Dolphins fans finally got their wish with the recent departure of general manager Jeff Ireland, and then half of them went into a dramatic frenzy over how the process to replace him was playing out (maybe, at least in some corners, because someone with a vagina was involved). Go figure.
Anyway, owner Stephen Ross has released a statement on the search and what he's looking for in a new GM to quiet things down. Most notably he reiterated the GM will report to him, and not to either head coach or team VP Dawn Aponte. Though, The Herald adds that the new GM will not have direct power to fire Aponte or coach Joe Philbin.
"The new General Manager will have autonomous responsibility for the 53 man roster and selecting players during the draft and will report to me," Ross said in his statement. "First and foremost, this person must have a passion for the game and demonstrated player evaluation expertise. They will need to be a person who is a collaborative team player that puts the organization first. Regardless of reporting structure, the relationship between the General Manager and Coach Philbin must be one of trust, respect, and collaboration, and this will be an area we will look closely at during the process. This individual also must be a person with integrity who is open-minded and creative."
According to The Herald and ESPN, the Fins have found at least six men they hope will meet those requirements: Brian Gaine (Miami's own assistant GM), Ray Farmer (Browns' assistant GM), Lake Dawson (Titans' VP of player personnel), Marc Ross (Giants VP of player evaluation), Omar Khan (Steelers' director of football operations) and Jason Licht (Cardinals' directors of player personnel).
With the exception of Khan, all have experience in player evaluation, a point of contention with fans when rumors were flying that Aponte might land the job herself.
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