not impressed with the start of this "new regime"

[Bulldog]

The quick answer is they aren't.

Some franchises like JAX and Buffalo can't sell out games and probably will be relocated at some point.

Others like Cleveland and Oakland are just chronically mismanaged and have no continuity or chemistry.

Cleveland spent high picks on Brady Quinn, Weeden, and Colt McCoy at qb and none of these guys can play in the NFL.

Oakland traded for Palmer, then Flynn and finally started Terelle Pryor, who should be moved to running back or slot receiver.

 

[CounterTrey]

I'm with Ryman on the OP but this Raider's sidestep loses me. They have no core of youth comparatively and Mike already listed specifically why this team looks better set up for the long haul. Now if we're talking management and coaching...well only time will tell there but I have more confidence in ours than I do the seemingly dog and Pony show in Oakland. Mackenzie did a job wiping the slate clean and getting rid of some roster problems but ya gotta build the team after that, so far he gets an "I" at best, a D based on what's happened so far.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

we are hurting for talent and have no cap room really, the raiders are not hurting for cap room and are talent deficient, but until they got stupid in free agency this year they were primed for a 3 year rebuild, all they had to do was draft oline for 2 years with depth picks, pick up depth free agents and then draft a qb in year 2 or 3 when they would have really low picks. we are talent deficient and have no money

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

the best way to build a long term dynasty is to build your lines first, use all your draft picks to go BPA on the lines you will have a rough go the first season and have an even better draft pick, you go bpa lines first again and you sign free agents to fill holes with middle tier guys unless a stud drops to you some how, you should have one more season of great draft picks, now you go all in, if no franchise qb available, you draft bpa skill positions, you should have a mid tier draft pick by this point and if need be you trade like we did for rg3, because by then you should be one or two players away.

 

[Ax]

Unfortunately Ryman, if it were truly that simple, every team in the league would do it, and then they'd all be dynasty's.

No wait. That's absolutely impossible.

 

[tshile]

and if it were that simple and easy the NFL wouldn't be the #1 sport in the country by every meaningful metric. it'd be predictable and boring and no one would care about it.

 

[GSF]

we are hurting for talent and have no cap room really, the raiders are not hurting for cap room and are talent deficient, but until they got stupid in free agency this year they were primed for a 3 year rebuild, all they had to do was draft oline for 2 years with depth picks, pick up depth free agents and then draft a qb in year 2 or 3 when they would have really low picks. we are talent deficient and have no money

So the Raiders bad management put them in position to be good except for they made more bad decisions?

You seem to be contending that the draft is the most important component of building/rebuilding a team. This "regime" hasn't had a draft yet, but you're ranting about how unimpressed you are. I think that's why some of us are saying let's wait and see how the draft and rest of the offseason goes before freaking out one way or the other.

 

[Henry]

The best way to build a team is to hit on your draft picks, whatever they are. And hitting on free agents doesn't hurt either. And stay under the cap. And don't change offensive/defensive philosophies every two years.

We've done some of that, which is an improvement over the none-of-that we experienced for the better part of the past decade. Unfortunately we still haven't hit on enough draft picks or free agents when it comes to the lines. That needs to change or it won't matter what our overall strategy is.

 

[fansince62]

there are many paths to success. the draft has its short-comings as well....most especially the bills coming due 3-4 years down the road. i.e., you better hit the jackpot in those 3-4 years cuz you aren't going to be able to keep many of those people if you have drafted well. you have to keep hitting the jackpot draft after draft. hard to do.

the Broncos got to the SB last season. they did so because they signed - did not draft - Peyton Manning. true...team effort and all that. but they made it because of that guy. when operating in 3-4 year cycles...it seems to me there are multiple strategies that can succeed. they all depend, IMO, on finding a franchise QB. once a team has that....they have the constant needed to remain competitive through the 3-4 year cycles. if the fact of life is churn due to the cap....aside from cost considerations...whether the roster is built from the draft or FA seems to me to be less important than it was back in the day when teams like the Steelers and Skins had 12 rounds to work with and could stock the team with players who they kept around for years.

The cap is conceived to promote parity. what is the engine? players seeking higher salaries. drafting that imposes a lower salary structure (relative to historical norms) only increases the incentives to enter FA. from this perspective, at least for me, it is interesting what the Skins have been doing. it seems like they have finally dispensed with the beauty show components of FA and have built a strategy that better aligns with their business environment. Shanahan finally ended the 20 year odyssey and found the franchise QB. Allen, by all appearances, is now restructuring the roster based on BOTH cost and expected turnover give the cap and how it works. that's my take anyway. painful as it might be...we just have to sit back and see if they can find the part-timers for the lines that can make the difference during one of these 3-4 year cycles. that's the time horizon these days when it comes to personnel IMO - except for the QB.

 

[Bulldog]

Guys, Gruden is coming in with capable offensive skill players at the critical spots and they are all under 30.

The offense needs a couple of bigger interior linemen and some depth at WR.

That could all still happen with the draft and secondary free agency coming up.

On defense this team is a project.

It is going to take the development and consistent performance of younger guys here plus 2 drafts and another round of free agency in 2015 to rebuild this side of the ball into a unit other teams don't want to play.

In the meantime I would expect this team to improve from 3-13 to 7-9 or 8-8 with some breaks in 2014.

 

[Boone]

This team is neither the division champs we saw 2 seasons ago, nor the cellar dwelling disaster we saw last season. We're somewhere in between. It blows me away how little recognition there was last year of the impact of Griffin coming immediately back and the limitations he played under as a result. Just a healthy Griffin alone is going to exponentially improve this team. Watch and see.

 

[Boone]

I'd also point out that a lot of the beating Griffin has taken to date is on Griffin. He will either learn to get rid of the damn ball when the play is not there, or he won't have a long career. I have some hope that Gruden has already honed in on this tendency and is going to teach Griffin to play smarter and protect himself.

 

[Bulldog]

You can scheme for protection on the right edge.

What you can't do is allow the kind of interior penetration this OL did last year from the LG-C-RG triangle.

The fact we brought McGlynn and De la Puente in I think shows we still want to get stronger inside.


I would rather see us draft a RT than sign a journeyman like Eric Winston and pay him prime money.

 

[Elephant]

You can scheme for protection on the right edge.

What you can't do is allow the kind of interior penetration this OL did last year from the LG-C-RG triangle.

The fact we brought McGlynn and De la Puente in I think shows we still want to get stronger inside.


I would rather see us draft a RT than sign a journeyman like Eric Winston and pay him prime money.

He's not getting prime money. He's been released from teams the past 2 seasons because his contract was too big...and possibly talent deficient at this point in his career. I would pass on him because he is over the hill, but he won't get prime money again.

 

[fansince62]

I'd also point out that a lot of the beating Griffin has taken to date is on Griffin. He will either learn to get rid of the damn ball when the play is not there, or he won't have a long career. I have some hope that Gruden has already honed in on this tendency and is going to teach Griffin to play smarter and protect himself.

good observation...with one caveat amigo....I seem to recall discussions in the media last season that the receivers were not regularly running their routes with precision and timing. it's a very complicated situation since there are so many variables (for last season). I saw every one of these breaking down last season with alarming consistency:

- overall integrity of the pocket

- weaknesses at certain positions (center, RT) in passpro

- the center making the right scheme call in passpro

- RGIII seeing the field

- RGIII progression

- RGIII use of the pocket

- RGIII inclination to tuck and run

- RGIII understanding the defense in a short period of time

- RGIII using the clock smartly

- RGIII adjusting the playcall correctly

- RGIII mechanics enabling the pass a play requires

- RGIII accuracy and consistency

- RB picking up the right rusher

- TE skills in passpro

- receivers running precise route

- receiver and QB synchronizing on correct adjustment to the defense

- receiver being where he ought to be in space w/i the needed time

- receivers catching the dang ball

- smart playcalls from the OC

in short...the passing game overall was a mess IMO. the lack of preseason work among the key players probably hurt more than anyone is willing to admit.

 

[Ax]

And yet, with all that, Garcon, without any scary threat on the other side of the field, set a new team record for receptions.

We're a lot closer to the 2012 team, than we are to the 2013 team, IMO.

Hang in there fellas.

 

[Bulldog]

Come on folks. Except for Williams this OL was an exercise in dumpster diving.

We put precious little in to it and have gotten middling to poor results out of it.

Griffin didn't do this, Griffin didn't do that.

Yep, and we saw over the hill guys like Tuck and Kevin Williams in their 30's have career games against us last year.

Tuck simply beat up the Redskins OL. From what I recall he was in the backfield before 'two Mississippi'

 

[Bulldog]

Exactly why I think a rise to 7-9 or 8-8 next year will be a big step forward given where we left off after the Giants game.

 

[Henry]

As for Garcon's record, most of RGIII's passing success last year was when the game was out of reach.

Actually, outside of the first two games our best passing games were the close ones. The Atlanta, Detroit, San Diego, Chicago and Minnesota games made up 5 of our top 7 passing games. They were all close, one possession games where we actually led at times ... or even won. We didn't pass for over 200 yards in any of the truly craptacular games, like San Francisco, Denver, Kansas City, or either Giant game.

If anyone looks back at last year and thinks no one on that team was to blame for that dismal showing, then the Kool-Aid must be very, very strong. There were only a couple of guys who had consistent performances.

Good coaching, schemes and strong leadership aren't going to be enough to get us into the playoffs. We need better talent.

I disagree. This team completely quit down the stretch. We didn't lose our last eight straight game due to lack of talent. That was a complete implosion from the top-down.

 

[Ax]

If anyone looks back at last year and thinks no one on that team was to blame for that dismal showing, then the Kool-Aid must be very, very strong.

Another creation in your mind. No one I've seen has said anything like that. As for the Koolaid drivel, I've a suggestion for the location it should be stored.

We need better talent.

Well Hello Captain Obvious.

BTW - Every team in the NFL wants better talent.