It's quite comical how the Mac backers (apologists) say well it's hindsight is 20-20. Well that's the entire point of this exercise, Einsteins. You can only judge someone in any field or industry based off their body of work. Some of you act as if we're doing a disservice to Mac or the franchise by critiquing him on his crappy draft record and shoddy FA moves. In fact, it is quite the contrary. We're doing this to show that the team and the GM should and can do better. That's what a critical evaluation does. It allows you to learn from past mistakes and get better as you move forward. It's not a personal attack against him. Rather it's a review of his job performance, nothing more, nothing less. Some of you try to turn this into an Op-Ed instead of just using facts.
I don't. Mahomes is on a Hall of Fame trajectory in his oh so young career. Now he has to keep it up but he's already backed it up so far. All you can base a player on is production, bottom line.
Adams may be all that you say, and I hope he is, but answer this: How many games difference did he make in the win total this year? See, that s the major point: the greatest Safety to ever play the game will NEVER make more of a difference than even a good QB, let alone a FQB. Going after that FQB should have been Macc's first priority if was possible, and in 2017 it was possible. Instead he went the "safe" root and took the BPA Safety. It wasn't just a bad miss, it cost him multiple premium picks that he could have used to try and upgrade other positions of need. Even if Sam becomes what he hope can be, it doesn't erase this failure on Macc's part.
So a guy whom everyone is lamenting can't draft shit after the first round was going to drafted productive players with more bites at the apple. He didn't like the 2017 QBs. He liked the QBs in the 2018 draft more. So did MOST draft experts. The draft is always a huge gamble and if Watson turned out to be Vince Young 2.0 and Mahomes just another run and shoot college flash that couldn't translate to the pros, folks here would have killed him for that. But now that both are playing better than most thought (or dreamed of in the case of Mahomes) we could have had many many many more valuable picks and if you look at who was available with perfect hindsight we could have filled almost every hole or need on the team. Got it. And I'm not defending Mac. I just think the 20-20 hindsight is weak.
What's weak is continuing to try and defend your position by claiming I and others are using "20-20 hindsight". We're using historical fact - recorded results - to prove that Macc failed to choose a QB in 2017. Sure, there was some who questioned whether Mahomes or Watson would work, but JESUS! you can say that about every pick, including the now sainted Jamal Adams! The Jets needed a QB, and two highly rated ones were there for him to pick but he passed. Was he trying to be "safe"? If so he ought to be fired for that.Without asking him I cant know, but my hunch is that he was "Once burned, twice shy" after blowing chinks on the Hack pick. You can justify him passing on Mahomes, but it was the wrong thing to do, even knowing what was available to know then. Some of us here knew this; some draft experts knew this; but our own "draft expert" Macc didn't. I don't want a guy as GM who performs as he did then and now. And I pointed out that even if all the extra picks were busts, it still didn't change the fact that he would've had more chances to hit, and regardless of how bad I think he is at drafting is still better than having LESS picks.
I'm not talking about failing to take the QB--I never was. I'm talking about all the holes that were going to get fully filled and fixed with all the picks Mac gave up for Sam. THAT'S the 20-20 hindsight I'm talking about.
And no one here knew anything. They were guessing. We're fans--that's all we do. Some guesses turn out right and give some fans the illusion that they actually knew something to a certitude and allow themselves to pontificate about it. We're guessing. I KNOW Sam is going to be a HOF QB. But I'm just guessing. I could be right but I just as easily could be wrong. Mahomes, Watson, Goff, whomever--they all could have turned out to be Bortles.
I would hope for a GM who's better than the draft experts. Like how Dorsey broke expert consensus to draft Mayfield first overall and trade up for Mahomes. Otherwise, why not just take whoever's ranked highest on ESPN's draft board?
Of course GMs have to be better than the experts but how many people panned Dorsey for taking Mayfield? A lot. He was a laughing stock until Mayfield started putting up numbers and then we heard a bunch of GMs had him very highly rated. Do you think fans on a message board know more than GMs? Or actual draft experts who do this for a living? Guys who have contacts inside buildings and go to workouts and attend games and the combine and interview these kids and their families? We have a bunch of accountants and lawyers and welders and goat herders here that watch some college games then pick up a draft guide or goggle a name and start shouting "I KNEW HE WAS GOING TO BE GREAT HOW DIDN'T MAC KNOW THAT AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH?!?!?" I could pound my chest that I knew to a certitude that Baker was going to be a stud but he just has easily could have been a bust. SBG might have guessed better than me (and a few of us). I know to a certitude that Sam is even better than Mayfield but I'm just guessing. And I watched pretty much all of their games in college.
When you say most draft experts that ignores that 3 draft experts traded up last year to take a QB. What can't be ignored is Chicago, Houston and KC are all going to the playoffs this year. They all could have waited for this great rookie class. If you want to say there is an element of luck in the process I agree. Based on what has actually happened we would have had more draft capital by not waiting and another year. 20-20 hindsight we had no control of who the Giants took either, so in reality we lucked into Sam it wasn't a plan to get Sam.
The whole process seems convoluted looking back.....the motto for 2017 was "suck for sam".......the Jets sucked but not enough to secure that pick. Mac makes the trade up securing at least one of the big three....Browns choose Baker in an upset, Giants take the best skill player hoping to squeeze more time out of Eli.....so first jets were the favorite to get Darnold, then it was the Browns, then Darnold wasn't the best QB prospect, then he was again and the Browns still took Baker. It has worked out well so far but shows you how many twists and turns the drafting process can make.
I agree we totally lucked into Sam but my 20-20 point wasn't about the QBs. It was the fixing of the rest of the team with all our retained and other picks with perfect information based upon how some draftees have played this year. Happens every year--guys get out an old draft list and say --how did we not take that linebacker they've never heard of from some team they've never seen? Why didn't we take Brady? But while we're talking about GMs as draft experts and QBs---how wasn't Mahomes the number 1 pick--why didn't someone trade up with Cleveland to take him? How did the Bears take Trubisky over Mahomes? How didn't SF or Jax or the Bengals not take him? He's apparently already on a HOF arc--how did so many real GMs miss him?
How many of those were looking for a QB? Not many. And those that were and passed on Mahomes and Watson? Should be out of job or on thin ice.
Every team without a HOF QB should have traded up to 1 for Mahomes apparently. But that wasn’t my point.
The difference is people panned Dorsey based on their pre-draft opinions of Mayfield. Whereas people are panning Mac because of how his picks have actually performed in the NFL.
Someone did trade up and he happened to be the guy that drafted both Mahomes and Mayfield. Maybe he's obsessed with names that begin with M?
The only teams that passed on a Watson and Mahomes that needed a QB were Cleveland, Chicago, Jacksonville and the Jets. Chicago took Trubisky. Cleveland fired their GM.
I wouldn't say that J'ville needed a QB because they already had Bortles.I think Cleveland passed on a QB because they had so badly been burned by the Manziel pick and needed a "sure" HR - when in doubt, pick a "D" guy. As I said, IDK why the Bears like Trubisky more than Mahomes - maybe hey thought he was more "pro ready"? In any case there weren't many teams who needed a QB and passed on him.
Some posters can't stand that some people can see what they can't. So they try to pass it off as 20-20 hindsight to cover the fact that they didn't see it. It's sad. It doesn't matter why they can't/couldn't see it, it doesn't matter that no one is keeping score, and it doesn't matter why some of us could and can see it and some can't. It could be just luck, or it could be that we have better gut instincts, or more common sense or a better eye for talent. It's their loss that they can't or won't acknowledge that we are right.
