Clark Judge: Rating smartest, boldest, scariest offseason moves

[DaneMcCloud]

Rating smartest, boldest, scariest offseason moves
May 13, 2009
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11743195

Five boldest moves

Kansas City hiring Scott Pioli

Some people automatically put this one in the win column. Not me. Not after Charlie Weis fizzled at Notre Dame and Romeo Crennel bombed out in Cleveland. OK, so they were former New England coaches, and Pioli was a decorated GM. They still fall from the same tree. The question I have is this: How much was Pioli responsible for what happened in New England? "I guess we're about to find out," said one NFC general manager.

The good news is that Thomas Dimitroff had New England ties, too, and he circled the bases in his first turn as a GM in Atlanta. The bad news: Pioli's first draft with Kansas City: There are reaches everywhere. He also reversed the team's Get Young Now policy by adding 30-something discards like Bobby Engram, Zach Thomas, Monty Beisel and Mike Vrabel. You can do that when you're at or near the top, like New England. But this is a team that lost 23 of its last 25, for crying out loud.

Five biggest gambles

Kansas City acquiring Matt Cassel

I know what he did with New England. But that was the Patriots, and tell me where you find Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Richard Seymour and Bill Belichick in the 816 area code. Cassel was surrounded by a raft of talent on the field and on the sidelines in New England, and I'm still looking for that support group here. So he produced a couple of 400-yard passing games and won 10 of 15 starts. That was nice. But I want to see him reproduce it here. OK, I know what you're thinking: What do the Chiefs have to lose -- especially when all they surrendered for Cassel and Vrabel was a second-round draft pick? Try this: They're paying Cassel $14.65 million in guaranteed salary. If he turns out to be the next Scott Mitchell I know some bean counters in red suits who will demand explanations.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

The "reerun" stuff also has much to do with some of the criticism heaped on Mecca. Here we might start to see somewhat of a generational gap on the board b/c, for people who are Mecca's age, calling even one's closest friends ridiculous names is not uncommon. The connotation of the "insult" is different.

I've only been here a little over three years, but has there ever been as much discussion about name calling as there has been on this board over the last 3-4 months?

Shut up you stupid puke! (It's not too early is it?

Originally Posted by milkman

That's the thing, right there.

Even though you and I disagreed strongly in a number of discussions, we were able to have civilized debates.

But, yes, there were some who simply resorted to namecalling simply because I disagreed with them, or agreed with mecca or Hamas.

I saw people take shots at milkman before. It confused the HELL out of me. Normally milkman is willing to discuss anything. Even when there were some people still defending Herm (WTF?) He will still engage them civily. He would associate certain inappropriate words associated with Herm, but they wouldn't be pointed at the poster.

Originally Posted by milkman

Do I have a reading comprehension issue?

Every time I see shorts like that, all I read is "Look at my ass".

Nope, that's what I see. You're good.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I saw people take shots at milkman before. It confused the HELL out of me. Normally milkman is willing to discuss anything. Even when there were some people still defending Herm (WTF?) He will still engage them civily. He would associate certain inappropriate words associated with Herm, but they wouldn't be pointed at the poster.

In appropriate words?

You mean like competent and capable?

I know for a fact I never used those kind of inappropriate words when discussing Herman ****ing Edwards.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by milkman

In appropriate words?

You mean like competent and capable?

I know for a fact I never used those kind of inappropriate words when discussing Herman ****ing Edwards.

You're right. Poor choice of words. very PROFANE words associated with Herm.

Competent and Capable

[StcChief]

Originally Posted by blaise

I give anyone that didn't draft Mark Sanchez an F- for the offseason.

hasn't played a single down in NFL. F- for NOT Failing.

[Smed1065]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

Yep. That's what I thought. Just another Mecca ballwasher...

You are good!

[Smed1065]

But it takes one to see one or know it?

[Mecca]

If I think you're point is dumb I'll tell you I think your point is dumb, I 99% of the time will go out of my way to talk about what you said as opposed to you personally. Now if you start with me that changes...

Am I a bit arrogant and abrasive, yea I admit that, it's just part of my general personality.

And during the offseason we talk about the same things over and over because really what else is there to do?

The only thing I honestly find aggravating is when a person who took 5 minutes out of their year to watch college football thinks their opinion should hold as much weight as mine during draft season.

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

WTF?

Show me ONE TIME that someone on ANY forum here was banned due to name calling.

Christ, this place is so loosely moderated that people get away with ethnic slurs and racial remarks.

You want moderation, head over to WPI where they ban you for having a differing opinion.

Don't get so defensive. I just gave my opinion. Draft threads quickly degenerated into name calling where there was often very little, if any, actual discussion of relevant points.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Mecca

If I think you're point is dumb I'll tell you I think your point is dumb, I 99% of the time will go out of my way to talk about what you said as opposed to you personally. Now if you start with me that changes...

Am I a bit arrogant and abrasive, yea I admit that, it's just part of my general personality.

You've never made any bones about it, and why should you? For most people, it isn't a big deal. For some it is.

But for guys like milk to act like it's surprising is, well, surprising. When you tell somebody what they said is dumb, 9 times out of 10 they're going to respond as if they were attacked.

Originally Posted by Mecca

The only thing I honestly find aggravating is when a person who took 5 minutes out of their year to watch college football thinks their opinion should hold as much weight as mine during draft season.

How do you know that person took 5 minutes to watch? Nobody here admits "hey, I like such and such, but I never watched him play". The only way you could make such an assertion is to ASSUME that they only watched 5 minutes of college football. And to make that assumption, you'd have to had already judged that their take wasn't as good as yours. That's INHERENTLY condescending. I'm not saying necessarily that there's anything wrong with it, but it's easy to see why people react the way they do.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by THISmaqe

You've never made any bones about it, and why should you? For most people, it isn't a big deal. For some it is.

But for guys like milk to act like it's surprising is, well, surprising. When you tell somebody what they said is dumb, 9 times out of 10 they're going to respond as if they were attacked.



How do you know that person took 5 minutes to watch? Nobody here admits "hey, I like such and such, but I never watched him play". The only way you could make such an assertion is to ASSUME that they only watched 5 minutes of college football. And to make that assumption, you'd have to had already judged that their take wasn't as good as yours. That's INHERENTLY condescending. I'm not saying necessarily that there's anything wrong with it, but it's easy to see why people react the way they do.

Hootie is a good example, he flat admitted he doesn't watch college football then spent the entire draft weekend telling everyone they were stupid, Pioli, yadda yadda.

[Reaper16]

The moment that it isn't allowed on CP to tell an idiot that they are an idiot is the moment I leave. Condescending? Sure. But when someone's take is idiotic its really obvious. And Mecca is right -- those posters opinions don't have equal value to someone's who has really watched a player/studied up on their point.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Hootie is a good example, he flat admitted he doesn't watch college football then spent the entire draft weekend telling everyone they were stupid, Pioli, yadda yadda.

Bingo.

Hootie flabbergasted me that weekend, and yet posters were lining up in support of him.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Mecca

The only thing I honestly find aggravating is when a person who took 5 minutes out of their year to watch college football thinks their opinion should hold as much weight as mine during draft season.

You're not an NFL scout. You're some guy on a message board, like pretty much everyone else who's posting. You can look at every single college game ever played, break down film on everyone who's even thought of playing football, and write novels full of data files on everyone who's ever sniffed a football, and it doesn't make your opinion inherently worth anything more than some schmuck who's college knowledge consists of watching 5 minutes of highlight tapes. Your current opinion is generally worth the weight of past success, and it's generally not going to matter what that success was based upon.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

Bingo.

Hootie flabbergasted me that weekend, and yet posters were lining up in support of him.

Hootie wasn't claiming to know who to draft and putting himself above every NFL personnel man in existence. Mecca was. That was the problem.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

You're not an NFL scout. You're some guy on a message board, like pretty much everyone else who's posting. You can look at every single college game ever played, break down film on everyone who's even thought of playing football, and write novels full of data files on everyone who's ever sniffed a football, and it doesn't make your opinion inherently worth anything more than some schmuck who's college knowledge consists of watching 5 minutes of highlight tapes. Your current opinion is generally worth the weight of past success, and it's generally not going to matter what that success was based upon.

So basically, in your view, if you don't work in the NFL you can take no time out of your day to do any studying and your opinion should hold as much weight as someone who does.

Frankly, I find that reeruned.