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Originally Posted by JoeRedskin
- Passing on Jevon Kearse to sign Marcus Washington AND Cornelius Griffin.
- Trading picks to move up and obtain Cooley (Would he have been available? It's a crap shoot - but given his ability, certainly worth what we traded).
- Sean Taylor over Kellen Winslow.
- No signings last year except Rabach who has been a solid, if not stellar, player.
- Finding Golston in the latter rounds.
While I agree that it seems the misses have far outnumbered the hits, the hits have been pretty solid. Without a team by team analysis, its kinda unfair to say "We suck" in the personnel dept. The "Patriot Model" has been successful b/c they have had solid personnel and good coaching - but what about the other 30 teams? What is their track record (and PLEASE don't cite me the Eagles - When they win a Superbowl, let's talk).
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Well, I would disagree on several of your points:
-- It's beginning to look like we might have already squeazed out the best that Cornelius Griffin has to offer. He’s not getting nearly the penetration he used to, and his career appears to be going exactly the way it went in NY; strong early on, but fading fast. Of all the acquisitions though, he’s been the one that the front office got right. Well just have to see how much longer the right decision lasts. Marcus Washington looks good when the defensive line is performing well, but like everyone else this season, he’s practically nowhere to be found.
–- Chris Cooley -- this one’s going to put me in the doghouse here at The Warpath, but I’m not quite ready to start carving his bust for the Hall of Fame the way others apparently are. Was he worth two picks? I don’t think so. He’s a good player, but why is it that this team has to give up two picks for one player, and wind up with marginal overall results?
Sean Taylor over Kellen Winslow? Okaaay. That was a flip of the coin for most teams, and we weren’t really looking for a tight end anyway. If winning on a 50/50 shot represents an astute player personnel move, I guess we should take all the positives we can with this crowd.
–- I wouldn’t call Rabach “stellar” by any stretch. He’s usually the culprit when the flags start flying on holding calls. He’s serviceable, but don’t get your hopes up for any Pro Bowl votes. As far as I can tell, it’s ‘ho-hum’ on Rabach.
–- Golston -– I’d love to think we’ve found a diamond in the rough on a late, 2nd day pick. I think we’ll have to wait and see. He’s gotten a fair amount of playing time this year, but only because of the annual neglect this front office pays to the D-line. But hey, Rock Cartwright was the last late 2nd day pick that panned out – so even broken clocks are right twice a day.
The only measure of good personnel decision making is Super Bowl wins? That’s a bit unfair don’t you think? Four straight NFC Championship games mean nothing in your mind? In Gibbs' first go round, he won 3 Super Bowls in 12 years – but you also have to count the other seasons where his teams were consistently competitive, and bound for the playoffs at the very least. I’d say the Chargers have done a pretty darn good job “building through the draft”. It took a while for the Bengals, and they might have taken a step back this season, but at least they’re in the right direction. It pains me to include the Cowboys, but that defensive front seven will be a nightmare to deal with for years to come, and they’re getting the job done with young players, farmed from the college ranks, with very manageable contracts. Julius Jones and Marion Barber come to mind.
The thing is, all you have to do is point to the score board with the Skins. In the three years Gibbs has been calling the shots, he’s 20-24. And the needle is pointed south. How many 8-8 seasons or worse will it take to prove that high priced free agents looking for their golden parachutes aren’t translating into success?