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Aqib Talib Non Commital On Future With Patriots


krunk

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You are kidding ... right ? The guy says that he enjoyed being in NE and the interview this is taken from goes into much more detail.He talks about how great his teammates were and how much fun he had playing there. What in God's name is wrong in saying "i enjoyed playing here but there is a business side to this all too ?" Pretty "straight forward " to be. He's saying "no home town discount " , pay me like or I'll test the market.  This is a shut down CB that one team might want to give an incentive ladden contract to while anotherf team might be willing to gamble with something in the 8-9 mill per year range. Last year the better CB's were getting around 5 years at 9-10 mill per year. 

What detail? If you think ""I definitely enjoyed being a Patriot" is detail you have no idea what detail is. Answer the question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?" Yes or no. If I asked you, Do you want to remain employed at your job? Would you give me an elaborate soliloquy on your co-workers, your 401k pension plan, or your boss? No, you'd answer the question I actually asked you. 

 

I could give a crap if he's a shut down corner. Is Talib talented? Sure. Do you break the bank to land him? No, because that's what keeps NE so strong & vital as a football franchise: They refuse to overpay for talent at any position. Mr. Talib was not forthcoming at all. Now that's his right, but please don't tell me he is detailed in his response when he refuses to answer a simple question. 

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What detail? If you think ""I definitely enjoyed being a Patriot" is detail you have no idea what detail is. Answer the question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?" Yes or no. If I asked you, Do you want to remain employed at your job? Would you give me an elaborate soliloquy on your co-workers, your 401k pension plan, or your boss? No, you'd answer the question I actually asked you. 

 

I could give a crap if he's a shut down corner. Is Talib talented? Sure. Do you break the bank to land him? No, because that's what keeps NE so strong & vital as a football franchise: They refuse to overpay for talent at any position. Mr. Talib was not forthcoming at all. Now that's his right, but please don't tell me he is detailed in his response when he refuses to answer a simple question. 

  What dont you understand about "I like being here but I'm not going to sacrifice millions to do so ? Why in the world does the guy have to answer with a one word answer of yes or no ? I just fail to see why this guy is a jerk becuase people like you feel he should stay in NE even if it's below his market value. 

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What dont you understand about "I like being here but I'm not going to sacrifice millions to do so ? Why in the world does the guy have to answer with a one word answer of yes or no ? I just fail to see why this guy is a jerk becuase people like you feel he should stay in NE even if it's below his market value.
You fail to grasp a simple point. Am I opposed to Mr. Talib testing the free agency market to see what other teams are willing to pay him for his skill set as a CB? Absolutely not. Get all the money you can get. This is America, the heart of capitalism.

He's being a fool. Answer the darn question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?" If you refuse to answer or do not wish to ruffle feathers or cost yourself money, just say that my agent handles all my contract negotiations issues. Thank you.

My issue is with people who tell me that they are being forthcoming & they duck, dodge, & do anything to deviate from the question. Say what you mean & mean what you say. I have no room for people who pretend like they have divulged great detail & said virtually nothing. If I wanted a disappearing act, I 'd buy a ticket to a magic show. At least there, I know that the rabbit or bird is supposed to disappear in the hat. Poof...I can respect that.

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Talib will probably get a bigger contract than welker will. He is younger and at a position where good/great players don't fall of trees

 

Id rather they give the big contract to Talib over Welker, and there are a lot of reasons for that.  Firstly, having a big, physical corner that can go 1 on 1 with the other teams best receiver and hold his own is incredibly valuable obviously, and second Talib is only 26 years old and in the prime of his career, whereas Welker is approaching 32 and is looking for money that would make him one of the highest paid receivers in the league.  I believe you only spend that kind of money on receivers like Calvin Johnson, Andrew Johnson, AJ Green, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall etc..  Guys that can still make a play even when they're covered by a DB. 

 

Talib's injury history is definitely worrisome.. but you know in free agency someone is going to overpay, so theres a good chance that he moves on unless the Patriots franchise tag him, which is definitely a possibility seeings how they have a serious need for him and they've already invested a 4th rounder into him. 

 

Really want Welker to stay around but I just don't see it working into the Patriots cap situation...  Chung they will probably let walk if he asks for anything outrageous, hes a great special teamer and solid depth at SS, but certainly not someone you would want to give a hefty contract to.  Vollmer is another real possibility of moving on, which would be a shame.  Hes had a lingering back issue for years and years now, but hes an excellent RT when healthy.

 

Edelman is not going to demand a huge contract, hes been mostly a special teamer and depth at the WR position.  Hes also had a lot of injury problems as well, which makes Welker that much more appealing because hes always playing, hes tough and never misses a game.  Patriots definitely have a lot of tough choices to make soon as far as big name players go.  I think that a youth movement and moving one of those mega contracts to the defensive side of the ball would be wiser and benefit the team more in the long run than shifting that money over to Welker when they've already put a lot of money into Hernandez and Gronk.  Woodhead needs a new deal, Vollmer needs a new deal, Solder is going to need a new deal next year as well..  Brandon Spikes is coming up on his 3rd year, they'll need to get him signed long term at some point.  Devin Mccourty still needs a long term deal, he provides awesome versatility at FS and CB.  I definitely see BB keeping him around.

 

It saddens me that I think the writing is on the wall for Welker =/  He deserves whatever any team will throw at him for money though, there is nobody more deserving in this league of a mega deal than Wes Welker, i just can't see the Patriots managing that cap hit into their fiscal plan. 

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Forgive me for saying this, but why does Welker get so much criticism for a few dropped passes? He can catch a ton of passes in the regular season, but he drops 1 or 2 in the post season & he gets thrown under the Foxboro bus so fast it isn't even funny. Why can't Branch & Lloyd step up? Yes, they have made impressive catches, Welker is his security blanket. I know NE respects Welker as a WR, but come on, why is Welker always the 1st player a number of NE fans always seem to blame for a Playoff or SB loss. It really irritates me. The guy is a spectacular WR & NE still has secondary issues.

 

 

I think its just because we're all really sad inside that this is probably the end of Welker as a Patriot, and we really wanted to go out with 1 more ring for Brady and Welker's 1st..  add that to the frustration of him having a huge drop in the SB last year and he had 2 big drops in the AFCCG last week..  Hes Wes Welker, hes suppose to be our superman and he usually is, so its just frustrating to see him come up short when it matters most... but the whole team came up short, not just Welker.  I think its just a mental defense mechanism because we're also trying to cope with the inevitable loss of him on our team

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I guess we have different ideas on what is a "lot of cap room." That Pats are anywehere from 14 -16 mill under the cap as we speak. If they were to give Welker 11 million as you suggest might make sense , that woud leave them 3-5 million for guys like Talib , Vollmer , Eddleman and Chung. They absolutey will not pay Wes Welker 11 mill for 2013. Teams just don't franchise a player one year and then agan the next year at a 20% raise. By the time you do that , you would have been far better off giving the player a 4 year deal that is cap friendly. Don't forget that some of that 14-16 million is used to fill out the roster as teams will have to fill out the roster with players added later. I do agree with you on how good Talib was and Boldin killed the Colts in much the same way. As far as the Welker drop , I thought the one he dropped on 3rd and 7 was the real game killer.

 

 

Yea but i think they're going to be able to carry something like 3 million from this year into next year as well, so they could have close to 19 million in cap space.  They also have Wilfork, Mayo, Brady and Mankins on big deals that they could rework to free up some money. I think this was the year that they had the best shot to go to the Super Bowl... next year they'll still have a solid team and the defense will be another year more mature, but they're going to suffer some serious losses in FA as well, Welker being the main one I think.  Edelman is not going to replace all of Welker's production, but if he can replace even 80-85% of it, then the cap space they would save to use elsewhere would be worth it.  That is if Edelman can stay healthy, a BIG if. 

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You fail to grasp a simple point. Am I opposed to Mr. Talib testing the free agency market to see what other teams are willing to pay him for his skill set as a CB? Absolutely not. Get all the money you can get. This is America, the heart of capitalism.

He's being a fool. Answer the darn question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?" If you refuse to answer or do not wish to ruffle feathers or cost yourself money, just say that my agent handles all my contract negotiations issues. Thank you.

My issue is with people who tell me that they are being forthcoming & they duck, dodge, & do anything to deviate from the question. Say what you mean & mean what you say. I have no room for people who pretend like they have divulged great detail & said virtually nothing. If I wanted a disappearing act, I 'd buy a ticket to a magic show. At least there, I know that the rabbit or bird is supposed to disappear in the hat. Poof...I can respect that.

 

LOL.. I fail to grasp a simple point. The man is saying he likes NE but it's a business and the nature of the business may not allow that to happen. He wasn't being dishonest or elusive , he answered the question reasonably . Who in God's name says that people need to answer questions in one word answers ? I live in Orange County CA. The state taxes are going to 11% , the sales taxes are among the highest in the country at 8.5%. My property taxes for a 2000 sq foot condo are about 8K. Services are vey high as the cost of doing business in CA is ridiculous. I am retired , with a few bucks in the bank and have invested in some income property that's doing pretty well. Someone asked me if I want to stay i Huntington Beach. I told them , I love it here as it has the best weather in the continental US. I have all pro sports as I'm close to both Anehiem and LA. I can ski , hike in the mountains , enjoy the ocean ... everything is within a few hours. My son and two grandchildfren are here. I answered that person with... I love it here but if it gets more expensive and or my income goes down , I may have to look to move on as it wouldn't make sense for me to stay here. That person seemed to be OK with my answer . 

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What detail? If you think ""I definitely enjoyed being a Patriot" is detail you have no idea what detail is. Answer the question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?" Yes or no. If I asked you, Do you want to remain employed at your job? Would you give me an elaborate soliloquy on your co-workers, your 401k pension plan, or your boss? No, you'd answer the question I actually asked you. 

 

I could give a crap if he's a shut down corner. Is Talib talented? Sure. Do you break the bank to land him? No, because that's what keeps NE so strong & vital as a football franchise: They refuse to overpay for talent at any position. Mr. Talib was not forthcoming at all. Now that's his right, but please don't tell me he is detailed in his response when he refuses to answer a simple question. 

Let's be honest. How many yes or no questions does Bellichick ever answer directly? Talib has just as much right not to responddirectly either. I think he gave a decent answer, maybe not perfect but he probably already knows that New England will not be paying him top corner money. That's why he's speaking in past tense because he knows what's up. Bellichick certainly didn't give any indication there was a chance either. That's how they roll and yes they are a successful franchise but you have to admit that New England hasn't had a real strong secondary since the Ty Law days. Something about what they are doing isn't panning out. I don't think he's playing chicken or trying to back anybody in the corner. I couldn't exactly blame him if he was because it's very obvious their secondary stinks. It's just business. He doesn't have to back them in the corner because he certainly has otheroptions. This is not Chad Ochocinco we're talking about, this is a young player with plenty of talent who plays his position pretty well. It's just reality that teams in free agency pay a premium for guys like that. The Patriots have a draft coming up and they don't have any real glaring needs other than the secondary, and maybe Wr.They'll stick to their policy and draft more young corners. He's just going to have to get his money elsewhere. I'm all for getting a crack at the Superbowl, but I wouldn't miss out on a big pay day either if it has a strong chance of happening. If the Pats don't want to pay him, then his next option is free agency. Somebody will pay him and that team does not necessarily have to be a cellar dwellar.

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I'm glad a guy with a manning avatar(non-colt),isn't our GM nor represents my beloved city(indianapolis).No offense of course.

He is holding the only Lombardi the Colts have ever earned in Indianapolis how are you going to flame his avatar?

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LOL.. I fail to grasp a simple point. The man is saying he likes NE but it's a business and the nature of the business may not allow that to happen. He wasn't being dishonest or elusive , he answered the question reasonably . Who in God's name says that people need to answer questions in one word answers ? I live in Orange County CA. The state taxes are going to 11% , the sales taxes are among the highest in the country at 8.5%. My property taxes for a 2000 sq foot condo are about 8K. Services are vey high as the cost of doing business in CA is ridiculous. I am retired , with a few bucks in the bank and have invested in some income property that's doing pretty well. Someone asked me if I want to stay i Huntington Beach. I told them , I love it here as it has the best weather in the continental US. I have all pro sports as I'm close to both Anehiem and LA. I can ski , hike in the mountains , enjoy the ocean ... everything is within a few hours. My son and two grandchildfren are here. I answered that person with... I love it here but if it gets more expensive and or my income goes down , I may have to look to move on as it wouldn't make sense for me to stay here. That person seemed to be OK with my answer . 

If I ask you what color is the sky or what is your favorite fruit to eat, are you going to talk about the ozone layer, pollution, smog, & whether or not the sun is obstructed by clouds? I'd expect you to say the sky is blue & move on. If you said my favorite fruit is a pineapple, would you speak of the origin of the plant & how it came to be used on a wide variety of exotic drinks & desserts? Probably not. You'd just say you like the taste or texture & move on.  

 

Look, Mr. Talib can respond to a question any way he deems fit, but a closed question is a closed question. You either answer it or you don't. Talib didn't answer the question. This world is too obsessed with clutter. Finding ways to avoid direct questions. 

 

 "Who in God's name says that people need to answer questions in one word answers ?" No one. But, if someone asks me a direct question, I give a direct answer.  Simple as that.

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If I ask you what color is the sky or what is your favorite fruit to eat, are you going to talk about the ozone layer, pollution, smog, & whether or not the sun is obstructed by clouds? I'd expect you to say the sky is blue & move on. If you said my favorite fruit is a pineapple, would you speak of the origin of the plant & how it came to be used on a wide variety of exotic drinks & desserts? Probably not. You'd just say you like the taste or texture & move on.  

 

Look, Mr. Talib can respond to a question any way he deems fit, but a closed question is a closed question. You either answer it or you don't. Talib didn't answer the question. This world is too obsessed with clutter. Finding ways to avoid direct questions. 

 

 "Who in God's name says that people need to answer questions in one word answers ?" No one. But, if someone asks me a direct question, I give a direct answer.  Simple as that.

 

 

He did answer the question. He is saying that he likes NE but will also consider the business part of the equation. Pretty simple and nothing at all evasive IMO. Simple as that. How can the guy really say he wants to stay in NE when he has no idea of how much they want him and how much other teams want him. Man.. talk about thick headed.

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He is holding the only Lombardi the Colts have ever earned in Indianapolis how are you going to flame his avatar?

 

 

We(team collectively won,not manning)managed to win that year,even though he(manning)played like a pile of hot mess.He was garbage during that playoff run,and if not for our D,runnng game and AV'S leg(and the rain also),we would've never pulled it off.The team dragged him to the finish.

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He did answer the question. He is saying that he likes NE but will also consider the business part of the equation. Pretty simple and nothing at all evasive IMO. Simple as that. How can the guy really say he wants to stay in NE when he has no idea of how much they want him and how much other teams want him. Man.. talk about thick headed.

No need to resort to personal insults sir. We agree to disagree & let's just leave it at that. Thank you. Have a pleasant evening dw49.

 

"He has no idea how much they want him."

 

Not the issue: Do you Mr. Talib want to continue playing in Foxboro? How NE views him as a CB has nothing to do with that question. I should have been a defense attorney.  haha

 
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No need to resort to personal insults sir. We agree to disagree & let's just leave it at that. Thank you. Have a pleasant evening dw49.

 

"He has no idea how much they want him."

 

Not the issue: Do you Mr. Talib want to continue playing in Foxboro? How NE views him as a CB has nothing to do with that question. I should have been a defense attorney.  haha

 

 

Defense attorney ? You have to be kidding. Adios.

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We(team collectively won,not manning)managed to win that year,even though he(manning)played like a pile of hot mess.He was garbage during that playoff run,and if not for our D,runnng game and AV'S leg(and the rain also),we would've never pulled it off.The team dragged him to the finish.

Wrong. Manning was the Superbowl MVP and played great for 3 reasons.

1. He took the checkdowns that were there. in 2004-2005 that was the big knock on him. He would leave the short routes running wide open and throw deep all the time.

2. The bears were playing conservative and were playing a cover 2. Addai had his best year of his career that year and Dominic rhodes was running lights out. Manning knew when to check to the run and that is a good thing.

3. There were hurricane like winds going on that night did you even watch that game? Team with the best running attack was going to win. And they did. Manning knew this and did not hurt his teams chances in this.

29-17 was the final score and the only reason it was that close was because of fumbles due to the rain. How can you argue he played like a pile of hot mess when he won SUPERBOWL MVP! I don't know what more I can say than that, I mean its like the biggest proof I have that your wrong those are not average joes trying to remember the game on a online forum. They were there and they know more about football than us, I am sure of that.

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We(team collectively won,not manning)managed to win that year,even though he(manning)played like a pile of hot mess.He was garbage during that playoff run,and if not for our D,runnng game and AV'S leg(and the rain also),we would've never pulled it off.The team dragged him to the finish.

 

It was in the playoffs where Manning was so brilliant.  The Ravens were favored and Manning toyed with Ray Lewis.  It was great.  

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Defense attorney ? You have to be kidding. Adios.

For someone who failed to make a compelling argument, you have not presented any evidence that he answered the question. I love how you dance around the fact that Mr. Talib did not answer the question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?

 

What are you getting so upset about anyway? That's what defense attorneys do, force a witness to answer a direct question. Remove all wiggle room & show the audience that silence speaks volumes. Mocking me doesn't change Talib's dodging 1 bit. 

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We(team collectively won,not manning)managed to win that year,even though he(manning)played like a pile of hot mess.He was garbage during that playoff run,and if not for our D,runnng game and AV'S leg(and the rain also),we would've never pulled it off.The team dragged him to the finish.

 

Yep they dragged him to 35 points in the AFC Championship game. He might have played better if we had Julian Edelman.

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For someone who failed to make a compelling argument, you have not presented any evidence that he answered the question. I love how you dance around the fact that Mr. Talib did not answer the question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?

What are you getting so upset about anyway? That's what defense attorneys do, force a witness to answer a direct question. Remove all wiggle room & show the audience that silence speaks volumes. Mocking me doesn't change Talib's dodging 1 bit.

No more dodging than irsay did last year

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For someone who failed to make a compelling argument, you have not presented any evidence that he answered the question. I love how you dance around the fact that Mr. Talib did not answer the question: "Would he [You] prefer to remain in New England?

 

What are you getting so upset about anyway? That's what defense attorneys do, force a witness to answer a direct question. Remove all wiggle room & show the audience that silence speaks volumes. Mocking me doesn't change Talib's dodging 1 bit. 

Are you still going on this ? I thought we both said goodby ? For God's sakes . I apologize for saying I don't thin you would make a good attorney. My argument was that the poor guy said he liked the Pats but has to consider the business side of it. For you and any others that still don't understand , that was his DIRECT answer to the question. Jesus ... read between the lines. It means yes I want to stay but pay me the market value. That's the" business side of it." So please stop saying I never presented anything for my agrument. You're just being silly. That said . I give . You are attorney like and you win. I give ...

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No more dodging than irsay did last year

Yes, I will grant you that. Irsay pretty much did the same thing regarding Peyton. No argument there. He wasn't exactly forthcoming either. A valid point. My whole point with Talib is that he did not answer the question. Now that is his right naturally. I just don't like being told that a non answer to direct question is a satisfactory answer that's all.

 

Either say that why I pay my agent or say I'd rather not discuss the matter right now & don't use team mates as human shields either. That's my point: Man up & speak for yourself directly one way or another.

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I like you dw49. It's nothing personal. It's over & done now. I will continue to read your posts with great enthusiasm. My apologies if I upset you or went over the line. 

 

"The court is now in recess!! bangs gavel."

 

Now, I have to open my checkbook for contempt of court in Justice Dustin's chambers.  haha  :funny:  :lol:

 
 
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I like you dw49. It's nothing personal. It's over & done now. I will continue to read your posts with great enthusiasm. My apologies if I upset you or went over the line. 

 

"The court is now in recess!! bangs gavel."

 

Now, I have to open my checkbook for contempt of court in Justice Dustin's chambers.  haha  :funny:  :lol:

 
 

 

 

LOL. MY fault for being a nit - picker. Happens when you get old. Anyway to be honest , I have no idea what Talib is trying to say. He probably left college with the equivilant of a 3rd grade education.

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    • No, why would I notice something like that?     No.  He may have said that, but that isn't the video I'm talking about.  There is a video of him in the draft room exactly at pick 53, looking at his draft board (we see his face so the board is unseen behind the camera)  looks around the room talking to the staff, and finally says, "lets go with the wide out".  Nothing about that suggests that he had that specific debate between those two players AP and JW, ahead of time to where it was a clear decision to take AP over JW the day before the draft.  Maybe you never saw that video.   Yes, everybody has the same info on the players.  All players are ranked as the top 250 prospects on all 32 teams' prospect board within a variance of about 5% throughout the ranking.  The difference is in how teams use the info that forms their actual draft boards.  So when Ballard says...and he just did in this presser...".Nobody has any idea how this stuff will play out"....he's talking about how no one GM (meaning himself) knows how all 31 GM are going to use the information.  He has absolutely no working knowledge that tells him a player isn't going to be sniped ahead of him, (See ATL trying to trade up for Latu) That's why he. and other GMs, have a GROUP of players they are comfortable taking at a certain slot.  It may work out to  where the highest ranked player within that group is still available, but that's not the same thing as "targeting that player"    Trading UP is the proof that a GMs targets a specific player, like CAR just did with Brooks at 46, Ballard previously did with JT at 41, and Grigsy did with TY at the end of round 2, etc.  There are examples all over the NFL where teams trade up to get players they targeted, but standing pat or trading down is not how they "target" a specific player.  That's where they settle for one of a group of players that they think will be there when they pick.  In round 1, they can better predict if a player will come to them, but not so much in round 2, 3, 4, etc.  The margin of error in their assessment of what other teams with do is just too big.  No, there is no proof that Ballard targets a mid round player by waiting for him...or trading down for him.  Its more likely that he picks the best player out of the group of players he will settle for.     You probably should adjust your understanding of the concept of GMs "targeting players" to what it actually is.  Its not easy, because their are a lot of paid talking heads in the media using the term wrongly, IMO.   Do you think teams wanting a top 10 LT (and which team would not even shuffle their oline or cap to accommodate) would pass on him through pick 77 because he was 3 years older than the typical college graduate, when LTs have careers that typically span 10 years or more?  It makes no sense that they would be hung up on that three years.   Before your time, a truly great GM, Bill Polian, took LB Rob Morris at pick 26 because he was a player who was thought to be able to start immediately and because it was a position of need.  At the first round presser, BP call RM, "overaged", because he was 24 or 5 coming off his mission from BYU.  Overaged by three years, and still took him in the first round because he "strongly thought" he was a player who could step in and fill a position of need right away.  He didn't wait until the third round because of concern about how old he would be years down the road when he had to think about a second contract.  So, yes, when teams think a player won't be able to step in and play well right away, they slide to the mid rounds.  Those are called "developmental players".   That was the Luck/Griffin year...and yes, pundits all over the place had him ranked as a third rounder.  Seems SEA had him ranked no differently than others on their draft board.    Again, the prospects are ranked similarly.  Who teams want to draft out of a grouping is obviously different.    The point being made by me...and Ballard...is that no GM knows what the other 31 GMs will do at any given moment....they don't know the other teams' draft boards.   But they all know the traits of the players and have similar ideas about what kind of prospect they will be, and whether or not they can play right away or take a season or two to earn a starting job.  That part of the evaluation is all the same amongst 32 teams, IMO.   Because they don't know what other teams will do, and don't know other teams draft boards is why why Frank was high fiving.  There was excitement  in getting the players they wanted, in that no other team took them or sniped them.  If they knew what other GMs were going to do, they would have known they would have gotten those players and it would be non suspenseful.    But. its possible that Ballard was way off in how he ranked his prospects compared to other teams back then, and everybody was excited when they didn't have to be.     And I'm not going to believe for a moment, that Ballard lets himself be some dullard blank canvas between the ears that won't make a pick until his HC draws him a picture of who to pick.  Especially on the defense and in every round.  Especially when he deliberates with only himself and then he's the one telling the others in the room "lets go with the wide out".  Sorry, not buying it.   Yes, that difference is what dictates their draft boards.  But, they all have the same knowledge of what the different player traits are.  They know which ones are fast, slow, twitchy, good balance, arm length, etc.  As the Raimann example, they all evaluate him as being a successful NFL LT.  His experience at a small school, weight (like Freeland), years as an olineman when he was a former TE, all weigh into their conclusion about how long they think it would take him to be a starter.  They all saw his traits and experience as not being worthy of a pick higher than 77, and they misjudged how quickly he learned the NFL game.    Same with Mathis, Saturday, Brady, Purdy, etc... all the teams know what these players traits are, and they all feed them through the same evaluation process, and that process misses players from time to time.  Contrast that thought with what I've been reading, that Ballard knew Raimann was good and dropped him only because of age, which means that better GMs like Polian, NE, and Lynch must have known those players would be what they would be....and knew that no other team figured it out so they waited.  To me, that makes no sense.  IMO, they all got lucky relative to how well they thought each player would play when they drafted them.   That's great.  And I sincerely hope that you've enjoyed your career.     But, I'm the kind of person that doesn't care about credentials.  I judge the content for what it says.   Thanks for staying calm.  
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