Personnel Changes?

[The Leaper]

Did you come to this conclusion before or after he contained the best reciever in the NFL this season?

It's not about one game, or should I bring up the name of Terrell Owens?

Harris is no longer an elite DB...and with his advancing age, it isn't going to get any better going forward. All I said is that it is likely he will have to COMPETE for his starting spot in camp this year. How is that a bad thing?

[Fritz]

Regardless of scheme, what makes any of you think that TT will move to fill holes??? That is to say, fill needs.

TT doesn't see needs... he just sees players. If he "needs" a corner, and sees a WR on the board that he has rated higher, even if the difference between the WR and Corner is infintesimal... he's gong to take the WR.

He's going to trade down 12 times, and draft 93 guys... I don't think I'm going out on a limb with this one... he's done it every year.

Needs??? Filling holes??? Nah

Maybe he takes a look at Corners later in the draft, and hopes one of them turns out... that's his approach. Always the highest rated player on his board, regardless of position, and regardless of need.

Pat Lee, corner, third round. Is that "later in the draft"? Leroy Butler was what, a second rounder? And Doug Evans? Sixth, I think?

[rbaloha1]

Re: Personnel Changes?

I have a hunch Al Harris' days may now be numbered.

AH can still play. There was a stretch of games that no passes were completed on his side.

Whilst AH's skills are slightly diminishing the dude is still a top notch bump and run guy.

The front seven is where personnel changes are required.

[wist43]

Regardless of scheme, what makes any of you think that TT will move to fill holes??? That is to say, fill needs.

TT doesn't see needs... he just sees players. If he "needs" a corner, and sees a WR on the board that he has rated higher, even if the difference between the WR and Corner is infintesimal... he's gong to take the WR.

He's going to trade down 12 times, and draft 93 guys... I don't think I'm going out on a limb with this one... he's done it every year.

Needs??? Filling holes??? Nah

Maybe he takes a look at Corners later in the draft, and hopes one of them turns out... that's his approach. Always the highest rated player on his board, regardless of position, and regardless of need.

Pat Lee, corner, third round. Is that "later in the draft"? Leroy Butler was what, a second rounder? And Doug Evans? Sixth, I think?

You find players all over the place; hell, even working at KFC...

My overriding point would be, that if you are close to being a contender, and you have a glaring hole, is throwing 3 6th round choices at it addressing the need???

My answer would be no... you draft those players later in the draft to develop them for down the line, ST's, and depth... you don't count on being able to plug them in right away and thereby solving your problem.

Again, just b/c a player is drafted at a given position, doesn't meant TT went balls to wall to fill a hole in the starting lineup. If TT signs 12 undrafted corners after the draft, is he addressing need??? Is he solving the problem...

He may be addressing need in the cheapest way possible, but he's probably not solving the problem and filling the hole.

[Fritz]

Philosophical differences between us, then, Wist.

I'm with TT on this one; you feel that you need to consider a team's current need more strongly.

[Patler]

To a large extent TT is a step ahead of the fans in trying to fill needs.

There is a need for a DT now, TT already tried to address that with Harrell 2 years ago.
KGB was getting older but still performed in 2007. No matter, Thompson was drafted.
In the next year or two CB will be a need, TT has already drafted Lee, found Williams, drafted Blackmon.
Driver will slow down or retire, Jones, Nelson maybe Swain are on hand.
Tauscher leaves, Giacomini is there with experience.
Lee gets older, a second TE is needed, Finly has matured and gained experience.

Many of you talk about addressing needs with drafted rookies. What TT is trying to do is to be a year or two ahead of the need, so when the need arises in the starting lineup you have a player with a couple years experience to move into the spot, not a rookie. That was the outline that Wolf followed quite successfully. Players like Brooks, Bennett, Dotsun, Henderson, Brian Williams, Freeman and Sharper were all high picks who did not play an awful lot as rookies but were picked to fill needs that were anticipated for their second or third years. Chad Clifton was not picked to be a starter as a rookie, but had to step in when injuries and poor performances opened up a spot for him. When Wolf tried to meet current needs with high draft picks, he was often unsuccessful, with picks like Buckley, Michels, Conway, Edwards, Vinson and Reynolds (if you want to attribute Reynolds to Wolf and not to Sherman).

Injuries and poor performances by others can distrupt the plan, but I would prefer seeing needs addressed before they occur, so you can fill the need with an experienced player, not a rookie.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Agreed. He doesn't count on rookies to fill needs. He counts on them to fill anticipated needs a year or two down the line. Philadelphia has a similar philosophy.

Philadelphia
Draft Sheppard and Brown when you have Taylor and Vincent. They sit for a year or two, but are ready when Taylor and Vincent leave.

Draft Kolb when you have McNabb.

Draft Brian Westbrook when you have Duce Staley.

Draft Winston Justice when you have Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan.

Draft Trevor Laws when you have Bunkley and Patterson.

[hoosier]

To a large extent TT is a step ahead of the fans in trying to fill needs.

Many of you talk about addressing needs with drafted rookies. What TT is trying to do is to be a year or two ahead of the need, so when the need arises in the starting lineup you have a player with a couple years experience to move into the spot, not a rookie. That was the outline that Wolf followed quite successfully. Players like Brooks, Bennett, Dotsun, Henderson, Brian Williams, Freeman and Sharper were all high picks who did not play an awful lot as rookies but were picked to fill needs that were anticipated for their second or third years. Chad Clifton was not picked to be a starter as a rookie, but had to step in when injuries and poor performances opened up a spot for him. When Wolf tried to meet current needs with high draft picks, he was often unsuccessful, with picks like Buckley, Michels, Conway, Edwards, Vinson and Reynolds (if you want to attribute Reynolds to Wolf and not to Sherman).

Agree completely with the main point, but can't help nitpicking a little. Robert Brooks (7th), Edgar Bennett (4th) and Earl Dotson (4th) weren't exactly high draft picks. Henderson, Williams and Free were only 3rd round picks. The fact that they blossomed was either evidence of Wolf's eye for talent or of Holmy's staff's talents with player development, or both.

[Patler]

[quote="hoosier"]

Agree completely with the main point, but can't help nitpicking a little. Robert Brooks (7th), Edgar Bennett (4th) and Earl Dotson (4th) weren't exactly high draft picks. Henderson, Williams and Free were only 3rd round picks. The fact that they blossomed was either evidence of Wolf's eye for talent or of Holmy's staff's talents with player development, or both.

Wasn't Brooks a 3rd round pick? Wasn't Dotson a 3rd too?
I tried to keep my list to those in rounds 1-4, which I considered to be "early". I purposely left out players like Levens, Driver, Tauscher, Evans, Timmerman, Rivera, Bradford and Hasselbeck who I think fall more into the "eye for talent" category you mention.

[hoosier]

You're right, Brooks was a third. I was thinking of Driver, my bad.

I think an point to be emphasized here is the importance of continuity and good assistants in the coaching staff. That's something that has been lacking in the post-Holmgren era. Think of how many of Holmy's assistants went on to become head coaches; all of those up and coming coaches spent time teaching under Holmy's regime. Without those good teachers among the position coaches it's likely that many of Wolf's "finds" don't ever develop. I'm harping on this because I don't yet have a good feeling for McCarthy's ability to put together a good network of assistants.