After six long years of perpetual failure, ineptitude, and building a team drenched in mediocrity, Jeff Ireland is no longer the general manager of your Miami Dolphins.
The announcement that the Dolphins and Ireland had mutually agreed to part ways came Tuesday evening, one week after the NFL's so-called Black Monday -- the Monday following the regular season, when teams ax coaches, general managers, and team presidents who have shat their respective beds.
And boy did Ireland make an art form of that over the years.
See also: Jeff Ireland Allegedly Called a Dolphins Fan an "Asshole" on Sunday
Since taking over for his mentor Bill Parcells, Ireland managed to do pretty much nothing for the Dolphins.
His record as the man in charge of building the team:
2009: 7-9 2010: 7-9 2011: 6-10 2012: 7-9 2013: 8-8
It's like Groundhog Day where you're forced to eat a turd sandwich......... FOREVER.
In his time with Miami, Ireland's sole claims to fame were that he once asked a potential draft pick if his mother was a whore, and he once called a fan an "asshole."
But it appears that what finally ousted Ireland was a reported tension built with head coach Joe Philbin.
As the Miami Herald reports, word got around to Philbin that Ireland wasn't happy about the way he was leading the team.
A rift came between coach and general manager. And when owner Stephen Ross suggested he would hire a football czar to oversee him, Ireland decided it was time for him to go.
So, really, Ireland's own prickly nature kicked him out the door, retrospectively.
For his part, Ross released a statement, thanking Ireland for his years of service:
"I want to personally thank Jeff for his hard work and dedication in building the team over the past six years. After a series of discussions, we both felt that it was in our mutual best interest to part ways. Jeff was a loyal and dedicated member of the Dolphins and we wish him and his family nothing but the best."
Ireland responded with a statement of his own:
"I've spent the last six years with the best organization in football," Ireland said in a statement released by the team Tuesday evening. "Steve and I came to an agreement that the best thing moving forward for all parties would be to part ways. I'd like to thank Steve for all his support and kindness. I've had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing people during this time and I'd like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart."
All in all, Ireland's tenure will forever be remembered as one in which he failed to build a winning team and one in which Dolphins fans paid to have not one but two airplane banners fly over the stadium demanding Ross fire him.
The greater confusion comes in wondering why it took Ross as long as it did to finally see the light and get rid of Ireland.
That same derpy approach might just derail Miami's chances of landing a good talent evaluator to succeed Ireland.
Reports are already surfacing that Tom Gamble, a rising star in the scouting ranks and current director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles, has shot to the top of Ross' list to become the new general manager of the Miami Dolphins.
For now, however, Dolphins Nation rejoices that its long national nightmare is finally over.
Jeff Ireland is no longer in charge of the Dolphins.
Yub nub.
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