Jeff Ireland gets it.
The embattled Miami Dolphins GM may not be the most liked guy in South Florida, and, despite getting a contract extension two months ago, his future may very well depend on these next ten games.
But during this past offseason, nobody can look at Ireland's moves and question the thought process behind them, because in all honesty, it's quite clear.
Every move Ireland made was tailored for this game, on this stage, against this team.
He brought in Brent Grimes to limit Tom Brady's options.
He brought in Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler to attack Brady in a bigger, stronger, and faster way than Kevin Burnett and Karlos Dansby ever could.
He traded up to the third overall pick to draft Dion Jordan, hoping, in return, he'd get a Cameron Wake type apprentice on the right side of the defensive line.
And finally, he brought in Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson for Ryan Tannehill, hoping they would give the sophomore quarterback all the tools he needed to keep up with Brady.
Ireland knew that, in order to beat the New England Patriots, you needed to attack Tom Brady on defense, and keep up with Tom Brady on offense.
Some people questioned the moves, and the motives behind them, pointing out that Miami only plays New England twice throughout the season, while facing 12 other teams.
But Ireland never flinched, never backed off the throttle, and never changed his approach, because he knew the ONLY thing you need to know as a General Manager in the AFC East:
The division goes through New England. And it always will until somebody proves otherwise.
For over a decade now, teams like Miami, New York, and Buffalo have done nothing more than fill up space in the AFC East.
The battle has never been for first, it's been for second.
Like LeBron in the NBA, the motto for the AFC East has, for as long as I can remember, been this:
It's Tom's world, we're just living in it.
And it has been.
Until this season, where the door has been cracked open ever so slightly.
The injuries have begun to take their toll.
The names Thompkins, Dobson, and Amendola don't quite give you that shiver like, say, Welker, Moss, and Hernandez did.
And, for the first time since, well, ever, Tom Brady just doesn't seem as sharp, crisp, or dominant as he's always been.
In years past, a 3-3 Dolphins team would have been four games behind New England in the division at this point in the season.
This year, however, they're knee deep in the fight for first, along with the rest of the former "cellar dwellers."
I'm not saying the door is wide open, but I think even the biggest Patriot fan would acknowledge that the lock's been broken, the handle's starting to turn, and the once spacious room is suddenly getting a little crowded.
All of this will be on full display tomorrow. The wheels will be set in motion, and the battle for the AFC East will be on.
All of the work done in the last eight months will finally come to fruition. The plan, blueprint, and vision of Jeff Ireland will be put to the test, with everything at stake.
A win puts Miami back over .500, a half game out of first, and ends a month long drought in the left side of the record column.
A loss could send this once promising season into a headfirst downward spiral.
This is the game we all circled following that 28-0 drubbing last season, and this is the game that will define Jeff Ireland as a GM, Joe Philbin as a head coach, and Ryan Tannehill as a franchise quarterback.
The door to the AFC East crown has been cracked open.
A win tomorrow could tear it down.
A loss could lock it back up forever.
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