It just hit me.. We used a 4th round pick to get Ayodele and Fasano!!! A 4th round pick!!! LMFAO!!! God it is nice to have a winning mentality on this team once again.. What a draft, Donald Thomas in the 6th round, a complete turnaround on defense with the addition of Merling and Langford, a poised and mature QB that will turn in to a star, a quality TE, a future All-Pro in Long, a guy that has the knack for the ball in Ayodele and a stockpile of picks next year!!! Wooooohooooooo!! The more I absorb where this team is headed, the more excited I'm starting to get. This is the start of something that is going to be very special. The groundwork is being laid down, last week was a glimpse of whats coming. It may not be this year, but we are going to be a team to be reckoned with.. What a difference a year makes!!
I agree. All the things you mentioned and a win like last week have me convinced we are moving in the right direction. I'm not going to fall into the trap of expecting wins like this week all season long. In fact, I'm sure we'll take some more lumps like we did in Arizone before the season is over. But this team is moving in the right direction and on the road to being great once again. I can feel it in my bones!
Lets think about one thing that speaks VOLUMES about our coaching staff and how they managed training camp. Do we have WR's that are physically limited in talent compared to the rest of the league?? Hell yeah. But guess what, this "sorry" bunch has managed to do something we haven't done in a decade. Hold on the to the ball. They don't drop passes. They contort their bodies and make catches on errant throws. What I love about this team so far is that guys are playing with passion and determination to improve. No more playing because of your reputation or draft pick number. I am so proud of our WR corps because while we may not have a legit #1 threat, these guys are holding on to the ball and making plays.. Lets take David Martin (DUH).. Did anyone think that guy had any future here? What changed between the drops he had last year and his knack for holding on the ball and making plays this year? I love it.
A couple of quick notes: 1) Donald Lee plays for the Packers. I'm guessing that you were referring to David Martin 2) Saying that our WRs are limited in talent is a judgment call. Camarillo is an unknown but has been consistently making plays since first taking the field last year (a lot like the last unknown WR we've had who's now a star in New England). Ginn is just in his second year, so it's way too early to say that he is limited in talent.
We clearly do not have a #1 receiver.. And the the two guys penciled in to start (Hagan and Ginn) have not lived up to expectations.. What I'm really referring to is the fact that we have sat through 3 football games to start the season and have not complained about a lot of drops.. Like we normally have year in and year out. It is refereshing to see for once.
a lot of people have actually been down on Ayodele, but I think he's been pretty solid so far this season. And we have our TE in Fasano for years to come. What we did this past off season is incredibly important to our rebuilding process, and so far it's all looking pretty good.
What a difference a week makes. LOL. Last week we get blown out by the Cards, Fasano has zero catches and Ayodele is abused badly. This week we win, and they are gods.
Gish, it really isn't about last week.. It's about drafting smart and not giving away picks in the hope that a single player can turn it around. It's about having a coaching staff that corrects errors and can surprise a team like NE with innovative gameplay. As far as I'm concerned the wins are a bonus this season.. I can't wait to see what we do next year with our picks, especially if we can add some depth and draft some players at the skill positions.
We are just now starting to sniff a small whiff of the brew Parcells is cooking up for us here in South Florida. It may take a year or two to be ready & ferment, but it will taste so very delicious!
yeah, i understand the point of this thread. its just funny after all the negative threads following last weeks blowout loss. i love the spirit of winning, and i completely agree that our offseason was a huge sucess this year.
Hey it's nice to be the team stealing two players for a fourth round pick. Then we got that pick back by trading Booker. We finally have good people making decisions in our front office. No more trading Ogun for a bag of footballs and sending a second round pick for a third string QB.
I was really excited when the trade was announced because I had seen a lot of Fasano when he was at Notre Dame and was a very reliable big target for Quinn and also blocked pretty well. I'm glad we've finally got a TE that shows up on gameday.
Some of the moves made by Tunaland have had me scratching my head, but I don't think the Ayodele/Fasano move was one of them. Any way you look at things, the talent evaluation of personnel is so much better than what we've been used to. So far, the only moves that have been made that haven't worked out is the ST coverage unit guys...hopefully we'll see some improvement there...one good thing did come out last night though...I stated in another thread that the STs units here were the worst in the league, but the Chargers took that crown from us...
I think our ST coverage is going to get better.. Remember we were atrocious last year. Not only were we unable to defend but penalties killed us.. At least we have fixed the problem with penalties so far on ST. Factor in less than stellar hang time on punts and kickoffs and we still have some work to do.. But I think we are much improved over the debacle from last year on ST.
Lots of room for enthusiasim and hope in a place where there was no hope. One thing I am excited about is we have a young team and those positions where there is some age we have young players learning the position. The success of this draft and preseason brings hope and excitement for the next draft and preseason, knowing we haven't squandered draft picks, and needs will be addressed with good players. Yes indeed, three picks in the first two rounds is great to think about.
Well, improved, yes...good enough...no way. The difference is that last year all phases of the STs were poor, this year so far it's the return coverage units. And why is Bess still returning KOs ??
I think the Tuna and Ireland are making smart picks and decisions. I know some people want instant gratification and I know after we started 0-2 a lot of people had big doubts, but you can see the team playing better every week. I thought our o-line gave Chad lots of time to throw it, and when we got on D we got lots of pressure on Cassell and looked much better in our defensive secondary. There will still be some ugly games by the Phins, but it feels so much better than when Speilman/Wanny/Jimmy Johnson/Saban were running the team into the ground.
I think it was the win at all costs mentality, which basically is a cover to protect your job. Since there was nothing left to protect once Cameron officially took us to laughing-stock status, Parcells and company actually inherited the perfect situation to fall in to.. It gave them the ability to fire everyone and to determine the philosophy of how this team was going to be built. So far I am very impressed with the moves they have made.. Yes we screwed up on some free agents, but for the most part we have brought in a quality rookie class and drafted with a strategy in mind.. The first time in a long time that the draft and/or trades were not made with the intention to quick fix a sinking ship with band-aids..
