Jeff Ireland may not be doing his homework

Jeff Ireland is our modern day Matt Millen, just not quite as bad. Like Millen, Ireland has been under fire for an extended period of time, and legitimate questions are being raised about his ability to lead an NFL team’s personnel department. Like most popular opinions, there is some credence behind why Dolphins fans are constantly frustrated, and earlier this week, Jeff Ireland gave them one more reason to resent him.

According to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Dolphins didn’t even call the Bengals to discuss Chad Ochocinco’s past body of work. It’s not a matter of courtesy for a GM to make a simple phone call to inquire about a former player’s work ethic; it’s a matter of common sense.

Marvin Lewis told Reedy, of the Ochocinco signing, “They’re going to make a determination. There is no downside for them.  Chad obviously had a great career here and I know he would be excited about that opportunity.”

In all reality, Ireland probably made the right move by signing Ochocinco. The Dolphins had a need for a veteran wide receiver, and Ochocinco fits the bill. The idea I’m floating is that some of Ireland’s incompetence may be shining through. If I’m the GM of a major sports team, I’d be asking a player’s former employer what type of guy he is in the locker room even if I’ve already made up my mind to sign him. If knowledge is power, I want as much of it as I can get. Maybe Dolphins fans are right. Maybe Jeff Ireland really is as incompetent as some believe he really is.

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

Quantcast