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Why not beat them and join them?
The Miami Dolphins pulled off a 34-28 victory in the snow at Heinz Field in Week 15, giving them, at the time, pole position for the final wild card spot in the AFC.
If not for the team's epic meltdown over its final two games - losing to Cleveland and the Jets in consecutive weeks, knocking them out of postseason contention - the story about the Dolphins in 2013 may have been one about redemption and success.
Instead, the team parted ways with general manager Jeff Ireland, and, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, they are now requesting permission to interview Steelers director of football administration Omar Khan.
Khan, the team's chief negotiator and salary cap administrator, has been interviewed for general manager jobs twice in the past, most recently with the New York Jets last season. That position went to John Idzik, but the standing thought has been it's not a question of when Khan will get a GM job elsewhere, it's a question of when.
Perhaps Miami will afford him the opportunity to maintain that spot.
Many will say the Steelers' salary cap position is beyond hope and has been horribly mismanaged over the years. The fact Khan is consistently being interviewed for promotions with other teams suggests otherwise. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross highlighted a few of the duties he's expecting to give his new general manager.
The new general manager will have autonomous responsibility for the 53-man roster and selecting players during the draft and will report to me," the statement read. "First and foremost, this person must have a passion for the game and demonstrated player evaluation expertise. They will need to be a person who is a collaborative team player that puts the organization first.
The Steelers hired Samir Suleiman last year in something of an assistant role to Khan with negotiations and salary cap management. Perhaps it was an early indication the team felt Khan would depart in the near future.
Whichever direction Khan goes this offseason, the Steelers have some work to do in terms of the cap, but the direction is clear. Decisions need to be made on key veterans, such as Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor, along with the likely negotiation of an extension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
