BBI Article: NFL Draft Struggles Catching Up to Big Blue

The records we have had in this period are quite obviously not ideal in terms of draft position, yet I don't see this discussed nor do I see the personnel of the Giants compared to other teams in this period.

I believe there are other moving pieces involved that this article fails to address.

You can't argue with the numbers. The Giants only have four players left from four drafts (2007-2010). That's got to be near the bottom of the NFL.

the fact that 31 of the 39 players drafted in a five year period (2007-11) are no longer on the team is a HUGE reason why the Giants have had to be so busy this offseason in free agency.

That's the point of Connor's article.

We didn't fizzle out after the 2011 just by bad luck.

Well, if you take Ahmad Bradshaw, Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Terrell Thomas, Kenny Phillips & Jones out of the drafting sucks category due to injuries (quite likely 1 or 2 more players than almost every other team) add in Nicks & Joseph who both have played very well, all of a sudden the drafting doesn't look nearly as terrible.

Also, league-wide 4th-7th rounders amount to nothing much more than utter dogshit way more often than not & it didn't help that the Giants drafted last in each round 2 of those seasons.

Brewer & Moseley were the guys who Reese hoped would develop & take over on the OL, but neither worked out nearly as well as hoped. One can fault Reese for not drafting OL higher than those 2, but he can draft only those guys who are available when he picks for the most part. It's possible to cherry-pick a few players here & there in 20/20 hindsight but Reese doesn't have the magical crystal ball that some BBI draft experts apparently have.

You can also add Robinson & Hosley to the often injured list & Moore lost most of his rookie season injured or recovering from it. It's obvious that whatever one attributes the loss of draft picks to - injuries, bad picks, bad luck - that it's the reason they had to pick up so many free agents this year.

No doubt injuries have been a factor with some. But look at the drafts from top to bottom from 2007 to 2011. It's terrible.

But the numbers provided are outside of the 2012-13 drafts because it is too soon.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/draft.htm - ( New Window )

damning statistics. I recall reading a similar piece a while ago, and what I seem to remember is a statement to the effect that the Giants had the lowest overall percentage of draft picks making up the team.

But I was happy with the first 3 picks last year. I consider the first three slots the premium picks, and I think all three selections stand a chance of being major contributors. It's something of a departure in that with possible exception of Pugh, they're all obvious considerations, guys with obvious talent who have been solid contributors throughout school.

I don't know if there's only one nature of problem in the drafting, but John Mara alluded to something of the sort at the end of last season. To paraphrase, I recall it being something along the lines of, "No more projects!" I mean it's great to find the hidden gem, but a focus on measurables, and size/speed as the prime criteria at the expense of ignoring guys who are just plain, good solid football players may have contributed to putting us where we are.

Taking guys that are mainly just great athletes with the notion that you're going to coach them up, where it hasn't happened before, ignores the fact there are as many players in the NFL who play far above as far below their God-given talent.

2007 draft was still a good one in the short-term. Too bad Bradshaw, Smith, and Boss got hurt. 2008 same with Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas.

But only three 2nd and 3rd rounds remain from 12 in those five drafts. That's why the team is so shallow.

unless the 2012 class turns it on ASAP, that's looking really bad.

To me, one of the most important guys on this team this year is Rueben Randle. If he doesn't develop into a quality starter, we're screwed.

when some personnel guy was quoted he was watching the Giants cuts most carefully because they have so much talent? We've come a long way.

we are middle of the round.

We have two 2nd rounders and 2 third rounders.

BBI would be thrilled if we had that today.

What did we get?

Sintim, Beatty, Barden, Beckum

Should have been a bonanza for us.

3/4 more 2nd & 3rd rounders who spent most of the time on the Giants injured, however unlikely any of them would have turned out to be good players. Throw Austin into that category as well.

Don't draft projects: what is left to draft by the 3rd round or higher in most drafts that aren't terribly deep, especially at positions like the OL, CB, DE & QB? The best, most productive players in college are gone by then & the value to take some of them in the 1st or 2nd round isn't always there either.
draft probability stats - ( New Window )

Last year I was disappointed with Nassib and am wondering about Taylor. While Nassib may have been a great value, unless the Giants have a plan to do something with him before he moves on in free agency, I don't see the point in having him sit on the roster when a contributing player could have been drafted instead. If it's to be a backup, experienced back ups can be found in free agency.

Taylor has that same feel typical of the problem of drafting measurables; big, fast and unproven.

Who cares where the 2007 and 2008 picks are now?

Going through that list I see major contributors to the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowls

Those were two great drafts for Reese!

The numbers are what they are.

They got real lucky and won that second Super Bowl in 2011. Other than that post-season run, this team has been on a steady decline since the 2007 Super Bowl. Last year they were in the bottom half dozen or so teams in the league even though the won-loss record didn't reflect it.

It has been very evident for a couple of seasons now that something is really wrong with their scouting and drafting and/or coaching and player development. It's Reese's job to identify and fix it. So far he hasn't. He is running out of time.

So for now throw out 2012 and 2013...

4 players from 2011 are on the roster...3(Prince, JWill &JJer) are likely to play significant roles. 50%

Giants landed 2 studs(JPP, LJo) in 2010...Chad Jones selection is removed from consideration...33%

2009 brought Nicks and Beatty. Andre Brown has talent but was injured early on...a trend that has defined his career to date. 33%

2008 KP, TT, MM and JGoff all had injury issues which impacted their long term draft value. Yet imo were wise picks at the time. 57%

2007 brought Ahmad Bradshaw, Steve Smith, Aaron Ross, Kevin Boss, Jay Alford and Zak DeOssie...all players that contributed in a positive light before injuries hit the group hard. 75%

Conclusion to be drawn from this...the Giants have drafted better than the perception among many here on BBI and among the pundits. Injury being the major factor in the exodus of many talented draft picks in recent years.

but how do they compare to other teams that have drafted with five straight winning records in that period as far as player retention?

You guys act like picking low in the draft isn't a factor here.

I agree we don't have enough good players but I don't see many teams out there that have been in contention for this period of time (no losing records for eight seasons in a row) with stacked rosters.

That also catches up to you. I mean how in hell did the Niners draft so well?

That's what I am saying.

1. UDFA must also be counted....Cruz, Will Hill , Hynoski should be taken into account with late round picks. No?

2. Couching staff was more conservative and leaned more towards seasoned vets.....Austin/Paterson was debatable at the time..not keeping Barden was a coin flip.

3. The roster has been relatively strong which limited chances for rookies .

I also debate the over all measurement of success of the draft across the NFL.....poorly run organizations tend to draft earlier and have less talent on the roster.....so are their draft really more successful? Outside of Seattle, SF.....whose has done more with less in the draft?

Pugh played better then 5 OL drafted ahead of him.....should that be weighed. JPP played better then earlier drafted DL.....all these signed FA this year will have an impact on late round picks making roster......so what does that prove?


Numbers might not tell entire story. Sure....we can point out draft picks that did not work out.....but so many other varibles affect outcome and everything is interwined.

Only one true measurment .....winning....and really winning Super Bowls because none of else would trade our last 6 years of drafts with San Francisco and their great drafts......

There is no denying that drafting after the first round hasn't been great, but injuries and the success of undrafted free agents have been factors that should be taken into account as well.

but I would disagree with the Baas comment at the end of the article. That year there was a HUGE hole at the center position and no way to fill it with a quality player except to (over) pay Baas. Reese paid the money and with Baas there, they went on to win the Super Bowl. Without Baas at center, I am not sure that they had a good enough OLine to make the Super Bowl run that they did.

If you could go back and have a "redo" at that contract before it was signed, would you risk not signing Baas knowing that you put the Super Bowl at risk? Or would you happily sign that contract knowing that you are winning the Super Bowl at the end of the year? Of course you sign Baas and take the ring that's forthcoming.

While Baas might have seemed to have been overpaid, he paid dividends that can't be ignored by holding the center position during the Super Bowl run. Without him, the Giants can't fill that hole with quality and they don't win the Super Bowl.

So red dog - the numbers are what they are except when they come to wins and losses?

Statistics can be manipulated in many ways. The giants decided not to overpay for Linval joseph and passed on bringing back nicks. That doesn't mean those draft picks were failures. Both helped the team win Super Bowls.

We look at this all the time. It is like this for all the teams.

SF great drafts - their team is built on 1st rd draft picks: Smith, Smith, Willis, Rodgers, Whitner, Reed, Staley, Collins, Iupati, Davis, Crabtree. They got Bowman in the 3rd and Gore in the 3rd and Keap 2nd.

Ravens had as follows:

2007 - only player to receive 2nd contract - Yanda
2008 - Rice, Flacco - only other player to make 4 yr was Zibkowki - all others gone by 2010
2009 - L. Webb - Kruger left last yr, Oher this year
2010 - D. Pitta, A. Jones - no one else
2011 - J. Smith, T. Smith - others J. reid, T. Doss, C. Brown, P. McPhee, T. Taylor, A. Allen - how many of those are there this year

The fact is you must hit on 1st and 2nd rd players. Very few 3rd rd players get second contracts from their team and the vast remainder go from team to team and do not last their initial contract and are turned over yearly

a QB last year with so many other needs. Seems like they get too cute trying to outsmart everyone else with these high risk picks.

presented in the article. I get a sense though from the writing that the author wanted to be or is more critical of Reese, but felt compelled at the end to make the required deferential bow.

We've had more misses than hits recently.

year. I see no way he is Eli's backup this year. no way

Reese and his hire Ross have done a lousy job and should be held accountable. Why there are not is open to speculation. This is a make or break year for the team overall.

and, quite frankly, mentions a lot of what some of the more astute posters have said about his performance.

2009 was a killer though. We had that really good short window of production with Nicks, but we got so little out of all those picks. If Beatty doesn't bounce-back in 2014 then that draft looks absolutely ridiculous...

around since the same draft period. If it's a big gap, then I'll sit up and listen. if it's around the same or close to the same, I'll chalk it up to typical poor decisions at times, possibly good decisions at times(derailed by injury) and the era of FA..

Has been more lucky then good.JMO.

be it teaching, business or sports. basically - anywhere.

the problem with the drafting process is that there are about 30 people intimate to the system who have very passionate opinions - often with immense amounts of personal credibility on the line. i don't know who all carries more weight in the war room but clearly the "process" of evaluation hasn't been particularly good for the past five years. there has been something fundamentally wrong with the judgement folks have used to make decisions. less than ideal choices for a year or two are hard to measure long term - but an unsettling pattern has developed. perhaps the "no more projects" mantra will tip the balance. let's hope. but i'm not holding my breath.

as i said in an earlier post, i believe the critical decision this year will revolve around the first pick because that choice will inform the strategy the team will use for the next three. after that, you grab who you can in the later rounds (aka "projects") and get on the phone with all the free agent who never got a call. so i think how the first pick strategy plays out will be the most fascinating. and perhaps that is why reese has been even more obtuse than usual so as not to tip his hand.

for my money, BPA has always been a bit of a myth because its never only how talented player x performs in a vacuum. it has to be about the context - and plan - he fits into.

the giants aren't normally a team to quickly cut bait (notable exception: ray handley....oooo....gives me the shakes to even write that) but i'd bet the ranch that if the 2014 team doesn't perform well - and if there aren't at least 5 materially consistent contributing members of the new draft class - our GM is going to be looking for work elsewhere next year. though i love him, coughlin will likely be gone too but that's implicitly been in the cards for a while.

so the pressure is on as it hasn't been recently. this is probably part of the reason the team has been so aggressive with the FAs - though there are certainly some "wish and prayer" individuals on that list as well.

IMO, the results of the upcoming draft will either markedly improve reese's standing (and leverage) for the next half decade or will print him out a pink slip.

has been Carr/Painter, how can any rational poster say that backup QB was not a need? Now, whether Nassib will fill that need is debatable, but it's equally irrational to write off any player after 1 year.

How many players got away that we're pining over? LJo. I'm sure there's one or two more, but not enough to cry about.

Injury is only a limited excuse. Many here felt Sintim was going to fail here regardless of injury. Austin got sidetracked by his injury, but not derailed. He's derailed because he doesn't have what it takes to make it in the NFL.

Overall, the article merely states what is blatantly obvious: our young talent isn't there to replace aging vets. Rationalize it all you want, but that's a basic reality. For every SSmith or KP who have been permanently derailed by injury, there's probably 2 of a Barden, Austin or a JJ (who is actually listed as a success) who have done nothing of note.

all have some degree of validity. I think the un-named source who mentioned that the Giants needed to make safer choices from the power conferences was Parcells. That's my guess. With regard to the "project" issue, there is a similarity in what they've been doing that is reminiscent to the era of Freeman White, Rich Glover etc. Those were different days. 17 choices, a still segregated South. A decidedly non uniform data base. But as with all endeavors catching lightening in a bottle once (JPP) can lead to institutional arrogance. A smug arrogance I'd add. And I don't include the HC in that comment. Or the Tish's. It is meant for Mara & Reese. If everybody wants to fob this off on Ross, as the excuse-makers strongly suggest, then sack him.

He's highly regarded around the league..Some of you make pronouncements without(apparently) being fully aware of how this team operates..

TC was being fired after 2006, then he wasn't. Then he was on thin ice, then he wasn't...

"Killdrive" was gone, then he "won" a SB, then he was gone and he "won" another SB..Finally, after 10 years he was gone, presumably because it was time to retire..

Unless you're egregiously incompetent and out of your element(Sheridan and Hufnagle for example), the Giants don't get rid of you post haste..This new regime(John Mara) is patient and does not capitulate to the media or a fan message board..Everyone wants Quinn gone, yet the Giants believe there are reasons why his units shit the bed..They have film. They know who missed assignments. They know who was supposed to be where..

You don't need to be an X's and O's guru to be keenly aware of how the process works or a given team functions..

That is my view

is plenty evident in the FA dealings, too. Rave all you want about how we've had such a great offseason, but there's a lot of question marks: Mario, Walton, pretty much any of the OL not named Schwartz, etc. They're not 'projects' per se, but they are a gamble sort of in the same line of thinking: "we're going to outsmart everyone else by going for potential rather than playing it safe"

many screw ups. Too much drafting of guys who didn't fit our system, projects, guys with character concerns, and position switchers. Sintim, Becku, Robinson, Barden, Petrus, Austin, Brewer, McCants, and the whole '09 draft except for Beatty and Nicks.

How about Sash, Mosley, Dillard, Jones, and the infamous Matt Dodge? The Giants took Wilson even though Cordy Glenn was apparently ranked higher on their board. Jernigan hasn't produced much, and there are many others. Even JPP was a big gamble.

Remember also that Reese wanted to draft Heyward-Bey, not Nicks, and Dwayne Jarrett instead of Steve Smith.

All of this has destroyed our depth, which meant we had to keep aging veterans like Diehl and Snee longer than we should, as well as overpay for Beatty and Baas. That messed with the cap.

If there is any silver lining it's that the 2013 draft class appears decent, assuming that Moore develops. Taylor and Herman will hopefully at least develop into solid ST players and backups. If all that happens, the draft will be a success.

As I have said, Reese needs to stop swinging for the fences, and stop drafting "high ceiling, "low floor," guys. This year that means saying no to Hageman, Barr, Lewan, Tuitt, Nix, etc. Go for the "high floor" "low ceiling" guys, at least through round four. Healthy players with proven production, and no character concerns. That means Donald, Martin, Jones, etc. This is also the year for a trade down, even if we don't get full value as per the draft chart.

This is the most important draft of his tenure IMO.

In comment 11622356 gtt350 said:

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year. I see no way he is Eli's backup this year. no way

I don't know how you can possibly sit through the crapfest of last season and that horrible offensive line and then blame ANY QB that played behind it for being awful last season. And then completely discount the fact that a raw rookie QB had to learn one of the most complicated offenses behind that awful line.

Of course Nassib looked horrible in camp. So did Eli. How can you possibly know what he's capable of based on what you saw and read last season? The dude was running for his life every time he snapped the freaking ball.

I'm already on record as saying Reese is on thin ice and predicting he's only got limited time left (limited being a slippery slope. I'm certainly not predicting tomorrow). Regardless of rings, or the past, or how well he is/was regarded around the league, we now have a team that is nearing bottom of the barrel ( a decline he presided over) and now it's his job to rebuild it. The betting now is on whether he's up to the job, or not. I'm betting he's not. You really think Mara is going to keep a guy who presided over a decline, and then couldn't turn it around? On the other hand, if I'm wrong, and JR is up to the job, he stays.

sometimes it seems as though they do a little too much of the bargain shopping. I know there have been issues with the cap but that is their fault as well.

but that's not a well written piece - it hammers the same theme over and over like a dead horse - there's not a lot of content in there - and it could have been said in a paragraph, two at most - as opposed repetitive accusation over and over. Let me say I don't appreciate relentless pounding - and that may be the foundation of what people are reacting to above. I much more appreciate perspective - and there is no perspective in his piece only hammering the point.

I'm gonna make a some perspective points - It's true - the Giants have only 4 draft picks left from the years that span the two Super Bowl wins, but I would argue a couple of things:

1- that with deep teams, deep enough to be Superbowl winning teams, the Giants may have given up on draft picks, whereas other teams may not have, and both rewarded and stuck with veteran producers in lieu of keeping draft picks
2- that they also have made some scores with UDFAs that also stacked the roster in deference to draftees
3- that camp has become a true competition between Vets, Draftees, FAs and UDFA's
4- that Reese has adapted his style over the years and not wholly relied on any one area of acquisition - and unlike past years and GMs, he has been quicker to make difficult personnel decisions and cuts
5- that while today's cap rewards good drafting - it also rewards good UDFA pickups and shrewd FA pickups - and limiting large splash contracts - which this FO has become quite adept at it.
6- If you look at two teams that heavily rely on the draft to built their roster, have franchise QBs, and are well known for their drafting prowess and discipline - i.e. The Packers and The Steelers - you will see two teams that have more of their draft picks on the roster - yet may be in even worse shape than the Giants personnel wise right now - and certainly have been close to the Giants record wise in the past five years.
7- It's possible that the draft talent available has a lower success rate than you think across the board in the NFL
8- This front office has shown a propensity for high risk pickups - and with the high risk they have had a higher number of stars show up and play - at the cost of depth. This has led to delivering the thrills in two of the last seven years - but also the lows when risks didn't pan out like Marvin Austin, Ramses Barden, Phillip Dillard, Clint Sintim,Travis Beckhum, and deferring the drafting of Olineman to later in the draft for higher risk skill players.
9- If you look at the top three picks of the Giants from 2007-the present - I think you see a better rate of success than Mr O'Connor is suggesting:

2007
Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Jay Alford (all were key producers)
2008
Kenny Phillips, Terrell Thomas, Mario Manningham (all were key producers)
2009
Hakeem Nicks, Clint Sintim, William Beatty (2 key producers - 1 bust)
2010
JPP, Linval Joseph, No third Rounder, Phillip Dillard (2 key producers - 1 Bust)
2011
Prince Amukamara, Marvin Austin, Jerrel Jernigan (1 key producer, 1 bust, 1 maybe)
2012
David Wilson, Ruben Randle, Jayron Hosely (all have shown flashes - but decision pending)
2013
Justin Pugh, Jonathan Hankins, Damontre Moore (1 producer, two promising players showing flashes)

I count 3 busts out of 21 premium draft position draftees in 7 years of drafting - that is well above average in my opinion

is not the problem. Even if he doesn't work out, it was a good gamble by Reese. Many teams had Nassib as a low first or high second round pick. We got him for a fourth and a sixth. He wasn't some massive reach or project. In fact, he was the exact opposite.

If Ozzie Newsome has weathered a "storm" here and there, JR and other top Gms will also..

Sometimes, you actually have to compare the hits and misses of all teams and then see how many SBs they've won during their tenure(s)...

Some of you critique Reese in a subjective vacuum..Take a look around the league..There are similar crap the beds in them thar hills

That is often touted but never questioned is VERSATILITY.

Everyone has heard the old adage "jack of all trades, master of none". I think this insidious little monster has had a way of biting the Giants, but the "brass" chooses to ignore the pain.

John Mara is so right about "projects". This goes right to the point of drafting guys like Ramses Barden (who is my personal biggest heartbreaker). BBI used to hate him because he was from a small school and he wasn't fast, but that's not the reason he failed ….

His personal work-out tape (Marine Corps style) was amazing; he was consistently a human highlight film in camp. He had all the tools, except for the most important one for a football player - he hated getting dirty.

And finally, the most important factor in the Giants' failures is not listening to the Old Man enough - Tom Coughlin. Tom is the Ultimate Systems Man (much like his mentor - Bill Parcells). He knows what to do and the type of players he needs.

(He built a winner in a very short time at JAX, (but failed only when hard times came and he turned into a hard-ass). Recall, he tried the same thing here, but Michael Strahan saved him).

Reese is the better Pro Personnel guy and businessman; Tom the better evaluator and team builder.

Max Unger and Wilson over Cordy Glenn are the key head scratchers for me.

I view the recent OL problems( say past 2 years) as a calculated gamble that failed. Reese gambled that (i) Snee and Baas would recover and be healthy and(ii) that one of Petrus,Koets,Cordle,Brewer,Mosley,McCants etc would develop and be a decent player. It didn't work out, x 3.

I don't blame Reese for drafting Austin or Beckum. Many thought those were good picks at the time.2014 is the deepest class in 10+ years and Reese needs to hit a homer on at least the first 3 picks, if not 4.

but I think it's getting overrated here. There are only so many players with a draftable grade and of those players, there's only so many you can pick. And let's not forget the further along you go, there's less of a chance that player sticks to your team, let alone sticks in the NFL. Shocking I know, but it's not like this only applies to the Giants.

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No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but having only eight players remain from 39 selections from 2007-11 (20.5 percent) is one of the reasons the team had 23 holes to fill this offseason.

I took the same years in Connor's article (07-11) and applied it to the SB Champs, the Seattle Seahawks. In those 5 drafts they had 40 picks. How many are still with the team? 11 (27.5 percent) or 3 more than what the Giants have. Of those 11, 6 were taken within the first two rounds. Their most important piece, Russell Wilson, didn't come until 2012. I wonder how many of those players will still be on the team when Wilson is no longer on his rookie contract and one of the highest paid players in the league, just like Eli is now.

Which brings me to my next point. The Giants didn't struggle to fill holes because of the draft since again, their record isn't unique to every other team in the NFL. It's cap space, a problem every team with a top notch QB goes through, but especially the Giants since Eli had the highest cap number in the league. Not to mention the cap numbers of several other aging, oft-injured, underperforming veterans we carried for the past few years. However that's an argument for another day.

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Injuries have ruined some once-promising careers. Ahmad Bradshaw, Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Terrell Thomas, and Kenny Phillips immediately come to mind. But mostly there has been simply poor drafting.

I don't get this part. If anything it goes against the article. We got 6 seasons out of a 7th round RB who became a starter, fought through several injuries, scored the game winning TD in SB46 for us and through his own mental and physical toughness, is still in the league. How many RBs play 6 seasons period, no matter the round? The other 4 are currently without a team (although T2 is still looking for a contract), not because of lack of talent, but because of devastating injuries. With the exception of Boss, they were 1st and 2nd rd picks with great Pro Bowl/All-Pro potential. How many other teams went through this, not to mention Chad Jones, over that period? How different would the outlook be if this never happened?

Lastly as someone else mentioned, you cant's talk about JR's draft record without speaking about what he's gotten out of UDFA's, especially Victor Cruz, Hyno and yes even Herzlich who is one of our better ST players. All 3 contributed to a Super Bowl winning season.

Every team has their kneejerk reaction part of their fan base, some bigger than others. As a Met fan, I can relate. But as frustrating as last season was, we still have one of the best GM's in American sports and in the one with the most disparity as far as player personnel, movement and injury risk goes. Although I can always question a pick here or there, I'm glad we have Jerry Reese and not just because of the two rings since '07, something no other team can say. Call me optimistic but I think barring any major injury, our future is bright.

In comment 11622450 AcidTest said:

Quote:

is not the problem. Even if he doesn't work out, it was a good gamble by Reese. Many teams had Nassib as a low first or high second round pick. We got him for a fourth and a sixth. He wasn't some massive reach or project. In fact, he was the exact opposite.

Then how did he make it to the 4th round when QB is the most important position on the field by a wide margin?

What i'm not understanding is this, those saying he is one of the best GM's in the league but want to compare his drafts to other teams. If they are comparable, wouldn't that mean that he is on par with everyone else.

Saying he is the best GM in the sport or league means his drafts, FA signings, etc, is ABOVE everyone else..

when we say other teams, we're talking about the top GMs, not those of Jax, Oakland, etc...

There is no professional sport with more disparity than professional football and in his seven years he's won two rings. How many GMs/Team Presidents in any sport can say that?