Just one year out, TT's first draft looking crappy

[mraynrand]

Agree on subject; I posted similar views several weeks back. Rodgers is the one thing that can save that draft. But right now it sits in the C- to D+ Range

I give it an incomplete. There's no WAY you can tell yet and for those comparing to Sherman's draft is silly as they've had longer to develop. Which of those picks contributed a whole lot last year? Next year we might be able to compare but not now.

Sure, we'll know a little more by next year, but Sherman's 2004 draft is only a year older. Carroll, Wells and Willimas all played a lot of snaps. And I would argue that Sherman's 2004 draft was pretty crappy. Also, I compared Sherman's 2004 to Philly's 2004. IF you look around the league you see most teams drafting late in the first round scuttle a lot of guys. 50% of Philly's 2004 picks are gone, and they have only one starter. Already 50% of TT's picks are gone, just one year out. A-rod can't beat out an aging QB who threw 29 picks last year, a QB who has played twice as many games as your average NFL veteran QB, and who many analysts say had a "terrible year" last year. What does that say about A-rod that he can't beat out a terrible QB?

[MJZiggy]

That's not a fair comparison. He's older, but his ability is still there. I don't want to get into a whole discussion on Brett's year last year and the reasons behind his int stat as that's not what we're talking about here, but who really expects a rookie or even 1st year guy to walk in and beat out a HOF veteran no matter if he threw a lot of picks or not. He still kept us in games. A-Rod will get his chance in 2012 and then we'll see whether he was any good or not.

Maybe 50% of TT's picks are gone is because the fact that he has so many allows him the freedom to dump them if they don't perform up to expectations rather than hanging onto their picks the way that some GMs around the league tend to do.

[mmmdk]

That's not a fair comparison. He's older, but his ability is still there. I don't want to get into a whole discussion on Brett's year last year and the reasons behind his int stat as that's not what we're talking about here, but who really expects a rookie or even 1st year guy to walk in and beat out a HOF veteran no matter if he threw a lot of picks or not. He still kept us in games. A-Rod will get his chance in 2012 and then we'll see whether he was any good or not.

Maybe 50% of TT's picks are gone is because the fact that he has so many allows him the freedom to dump them if they don't perform up to expectations rather than hanging onto their picks the way that some GMs around the league tend to do.

I second the above. Also, Murphy was a freak injury and he would have been the #52 guy on this years roster. Too bad.

[mraynrand]

That's not a fair comparison.

I was stirring the pot a bit. But the fact that A-rod hasn't improved to the point that there is a suggestion of QB controversy, given the age and season Favre had last year, says something about A-rod. I'm hoping he improves and can just step right in for Favre when he goes, but I haven't seen much yet (circumstances have a lot to do with this too - it's a young team now and A-rod was playing with the scrap heap guys).

[MJZiggy]

That's not a fair comparison.

I was stirring the pot a bit. But the fact that A-rod hasn't improved to the point that there is a suggestion of QB controversy, given the age and season Favre had last year, says something about A-rod. I'm hoping he improves and can just step right in for Favre when he goes, but I haven't seen much yet (circumstances have a lot to do with this too - it's a young team now and A-rod was playing with the scrap heap guys).

Nah, says more about Favre. Would YOU really wanna be the one to make an announcement in GB that A-Rod's taking over? Keep in mind that there are a lot of hunters with guns in GB.

[RashanGary]

Rodgers will make or break this draft.

I tihnk the next draft looks alot better. We might get 6 starters out of this group.

[ND72]

That's exactly the problem....Brett Favre has become larger than the Green Bay Packers.

[MJZiggy]

Are you telling me that Aaron Rodgers is not a better quarterback than he was last preseason? Are you telling me that you feel he's reached his full potential, is ready to start and there's no way he will be better next year than this one? He was not drafted to start immediately. He was drafted as the backup until Brett retires, which he's seemingly not ready to do and to take over when that time comes. He has until then to get himself ready to do the job full time.

[Bretsky]

That's exactly the problem....Brett Favre has become larger than the Green Bay Packers.

I see this point but don't agree; his backup hasn't down much to take the job. If Rodgers was having a preseason like the rookie Cutler then we'd have something to discuss. But Rodgers has improved, but nobody would argue he's ready to be a starter. So there is no reason to create any type of controversy because there is none.

[mraynrand]

That's not a fair comparison.

I was stirring the pot a bit. But the fact that A-rod hasn't improved to the point that there is a suggestion of QB controversy, given the age and season Favre had last year, says something about A-rod. I'm hoping he improves and can just step right in for Favre when he goes, but I haven't seen much yet (circumstances have a lot to do with this too - it's a young team now and A-rod was playing with the scrap heap guys).

Nah, says more about Favre. Would YOU really wanna be the one to make an announcement in GB that A-Rod's taking over? Keep in mind that there are a lot of hunters with guns in GB.

If we're evaluating TT's picks, it says more about A-rod. Why is he not good enough to challenge Favre at this point in his career? Leinart is challenging Warner, Cutler is challenging Jake, Young is challenging Collins (ostensibly) - and those are all first year guys. If A-rod was projected as the number one pick in the draft by some, was picked in the first round, and has had a year and two off-seasons to get ready, and can't even challenge, what's wrong with him?

[motife]

For TT or anyone to be so emphatic about building through the draft, that's just fine, as long as you can evaluate talent in the college ranks to make it pay off.

So far, not much to show for it other than maybe Greg Jennings or Nick Collins.

A.J. Hawk is no Brian Urlacher. Or even anything special up to this point.

If it turns out, as I'm afraid, that Thompson's also assembled an extremely weak coaching staff to develop those players, or to finally, develop a winning program, then what?

My intuition thus far is we've went from a hungry, over acheiving defense driven by a charismatic co-ordinator, to a marshmallow, clueless defense, also taking after it's co-ordinator.

As Ron Wolf's faint praise says of Ted Thompson, "He's apparently got a lot more patience than I do."

[MJZiggy]

Ok. Just one little point here. The GM does NOT hire the coaching staff. He hires the HEAD coach who hires everyone else.

Well, just one other little point is that they haven't played a game yet.

Maybe I could just add this little tiny thing, I have colanders that let less through than our run defense did last year. They were far from perfect.

I think I'm done now.

[Bretsky]

Ok. Just one little point here. The GM does NOT hire the coaching staff. He hires the HEAD coach who hires everyone else.

Well, just one other little point is that they haven't played a game yet.

Maybe I could just add this little tiny thing, I have colanders that let less through than our run defense did last year. They were far from perfect.

I think I'm done now.

This is something I truly don't know, but I think TT does have some input into the assistants as well.

B

[Fritz]

This seems like a crazy discussion to have after TT's first draft has played one season. One.

If you applied this standard to Ron Wolf's drafts, you'd be writing something like this in training camp of '99:

Well, Ron Wolf's draft class of 98 is a bust. His first round pick, Vonnie Holliday, played well against the run and was solid, but Wolf passed on Randy Moss. He gave up a second round pick next year for Mike Wahle, who sat on the bench and played like crap. I hear they're going to switch positions because he's not cutting it. Jonathan Brown might not even make the team this year, Roosevelt Blackmon didn't even make the team - and oh my god, he's a fourth round pick. Corey Bradford is still raw and drops too many passes, Scott McGarrahan is a little slow, Matt Hasselback hasn't challenged for a starting job and the seventh rounder, Edwin Watson, is gone. Out of eight draft picks, we have one starter.

Come on people. At least wait until it shakes out in two more years. What do you all want to do, fire him? Then what? Tell the next GM he has two drafts and one season to get into the playoffs and win?

Maybe it will be a crappy draft class. But it's too early to say.

[Bretsky]

This seems like a crazy discussion to have after TT's first draft has played one season. One.

If you applied this standard to Ron Wolf's drafts, you'd be writing something like this in training camp of '99:

Well, Ron Wolf's draft class of 98 is a bust. His first round pick, Vonnie Holliday, played well against the run and was solid, but Wolf passed on Randy Moss. He gave up a second round pick next year for Mike Wahle, who sat on the bench and played like crap. I hear they're going to switch positions because he's not cutting it. Jonathan Brown might not even make the team this year, Roosevelt Blackmon didn't even make the team - and oh my god, he's a fourth round pick. Corey Bradford is still raw and drops too many passes, Scott McGarrahan is a little slow, Matt Hasselback hasn't challenged for a starting job and the seventh rounder, Edwin Watson, is gone. Out of eight draft picks, we have one starter.

Come on people. At least wait until it shakes out in two more years. What do you all want to do, fire him? Then what? Tell the next GM he has two drafts and one season to get into the playoffs and win?

Maybe it will be a crappy draft class. But it's too early to say.

I don't want to fire TT; But I do want to tell him to come out of his shell earlier in FA next year