(04-20-2021, 12:00 PM)flgatorsandjags Wrote: (04-20-2021, 11:43 AM)Cleatwood Wrote: All those top 5-10 picks we had SHOULD have meant the team was better but the GM obviously has to make the right pick. You can't really believe there's no difference between pick 5 and pick 20.
I can see if you have a young ascending team, how wins late in the season could effect culture but it still wouldn't matter to me. Playoffs or bust. Being a middle of the road team gets you no where. I would rather be 3-13 with a top 3 pick than 7-9 with pick 20. Securing better players (given you have a competent GM) gives your team a better chance to win. It's why the draft order is the way it is.....
The wins obviously meant nothing to the Chargers last year because they fired their coach anyway. They won their last 4 games and fired their coach to change the culture.....
As far as the last paragraph, it's about the young players learning what it takes to win and how to win, not the coach. Give me the 7-9 or 8-8 record this year than a 3-13. If we go 7-9 or 8-8 I know this team is improving and the arrow is pointing up than 3-13 and picking top 5 again. I don't think you go to games, because if you went to games I don't think you would say that. I go to watch them win, not to hope we have a higher pick next year.
I don't go to games but if you think I haven't suffered through losing, then you are mistaken. Caps, Orioles, Terps and Jags..... Not exactly murderers row. I have gone to plenty of Orioles, Terps and Caps games throughout the years and most of the time, I'm going to the games to enjoy the atmosphere and party with friends. The outcome, most of the time, is largely irrelevant. It doesn't effect my day one bit. Playoff games are different though but outside of the Caps, not a lot of that happening.
Here's the list of 6-10, 7-9 or 8-8 teams from last season (excluding WFT and Chicago who made playoffs). Pats, Raiders, Chargers, Giants, Cowboys, Bears, Vikings, and Cards. Of those teams, I would say 2 or 3 have a better roster or better shot at making the playoffs than the Jags. And yet, they had 5-7 more wins than the Jags last season. I don't think the Bears, Pats, Raiders, or Giants are that much better than the Jags or even better at all for that matter.
Winning games is extremely important but the overall goal is to make the playoffs and ultimately a championship. If you don't make the playoffs, there is no difference in your record in my eyes. No playoffs means you have a lot of work to do and I would rather have a larger player pool to choose from when it comes to the draft.
(04-20-2021, 12:24 PM)flgatorsandjags Wrote: (04-20-2021, 12:08 PM)Bullseye Wrote: Draft position would have done them a ton of good had they scouted correctly.
I have always maintained that the only thing draft position guarantees is access to a larger talent pool. Nothing more, nothing less. We are in agreement on that point
But inferior draft position can preclude you from getting a superior talent even IF you evaluated that player properly. We all agree that Gene Smith was a putrid GM. But it's entirely possible even he couldn't have screwed up the chance to draft Andrew Luck if he had the chance. But he never had the chance because of poor draft position.
If Smith was a good GM he wouldn't of needed Luck
It's crazy to me some would rather see us go 3-13 this year than 7-9 or 8-8 if we miss the playoffs
I would rather the team win every game but to me, there is no difference between 3-13 and 7-9 or 8-8. Both miss the playoffs and both have work to do. Games are largely decided by 1 score. Going 7-9 vs 3-13 largely means you got lucky in 3 games. It doesn't mean you're that much better than the rest of the bad teams. They're all bad.
