Oh, What Might Have Been!: LT Marcus McNeill Makes Pro Bowl

[BUCFAN4LIFE]

guess 32+ other teams read the same reports on his back---Bucs couldn't afford another Odom debacle. McNeil wasn't even the starter out of camp until Oben went down.

True wasn't the starter until Yatta went down. Either way, I don't think anyone around here/any Charger fans care.

This is just another example of the Chargers drafting perfectly. Them and the Pats have reached the top tier of the league when it comes to this. We're at the bottom looking up at them.

They have had some good drafts lately but lets not forget how Spanos et al. coveted and drafted Ryan Leaf trading alot to get him-- one of the biggest busts. I wouldn't put them up there with New England's front office that can polish any turd to gold.

That said McNeil was a stud this year and a good risk reward pick for SD, But if his back doesn't hold up-- what then??? Thats what the Bucs couldn't afford.

[bklynbucs11]

Did you guys see LT run this week?
Did you watch Lorenzo Neal block for him?
Do you really think that those 2 guys don't go a LONG way to making an offensive line look REALLY good?

Hindsight is the most retarded idea known to man. Aside from the utter stupidity on looking back to something as utterly random as the NFL Draft and speculating, there's the factor of realizing that the team you play for has a major impact on performance, particularly along the O-line when your RB is as good as LT. But hey, if we're going down that road:

 "Oh, What might have been if I bought Call options on Google stock in 2004 and kept buying them.... I'd be a millionaire."

See, its not any less stupid.

[alldaway]

Letting Lorenzo Neal and Frank go still haunts the Bucs to this day.  Sorry I had to use the power of hindsight.

[cvillebucfan]

Yeah I would like to have gone R1 Tackle, either McNeil or Justice and come back R2 and taken your guard. Im not upset about this because Joseph looks to be good but we could have had the 2nd or 3rd best guard in the draft and the 2nd best OT in the draft. Instead we took the best guard and maybe the 4-5 tackle. I'm not upset about it though, it is what it is and McNeil did have a medical condition.

[dalbuc]

Hindsight is the most retarded idea known to man. Aside from the utter stupidity on looking back to something as utterly random as the NFL Draft and speculating, there's the factor of realizing that the team you play for has a major impact on performance, particularly along the O-line when your RB is as good as LT. But hey, if we're going down that road:

Hindsight sucks when it shows what you think is wrong. No one has an issue pilloring McKay for Walker (either one) and no one says that the Glazers are idiots for trading so much on the very slim shot at winning a Super Bowl because, in hindsight, we won it.

This is, as I've said before, a good example of hindsight being useful. Why?

1. LOT > ROG. Guards are a dime a dozen. Easy to get and low value. LOT is a much high position so you should be willing to assume more risk to get a lot more reward.
2. LOT was a need position. It wasn't like Davis started sucking this year. He was the suck last year too.
3. McNeil was a known quantity. This isn't a Marquis Colston situation where no one knew he was any good. McNeil was a 4 year starter in the SEC and was a dominant player. It was an easy "get".

The use of an R1 spot on OG was rare (3 in the prior decade) and shows how low that valuation really is. LOT was a huge need and McNeil was a guy that fit that need for us. There's no way, even with the medical risk, you should look at LOT vs. OG and not take that chance. OG is basically one notch up from taking a FB in R1. We see all the darn good it did us this anyways.

[Ft. Myers Buc Fan]

McNeil had a great season and I applaud him for that.  However, you cant make a true call on that pick for 3-4 years because of his condition.  What if it flairs up in preseason next year and he is never the same player again, was it still a good pick?

Congrats, Chargers. This shows that your front office can run circles against "our" front office.

couldnt disagree more

[dalbuc]

McNeil had a great season and I applaud him for that.  However, you cant make a true call on that pick for 3-4 years because of his condition.  What if it flairs up in preseason next year and he is never the same player again, was it still a good pick?

He's a good risk and if "next year" was the risk no one would have touched him. The risk was after several years but with FA in the NFL you can't plan on getting more than 4-5 years out of a player becuase you can't control them beyond that point.

[keeponbucn]

He's a good risk and if "next year" was the risk no one would have touched him. The risk was after several years but with FA in the NFL you can't plan on getting more than 4-5 years out of a player becuase you can't control them beyond that point.

I can't get down with this. The FO couldn't take a chance, it was legitimate concern the Bucs had to look at. 

[alldaway]

There's no way, even with the medical risk, you should look at LOT vs. OG and not take that chance.

Completely, completely disagree.  Especially after what happened to Colmer.

The Bucs went with your logic in the past (picked Colmer, T and letting Kaczur, G slip) and paid the price.

If you ask me I would like to see the Bucs have Kaczur (guard) over Colmer (tackle).  There I used the power of hindsight for that. 


So what is the moral of the story?

Had the Bucs picked Kaczur and Buenning they still would have needed to find a LT and may not had needed to take Joseph in the first.

But that is not what happened and they still need a LT.

Even if the Bucs took any different path in the end all signs point to the Bucs still needing a LT.

The power of hindsight is a usefull tool but it is dangerous if applied too much becuase you start to put too much weight into it.  It starts to become more based on theorycraft then reality if you want to go further back in time.

[Feel Real Good]

Did you guys see LT run this week?
Did you watch Lorenzo Neal block for him?
Do you really think that those 2 guys don't go a LONG way to making an offensive line look REALLY good?

Hindsight is the most retarded idea known to man. Aside from the utter stupidity on looking back to something as utterly random as the NFL Draft and speculating, there's the factor of realizing that the team you play for has a major impact on performance, particularly along the O-line when your RB is as good as LT. But hey, if we're going down that road:

 "Oh, What might have been if I bought Call options on Google stock in 2004 and kept buying them.... I'd be a millionaire."

See, its not any less stupid.

You can say it's hindsight, but these people get paid A LOT of money to make these decisions and be right more often than not. The draft is not random. It's not random that Matt Millen keeps screwing up the Lions and Ozzie Newsome keeps finding great players for the Ravens. Nick Saban chose Daunte Culpepper over Drew Brees and the Dolphins are going to be screwed for years. It's the price you pay for being the man. You want your financial advisor to be the guy who KNEW to buy google stock, and not some guy who just throws his hands in the air.

[Feel Real Good]

And all you Davin Joseph lovers, McNeil was available in the 2nd round with the Trueblood pick.

[Ft. Myers Buc Fan]

McNeil had a great season and I applaud him for that. However, you cant make a true call on that pick for 3-4 years because of his condition. What if it flairs up in preseason next year and he is never the same player again, was it still a good pick?

He's a good risk and if "next year" was the risk no one would have touched him. The risk was after several years but with FA in the NFL you can't plan on getting more than 4-5 years out of a player becuase you can't control them beyond that point.

You cant prove my point or your point.  You just have to wait and see.  That was the problem on draft day, you just dont know.  It is a great pick if he plays to this level for the length of his original contract.  If he doesnt, then the "what ifs" start coming just like the Bucs got with Colmer

[acacius]

And all you Davin Joseph lovers, McNeil was available in the 2nd round with the Trueblood pick.

Erm, no.  No he wasn't.  McNeill was drafted #50 overall, Trueblood was taken #59 overall.

[keeponbucn]

And all you Davin Joseph lovers, McNeil was available in the 2nd round with the Trueblood pick.

Why does it have to go to "all you Davin lovers?" It's not about loving Davin, it's about recognizing what factors went in to selecting Davin and True, not after the fact.