:shakeno: WE DIDN"T need a starting DT at the time of the draft.
This is ridiculous. We had a beat up Bowens, an close to 30 year old Larry Chester and not much else at DT at the time of the draft and we passed up a better player than Carey (Wilfork) and GAVE up a 4th rounder. You don't know what you're talking about, no wonder you support Spielman.
You take the best player at a need position and DT WAS a need position. Just because O-line was a bigger need doesn't mean you pass up a better player and give away draft picks to sell out for a player you think you have to have. That's bad planning and poor strategy on Spielman's part.
He should have been fired after the draft.
We had purged our whole OL, we needed OLmen, that's why Spielman did what he did. Think about what Speilman was trying to do. If he had gotten his way, our OL last year would have been (LT)McIntosh, (LG) James, (C) McKinney, (RG)Woody, and (RT) Tait. That's what Speilman was trying to do..and actually the bad play of Wade force him into signing McIntosh. Carey would probably have not been on the team. Most likely he would have picked up Wilford..but Woody and Tait were overpaid somewhere else and Speilman had to go to plan
Revisionist history. Who told Spielman to sign those bad lineman??? Why did he have to waste the money he spent on Reggie friggin' Howard? Did we really need ANOTHER expensive corner over an O-lineman? Woody and Tait were only overpaid in your eyes because Miami didn't sign them.
B. NO ONE knows for sure what happen with the buff for Carey, but Spielman ensured he got a OLman, who many on this board throught was a great pick at the time. Speilman did use his resource to get a extra 3rd and Booker for Ogunleye, so that made up on the 4th...and then Ricky...so we spent the extra 3rd, reasonable move.
What??? We got the 3rd from Chicago in this draft not last year's. That didn't help us at the time. You're obviously willing to excuse every bad move your GM made.
I think by now everyone knew that Surtain wasn't going to be resigned by the end of TC last year. Saban did the same thing I think Speilman was going to do this year, trade Surtain for draft picks..so Saban is only following what Spielman was doing. Now let's reveiw.
Again, pure crap. Saban was cleaning up an unnecessary mess that Spielman and Wannstedt made. Surtain didn't have to go. He was arguably the 2nd best player on that defense. A smarter GM would have found a way to keep both Sam and Pat. Reggie Howsmall would have never been signed by a good GM.
Spielman 1st year:'
Change OL...younger and stronger..struggle first 3/4 of year. Showed progress toward the end.
OL additions: D. McIntosh, J. St. Clair, V. Carey, R. Hadnot. Draftees
Signed Howard and drafted Poole..signs that Surtain wasn't going to be resigned.
Bent over and gave up his 4th rounder. Had to trade out of the third round of 04 draft passing over talent on the offensive side, got a nice player in Poole but should have had more picks.
Brought in L. Gordon, a good back from St. Louis.
Overpaid for a 3rd string runner who isn't special. Otherwise St Louis never drafts S. Jackson.
Brought in Boston...who was looking great in TC before the injury.
Traded Ogun for Booker, (replacement for Boston), and a 3rd pick...make up for 4th given for Carey. traded to ST. L. for Gordon..all because of Ricky.
Use your head, please. His bad trades never made up for the draft picks he pissed away. You're being silly. Ogunleye's value was more than what RS got back.
Our young OL.. Wade\Mcintosh, James, Mckinney, Whitney, Carey..ended up as McIntosh, James, Mckinney, Hadnot, St. Clair...our best of last year.
Let's address that. He gave up a future 2nd for Wade Smith who now has one foot out the door. That's a horrible move whether it was Dave or Rick. Jeno James-overpaid, could be oK but nothing special at LG, Hadnot I like- good pick, McKinney and Whitley flat out suck dog balls so give me a break there. Overall he gets a D+ for his work on the O-line which is slightly better than his overall grade.