Jeff Ireland has now booked two interviews during this extensive GM hiring period. Following his Panthers meeting, the Saints executive met with the Lions on Friday.
Best known for his time as Dolphins GM (2008-13), Ireland resurfaced with the Saints and helped the Mickey Loomis–Sean Payton regime reposition the team as the NFC South’s best after some mid-2010s defensive struggles. The Saints have won four straight division titles, doing so despite losing Drew Brees for extensive stretches in each of the past two years, and have some recent draft classes to thank for their consistency.
Ireland, 50, works as the Saints’ assistant GM and college scouting director. During his stay, the Saints drafted perennial Pro Bowlers Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore and several other impact starters. This has undoubtedly helped Ireland resurface on the GM interview circuit after his Dolphins teams slunk out of the playoff picture following a 2008 AFC East title. These Carolina and Detroit meetings are Ireland’s first known GM interviews since his Dolphins tenure ended.
The Lions have conducted a thorough GM search thus far. They have targeted a few former GMs — from Thomas Dimitroff (Falcons), Scott Pioli (Chiefs) and Rick Smith (Texans) — and expressed interest in poaching longtime Seahawks GM John Schneider. Here is how Detroit’s candidate list looks as of Friday afternoon:
- Thomas Dimitroff, former Falcons general manager: Interviewed
- Terry Fontenot, Saints assistant GM: Interviewed
- Brad Holmes, Rams director of college scouting: To be interviewed
- Rob Lohman, Lions director of pro scouting: Interviewed
- Lance Newmark, Lions director of player personnel: Interviewed
- Kyle O’Brien, Lions VP of player personnel: Interviewed
- George Paton, Vikings assistant GM: Interviewed
- Scott Pioli, former Chiefs GM/NFL Network analyst: Interviewed
- Louis Riddick, ESPN analyst/former Eagles exec: Interviewed
- John Schneider, Seahawks general manager: Rumored candidate
- Rick Smith, former Texans general manager: Interviewed
The fact that Rod Wood and Ford-Hemp would offer this man an interview goes to the heart of the Ford Family dysfunction. Wood himself is grossly incompetent but with regards Ireland during his tour as GM with Miami he conducted a draft interview with Dez Bryant asking him if his Mother was a prostitute. This man has absolutely no business in the NFL, but Woods is proving again that he is following in the Lewand, Schmidt, Thomas, Millen dysfunction and rest assured whoever this guy hires we will be going through another rebuild in 3-4 years. But more to the point. If Ireland gets the job people of color ought to ban this team permanently.
Any other reason you don’t like him, besides he asked an inappropriate question during an interview 10 years ago? (that he apologized for) Not defending him as I admittedly don’t know much about his career, but just curious where your hatred for him is coming from.
Your objections to my rebuttal notwithstanding Ireland’s apology fails the ‘smell test.’ Ireland’s question to Bryant was well thought out prior to his insult which was clearly race baiting and inappropriate. Bryant’s reputation in college was clearly known to scouts and GM’s and Ireland’s question was meant to invoke a response. He was testing Bryant to see how he reacted. By my reckoning this stood as a gross act of cowardice on Ireland’s part. Basically representing the standard empty suit like Wood’s. But the bigger question which you ignore is that the Ford Family dysfunction and their ‘broken toy’ continues to spiral downward (going on 57 years) and always left in the hands of a Ford Family lackey like Woods who lacks any understanding of the game. Woods brought the Quinn/Patrica dysfunction thus killing 5 more years of Stafford’s career. Regardless on how you want to interpret the Ford’s obsessions with bringing in people like Wood’s the single indisputable fact that remains the elephant in the room is clear: since Bill Ford bought the team outright from a group of investors in 1963, the team has won a SINGLE playoff game. You are inviting another dysfunctional rebuild by ignoring the obvious and failing to identify why these four year cycles always produce the same results.
The team has NOT always been run by a non-football “lackey”. That was presumably true of Russ Thomas, although he was presumably ‘a football guy’ after 20 yrs as GM (just not a good one). Also true of bean counter Chuck Schmidt. Matt Millen was hired to adopt the model you endorse: football guy as President/CEO. Millen ran the entire show and reported directly to Ford. As bad as Quinn/Patricia may have been, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Millen. Teams like the Ravens work fine with a finance guy as President and good football GMs & HCs working for them. WCF had serious issues hiring talented executives. Martha didn’t do too bad with Mayhew & Quinn. They brought in solid talent but also made major mistakes that really hurt the team. Looks like Shelia Hamp and Wood are learning from the Quinn hire. Hopefully she’ll get it right this time. Even if she doesn’t, we won’t have wait 8+ years for a change like we used to with WCF.
Nowhere in either comment I made did I reveal what I “endorse” and your suggestion otherwise is dishonest. And if you bothered reading my first post I ‘included’ Millen in the entire rotten history of the Ford Family. Millen had no prior experience in a front office role; nor did he ever draft anyone prior to taking over in Detroit. I agree Millen was a disaster but it hardly renders illegitimate my point about the current incompetent lackey, Wood’s. As long as Hemp-Ford continues to rely on (mostly) inexperienced family toadies like Millen and Wood’s I suggest the result will be identical to what we have now. Moreover, Wood’s has asserted that the Lions want a “collaborative” model between coach and GM. What do you think they had with Quinn/Patricia two guys joined at the hip? Please tell me what happens when Coach and GM disagree in the draft– whose decision will prevail? The model I advocate is giving the Head Coach absolute control like they have in New England, Seattle, and KC. A far cry different than your presuppositions attributed to me.
How was Millen “a family toadie “? He had no former association with the Fords as a player or commentator. You are simply making up facts to fit your argument. Wood is the Ford family advisor and worked for them for a long time before being brought into the Lions as President. Millen was a top analyst at Fox with extensive football knowledge and no ties to the Ford family. FYI only in New England does the coach have “total control”. Seattle & KC give the coach final say on personnel decisions but the GM and that org doesn’t report to them. You only need to look to Millen’s predecessor, Bobby Ross, for an example of that model with the Lions. He had final say on draft & personnel instead of Ron Hughes & Kevin Colbert. A much better idea would have been to let Hughes hire a coach and ultimately transition to Colbert. Worked out pretty well for the Steelers. The Bill Belichick model only works for Belichick and Purcells and maybe Andy Reid (he’s had very good GMs in KC). The Lions and Texans proved that. I do agree that the Seattle model of including the coach in the hiring process for the GM and having them work as partners would be the best approach. However, there really isn’t a Pete Carroll or even Andy Reid out there right now who can come in with a clear vision of what they want & need. Reid was excellent out of the gate, but that is a rarity. Most HCs need to either come into a strong organization or screw up & learn from their mistakes (Pete Carroll is a perfect example). Regardless, best to have both on a equal footing with a common vision. With that in place the HC should have final say or veto power on moves. This all happens with Ron Wood as a President running the business side.
Talk about making up facts: your rebuttal is ‘rich’ given your interpretations of Wood. Wood has no prior experience on the football side yet it is pretty clear from his public appearances on social media, news outlets, and talking heads interviews that he is in complete control of the hiring process. With regards Millen he had communication with Bill Ford Jr prior to his hire and it was reported extensively at the time. There is plenty of documentary evidence to support it. Millen can be characterized as a Family Toady given the length he held the job juxtaposed his drafting failures which are epic; his losing record, and his long list of hiring and firing of Head Coaches along with his tenure which was over 7 years. He clearly had Bill Ford Sr. in his back pocked not unlike Thomas, Schmidt, Lewand, and Mayhew. Talk about making things up, look in the mirror. Wood’s killed 5 years of Staffords Career with his first fiasco in hiring. Wood’s interviewed three people in that fling. One Sheldon White was nothing more than a token interview to satisfy the Ronney Rule and White was never going to get the job. What you are engaging in is a Ford Family and Wood ‘apologetic.’ I assume you are speaking as a Wood proxy given the intensity with which you worship the man while paying homage to his incompetence. With regard your second assertion I never said the aforementioned ran the business side that is your defunct presupposition. They do stand over the GM and if your bother to look on those teams sites the organizational charts bear this out.
I wrote the following article on Bleecher Report in 2009; nothing has changed since then with regards the Lions.
link to bleacherreport.com
FYI. None of the coaches you reference are the President of their team. Seattle has had business guys like Ron Wood as President for the entire Pete Carroll era. Reid & Belichick report to the owner and do not run the business operations.
Calling Pete Carrol a screw up is hyperbole. Carrol has won 11 playoff games and been to the SB. Detroit has one playoff win since 1963. Carrol has been in Seattle for 15 years. Here are the facts, not that that is something you take into consideration, but maybe the readers of this forum will:
link to pro-football-reference.com
While the Ford family has demonstrated incompetence in ownership, it may all simply go back to the curse of Bobby Layne.
Wow, coming in hot.
I didn’t ignore anything. Just asked a simple direct question about your hatred for Ireland. He asked an inappropriate question and you didn’t like his apology. Gotcha.
Have an awesome day!
Dude, providing a objective critique is not, nor has it anything to with hatred. I must confess that I am taken aback by your lack of awareness juxtaposed our contemporary and social nightmare. Makes me wonder if you are living in a vacuum or you just don’t care what is
going on in this country regarding the oppression and murder of black people who happen to be subhuman to other people like Ireland.
Ireland’s question was inappropriate, sure, but are you sure that he only asked it because Dez was black? I know it seems “prudent” to make that assumption, but if that were the case, you’d figure that would be something that would occur more often over the course of seven years as a GM. Your argument does seem like a bit of a stretch-and I’m not a fan of Ireland, either.
Good question. If you can cite other sources that indicate Ireland made it a habit of asking the same question to white players I will agree with you. If you cannot, the point is entirely speculative.
For starters, I was just trying to understand your angry point of view. In hindsight, I should’ve just ignored you.
Secondly, you were never objective. You came in hot with righteous indignant diatribe after diatribe. So they had a meaningless interview with the guy? You act as if they all personally came over to your house and kicked your dog.
Finally, I’m not in a vacuum. I just don’t make a mountain out of molehill about the Lions interviewing a guy that asked one inappropriate question during a random interview 10 years ago and then weakly correlate it to what’s going on in society today. Playing devil’s advocate, I mentioned at least he apologized, to which you replied it didn’t pass your “smell test”. Whatever that is.
Frankly, you come off as one of those people who aren’t happy unless you’re unhappy. Hopefully not, but I’d suggest smoking a bowl anyway. Good luck with that!
Have an awesome day!
PS: For the record, my preferences are Riddick and Saleh.
Well I always appreciate ‘true believers’ who operate as a ‘Tag Team.’ You have absolutly no credibility whatsoever given that you take refuge by hiding your identity. Conversely, I am using my real name with all the consequences that implies. You and your friend are most likely proxies doing the bidding of the Ford’s/and or Wood.
The facts are as follows: do the best you can.
Wood’s is a business guy, who messed up his first attempt
at hiring. As a result Stafford’s career languished for five years.
The Ford’s have owned the team since 1963 and have produced ‘one’ payoff win in that time.
The Ford’s have hired previous coaches who won in their careers like Monte Clark who successfully coached at SF. Monte noted prophetically that he was “Always working with damaged goods.” Of course speaking about Russ Thomas. Monte was fired and Thomas stayed.
Thomas like other Ford family toadies and sycophants was reported by many at the time most notably Detroit News Columnist Jerry Green that Ford Sr was an alcoholic and Thomas took him to his cabin to help him beat the addiction. Ford remained in Thomas corner and allowed him to otherwise destroy the team until he retired.
Lewand and Schmidt had no prior football experience (like Wood) when they were hired by Thomas. Both eventually ran the team with failed results.
Millen had no prior experience as a GM. After 7 years of failure he was fired.
Now Wood’s is following in the same footprint left by others.
Wood’s first attempt was a utter and complete disaster. He did not make extensive interviews like he is doing now.
Wood’s defended Matt Patrica a couple of years ago, calling him a “good coach.’
Thomas hired Jerry Vanasi who was a successful GM of the Bears and Vanasi put together a stellar draft but was promptly fired by Thomas. Vanasi might have actually turned the team around but because of personality conflict with Thomas was let go.
These are the facts. They are undisputed.
I might also add that both Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson had reached their limits with the organizational structure of the team; and both retired long before their legendary careers had to. In the case of Johnson he is still at odds with the currently lackey Wood’s. You don’t have to believe anything I say, Do some research on why Sanders and Johnson both retired early. Their unhappiness when they retired is well documented. Sanders now gets paid uphold the myth Wood’s and Ford-Hemp are shoveling. But he did not like the team when he initially retired.
One more thing: the bottom line regarding the Ford family narcissism around ownership is their appalling record. No amount of a apologetic on behalf of the Ford Family Cancer will ever cancel the most important fact of all: since 1963 they have only won ‘ONE’ playoff game. These debates of coach and GM are interminable. They repeat every 3-4 years. And they will do so again.
Ireland was not a complete disaster in Miami, but certainly was not someone who inspires much confidence as the solution bringer for a new franchise. First, whomever the Panthers hire will NEED to be comfortable taking second seat to the owner in football matters. Tepper’s has made it pretty clear, through his choice of words and his actions, that he will be involved in football decisions. Ireland seems to have too much experience for that.
Detroit seems like they’re willing to hire a coach before a GM, and I think that’s how they’d prefer to go unless a GM candidate blows them out of the water.
Ireland’s recent work with the Saints, combined with his significant seven years’ experience as a GM, are elements that most other candidates don’t have, but the handful of questionable choices with Miami (his failed coaching hires, for instance) make him seem less right for Detroit, who is insistent it seems on getting the right coach first and foremost.
Talk with him and send him back on the plane empty handed. No need for his past distractions being something that follows him around everywhere.
Rod Wood and Shield Ford-Hamp are turning over all the retread and “names” the media throws out there. My personal belief is they will hire Robert Saleh first and then get a GM that is on the same page with him. Just a opinion and hopefully the outcome.