Nice infographic about the 2011 draft

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...h-team-had-the-most-productive-2011-nfl-draft

safe to say 3 years later and we havent gotten that much out of that draft

 

Yet KC/MT walk on water.

 

And that's GOT to change, don't you think, Blast? Especially for our early round (1st and 2nd) draft picks. We can't invest that much in players in the early rounds that essentially sit the bench their first 3 years in the league and then when they do get a chance to start they flash and are gone to another team or have us over a barrell (K. Lewis, J. Worilds, etc.).

 

old news. we also had 4 winning SB's in 10 years and a few other seasons we fell 1 game short of going before these two. 6 years ago we lost one and haven't sniffed one since. there is definitely room for improvement.

 

maybe he's not out there and right under our nose. Omar Kahn. all I know is he can't continue to rely on his past accomplishments just to be considered the best fit. different time and different people helping him pick in the past to build those SB teams. can we really say it's gone uphill since 2007?

 

No but what I do mind is having a guy like Cam Heyward sit behind a guy like Ziggy Hood. What I do mind is a guy like Jason Worilds coming out and saying that he doesn't feel like he was given a fair shake by DL and the defensive coaching staff early in his career. In fact, he's convinced that he was held back. Now he may be right and he may be wrong and the truth may be somewhere in between, but there does seem to be some sentiment that these guys are made to pay their dues before they can get significant playing time. Also I mind that we let a guy like Keenan Lewis walk away and we stick too long with Ike Taylor who looked like burnt toast the biggest part of last year. I realize that there is a learning curve but first and second rounders need to be given opportunities to play early in their careers so we know what we have going forward. If DL's vaunted defensive schemes are too complicated then we need to simplify them and get these guys out there and contributing much sooner than they have historically.

 

I just think if it takes brain surgeons and rocket scientists to figure out the defense then DL needs to simplify it and just set the really good players up to play instinctual football earlier in their careers. I realize it's a little more complex than that but it just seems to me that the last several years the only ones that thought our defense was complicated were the players on our defense, not the players on opposing offenses or opposing OCs.

 

Waaaaah.

Let's put the "can't take 3 years to see the field" stuff to bed, shall we?

Heyward: had Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke, and Brett Keisel -probably some others; off the top of my head. At first, you could see he didn't get it. There's a lot to read and react into different gaps/formations in this D.
Then, next season, he could come in and not stink it up for a few plays. Sometimes put a good series in. Last year, it clicked. Reacting quicker, looking more confident.

Worilds: Would have had to come off the bus and outplay James Harrison. Didn't.
Got opportunities for spot duty; When he did well, he got injured and couldn't be available to start.
In the beginning, he also got the hook because he didn't get it either. He'd better show it over the long haul .
Nobody's holding him back this year. No Harrison(yet), no Woodley, JJ is on the other side(?)

He's the next man up.

 

I'm not talking about late round draft picks and UDFAs, I'm primarily referring to 1st and 2nd round draft picks that we have a lot invested in that need to see the field quicker than they do. We don't need the DE version of Aaron Rodgers. And you can't tell me that Cam Heyward should have been sitting behind Ziggy Hood for essentially 3 years. I realize that he was technically Keisel's backup but he's a playmaker and should have been given the opportunity to unseat Hood. As for Hampton, didn't he get substantial playing time as a rookie?

EDIT: I think I initially mis-read your post, but my point still stands. I see what you're saying with regard to Heyward and Worilds though. I just have some concerns that Heyward wasn't allowed to leapfrog Hood and that Worilds made comments that he felt as though he was held back and not given every opportunity for more playing time. Maybe that's Worilds just whining a bit but maybe there is some validity to it. I do understand your point, but now that we don't have the superstars on the defense that we once had, it's an absolute MUST that DL figure out how to get our young guys up to speed quicker.

 

Jack, I agree there should not be such a big learning curve to get on the field.
I was OK with JJ getting out there and being baptized by fire. Get your money's worth. I think that the team needs to draft these hybrid guys for the secondary; and some ILB/OLB versatile players. Pick some smart guys. My dream is to draft some ballers who are also smart. A smart guy can pick the scheme up quicker. Might not be Superman out there, but his mind will tell him exactly where he needs to be and what is coming.

The contracts that rooks get now do not allow for stashing guys away for 3 years. The CBA doesn't allow for the extra contact and practices that well-run teams used to take advantage of. It's not Noll or Lombardi's game anymore.
These guys have to take some responsibility and come in conditioned; then it's more scheme and playbook.

We will see a lot more of what we saw last year. Several rookies on the field at the same time. Some starts even.
Goodell is getting his wish. This is one of the many faces of PARITY.
YAY EVERYBODY!