Is it time to start evaluating the Scouting Dept? (what should we do going forward?)

[maskedsuperstar]

Very good question. As we traded most of our top draft picks for RG3 ( as I would have), free agency may be our best bet on a big tall WR. It will also be the only way to fix the DB problem at this time. As I said in the past I would sign TO to a one year vet min contract. Then see who is up for grabs in the off season. We could use TO now. I think most of our draft picks in the off season will go toward the O and D lines. We have a lot of good thing going for the team but we are still about two seasons away from our shot at the playoffs. After that we may be there every year for the next five or six years.

The Skins had a shot this year. They give up too many big plays on defense. Secondary is the issue.

---------- Post added November-14th-2012 at 09:21 AM ----------

I agree. We never seem to have any "league leaders" or game changing players. While Orakpo is our best pass rusher, he's no Jared Allen or Demarcus Ware. Guys that can "blow up" an offense. While Garcon is our best WR, he's no Megatron, Fitz or Roddy White. A guy that can impact the game, week in and week out.

Garcon? Well, we don't know that. But we saw what he could do when he was healthy. Ask New Orleans.

[Oldfan]

...It would be even toguher considering the monster contract Haynesworth had landed. What team would trade a high pick for that?

Part of the contract could have been eaten. If he was worth a fifth after all the fuss, he was worth a third before it.

3) Trading Cooley in 2010 would have caused uproar...

Who cares? Do you think Belichik lets the fans decide who stays and who goes?

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

I authored two threads opposed to the McNabb trade predicting that (1) McNabb wouldn't be much of an upgrade over Campbell; and 2) McNabb was misfit for our scheme or any anyone else's scheme other than the one Reid created for him in Philadelphia. My opinions were unpopular. No matter how often the team is burned by them, Skins fans still love the big name acquisitions.

It's an understandable error because Mike thought he could turn McNabb into Elway. I remember hating it at first, but talking myself into it because I wanted Campbell gone and I thought Mike could indeed, fix McNabb.

To the OP's point, I think the scouts are merely extensions of Mike. Mike tells them to go find run blocking guards, pass pro be damned, that's what they do.

I don't get this criticism; both Chester and Kory are solid pass blocking guards (Kory's problem is run blocking), Trent is a stud at pass blocking, and Monty is above-average. Meanwhile, Polumbus has given up more sacks than the rest of the line COMBINED, nearly as many QB hits, and nearly as many QB hurries as the rest of the line combined.

[authentic]

I don't get this criticism; both Chester and Kory are solid pass blocking guards (Kory's problem is run blocking), Trent is a stud at pass blocking, and Monty is above-average. Meanwhile, Polumbus has given up more sacks than the rest of the line COMBINED, nearly as many QB hits, and nearly as many QB hurries as the rest of the line combined.

out side of Trent, our Oline still has issues pass blocking. it would be nice to have a line like Houston's, who also run the same scheme.

[Oldfan]

It's an understandable error because Mike thought he could turn McNabb into Elway. I remember hating it at first, but talking myself into it because I wanted Campbell gone and I thought Mike could indeed, fix McNabb.

And you thought if he could fix the 34 year-old McNabb we could win super bowls with the solid supporting cast we had?

BTW the second quote in your post isn't mine.

[maskedsuperstar]

out side of Trent, our Oline still has issues pass blocking. it would be nice to have a line like Houston's, who also run the same scheme.

Well, out of 32 teams, the Skins are 23rd in giving up sacks(21). Houston has given up 11 sacks. Thats pretty good. No, its more than pretty good. And when it comes to rushing offense, the Skins are 3rd in the league. Houston is 8th.

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

.

Who cares? Do you think Belichik lets the fans decide who stays and who goes?

It is amazing how he runs things. Stockpiles picks, takes chances on players. Heck, they pick somone up about once a week. Fans may like players, but they seem to like wins better and the hoodie is all about doing what is needed to put his team in the best position to win.

[Gurgeh]

Part of the contract could have been eaten. If he was worth a fifth after all the fuss, he was worth a third before it.

Who cares? Do you think Belichik lets the fans decide who stays and who goes?

What Shanahan could and perhaps should have done is blow up the squad on arrival. He's claimed he didn't realise how bad the squad was when he took over, so if you take him at face value he wasn't about to trade away team players like Cooley, who at the time still looked like they could contribute. It wouldn't have been just the fans who were upset, you have players, staff and a notoriously interfering owner to deal with (who's since kept his nose out of team affairs, but back then would you have trusted Snyder to take a quiet backseat?)

Even if he had traded. we get a third for Haynesworth, and maybe a third for Cooley and a third for Carter, and that would be pushing the bounds of credibility. It's still not six picks in the first two rounds, and we've just made a hole at the TE position to fill with that trade. The plain fact is we were in a bad, bad way for developing a squad when Shanahan took over, because the best players were past their prime, there was no stockpile of picks, and FAs only came to call looking for a payday rather than to be a winner.

Looking at the players we've picked from the 2009 draft onwards, every player we've selected in the first two rounds is starting with the team. In rounds 3 to 5 we've picked 12 players, 9 of them are still with the team with 6 or 7 of them starting. From rounds 6 onwards we've picked 17 players, I think 9 of them are still with us. That doesn't sound too bad a strike rate to me - or you could conclude how poor the squad was given how many low draft selections are playing.

[theTruthTeller]

Well, out of 32 teams, the Skins are 23rd in giving up sacks(21). Houston has given up 11 sacks. Thats pretty good. No, its more than pretty good. And when it comes to rushing offense, the Skins are 3rd in the league. Houston is 8th.

The Skins are doing pretty well in rush blocking, but the number is inflated because Griffin is such an effective runner when the pass blocking breaks down. So the line is getting credit for rushing because their pass protection sucks. Without Griffin's "rushing", the Skins are still doing well, but not at the top. As far as pass blocking goes, 21 sacks when you have the most mobile QB in the league, and one that is looking for chances to run, is not very good.

[tibbidoe]

If Dan Snyder has been willing to throw mountains of money at coaches and free agents, why wouldn't he invest a bunch of money into the scouting department? We should have the best and most expansive group of scouts in the league.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

out side of Trent, our Oline still has issues pass blocking. it would be nice to have a line like Houston's, who also run the same scheme.

No, Tyler Polumbus has issues pass blocking. So do our RBs. Of those 21 sacks, 5 of them are on Polumbus. 2 of those sacks came when Jordan Black was in the game for Trent Williams.

[maskedsuperstar]

The Skins are doing pretty well in rush blocking, but the number is inflated because Griffin is such an effective runner when the pass blocking breaks down. So the line is getting credit for rushing because their pass protection sucks. Without Griffin's "rushing", the Skins are still doing well, but not at the top. As far as pass blocking goes, 21 sacks when you have the most mobile QB in the league, and one that is looking for chances to run, is not very good.

Before the season started, the OL was suppose to be the major issue. Its not. They have played very well. There isn't a dominant OL in the league.

---------- Post added November-14th-2012 at 10:23 AM ----------

No, Tyler Polumbus has issues pass blocking. So do our RBs. Of those 21 sacks, 5 of them are on Polumbus. 2 of those sacks came when Jordan Black was in the game for Trent Williams.

Some of those sacks fall on the head of RG3. Against the Panthers, he held on to the ball for too long. He will learn.

[Oldfan]

...Looking at the players we've picked from the 2009 draft onwards, every player we've selected in the first two rounds is starting with the team. In rounds 3 to 5 we've picked 12 players, 9 of them are still with the team with 6 or 7 of them starting. From rounds 6 onwards we've picked 17 players, I think 9 of them are still with us. That doesn't sound too bad a strike rate to me - or you could conclude how poor the squad was given how many low draft selections are playing.

When did Mike claim he didn't know how bad it was? He has said that he advised Kyle not to come here because he saw a five year project.

Fred Davis was the only good pick from the 2008 draft. Davis gave us two options to increase roster value: Run a two-TE base offense or trade Cooley. Mike did neither.

Carter wasn't worth a third. A fifth would have been reasonable. Despite his age, he was healthy and coming off 11.5 sacks in the preious season. We waived him eventually.

Like others who look for excuses for Mike, you are exaggerating how bad the inherited roster was. Either that, or we need to get Jim Zorn back since he won 12 games in two seasons with that talent.

Teams always keep their draft picks as reserves, so counting them really tells us nothing. If Vinny was still here, we would have more of his picks on the current roster.

Mike has five starters out of three drafts since 2010. Belichik has eight.

[theTruthTeller]

Its really hard to tell if the problem is with the scouting department or the team philosophy. Most teams overvalue their draft choices. The Skins undervalue their draft choices. Most teams stay away from the high priced FA market, unless they are going after one player that the need to move to an elite level. When you get a high priced FA, by definition you've paid more than the other 31 teams were willing to pay. How many times is your scouting department better than the other 31 teams' scouting departments? Its a tough way to build a team when you're at the bottom.

I love RG3, but I question whether he is better than having four quality starters. Its going to be tough to fill in the holes without #1s for the next two years, especially with the reduced cap. Too many holes, too few plugs.

[Darkstarr]

Its really hard to tell if the problem is with the scouting department or the team philosophy. Most teams overvalue their draft choices. The Skins undervalue their draft choices. Most teams stay away from the high priced FA market, unless they are going after one player that the need to move to an elite level. When you get a high priced FA, by definition you've paid more than the other 31 teams were willing to pay. How many times is your scouting department better than the other 31 teams' scouting departments? Its a tough way to build a team when you're at the bottom.

I love RG3, but I question whether he is better than having four quality starters. Its going to be tough to fill in the holes without #1s for the next two years, especially with the reduced cap. Too many holes, too few plugs.

The Giants made a similar trade for Eli, I doubt anyone questions that move. The Skins paid dearly for a franchise qb, but atm Nobody can question that move.