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Win, or lose for a draft pick?
Gerry Fraley at the Dallas Morning News says a lot of dumb things. Today he said that a "higher draft pick is worth far more than a few meaningless late-season wins. Ask Green Bay, which got stuck with Mandarich after winning the 1988 finale."
Green Bay wasn't "stuck" with anybody. They had the #2 overall pick, and used it on Tony Mandarich rather than Barry Sanders (who went at #3,) Derrick Thomas (#4,) or Deion Sanders (#5.) Yes, the Cowboys got Aikman, but the Packers already had a 25-year-old starting QB (who had his career year in 1989.) Who's to say they wouldn't have picked Mandarich at #1?
You can waste any pick on the board.
Looking back on it, we can say, "hey, we lost a lot of games, but at least there's a high draft pick!" But that's not a plan. Where does that leave the guys who are supposedly "playing for their jobs?"
Also in Green Bay's defense,
Also in Green Bay's defense, it's not like anybody thought Mandarich was a dumb pick at the time. Some even criticized the Cowboys for passing on him at #1. He was, after all, "the best offensive line prospect ever."
Yes - Fraley does say a LOT
Yes - Fraley does say a LOT of stupid things - this is just one in a very long line. There are so many other examples he could have given to make his point and he chooses one that makes no sense. I agree with you Tim - there is no guarantee GB doesn''t pick Mandarich at #1. Also, it is not as if Green Bay has been hurting at the QB position ever since. Favre went on to be a much better fit to play in Green Bay probably than Aikman would have anyway. Aikman, for as good as he was, pretty much demanded a consistent surrounding cast (Novacek and Irvin). If Aikman wasn't comfortable with a WR it was all over. Favre improvises more so it doesn't matter as much who the receivers are. But I digress - I could talk about this stuff all day :)
How about a better example being the difference between the Peyton Manning pick and the Ryan Leaf pick?
Anyway - nice post - fun stuff...
Danny Smith
Dallas Cowboys Fan Network Creator and Administrator
Remember when people were
Remember when people were actually trying to figure out whether Leaf or Manning was better? San Diego made out a lot better the next time they were in position to draft a Manning...