) but CLEARLY he has less question marks than the other guys.

[LOL]

Craig Moron,

funny how you accuse me of reading comprehension issues yet other people read it the same way I did & view you the same way I do.

AS A low life classless individual.

Check yourself FOOL. You trying to backtrack now makes you look all the more pathetic!

GO BACK TO NOT FEELING SORRY FOR MY KID FOR HAVING SOME DELAYS. OR BETTER YET, USE YOUR LACK OF READING COMPREHENSION TO CALL HIM DISABLED AGAIN.

GET LOST, LOSER!

[Mark in Toronto]

I know the signing didn't work out but that's the going rate for competent 2nd corners on the market. It's actually cheap. I think we were paying benny sapp almost $4m. These fukkkkers are expensive and none can do the job.

[LOL]

Mark, Nate Jones was pretty good in 2008 but, we let him walk.

And, I'm pretty sure he wasn't making anywhere near $4m per year. Lucky if he was banking $1m.