Draft AND Develop.

My question with the draft and develop philosophy has to do with the defensive side of the ball and whether Thompson has the right bridge from coaches over to the front office. 

 

On offense, that doesn't appear to be an issue but for whatever reason too many high draft picks are falling flat on defense. 

It's the injuries. Guys that were drafted to solve issues: Neal (2010), Perry (2012), Hayward (2012), Worthy (2012)- all early picks, all expected to be really important pieces, all lost for long stretches because of injuries. It's not the injuries themselves, but the experience and reps lost. Coaches can't coach guys in street clothes...

I'm going to start tempering my expectations.  Especially, for Heyward, showed great his rookie year, lost this year to a hammy, who knows what next year brings, but I don't think we can count on him producing great results next year.  As for some of the other guys (Worthy, Richardson, Daniels) will contribute.  If Bulaga comes back healthy, Barclay might not even start.  

The problem I have with this philosophy is the fact that TT has another which is to trade down and compile. He learned this, perhaps, from Ron Wolf. but it leads to a roster full of mediocrity. We should trade up and compete not trade down and compile.

Add to it Nick Perry struggling to stay healthy, and on offense injuries to Sherrod, Bulaga, Quarless, and Alex Green.  Lots of top picks missing much if not whole seasons.

 

How much better would the defense have been if Nick Collins never got the career-ending injury?

AJ Hawk #5 overall

 

BJ Raji #9 overall

 

Justin Harell #16 overall

The Chargers came out of last year's draft with Melvin Ingram and Kendall Reyes while the Packers got Nick Perry and Jerrel Worthy.  TT's one truly aggressive trade brought Matthews.

 

I think there needs to be a mix. There needs to be a few true difference-makers on each side of the ball, but also solid depth. There also needs to be a few "grizzled vets" mixed in with the youth that have been around the block a few times and can let the youn'uns know the reality of the league.

 

A bunch of hungry young guys who don't know WTF they're doing is not a recipe for success. There needs to be balance.

The other day Tramon said he'd like more vets on D.

 

 

Found on internet...

Good news Tramon, all the young dudes drafted in the last 2 seasons will not only be vets, but they will also benefit from the leap players make from season 1-2 and from season 2-3. Talk about luck.

 

 

 

Mathews created the trade up.

 

The trade up did not create Mathews.

Only trade for the right person, not for the sake of trading obviously.

link

25% turnover next year means 13 new players. So with 20 free agents on the roster about 7 of those will be retained to allow for the newbies. Losing Rodgers for two months should have alerted management that they need to do a whole lot of work to put a great team together instead of a team with one or two great players.

@EKB  

 

I deserved that!

" All the young dudes...."

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwVfEXJhQQ

 

 

 

 

LOL

 

Because the right person is so easy to determine before the draft.

 

Why not just figure out who the one or 2 HOF players are that are going to come out of each draft and trade up and get them?

 

Hey, I should be a NFL GM!!!!   

 

I would never trade up for busts and hurt the team by wasting draft picks.

Well yeah, Duh.

 

Actually, on occasion go ahead and make an aggressive trade up when you've identified a difference maker you really like rather than settling on a marginal one later. Was not Matthews worth it?

I take the Mathews trade as proof that TT will do it when he finds a guy he is confident in.

 

I take that fact that he doesn't do it very often as proof that it is hard to find guys to have that much confidence in.

 

Everyone who does not like the draft and develop philosophy needs to watch what will happen to New Orleans this off season and SF and Sea hags this season or next.

And what's been talked about for the past couple of years, that teams area afraid to trade with TT, since they think he will get the better of the trade.  

 

No problem though, just trade up and get difference makers, no matter the cost.  

I don't think anyone dislikes D&D.  The criticisms have to do with the degree/reliance it seems to be employed at 1265.

Also, on two of those teams, they are have good/great QB's who are performing extremely well, and are being paid peanuts.  Do you think they have the playmakers/depth once the QB's get paid market value?  The Packers are in that boat now, paying a Top QB, and having to adjust other parts of the roster, due to the $$$ being paid at one position.  This will happen to the Hags and 9'ers.   

The question about the Winners and Sea hags is how soon their QB will start agitating to get paid. Kamp makes 1.6 million a year Wilson .81 million.  This is football careers  can end in single  play. If I was either of those 2 I would want my 20 million dollar a year raise yesterday.

And by the way the Saints because of their miss managed salary cap will waist what's left of Brees carrier, it is all or nothing for them this year.

 

Ps the guys at PFT have a story about paying there players.

http://profootballtalk.nbcspor...plenty-of-guys-paid/

I hate autocrat.  autocorrect.  I get a headache trying to read some of these posts.

Draft and develop is the way to do it in the age of high-priced free agency and the salary cap. But I think Thompson leans a little too heavily on it. He has had opportunities to pick up one or two guys in the same style he used to land Woodson and Pickett when he first arrived. 

 

But, like many of you have already said, injuries have really thrown a monkey wrench into the whole process. You can't predict/prevent them, and for whatever reason the Packers have seemed especially unlucky in that department. 

Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman were both fifth round picks. The only thing wrong with his philosophy is his recent history of misses. Even if you factor in the injuries his record of late on the defensive side isn't particularly good. Never have cared for Worthy and picking a guy in the first with the intention of a position change is probably too big a risk to take.

Option A- be the Vikings.  Suck

 

option 2- Draft and develop, stay a playoff contender all the time. 

 

Alternative iii- suck for awhile, get a bunch of high picks, but no QB.  Wait until the last possible moment to find a QB so the QB doesn't tax you salary cap much but does play well.  Gut it out until said QB asks for a raise. 

 

Those seem to be the three models. 

DING! DING! DING!  Winner winner chicken dinner!

I'll choose option 2 with the #1 player in the NFL at QB.

 

Thank you.

McCarthy

Bostick gets better every day. He's a talented, talented football player. Took a step last year, would love to see him do the same this year.

 

 

MM commented that the physicality and hustle he saw from Bostick on STs needs to show up on offense too

 

 

Bostick is the new John Kuhn.

 

MARK IT DOWN!

Championship!

 

Lock it up....

No matter which method that employed, the one problem with it is that a person makes the decisions.  So I will take the draft and develop.  It is the most consistent method. 

 

If you go with a lot of FAs, history says they may not play well either.  So a lot of maoney is spent for players that will be cut for non-performance.  Now you accumulate "dead money".  And that further hampers roster building efforts. 

 

I will further postulate that GMs are not as good at picking some position groups as that same GM would be at picking others.  TT could find WRs in 3rd world countries that would play well in GB.  But finding DL/LB is a different story.  Still, I agree with Music City that injuries have played to big a part.  I would love to have seen this team play a season with a few rather than many injuries.