MacMahon: Don't blame front office for Doug Free debacle

[ravidubey]

The FO/JJ blame goes to neglecting the OL for so many years. We didn't draft an OL in the first or second round after 2004 until we took Tyron Smith in '11. And the few we did take over the years in the mid rounds were busts like James Marten, Robert Brewster, David Arkin, etc.
They may get a pass on Free, but the neglecting of the OL and then the horrible evaluation/picks we did make at the position for over a decade is the real problem.

I actually don't think Jerry neglected the OL as badly as we think-- he's tried to draft them. I just think our scouts (and of course Jerry himself) don't know how to evaluate them.

The evidence is clear. Solomon Page, Al Johnson, Jacob Rogers, James Marten, Robert Brewster-- these are 2nd and 3rd round picks who couldn't play at all. It's one thing to draft a Stephen Peterman who started his career poorly but eventually found his way onto an NFL field, but the guys I listed are completely out of football.

That's a serious problem with the OL scouting, and yes one Jerry should have recognized and corrected.

 

[Texas Ace]

What indication did you have that Free was going to fall off the face of the Earth?

It pains me to have to give Schmitty the props, but I remember he was always totally against that signing.

I'm going to guess that he's going to say that Free never "fell off the face of the earth", because he was never high enough to do so. He played solidly for us in that one season, but he wasn't "great".

I was for the signing, but I thought he got too much money. As for Schmitty, I don't think he wanted to keep the guy at any price.

 

[Carp]

He is against anything the front office does, so there is no objectivity.

As for Free getting no blame at all...kind of goes against all the people that want to hold players accountable.

 

[ravidubey]

He is against anything the front office does, so there is no objectivity.

As for Free getting no blame at all...kind of goes against all the people that want to hold players accountable.

No doubt Free is also culpable. What happened to the capable player who ably filled in for Colombo at the end of 2009?

 

[Cowboysrock55]

He is against anything the front office does, so there is no objectivity.

As for Free getting no blame at all...kind of goes against all the people that want to hold players accountable.

At that time he was on a kick about how you shouldn't ever resign a player unless they are truly elite and that is what makes the Patriots so great. It had nothing to do with Schmizzle thinking Free wasn't a good player, he just didn't think he was elite and therefore not worth resigning.

 

[ravidubey]

At that time he was on a kick about how you shouldn't ever resign a player unless they are truly elite and that is what makes the Patriots so great. It had nothing to do with Schmizzle thinking Free wasn't a good player, he just didn't think he was elite and therefore not worth resigning.

It made sense to sign him to RT money since that's where he had been most successful up until 2010. But they took some really stupid metrics and decided Free was an elite LT based on 2010. 2011 showed just how stupid those metrics were, and 2012 was a complete debacle.

Taking a step back, of course this crap only happens to Dallas where "stars" are overpaid and encouraged to sit back and rest on their laurels since they are guaranteed their positions.

 

[boozeman]

Bottom line is that despite the fact the Eagles and Bucs were after him it is next to impossible to assume they were going to sign him for the LT money we did.

Both clubs had left tackles in place...good ones in Peters and Penn. They wanted him for right tackle and we being the panicky dunces we are...blinked.

 

[UncleMilti]

I actually don't think Jerry neglected the OL as badly as we think-- he's tried to draft them. I just think our scouts (and of course Jerry himself) don't know how to evaluate them.

The evidence is clear. Solomon Page, Al Johnson, Jacob Rogers, James Marten, Robert Brewster-- these are 2nd and 3rd round picks who couldn't play at all. It's one thing to draft a Stephen Peterman who started his career poorly but eventually found his way onto an NFL field, but the guys I listed are completely out of football.

That's a serious problem with the OL scouting, and yes one Jerry should have recognized and corrected.

This a great point, Ravi.

I wouldn't be nearly as pissed with Jerry Jones if he were to show some semblance of GM leadership. If he would quit leaning on evaluations with his buddies, stop taking draft advice from losers like Switzer and others removed from the game, and fired scouts who had a track record of recommending Brewsters, Pages, etc. then I could somewhat handle his constant yapping and pet cats. But as it is, the shitty OL play, shitty drafts, and shitty reaches fall squarely on him. He is in "control" as he is so fond of reminding everyone who will listen.

 

[Smitty]

What indication did you have that Free was going to fall off the face of the Earth?

There were indications that he was not a top 10 tackle and not worth the money he was being paid. His complete abuse in the 2009 playoff game, the lack of a track record of playing well, the existence of a track record of poor run blocking, etc.

 

[Smitty]

He is against anything the front office does, so there is no objectivity.

Well that's not true.

 

[Smitty]

At that time he was on a kick about how you shouldn't ever resign a player unless they are truly elite and that is what makes the Patriots so great. It had nothing to do with Schmizzle thinking Free wasn't a good player, he just didn't think he was elite and therefore not worth resigning.

Uh, no, I never said you shouldn't sign a player unless he's elite, that doesn't even make sense. Which actually makes sense that people thought I said it because my arguments are frequently misinterpreted.

I was very much against that money for Free and against the player in general because he was a liability in the run game.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Uh, no, I never said you shouldn't sign a player unless he's elite, that doesn't even make sense. Which actually makes sense that people thought I said it because my arguments are frequently misinterpreted.

I was very much against that money for Free and against the player in general because he was a liability in the run game.

I said resign... Don't get upset with me if your arguments didn't make any sense.

 

[Smitty]

I said resign... Don't get upset with me if your arguments didn't make any sense.

I wouldn't have said re-sign either.