Irish Boy wrote:
Because it's easier to have people lob grenades at me in one thread then do this in five.
1.) Dave in Champaign hasn't said anything wrong about Brandon Marshall yet, so when he says something about him, also attribute that thought to me.
(One minor exception: I'm increasingly uncomfortable with football outsiders in general. I still look at and use the numbers but I worry about them. His general points still stand.)
2.) Lovie Smith probably has to go. I think he is a better-than-league-average head coach. But after a decade, there's value in simply turning over an organization. As time goes by, the blind spots in organizational management are augmented just because they build upon themselves year after year. Similarly, I thought Jerry Angelo was a better-than-average GM and that it was time for him to go.
3.) We probably won't do better than Lovie Smith. The average NFL head coach is average. But so it goes.
4.) Fire Phil Emery
5.) Speaking as someone surrounded by Vikings fans: people in Minnesota laugh their dicks off at the thought that Jay Cutler is anything other than a mediocre quarterback. It's becoming difficult to disagree.
6.) This team might go 2-14 in two years.
On #5, that simply reflects the populist narrative. I don't usually give much credence to the populist narrative, and neither do you apparently, based on what you say in #1. I'm sure those same Vikings fans think Marshall is a top 5 receiver. So, your #1 and #5 seem to contradict each other.
2 and 3) Agreed with your thoughts on Lovie, but here are Angelo's most recent drafts:
2011
1 Gabe Carimi Wisconsin appears to be a bust
2 Stephen Paea Oregon State meh
3 Chris Conte California not a bad 3rd rounder
5 Nathan Enderle Idaho bad
6 J.T. Thomas West Virginia bad
2010
3 Major Wright Florida ok 3rd rounder
4 Corey Wootton Northwestern good 4th rounder!
5 Joshua Moore Kansas State bad
6 Dan LeFevour Central Michigan bad
7 J'Marcus Webb West Texas A&M bad - only a 7th rounder, but, never having anyone better to play the position is sinful
2009: Like 2010, no 1st or 2nd rounder due to need to compensate for other poor drafts. Melton, Moore, and Louis were good picks. Knox contributed. Notice, this is three straight years without a single impact player. Not one.
3 Jarron Gilbert San Jose State
3 Juaquin Iglesias Oklahoma
4 Henry Melton Texas
4 D.J. Moore Vanderbilt
5 Johnny Knox Abilene Christian
5 Marcus Freeman Ohio State
6 Al Afalava Oregon State
7 Lance Louis San Diego State
7 Derek Kinder Pittsburgh
2008:
1 Chris Williams Vanderbilt Bust
2 Matt Forte Tulane Hey, here's an impact player (sort of)!
3 Earl Bennett Vanderbilt meh
3 Marcus Harrison Arkansas bad
4 Craig Steltz Louisiana State bad
5 Zackary Bowman Nebraska bad
5 Kellen Davis Michigan State bad
7 Ervin Baldwin Michigan State bad
7 Chester Adams Georgia bad
7 Joey LaRocque Oregon State bad
7 Kirk Barton Ohio State bad
7 Marcus Monk Arkansas bad
2007:
1 Greg Olsen Miami (Fla.) meh... first round?
2 Dan Bazuin Central Michigan bad
3 Garrett Wolfe Northern Illinois bad
3 Michael Okwo Stanford bad
4 Josh Beekman Boston College bad
5 Kevin Payne Louisiana-Monroe bad
5 Corey Graham New Hampshire ok for 5th rounder
7 Trumaine McBride Mississippi bad
7 Aaron Brant Iowa State bad
That is a real, real shitty resume right there. You can review the rest if you want (
http://www.databasefootball.com/draft/d ... chi&lg=nfl). But the notion that Angelo's picks, either high rounds or mid rounds, are any good, is off the mark.
4) Since that won't happen, and since he hasn't done anything in less than a year to warrant a firing, I assume you mean he wasn't qualified to get the job to begin with. If that's what you mean, then you might be right.
6) Of course they could. Largely due to Angelo's piss poor drafting and the resulting necessity to overpay in trades and free agency to compensate with a few star players.