You hear, "you can't judge a draft for three years" so often that it adopts the mantra of truth. Except that, it's not.
There are a million variables that affect how a pick (or a team for that matter) turns out after the fact. Draft a Chad Jones and he gets in a car crash and it's a bad pick. Ignore a Brady while 180 picks (or thereabouts) slide by and you gamble on him and he's brilliant and so is the guy who picked him?
I'd say that in real time the pick of Jones was superb and the pick of Brady (after ingnoring him for so many lesser players) was folly.
I think the truth is harder, and that's judging things within the context of the information available at the time. If a GM or organization puts their team in a position to win, if they field a team with the potential to go all the way, then the jobs done.
And by that standard, and irrespective of how it turns out, I think Reese had facshioned a masterpiece out of clay. I look at this team and I see great potential, I actually see a team that's potentially better than our superbowl teams. I could break that down positon by positon, and of course it's dependent on players like JJP and Beatty performing up to their capablilities, but that's like the old Green Bay team would win if Forest Greg and Willy Davis hold up.
I see an offensive line that's potentially very good. I believe this staff knows talent and wouldn't have spent the money on Beatty if he wasn't worth it and that last year was abberant. Pough develops, and the interior he five or six potential players, competition and a winnowing process will make the starters strong.
At every position I see the potential to be as good as our good teams except for the secondary. Even Parcell's defenses had weak secondaries and we've won with Ross and Wilson playing key roles. This secondary Could be the lichpin that makes this a superb team able to compete with anyone.
And the key word is "could". Give us a solid "could" and that's all we can ask for. The excitement is in seeing how that "could" plays out against all the variables and uncertainities the season brings.
So, in that sense, I heartily disagree with your assessment of the OL. OLT is a major area of concern, Beatty (when healthy) was only mediocre at best and now he's coming off a serious injury that will result in hm missing the entire offseason. His backup was publicly criticized by his former coach for poor performance.
Could go either way this year as could our season.
I'm excited about seeing the new offensive system... really excited about WR and RB
The defense is going to be a different story ... stronger secondary but weaker pass rush ... overall success will depend upon how stout they are against the run
But one thing is for sure. This is a VERY different team than the one that ended 2013 - and clearly for the better. The only question is how much better.
But masterpiece??
Eli certainly isn't fast but has great pocket awareness and seems to be able to detect and evade pressure off the corners well as long as he can step up in the pocket. That makes the 3 interior lineman key and may be a big reason why he was so horrible last year. We addressed the interior bigtime. Now we cant put chopped liver out at LT, but Beatty only needs to be close to his 2012 form with all the other improvements along the line for Eli to likely be able to operate comfortably in the pocket.
We'll see if Reese made the right decision regarding his health. Thats the key equation in this IMO.
JR looks to have Drafted help at WR, OL, and RB. All three positions needed an upgrade after last season.
In Free Agency, he appears to have signed those of his own players that needed to be kept (I would have liked to find a way to keep Tuck). He's picked up some players who may help along the OL and in the Secondary. The Return Game seems to have been improved.
Perhaps NFL Defenses as a whole is moving away from focusing on the Pass Rush and into the realm of superior Defensive Back Play.
That remains to be seen.
There have been similar issues with the secondary and linebackers over the years.
I'm optimistic for the season, especially if we get good versions of Beatty and JPP and something from Richburg / Walton and a linebacker not named Beason. Not worried about Eli doing his part.
That all being said, even the superbowl teams weren't dominant in the regular season. Reese has never "spun a masterpiece" season and I don't think this will be his first.
Everyone assumes that BMac will be a great OC, right now we have reason for optimism, but it's still a question mark cause he has no track record yet as a game day OC.
Most of the league right now feel that there better and will win there division. That's part of what makes the league great. Only time will tell.
Eli certainly isn't fast but has great pocket awareness and seems to be able to detect and evade pressure off the corners well as long as he can step up in the pocket. That makes the 3 interior lineman key and may be a big reason why he was so horrible last year. We addressed the interior bigtime. Now we cant put chopped liver out at LT, but Beatty only needs to be close to his 2012 form with all the other improvements along the line for Eli to likely be able to operate comfortably in the pocket.
We'll see if Reese made the right decision regarding his health. Thats the key equation in this IMO.
david Diehl made the pro bowl when only the players and coaches voted
The 2014 OL has Snee, coming off two surgeries, an unproven C (no matter who wins that battle), Schwartz (who's realy only had one very good year) and Pugh to go along with the gigantic ? at OLT.
The OL is nothing more than a mixed bag of good and bad and we should expect inconsistent performance unless you get lucky and Snee & Richburg play at a high level and Schwartz continue to trend upward. An inconsistent OL leads to an inconsistent offense, don't be surprised when it happens.
Reese did what he had to/could do, but unlike my refrigerator where the results are immediate and apparent, in his case, we are going to have to wait and see.
This team is badly in need of an upgrade at OT in order to protect Eli and make all the other investments in the run game payoff
This team really needs an upgrade at TE for the same reasons
Beatty was also solid in 2010 before that freak eye injury.
There's so much competition along the OL and enough veteran talent there to keep things afloat. Beatty is a big key but even if he shits the bed I think the OL can manage a decent season's worth of play.
If the DTs behind Hank and Jenkins don't materialize into viable players the defense will struggle. The entire defense is in place but the DTs need to hold things together. I like the LBs on this team but they will be exposed if the opposing team's guards are punching their lights out every play.
It's all about the DT rotation. Biggest question mark heading into this coming season.
Given that, I don't understand why they signed/drafted so many interior OL and ignored the tackle spot. A guy named Charlie Brown? Really? That's the backup plan?
He was starting left tackle on two winning Super Bowl teams. In 2011 he was moved back to left tackle from guard in the middle of the season due to injury. He was up against some really good defenses, like the 49ers that year. He didn't play like an All-Pro, but he played well, didn't embarrass himself or the team, and got the job done. No one had to make excuses for him.
Diehl was only voted to the pro-Bowl once, but he was the mold for a Parcells' lunch pail guy. He should be respected.
I don't know if he was ever in the military, else, what the hell, I'd throw that in there too.
We are simply not going to see old fashioned dynasties. Two superbowls in a decade is probably the best anyone can do in these times and with these restraints.
I don't believe that's a real stat.
He was a pretty darn good run blocker at LT and gave you every ounce he had. But he was definitely sub par in pass pro, a generally very good OL around him helped cover that up.
People "hate" on (read: they don't, actually) him mostly because of how others continue to tout things like how he started on 2 SB winners!!!, when, in reality, he actively tried to make Adalius Thomas the MVP of SB42 and he was a season-long mess that his QB had to overcome, whether he was at LG or LT, in 2011/the run to SB 46.
He's a middle of the road OT when healthy that we can win with if the rest of the line is (at least)decent, and we have better blocking from the TE spot. I just don't know how recovered he is/will be from that broken leg.
Just stop. He's had some misses lately but the guy could retire tomorrow and his career will be looked at as nothing short of excellent. You're clueless if you think Reese isn't considered a solid GM around the league.
Just stop. He's had some misses lately but the guy could retire tomorrow and his career will be looked at as nothing short of excellent. You're clueless if you think Reese isn't considered a solid GM around the league.
+1. All GMs have misses and big ones at that. Reese's overall hit percentage is probably better than most.
I wouldn't sleep on those teams I just mentioned and that includes the Giants. Look at things with a wide lens and not just at this past season. The Giants have been winning more than losing since 2000. They are due to bounce back at some point