Izzy Gould of SunSentinel.com describes the Tuesday gathering of about 30 protesters (and has a photo gallery you can see here).
Some fans held signs that read "FIRELAND," a reference to general manager Jeff Ireland. A few cars honked as the protesters yelled, clapped and at one point chanted, "Jeff Ireland's got to go." [...]
Protesters had been standing on Miami Dolphins' property. They were politely asked to protest across the street, and they complied. [...]
One officer stopped, and rolled down her window asking protesters to stay off the road. She then�added, "I would be with you," with a smile before driving off.
Really, copper? If you had the day off, that's what you'd be doing?
Listen, I'm not going to tell you that Jeff Ireland has done a good job with the Dolphins. He hasn't. He's presided over three straight losing seasons and thus far, this offseason has been disastrous for the Dolphins. There's no progress being made there. If I were a Dolphins fan, I'd be upset, too.
But a protest? Come on. Let's calm ourselves. There are a million things in the world worth protesting, but the Miami Dolphins not getting their special quarterback is not one of them.
And that's what this is about. Fans are frustrated. They wanted some reason for hope this offseason. They wanted Peyton Manning, and failing that, they wanted to overpay for Matt Flynn. They got neither. Both quarterbacks chose to play elsewhere, which is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. This basically amounts to a group of fans throwing a fit because they didn't get Peyton Manning.
Had the Dolphins been able to sign Manning, Flynn, or even Alex Smith, there wouldn't be protests, there would be parades. Don't act like there's not precedent for that.
LeBron James may have ruined Miami sports fans forever. Perhaps it's the case in Miami now that they feel like elite free agents are their birthright, and they throw a fit when they don't get them.
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