The questions from the media are incredible.... what do they expect him to say, "Here have a copy of the big board"?
Is he downplaying the QB class as a smokescreen, so teams think we aren't going QB? I mean, what he's saying I agree with, especially the "reach for a QB in the third and pass on your starting tackle, will hurt your franchise.". He's spot on, and it is what many of us have been arguing. We'll see how it all plays out. Will be interesting to say the least.
Nothing he said seems like smokescreen to me. He's just being honest IMO. It's not like he gave away crucial information. I have no issue taking a DL with our 1st this year, but it's way too improbable to win consistently in this league without a very good QB, so at some point they will have to reach for one if they keep solidifying other positions at the expense of picking a QB they like that didn't fall to them. Just imagine Flores without an upper tier QB after 3-4 years. He'll be fired. So drafting a QB can wait till 2020 if need be but if we don't have a good candidate for franchise QB on the roster after next year's draft I think it's a sign of incompetence.
He could be downplaying the class to make it seem that we have no interest in the QBs available in this draft, which could prevent a team from trading up and jumping ahead of us as they aren't afraid that we'll take QB. I'm not saying that's what he's doing, but it could be a possibility.
He continues to say that he will not shove a player down a coaches throat that he loves and that the coach doesn’t..I can understand that perspective, however This can cause problems as well, coaches need to stay out of the evaluation business at times, it’s a different skillset that they are unlikely to have, just because they can motivate young people and draw up schemes doesn’t mean they can evaluate players correctly at a high level.. The silver lining here is our new coach does have some scouting in his background, had wanted to be a GM of a team, so maybe he is that rare individual that can do both.. I understand Grier’s stance that overruling someone who doesn’t believe in your eval can cause inner strife within, but hey man, at some point, you gotta make the call and do the job that your paid to do.
Why would you want a GM acquiring players a coach doesn't want? Shouldn't a coach know what players he needs/wants for his schemes? The GM should be finding the best players available that fit the schemes of the coach.
I think if a coach says he absolutely does not want a player he should ne respected. There is usually something behind it for an opinion to be that strong. Remember it says that the coach doesnt want, not that he doesnt 100% endorse. I'd imagine that is a rare scenario.
Because not all players identified are not going to fit into some coaches box that he wants, the coach has to have the scheme be diverse dependent upon the talent provided.. Imo you don’t look past a talented player just because he doesnt fit in your coaches box..talented players don’t just grow on trees where you have this large selection of players that fit your exact scheme. Coaches have to respect the GM and trust that he’s bringing talented players to the table, and it’s the coaches job to make it work schematically.
Yeah, I mean obviously I cant speak for them or verify but that was my first thought reading it. Like..."Player X simply didnt grasp the concepts during our interview" or something similar to that.
I get what you're saying...but it's also how you end up with the Ted Ginn's and the Dion Jordan's of the world.
I think youre reading too much into that quote. Youre making it mean what you dont want it to mean. We dont know what Griers system is, or how he evaluates the coaches voice, or how hard a coach has to beat the drum against a prospect before Grier says, okay, we wont take him.
GM and HC absolutely HAVE to agree on a general philosophy. Otherwise you'll have the GM picking players for a system the coach won't implement. And that means that the coach HAS to be involved in the evaluation process. Doesn't mean he makes final personnel decisions but you have to involve him in the process. Coach should say what kinds of players he wants and trust the GM to find them. And that trust won't be there if the GM and HC disagree on the general philosophy, so that's absolutely crucial for the franchise to succeed. Also, you never pick a player the coach absolutely doesn't want. It might work out on occasion but the risk is that it poisons the relationship between the GM and HC which would make that a strategic, not tactical, error. Thankfully I think Grier and Flores will work well together. Doesn't mean they'll succeed, but I don't think the Dolphins will fail due to some internal conflict between GM and HC.