Quote:I was not a fan of that trade. More so because I didn't think we got enough for Monroe. I think most fans, knowing what we know now, would take Monroe and a different pick in the first. I know that draft was weak and hindsight is 20/20, but I'll never be convinced we got good value on the trade for Monroe. Caldwell has done much better than Gene in the draft (which isn't saying much since a monkey randomly picking had a very good chance of outdrafting Gene), but like all GM's he makes mistakes. Monroe trade was a mistake. Letting Daryl Smith go was a mistake. So far the Julius signing isn't looking good. And Beadles has also been extremely disappointing. He has not done very well so far in the first or second round. Cyprien and Lee are far from what we would have hoped at this point. Can't grade Fowler fairly, but Joeckel has been a huge disappointment. Bortles is much improved and I'm very optimistic about his future, but preseason and regular season are two different things. Overall I like what Caldwell has done, but there's nothing wrong with criticism.

We're already deeming the Thomas signing as a bad one?  Seriously?  Knee jerk react much?  How about we pump the brakes on that one and see what the team has before determining it's a bad deal...unless you're one of those who tends to suffer from premature evaluations.

 

If only GMs could operate in the world of hindsight, every move would be a brilliant one.  If only we knew then what we do now, we might have considered drafting Tom Brady.  It was a stupid move not to draft Tom Brady. 

 

Nobody is accusing Caldwell of being perfect, but the fact that he got value for a player who was in the final year of his contract and was going to hit free agency and provide no value to the team made that a smart move.  Especially when you take into consideration the fact that they had drafted the guy who was expected to step in as his replacement.  The consensus on the board at the time was apprehension over the move because of the timing and the lack of experience Monroe was being replaced with, but it wasn't as broadly panned as some here would like to imply until AFTER Joeckel got hurt.  Then it was suddenly a terrible deal that never should have happened. 

 

Nobody is arguing that letting Daryl Smith walk in free agency was a mistake.  I don't think you'd get any objection from Caldwell on criticizing that move either.  But, if Gus had felt he was a good fit for the scheme he wanted to run, that never would have been allowed to happen.  They both erred on that one.  It happens.

 

The Beadles being extremely disappointing thing ignores the fact that he played most of last season injured on a line that was struggling at 4 of 5 positions.  How much of that was his fault, and how much of that was just the bad luck of getting hurt while playing on a unit that was one of the worst in the league?  Should he have been better?  Sure.  But, for an offensive lineman, playing with a calf injury for pretty much the entire season didn't help his stake much, did it?  We'll see where he lands this year since he's healthy, and the line is upgraded. 

 

That line as a whole struggled last year because they had no coaching to speak of with Yarno taking leave to deal with his cancer, and his assistant line coach pretty much having no clue how to develop the crew.  I think that was as big a contributor to their struggles as anything, and we're seeing how things can improve with a good coach at the helm to develop the talent.  We'll see how things progress this year now that Marrone is in charge.

 

Cyprien and Lee have been hurt.  Is that the GMs fault? 

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with criticism if it's properly directed.  Caldwell has made some mistakes, but there have been moves made that remain a question mark for a variety of reasons that are beyond the control of any GM.  To blame him for injuries seems a bit misguided.  Things can happen in the league that are out of his hands once the guys are on the field.

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