Fine, so the Dolphins have not been a big free agency player the past two offseasons and might not be again this offseason. Except that earlier, Ross said kind of the opposite.

“I’m willing to spend whatever it takes to build it,” Ross said. “I think sometimes people look at spending as a way of winning and in business it isn’t money that solves problems. It’s brains that solve problems and using your abilities. But certainly all my resources are there, and if the right players are there, I don’t care what it costs. We’ll go after them.”

So which is it? Are the Dolphins going to go after “the right players” no matter the cost? Or do they believe, as Ross said, “free agency isn’t the answer?”

This is what I was hoping to hear but didn’t:

I wanted Ross, a man with a brilliant business mind, to be clear and tell us the Dolphins will be on the attack in 2013, starting with the offseason.

I wanted to hear that everything is on the table as a possible solution to four consecutive losing seasons — including free agency, the draft and trades.

I wanted to hear that free agency has brought success to teams such as Denver (Peyton Manning), New Orleans (Drew Brees), Green Bay (Reggie White and Charles Woodson), Atlanta (Michael Turner), Minnesota (Jared Allen) and the New York Giants (Plaxico Burress), rather than some fiction about it never succeeding.

I wanted to hear that trades, including some on draft day, have helped New England (Randy Moss), Seattle (Marshawn Lynch), Baltimore (Anquan Boldin), Houston (Matt Schaub), Atlanta (Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones) and Washington (Robert Griffin III), rather than not have it mentioned at all.

Ross said 2012 left him “disappointed” because the team didn’t win. He added next year he wants the team in the playoffs.

Well, unless the so-called “plan” the owner referenced so often includes a serious foray into free agency and an openness to make trades, Ross will likely to be disappointed again a year from now.