First, this Tampa Bay writer got several things wrong as he jumped on the McCoy Madness Motorcade:
1: The "talk" coming out of Cleveland is coming from (less brilliant/humble) guys like me, and not the team.
2: There was never a "five year plan" for the Browns. No sane GM has ever tried a "five year plan" since the advent of free agency, and the notion got even more idiotic with the rookie salary structure.
The rookie contracts are for four years. Only first rounders come with fifth year options. Invariably, the best of the young players become very expensive before their rookie deals expire, and teams often lose them, as, at some other point in the past, somebody also cut down the money tree and replaced it with a salary cap.
Paul DePodesta's original plan was much longer-term than we've seen in the NFL for some time, but the rebuilding phase was two years, after which he expected them to contend for the playoffs.
You get this, right? Ideally, by year 3 they have a viable Quarterback, their first draft class has some experience, and now is the time to spend some of the money they've been hoarding on proven veteran free agents.
I may be being unfair to this writer (who is not a dumbass-hence the link), as I suppose you could reasonably expect it to take five years for any crappy team to reach a Superbowl...but that's not how DePodesta thinks, or what people call "analytics" does either.
...that's complicated, and I won't bore you (more). But generally speaking, the lengths of the rookie contracts and the "miss"-rates on draft picks make five years way too vague and shaky.
Also, the history of many, many Superbowl teams says that more often than not, teams other than the Patiots go from the dumster to the Big game in 2-4 years.
But this writer is correct that DePodesta's long-term plan was accellerated massively due to Baker Mayfield's instant emergence as a top ten quarterback.
DePodesta couldn't count on any such thing in year 3.
True Franchise Quarterbacks are rare, and this Fortune 500 business consultant never counted on ever having one.
All of his early plans were predicated on building a strong TEAM (much more predictable with the best personnel people), and having a "solid" quarterback ("game manager") by year 3.
He was right on schedule when John Dorsey replaced Sashi Brown prior to the 2018 season...
Okay here I have to ask some questions about the 2017 Draft: Hue Jackson had the right to pick his own QB written into his contract.
He had the authority to override Sashi Brown.
When he said "You'll have to trust me on this one" in re Cody Kessler he was defending HIS pick, Mary Kay. Not "taking one for the team" (I still can't believe MKC wrote that crap).
I know, DePodesta said they didn't think Wentz could be a top 20 QB, but he said "we", and he was NOT a "football guy". DePodesta was NEVER here to pick players.
God am I the only guy left who understands english? DePodesta repeatedly said that analyitics was one of several "tools" to help evaluate players, and never spoke in the first person.
I STRONGLY suspect that DePodesta relied on Hue Jackson in re Quarterbacks when he made that idiotic statement.
On a purely anaytical level, you see, Wentz was a prototype NFL Quarterback, as PFF, Numberfire, etc stipulated.
But Quarterbacks are different. So much is mental and psychological. Many, many "prototypes" crap out.
Do any of you people understand that Paul Depodesta was never here to pick individual players in the first place? That his drafts were never based on analytics; that the scouts and Coaches still had the loudest voice? That DePodesta KNEW his own limitations, and deferred to these professionals in re specific players?
Nah. You never got any of that.
Anyhow, Kessler, Kizer, and RG III were all HUE JACKSON guys!!!
Here comes John Dorsey, who had one year earlier traded up do draft Pat Mahomes.
Nobody could believe that Hue Jackson (1-31) hadn't been fired. (I explained that. As preposterous as it sounds, the PR fallout off yet another early HC termination would have been even worse than his retention of a 1-31 Coach.)
But also, Jackson was neutered. Todd Haley was brought in to replace him (utterly) as OC, and he couldn't override him. Effectively, Hue Jackson was a figurehead in his final season with the Browns...
And by the way, the language in his contract which gave him authority to pick quarterbacks wasn't worth the paper it was written on. If he made a stink, he would be fired.
Anyway, Dorsey came in and did what he did.
Wow: Kizer for Randall? Then Mayfield instead of those other guys? Then the--nevermind, but all very impressive.
But I digress: Mayfield is the game-changer here:
Baker Mayfield is unmistakeably a Franchise Quarterback.
Because the rest of the team is loaded from top to bottom with talent, Paul 100% concurs with John Dorsey that they should go for all the marbles in 2019...but...
3: I'm not sure about John Dorsey, but Chief STRATEGY Officer Paul DePodesta is in Jimmy Haslam's ear, and Jimmy is listening:
As it stands (see my previous posts), (and I apolologize for redundantationalizing again), the last THREE Browns' drafts have been really good, and included 6 first rounders.
NOW, one of those picks is a Superstar Quarterback.
Paul DePodesta (and the Haslams) want the Browns to be like the Patriots (*I never said "will be"...nor did OBJ*).
I personally don't think John Dorsey is a spazz, like everybody else does. In fact, it looks to me like he and Paul DePodesta get along fine.
To date, all his trades have made financial and long-term sense.
No doubt, Dorsey would love to have Gerald McCoy, but he's 31.
This Tampa writer naturally wants the Bucs to get something in exchange for Gerald McCoy, but is being unrealistic.
McCoy is coming off a strong, productive season. He's healthy, and has been durable throughout his carreer. He will not accept a 50+% pay cut to facilitate a trade to a team that would make him a rotational player.
The Bucs will have to cut him. Dorsey will be in the mad scramble to sign him, but DePodesta will "cut off the bidding"--and McCoy probably won't become a Brown.
Sorry to put you through all this for a bad ending, but welcome to my world!
However, as I've said (a lot) DT depth may not be the as urgent a need as most think it is, as Steve Wilks is not Gregg Williams, and definitely influenced this offseason.
...still with me here?
The only DT Dorsey drafted was...Ok but the Free Agent DT was...ok I got nothing here.
Critical thinking 101: WHY?
Obviously, Steve Wilks likes linebackers and secondary player more than DT's.
Critical Thinking 102 gets into the specific Defensive players drafted (or signed):
We can eliminate Greedy Williams. He's overbashed as a tackler, but was one of the 2 best man corners in this class.
Both linebackers were good in coverage, and Takitaki was a converted DE who blows things up (he's like Rodney Averyfield).
Critical Thinking 103: The Browns now have (at least) 2 OLB's who are edge-rushers; one of which can put his hand in the dirt.
Ok (sigh) long story short: Steve Wilks is more comfortable with 3-4's than Gregg Williams was.
If you had a clue, you'd be laughing at that joke now, but I will explain:
Some form of nickel. or dime defense is on the field about 69% nowadays, so this 3-4, 4-3 stuff is a joke.
Stay with me here: Steve Wilks was a DC for exactly one season before he was made a Head Coach. Everybody who "pegs" him (as a "type of" DC) based on that is guessing.
I don't guess. Critical thinking 104: Steve Wilks will mix 3 and 4-man down-lineman fronts (sort of a technicality, really, since if Avery or Takitaki is in your face, they are in your face).
Williams aside, the rest of the defensive draft picks are good vs the run.
Wilks was a Head Coach for one (horrific) season, but he was hired as one for reasons. I have a hunch that Steve Wilks will be at least a competent Defensive Coordinator for the 2019 Browns.
You people (ie MKC and everybody else) crack me up when you try to analyze coaches.
Wilks was a secondary coach, ergo Linebackers and Defensive Linemen need not apply? He will run the identical defense to the one he ran in his one season as the Panthers' DC?
In reality, nobody (including me) has a bead on Steve Wilks 2019.
But you know me! Glass half-full! Consensus expert opinion (but what do they know?)
No I can definitively tell you this: Steve Wilks has never had as much talent to play with as he has now. He may never have had as much influence over a draft as he had in 2019 (I think).
Wilks could be an idiot, for all I know (after all, Dorsey hired Todd Haley), but glass half full...
Actually more than that:
Wilks has a clear agenda, as indicated by the 2019 draft and UFDA class...
Nothing new here. I'm just Captain Obvious here: The 2019 Browns have one of the 5 best secondaries in the NFL, AND a top 5 passrush, so........
Budd wudd aboud...
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