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Ireland: ‘You just wish you could pay them five- or six-thousand dollars and say, Go earn it.’

By Ben Volin | Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 11:57 PM

Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland was Kim Bokamper’s featured guest Wednesday on WQAM 560’s Dolphins Tonight.

In his 12-minute spot, Ireland discussed several topics, including the progress of the contract negotiations with the team’s final three unsigned picks, scouting the Arena Football and Canadian Football leagues, and the risk of giving a big pay day in the NFL, especially for unproven players.

“You just wish you could pay them five or six thousand dollars and say, Go earn it, but it’s not the same anymore,” Ireland said. “But really it comes down to what we’re trying to accomplish from a culture standpoint. You want guys that when you do pay them the big contract, they’re going to go on and do the same thing they’ve done.

“The guys we had in Dallas, like Jason Witten and Marion Barber, I don’t think we ever had to worry about those kinda guys. … You like giving those guys the big contract, you like giving those guys more money because one, they earned it, and two, they’re going to continue to earn it. We get guys like that around the Miami Dolphins, we’ll be glad to give those guys that money.”

Bokamper then joked that he made $5,000 when he entered the league in 1977, and was happy to get it.

“Dadgum right you were,” Ireland said.

Other selected highlights from Ireland’s interview:

On signing Phillip Merling, Chad Henne and Kendall Langford: “We didn’t get it done by July 1, but that doesn’t mean we’re not around the corner. I don’t think we’re going to have any problem getting all three of them done. This time of year is like any other business, it slows down a little bit around the July 4 holiday. … But as soon as the seventh rolls around it’s going to be business as usual, and we’ll try to get these guys wrapped up here before too long.”

On the chances of instituting a rookie pay scale in the next CBA: “I think there’s a chance for anything. When this all comes around again hopefully there won’t be a work stoppage or anything of that nature, but I think when it’s all collectively bargained again I think there may be a little bit of change in that structure. But what type of change comes about I’m not really at liberty to talk about at this moment.”

On what the personnel department is doing between now and the start of camp, July 26: “Well we’re really just kind of analyzing the AFL, the Arena Football League. We just got back from some CFL training camps. We’re starting the new year, we’re getting our manuals together from the college standpoint and getting our guys familiar with the new crop of college prospects. But really, from a pro standpoint, you’re looking for things to kind of shake out of a tree. You’re following rumors, you’re reading the papers for potential things that are happening out there in NFL land.”

On the importance of hiring long-time personnel analyst Dick Haley: “Bill (Parcells) has worked with him before with the Jets, and he really believes in his scouting ability. And being a first time GM, he’s being someone I can kind of throw some things at and kind of get a perspective from someone of his experience, it’s a valuable piece to me… We can give some things to Dick, and he can give us an unbiased opinion of it, and that’s truly valuable for sure.”

this is the 3rd, he said he's have them signed by the 1st

  He wanted to have everybody signed by the 1st, but that didn't happen.  These guys will be signed before Training Camp.  No biggie.