I would take inside the 20 anytime more than yardage.
We finally get the punter we wanted all along in 2007.
Not only was Jacksonville incredibly stupid for drafting a punter in the 4th round that year (Podlesh) but then we panicked and TRADED UP to get a punter in Sepulveda.
What a beautiful exhibition of stellar GM work that was.
We finally get the punter we wanted all along in 2007.
Not only was Jacksonville incredibly stupid for drafting a punter in the 4th round that year (Podlesh) but then we panicked and TRADED UP to get a punter in Sepulveda.
What a beautiful exhibition of stellar GM work that was.
We finally get the punter we wanted all along in 2007.
Not only was Jacksonville incredibly stupid for drafting a punter in the 4th round that year (Podlesh) but then we panicked and TRADED UP to get a punter in Sepulveda.
What a beautiful exhibition of stellar GM work that was.
You're preaching to the choir B&G Bleeder.
NFL GM's and front offices are full of friends of friends and relatives to owners/coaches. They aren't even TRYING to tap into the best of the best or the brightest of the brightest.
The pool of talent that starts to be scouts is flawed. It's ex-jocks or ex-coaches that are underqualified for real world jobs to start with. They wallow on the road scouting players trying to re-live their glory days as either a player or coach. Anything they can do to stay relevant in sports.
That's the pool of 20-year-olds almost every GM in the NFL has come from. Now they run a billion dollar business with limited resources and an immense and growing amount of data and statistical information (and it's growing exponentially). They have to process risk/reward on issues that could and do make or break organizations for years. And we wonder why they get snookered at the negotiating table? We wonder why they make decisions that have no rhyme or reason when analyzed using cost risk/reward data? We wonder why they are self-serving, think only in the moment and don't plan 2-3-4 years down the line?
Yeah... let's hire the jock who couldn't make it as a player/coach who has an liberal arts degree in who knows what and spent 10 years on the road living motel to motel. Let's hand him the reins to a billion dollar business. Brilliant idea.
Oh, cmon. The other side of that argument is that since the advent of fantasy football every hump thinks he can build a team, and since you can find highlights on anybody on youtube, everybody thinks they can evaluate talent.
I agree that on any given draft probably you or TMC could put together a better draft than the pros. I think some of that is reflected in the fact that the draft, for everybody, is really a crapshoot. You just never know. But I don't think it is anything more than that. If 5 years from now the draft you would have done is better than what the Steelers did, IMO luck played a big roll in that. Same if the steelers did better than you.
Where I take offense is where anybody, including the pros, come off as an "expert" or some kind a genius in this. I mean, if the Steeler front office were geniuses in 1974 for that draft, what the hell happened to them few years later when they drafted Greg Hawthorne, for example?
If it's luck, then why pay anyone? Why not hire a monkey to point at pictures?).
One of the truest posts I've read here. People have to remember that this is a fraternity. Most of it is given not earned in terms of FO gigs. Most are second, third generation guys. Some get lucky early on and look genius. Its a guessing game simple as that. I was at a coaches conference two weeks ago. Some CFL guys and the Oline coach of the Seattle Seahawks. While I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I in anyway have their experience, that all it really is. They aren't genius. Just experienced.Ever stop and think maybe is just not all its cracked up to be.? Mabye they aren't so smart... Maybe TMC is the real deal,,, Donahoe had the family backing..... etc..
maybe its not so scientific.. otherwise explain that QB pick last year... and Tee Martin... etc... WTF! (lol ironicly he is the wide receivers coach for USC right now)
I liken it to my experience in the army.
For 15 years I was an army reservist... doing my part.. languishing in what I thought was mediocrity.... always playing the 2nd fiddle to the active duty guys.. put down etc..
Then Iraqi freedom happens.. they need us.. We are all in taking it serious.. Grabbing it by the horns, determined not to be the ****** step brother of active duty guys...
We go to bragg for 2 months prepping equipment ,, training up etc... Seeing some stupid **** happen,, not our fault.. But ,,,, I thought once we get into theater it will allll be very different....
Guess what...? No magic happened.. Same stupid **** was being done in a theater of war as it was back home as a reservist.. Worse. stupid ****.. For example : We need armor for the hummvs.. people are getting nailed by IED's... No problem We will up armor you once you drive all the way thru Iraq and bagdad and get to balad.. In the mean time scrounge up some 1/4 inch steel and do it yourself out here in the desert... No garage,,,,, here in the sand.. ..
I don't think the FO is any smarter than some of us.. In fact they could use a guy like TMC. Im sure of it.
Trade up for Sepulveda,,, = Uparmor your vehicles after you get there.... same stupid ****.
If it's luck, then why pay anyone? Why not hire a monkey to point at pictures?
The truth is there is some skill involved in player evaluation. You need good scouts. You need great scouts. But a GM does not have to be a scout. Scouts need to be scouts. GM's need to see the big picture. The forest from the trees. The whole issue of drafting a punter is not NEED, but the fact statistically punters don't mean much to special teams and winning football. Good coverage guys matter more. Having a talented back-end of your roster matters more.
These are the type of sabermetric issues that are going to be invading NFL football over the next decade. Information that is going to change the way we VALUE talent, not EVALUATE talent. Scouts evaluate talent. That is a great skill. GM's assign VALUE to talent. And put VALUE into the equation of risk/reward that is inherent to the draft process and the understanding each round, scouts get it wrong a certain percentage of time. Failure in the draft IS part of the equation that must be accounted for by good GM's. Each move must have a bunch of Plan B's and what if's associated with the decisions.
I mean, do you think Colbert did any what if discussions with the coaching staff about a Larry Foote injury? Jesus, our entire defensive scheme was DESTROYED for 5 weeks when he went down with his injury. It took the bye week to install any semblance of a good NFL defense that revolved around getting the woefully incompetent backups to Foote off the field (by playing much more nickle and dime defenses).
I'm sorry, you don't create a roster where one injury to a mediocre ILB who wear's the green dot can totally sidetrack your season. That's just one example of bad GM work that has NOTHING to do with scouting. Drafting a punter is another example of bad GM work that has nothing to do with scouting. In an era where every resource is precious (picks, salary cap space, cash), wasting two picks on a punter is as frivolous a move as I've seen any team in the league make over the past 10 years. Not to mention it was on one with a history of knee issues. Again nothing to do with scouting Sepulveda. He was a good punter (when healthy). Just that his ability really does nothing substantial in helping us win/lose football games (despite what some will tell you, covering punts to try and gain 2 yards in net difference doesn't mean jack ****).