FRCDFED
04-05-2005, 07:18 AM
I figured it would at least make for some good bashing!
AS VERMEIL LOST HIS JUICE?
With G.M. Carl Peterson signing a long-term extension, there's a strong feeling around the league that lame-duck, final-year, short-time head coach Dick Vermeil has little or no influence regarding the manner in which the roster will be shaped for 2005.
On one hand, it makes sense for Peterson to put Vermeil's wishes in their proper context, since the head coach surely has a greater desire to load up the cannon for the coming run, and less of an incentive to build the team for the future.
But Vermeil should at least have, in our view, a voice in efforts to put the team in position to be successful in his final season. He came to Peterson's aid at a time when King Carl needed a high-profile field general, and Peterson has rewarded Vermeil's loyalty by doing hardly anything a year ago to improve the Chiefs' horrendous defense.
This time around, Peterson has done more (of course, doing anything is doing more) to capitalize some of the X's. But we're hearing that Vermeil is basically a bystander in the process as Peterson prepares the team for Vermeil's last run.
And, frankly, the fact that Vermeil has only one more year left might be why the Dolphins are standing firm in their demands for a second-round draft pick for cornerback Patrick Surtain. From Vermeil's perspective, Surtain will contribute a helluvalot more than the second-rounder ever could, since Dick will be done before that second-rounder would become a contributor.
So maybe it's a good thing that Peterson isn't yielding to Vermeil's obvious desire to put the best team possible on the field in 2005, even if it means compromising the franchise's ability to do so in 2006 and beyond. Long after Vermeil is gone, Peterson will be the one who's on the hook to keep the team competitive, and there's no reason to mortgage the future just because the head coach doesn't plan to be a part of it.
AS VERMEIL LOST HIS JUICE?
With G.M. Carl Peterson signing a long-term extension, there's a strong feeling around the league that lame-duck, final-year, short-time head coach Dick Vermeil has little or no influence regarding the manner in which the roster will be shaped for 2005.
On one hand, it makes sense for Peterson to put Vermeil's wishes in their proper context, since the head coach surely has a greater desire to load up the cannon for the coming run, and less of an incentive to build the team for the future.
But Vermeil should at least have, in our view, a voice in efforts to put the team in position to be successful in his final season. He came to Peterson's aid at a time when King Carl needed a high-profile field general, and Peterson has rewarded Vermeil's loyalty by doing hardly anything a year ago to improve the Chiefs' horrendous defense.
This time around, Peterson has done more (of course, doing anything is doing more) to capitalize some of the X's. But we're hearing that Vermeil is basically a bystander in the process as Peterson prepares the team for Vermeil's last run.
And, frankly, the fact that Vermeil has only one more year left might be why the Dolphins are standing firm in their demands for a second-round draft pick for cornerback Patrick Surtain. From Vermeil's perspective, Surtain will contribute a helluvalot more than the second-rounder ever could, since Dick will be done before that second-rounder would become a contributor.
So maybe it's a good thing that Peterson isn't yielding to Vermeil's obvious desire to put the best team possible on the field in 2005, even if it means compromising the franchise's ability to do so in 2006 and beyond. Long after Vermeil is gone, Peterson will be the one who's on the hook to keep the team competitive, and there's no reason to mortgage the future just because the head coach doesn't plan to be a part of it.