(09-22-2020, 03:09 PM)Kane Wrote: Why does this thread keep getting reborn? Caldwell has never been as bad as some on here think. But lucking into some Minshew Magic doesn't erase all the bad either. He's had some very good draft picks, some bone headed decisions along the way as well. Early on as GM he missed more than hit and imo improved in his drafting as he went along. Unfortunately there are a few seasons where he had a "babysitter" in Coughlin and us fans can't seem to agree on what is to blame where and who gets credit for what. (IMO Coughlin deserves all the blame as he had the final say over all football decisions, so every misdealing, contract extension, unhappy player, and bad draft pick is all on him even if it also falls on Caldwell)
That all being said for an 8 year career I think it's fair to say Caldwell has been just "alright". Which is usually enough to be shown the door in most organizations.

However, given the situation we currently find ourselves in... I almost see it as his 2nd chance with a clean slate. Moving beyond the Coughlin era he has full control, no one left to blame for any decision. This roster is fully on him now. He's purged it of heavy cap contracts and "bad eggs". If we're slightly successful this year (7-8 wins) it would be fair to say he did a good job, this year. And has earned another year. He's basically on a year to year "lease" imo and has to earn the trust of the fanbase to be comfortably the "GM of the future".

Of course... some fans can't let go of Bortles and Bradley. They still cling to Joker (even though he was pretty unanimously the top T to take at that spot). They want to put the blame of Ramsey, Yan, and ARob on him even though someone was here watching over his shoulder giving the thumbs up or down. Some fans will always want to fire someone. And Caldwell is an easy target.
Winning percentages and record, playoffs, culture, a lot of that is a team thing from player personalities to coaches. The GM can only really control the talent on the roster. Most would agree that Bradley's later years actually had a somewhat talented roster that under achieved. No one was complaining about the roster in 2017 (except for the QB position perhaps). And 3 years later after 2 abysmal years, we look to have a competent QB and fun offense and a really young D with a few building blocks.

Like it or not, Caldwell rebuilt this team after Gene Smith made is one of the worst rosters ever. And he's rebuilding it again after Coughlin (and himself) put the team in a bind with big contracts on defense and a couple really bad contracts on offense (Bortles AND Foles).

And we won 6 games last year and we're not even gonna be close to the #1 overall pick as many had thought this year.
Doubt him if you want, Hell, he's certainly earned some doubt from fans. But hold off on the hyperbole of worst GM ever. He certainly hasn't been that.