How many wins do media statements count for again?

Hoogivsahfugg?

Boom

Speaking of which, what was the deal with the Bears and McCown? Did he shit the bed some time last year and I missed it, are they that in love with Cutler [he did get a new K while coming back from injury, right?], or was it out of their hands?

I only caught three games, IIRC, but they were three pretty impressive games. More impressive than I've seen of Cutler.

How many wins does sitting pat in free agency and depending on a draft in which you're short picks get you?

I think it's typical NFL thinking. Cutler is "elite" and McCown isn't. Honestly I don't get the infatuation with Jay Cutler. Yeah, he's a physical specimen but he's not a winner and never will be.

I can agree with the Sanders failure. The other points you are making, are your perspective. Just saying, Dorsey, and Reid I'm guessing agrees, believes the solutions to some of the failings of the team can be found in house. You can, and must disagree with this strategy. They clearly want some backups and rookies from last year to step up to become key players for them moving forward.

Not saying it will work, but it has for other teams before. Teams like the Steelers and Packers rarely look outside the team for replacing their losses, and have the next man up approach. And I know, Alex Smith doesn't jive with that. Reid wanted him, and there you go, so far, he was right.

Good post save one point. He was right about Alex Smith the player, but you simply cannot wash away the price that was paid for him and pretend it doesn't have an impact. One of the reasons the Steelers and Packers are successful in their approach is because they stockpile picks, not trade them away.

So is it pretty solid it was 'in their hands, but they loved another?'

I'm torn now, not really interested in the Bucs, and not really hopeful for their prospects, but I liked what I watched of McCown last year and hope he doesn't languish there.

In '04 it was 7... Wait, what? We've done this before, coming off a promising season when we went 9-0 and made he playoffs???

I'd also add, teams like the 'Hawks target and seize key players early but not too early like Wilson, and hit on players like Sherman for incredible value. The Chiefs would be a very different team if we'd found 5-6 Jared Allens instead of one they let walk, albeit for great value in retrospect.

Very, very true.

Correct. But as I said. Reid must have felt strongly enough about acquiring Smith, that losing two high picks was worth it. This is all me guessing, but if they felt Smith would give them more than any QB in last years or this years draft, and that his impact would be more than any player they would pick at those spots, you do it.

They simply felt: Alex Smith > the 2 second rounders. I can't disagree at this point.

At this point.

Looking back on this in 10 years, I'm guessing we'll be saying the same things we said about the Trent Green trade. Or the Matt Cassel trade.

We can only hope it's closer to the Joe Montana trade.

And that's just the thing. We've tried this. Over and over actually. And it's never worked. I can understand that people want to hope that their team can be a winner.

I'm past that. I won't ever fully believe in this team again without the benefit of hindsight.

I'll put it another way, Jonathan Cyprien, Justin Hunter, Zach Ertz, Darius Slay, Giovani Bernard, Manti Te'o, Geno Smith, Cornellius Carradine, Robert Woods, and Menelik Watson. were the first ten picks of the second round last year. I'd take Alex Smith over these players now, and going forward.

The Trent Green trade was a good trade. The Trent Green trade wasn't the reason we hired Greg Robinson, Vermiel didn't give a shit about the defense, and we drafted worse than Matt Millen.

The very acquisition of Cassel was bad, period. They could have GIVEN us picks and it would have been a bad trade.