Ray Farmer: Judged Unfairly

It's too bad nobody reads this here blog, because it has become an island of sanity in a sea of dumbassitude in re Ray Farmer.  I dug up this old article by Jared Mueller (Dawg Pound Daily) analyzing Ray Farmer's first year on the job.  It was pretty fair, given what information Jared had at the time.

He lists the trade in which Ray got an extra first and fourth rounder as a good move.  Like me, he reminds the reader that how these picks would be used are a separate issue: Ray got a LOT to move down just five slots.

Jared listed Gilbert as "to be determined".  Like me, he comprehends that cornerback is a difficult position, even if at the time he didn't know how extremely complicated the Ryan defense is.

By now, peer pressure has probably forced Jared to put Gilbert in the "bust" category, but that's wrong.  

People laughed derisively when Mike Pettine (who pushed for the pick) said that Gilbert was progressing a week before making him a healthy scratch for Kansas City.

Well, he had been, which is why he started the week prior.  Kansas City's receivers are unique.  And, of course, Mike prioritizes experience over talent to a fault.

At any rate, the timeline for many cornerbacks is about as long as for project quarterbacks, and we'll see about Gilbert next season.  That's reality.  Deal with it.

Jared lists the Hawkins signing as a great deal.  Check.

Joel Bitonio in the second round: check.

Under "Good", Jared lists undrafted free agents Crowell, Williams, and Gabriel.  While Gabriel has turned into a tiny Greg Little, the other two are looking terrific.

Terrence West is in this category, but clearly Jared wouldn't have it that way now.  I liked West a lot myself, except for the number of carries he'd had in college.  Lots of miles on those tires.  For whatever reason, this was a swing and a miss.

Under "bad", he lists inactivity in free agency.  Not fair at all.  The Browns are not a popular destination, and many of the bigger names refused to even consider them.  Whitner and Dansby (who Jared listed as "good") count, don't they?

Nor are these the only ones.  Solomon should have been included.  He was placed on IR this season, but he'll be back.

Jared listed Manziel as a bad pick.  He'd have to upgrade that now.  If you don't think so, you are a permabasher and hopeless.

Also good were how he dealt with Mack and extended Haden.  Jared even admitted that Skrine was overpriced and replaceable.

As Judge Mental pointed out, you can't judge a draft class until the end of the third year, but this is an emergency.

Desir did some good stuff, then declined somewhat.  But try to fathom this: He and Gilbert are taller cornerbacks, and don't match up as well with smaller receivers.  Desir might have taken a step back, or might have been replaced by a smaller, quicker corner temporarily.

I have to retract my own criticism of Ray letting Charles Johnson go based on what he's done with Bridgewater in Minnesota, but will gladly replace him with the Bowe contact this season.

If you think that Cam Erving (courtesy of Buffalo) is a bust already, you are clueless.  LeCharles Bentley says he just needs to polish his techniques and pump some iron.  And he was around average vs the Chiefs (which nobody else noticed).

But I'm getting into the most recent draft now, which is way premature, since YOUNG PLAYERS TEND TO IMPROVE WITH EXPERIENCE DO YOU UNDERSTAND? 

Clearly, Ryan Rosco does not comprehend this.  His hit piece has some good points.  Dwayne Bowe is the obvious one, but then there is Rob Housler.  But Ryan screwed that one up.  He said that Housler's production was declining.  It had declined because of his new head coach and offensive system.  There was no objective reason to expect his failure here.

Mayle was a miss check.  West check.  But then he calls the 2014 first round a complete miss.  Not only has he buried Gilbert, but Manziel too.  That's idiocy.

Every GM will miss some.  Here in Cleveland, we've become hyper-critical.  The guys in Seattle and Pittsburgh are simply awesome, but then almost every other GM has a comparable record of hits and misses.  Most don't have the best free agents telling their agents to avoid the Browns, either.

Move one: Trade-down for two firsts and a fourth.  GREAT!  Watkins wasn't worth anywhere near that much.  Move 2: Draft the consensus best cornerback.  TO BE DETERMINED due to the difficulty of that position and complexity of this defense.  Move 3: Draft Manziel.  Looking great right now!   Move 4: Bitonio...going through that draft and free agency, it's hard for any objective judge to find fault with it now, aside from Gilbert and West.

Look around the league! Farmer has done better than most of them, even if you don't cut him slack for Gilbert or Manziel not being his personal favorites!

His real bad moves are Bowe (obviously), Mayle (a lower pick), West (who played well as a rookie then seemed to run out of gas), and Housler (who wasn't paid much).  That's in two seasons.  Four out of how many transactions? Probably over a hundred! (Update: over 400).

Ray Farmer's record is actually pretty good.  It would look better if his defensive youngsters were being allowed to develop in a less confusing and ever-changing defense.

A personnel guy drafts the players, but it's the coaches who must make the best use of them, and develop them.

You guys go fishing with dynamite, don't you?