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Deadpool
As far as the 'dumb" strategy of trading picks for expensive vets. I have been against that since day 1. I have been told by posters that I don't like it because I'm a "draft guy" that hates seeing 1st and 2nd round picks traded away. I have been defending myself from that stuff on this board for years now on this. So no, I didn't like it. And no, I didn't think it would work. But you know what I'm not doing? Posting in here how smart i am, and how I called this happening years ago. So what. it is what is and you move on. And for the record, this isn't Snead doing this alone. He has the cap guys and coaches all involved in this. It is too big of a plan to do on your own.
I just didn't think trading off 1st and 2nd round picks for expensive FAs that needed big contracts was a sustainable model. You need 2 things in the NFL to be successful, talent, and it has to be cheap. Thats why hitting on draft picks is so huge. Regardless of their draft position. Its easier to hit on 1st and 2nd rounders then it is to hit on 6th and 7th rounders. So you are seriously handicapping your chances on hitting on talent.
I love poker and I farm for a living. So I am a gambler by nature. But what I am not is an idiot. (depending on which ex-wife you ask) I am always looking for the best odds. While minimizing possible losses. So when Snead signs a guy like Ramsey for a couple of picks, fine. Ramsey is basically the nuts. A no lose hand. But then when he trades picks for Cooks and Peters, its more of a coin flip. Im not a fan of coin flips.
Getting back to the cheap talent. Bad teams constantly miss in the draft. Forcing them to overspend in FA, reducing their cheap talent, reducing their chances to win. So at some point a contract or 2 was bound to miss (Peters and IMO Cooks due to his concussions) on top of that, you just cannot count on hitting Kupps and JJ3s in the middle rounds. Or even Evans and Edwards. And when that happens, your depth goes to crap and you run into a bad run of injuries and your season is done.
So no, I don't like Snead's trade picks for studs approach. But I'm not exactly convinced he's responsible. This started at the same time they moved to LA and started planning on a new stadium. Kroenke may have told the FO to get this team as good as possible as fast as possible. And to Sneads credit, he did that. Now they are in what I consider a reset year and will go back to it next year.
And I have hated some of his picks. As a draftnik, I have a very strong opinion on every single one, and I give them out every April. In basically real time. Stick around for the draft and you'll see how many picks I dislike.
Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way. - Ragnar Lothbrok