Jeff Ireland Comments on Tyler Thigpen, Jason Taylor, Others

Jeff Ireland, General Manager of the Miami Dolphins, took the stage recently for some questions from the media here at the Combine and he dropped a few insights and notes of interest that were consequential for us at AP.

When it came to the Dolphins quarterback situation, Ireland noted that Tyler Thigpen is still someone they're excited about and they're prepared to have both Thigpen and Pat White compete for the number two spot behind Chad Henne, although he even went so far to say that "every guy will come to camp hoping to win the starting quarterback job outright." That's more a general quote than any real statement on Chad Henne being in danger of losing his job to either guy.

Jason Taylor's rehab is going well and, according to the current schedule, he should be ready by the beginning of the season. There was some note about wanting to possibly bring him back, but as a free agent, it might be worth considering and taking a closer look. Certainly the Chiefs did the same last year with Zach Thomas. While that didn't work out well in the team's favor, that shouldn't keep Scott Pioli from checking in at least on Taylor as a possible pass rusher.

Ireland dodged any questions about Joey Porter and the releasing debacle that happened a couple weeks ago. Then again, you can't imagine him to do any differently, saying "he's currently a player on our roster" and that's about it.

When it came to the scouting combine, however, some good things were noted in terms of the emphasis being about 50/50 on the physical workouts and the interview process. However, Ireland later said that "learning how intelligent a player is" in terms of football is the biggest thing the Dolphins hope to walk away from the Combine with. You assume that has to be the same for the Chiefs in terms of not focusing so much on whether a guy clocks an impressive 40 time, but instead rely a bit more on actual game tape for athletic ability.

More to come throughout the afternoon.