This is a question that I have been thinking about for the past few days. If you had the choice would you like to see Miami finish 10-6 and MISS the playoffs or have a top 10 pick? I think the answers will be interesting and please give a reason on your decision.
i'd always like to see our team do well. could never hope for a top 10 pick, especially at this point in the season. besides, we have washingtons 2nd rounder so that should be pretty high
As a fan I will always choose the wins, but not if it means bringing in average aging vets who will take a job away from young players that need experience. I've always said that I'm willing to go through a rough season if it means that the team is heading in the right direction and I still stand by that. As a fan you should never want your team to lose, even if it means that you miss out on the number one overall pick. But there is a difference between forcing the issue and letting it happen naturally.
I would say the Top 10 pick...I hate to say that, but it sucked really bad last time we went 10-6 and did not make the playoffs. We get a below average pick and still do not get a shot at a title. We need skill positions like WR!!! It takes WR's long enough as is to make an impact in the NFL. But it helps when you get a STUD WR and next year should have 2-3 of them. They will be gone by pick 15. So instead of trading up to get it...give me the TOP 10 pick.
I would say 10-6 any day because although you may get higher picks, 10-6 would likely mean our youngster contributed heavily and that outweighs any single draft unless it's an unreal once-in-a-lifetime draft. Realistically we're headed towards a top 10 pick. As it stands right now we will likely get the 5th-7th pick in the draft (wild guess since KC, St. Louis, and a couple others look like utter crap) and we look decent but limited. At that rate we'll stand a fantastic shot as any to land a franchise player. Take Washington's fairly good pick and another one of our own and we can hit two other major needs right there. Overall I think things are just fine. If health allows I think our needs aren't extensive but rather are urgent in key spots. Finding skill position players especially WRs is not exactly an exercise in panic during an off-season. Once you have an OL and a QB it comes into play. If would be far more worried if our 3-4 looked like crap today and we lose 20-14 instead of what happened today.
10-6 because it means the team is competitive and is moving in the right direction, but to miss the playoffs with that record is a fluke and with a young core will likely climb into the playoffs soon. Screw top 10 picks, I will be happy if we pick from 20-30 for the next several years. I'm sick of single digit picks. I don't give a damn who is on the board I'm sick of having a record that gives top 10 picks.
I said 10-6, I forgot what it is like to be a winner. For those who say we need a top ten pick, look at the perennial contenders year in and year out. The Colts, Pats, Jags don't need a top ten pick due to the fact that they have compentent F.O. and scouting that helps them more so than a stretch top ten pick. How poorly have we picked prior to the past three drafts? Horrendous I tell you. Give me compentent F.O. and scouts over a top ten pick any day!
We've picked like complete morons for years. Jake Long hopefully will change that and I believe he will, however Ted Ginn Jr. (you don't take a WR top ten unless he's going to be a fantastic #1) and Jason Allen (he should be starting, this Crocker stuff is just that) were ridiculous. Brown, Roth, and Crowder at least have looked good. Satele has been solid but has trouble against large NTs. We just haven't gotten anything out of 99-2003 almost. Those guys should have been in their prime right now. After that from 2004-2005 we got the best home-grown talent we have on the team right now and it's not that impressive. From 2006-2007 was another massive failure. This year's look solid. That does not add up to a 10-6 record. Hopefully the Dolphins finally have a capable management that will make use of this top ten pick that we're going to likely get. The Colts, Pats, and Steelers have had their share of busts but the point is that when they were in the top ten or close to it they made use of those picks for something great. That's the difference in a great team.
U forget how the Colts,Chargers built themselves into the teams they are today. Also the Pats and Jets. These teams were shambles for years before good F.O types came in . they used the draft wisely. Take the Colts. In 3 successive drafts they ended up with Peyton, Marvin and Faulk. We have started on the long road with Brown, Henne and we have maybe missed with Ginn, so a WR is the next piece. The other thing a lot of u forget is this, the top 10 position applies to every round. eg Merling dropping to us at the top of the second. That is critical at times. F/A can only cover so many holes. Most of the incoming vets never work out. eg. Wilford.
Pats took a while to rebuild as well and they did have high draft picks to do it. The Chargers are a completely draft built team. They are underrated at it and they draft well every single year. They've had plenty of top ten picks. If anything the Jets better win big because otherwise they really don't have too too bright of a future.
Ah lets see a couple of rcent scenarios: 2003 10-6 miss playoffs, draft pick #20 in 2004, Vernon Carey 2005 6-10 draft pick #9 in 2005, Ted Ginn Jr. (and of course his family) Ah I sense we did better with the 10-6 and miss the playoffs
My philosophy has always been that its better to have a higher draft slot choice if you miss the playoffs. I always view the winners of the NFL as 1) the teams that made the playoffs b) the worst team in the NFL. With free agency the turnaround time is pretty quick for a team nowadays so to me you play to win until playoffs are impossible then you play to develop your young players for next season disregarding the record (unless you're flirting with 0-16, which makes winning a game the highest priority again) If wins come they come but their importance is no longer meaningful.
Then again Saban gave us all those meaningless wins his first season and we got Jason Allen when if we lost a couple more games we could have had Jay Cutler. Cuts both ways although if you have a good GM you'll do far better with better draft picks
looking at how our draft this year is shaping up, i'm not too concerned where we draft next year. i'm confident our FO can find talent at any stage. so i'd rather do well
If we were to go 10-6 it will mean we are close enough to getting over the hump that we won't need a top 10 pick. Plus our F.O. can string together a great draft class without the luxury of a top 10 pick. 10-6 easily.
10-6, to borrow a Herm term, YOU PLAY THE GAME TO WIN! Now, the Redskins getting a top 10 pick would work for me!
Man, that is a tough question. Making the playoffs with any record would of course win. But 10 win and no playoffs vs top 10 pick. I really don't know. I want the wins but it if doesn't lead to the playoffs then... I have no idea.
Definitely would rather take the Top 10 pick. If my team isn't going to make the playoffs, have a Top 10 pick please. Nothing is worse than being middle of the pack around 16, 17.
Really? Why? Paying millions less for a guy who might be only marginally worse or maybe even the same or better talent wise than a top 5 or 10? Yeah, that's terrible. If there's a sure thing in the top 10 that's one thing, but if history has shown us anything, there's no such thing as a sure thing. More and more a top 5 (maybe not so much the other half of the top 10) pick is becoming a liability if the NFL doesn't address rookie salaries.
Good point there. I don't think anyone would've selected Allen over Cutler. Oh really? So all of us that chose pick aren't real fans? Choosing that we want a higher pick rather than 10-6 (no playoffs) to select a much better player for the team and potentially changing the face of the franchise means we aren't real fans who want to see this team excel in the long run?
The wins are more important than the pick. Especially for a team that hasn't won in a long time. Even if they fall short they will know HOW to win and they will have confidence to build on for the next season. That is worth more IMO than drafting 6 spots lower.
Win. Win. Win. Top 10 picks are great, yes, but if they were all they were hyped to be Detroit would've won many a Super Bowl.
I'll take the top 10 pick. If we were to get to 10-6 with this team, it would mean that we overachieved. I'm all for that, but I'd rather we suck now so we can build for the future. That means for me, I'd rather take a top 10 pick. It's like when we were 9-7 with Saban and loaded up with C-Pep. We were a dark horse SB pick. Instead the bottom dropped out and we finished 4-12. I'd rather not get my hopes up like that agin.
I hope for as many wins as possible each year. Top 10 picks does not guarantee top ten talent. The FO will just have to work a bit harder during hte draft.