Miami Dolphins: 10 Worst Decisions of the Jeff Ireland Era

What led Miami Dolphins fans to hack Jeff Ireland's Wikipedia page and change his job title from "general manager" to "the most incompetent human being in the history of existence?"

It was likely not just one thing. Terrible decisions compounded by terrible decisions under the Jeff Ireland regime have Dolphins fans all riled up. Things reached a boiling point last week when a number of fans gathered outside the Dolphins training facility in Davie, Fla., to protest and call for the firing of Ireland. Many fans have been calling for his firing for years, actually.

Here are some of the worst decisions of the Jeff Ireland era in Miami.

10. Drafting Chad Henne

Miami selected Henne in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft as Miami's QB of the future.

Mel Kiper called it a mistake and said Henne would never be a big-time QB because of his lingering accuracy issues.

Too bad it took Miami four years to figure out that Kiper was right.

9. Cutting Yeremiah Bell

Bell was a veteran leader who mentored and helped develop several of Miami's up-and-coming defensive players.

If Bell had lost a step, then the release would be understandable, but he was a consistent defender and solid player who actually led the team in tackles in 2011.  In fact, Bell was a team captain in 2011, and since he had been with Miami for eight years, he was the most senior Dolphin.

Now that Bell has been cut. that makes long snapper John Denney the longest-tenured Dolphin. Fortunately, though, Bell has not yet been signed by another team, so the Dolphins could still potentially re-sign him.

8. Publicly Pursuing and Subsequently Striking out on High-Profile Coaches

Pretty much everyone around the league is well aware of Jeff Ireland's embarrassing trip across the country to woo Harbaugh while Sparano was still under contract. Ireland struck out a second time when he pushed to sign Jeff Fisher as head coach.

The failures stung most because of their public nature. Miami's failure to acquire multiple big-name coaches is an embarrassing testament to the current state of the franchise.

7. Jeff Ireland Asking Dez Bryant If His Mom Was a Prostitute

It doesn’t even matter what context this question was asked in—it makes Miami look terrible.

Actions like this have helped make Miami's franchise a laughingstock in the NFL. Just last week on NFL Network, Joey Porter and Warren Sapp suggested that Miami's failure to attract talented coaches and players stemmed from a perception around the league based on incidents like the Ireland/Bryant one.

6. Promising, but Failing to Sign Manning or Another Quality QB This Offseason

Maybe I won't blame Ireland and co. for not getting Peyton Manning during the most recent free agency because Manning was the real decision-maker, and the front office had little control.

What is more unbelievable is that the team didn't really bother trying too hard to get Matt Flynn or Alex Smith this offseason. Miami hasn't spent a first-round draft pick on a quarterback in almost 30 years, and these missed opportunities have been burning the Dolphins for years (think Drew Brees circa 2006).

Oh, just in case you were wondering, the last QB Miami spent a first-round pick on was a guy named Daniel Marino—remember him?

5. Signing Mark Colombo and Insiting He Was Starting Material

Ireland and Sparano showed a propensity for signing old Dallas Cowboys players. Mark Colombo is the poster child for their failure.

The duo insisted that Colombo was starting material. Out of the 76 starting tackles in the NFL in 2011, Colombo ranked 69th, according to Pro Football Focus (h/t Rotoworld). He was the worst Dolphins lineman and routinely gave up sacks, which helped Miami rank among the worst in the NFL in sacks allowed last year.

4. Not Re-Signing Jason Taylor and Letting Him Go to the Jets in 2009

Jason Taylor in a Jets uniform is one of the most confusing and repulsive images known to man. (It's science, trust me.)

Taylor had already been let go by the organization in 2008. The fans were thrilled to have him back in 2009, as Taylor had always been a fan favorite. He still had some gas left in the tank, he wanted to come back for the 2010 season and Miami needed the veteran leadership.

But instead of signing him to a modest contract, Miami forced Taylor to sign with another team, which ended up being the mortal enemy New York Jets.

This was tough for a lot of Miami fans to accept, and it was a real morale killer.

3. Trading Brandon Marshall for 2 3rd-Round Picks

Miami knew Marshall's off-the-field issues when they traded two third-round picks for him in 2010.

While in Miami, Marshall's production was fantastic. He posted two 1,000-yard seasons and earned a Pro Bowl selection (plus a Pro Bowl MVP).

The Dolphins' last two third-round draft picks? John Jerry and Patrick Turner.

Miami gave up their biggest offensive star for little-to-no compensation.

You're welcome, Chicago Bears fans!

2. Giving Chad Henne "Another" Chance

Miami spent four long years investing in Chad Henne and never got anything more than a 7-9 season in return. (No, Pennington's 11-5 season doesn't count.)

Management was so committed to Henne that they passed up pursuing other options at QB. It is no surprise that the team has not made much progress since they drafted him.

1. Drafting Pat White

Too short. Not enough arm strength. Sketchy accuracy.

Pat White was drafted way too high in the 2009 NFL draft.

Miami took White in the second round (44th overall) and left many fans scratching their heads.

Mel Kiper had White rated below Ball State's Nate Davis, who wasn't even selected until the fifth round (171st overall). White never really added anything to Miami's team, and he was waived by the Dolphins before the 2010 season.

After being waived, White signed with MLB's Kansas City Royals, but retired just months later.