News: Difference between Seahawks, Cowboys comes from the draft

[jterrell]

They also have made their share of mistakes.

The key is they have quickly moved on from them and continued to attack problem areas on the roster relentlessly. They have prided themselves at looking at pretty much every single avenue to acquire talent, the draft, unrestricted free agency, undrafted free agents and trades. They have made over a thousand roster moves since 2010. When you have that many transactions, it is bound to create competition as players will fear they can and will get cut if they do not perform.

The QB position is a clear example. They traded for Charlie Whitehurst, found it wouldn't work, quickly moved on. Signed Matt Flynn but still drafted Wilson and weren't afraid to let the money speak to who would win the job. They were even able to unload Flynn for a 2014 draft choice.

The Seahawks won 9 games in the TWO years before Carroll arrived.
It was easy to have zero commitment to anyone.
They had a ton of high draft picks and no idea who'd be the QB.
Russell Wilson won the job and that saved them a fortune for a very mediocre Flynn.

They won 7 games each of the first two seasons under Carroll.
But he collected young, cheap talent.
They've made both good and bad decisions(paying a WR a fortune to watch from the sidelines?) and have had more money and higher draft picks than just about anyone to play with.
Zero argument they've done a great job but let's not be childish and pretend it was all a level playing field where they just beasted the field.

They won 23 games from 2008-2011. That's not quite the 3x5-11 years here but pretty close.

 

[jterrell]

The Seahawks were so smart in identifying Sherman as a Pro Bowl type player, that they drafted 4 players before him.

1 James Carpenter (they drafted him earlier than most projections because they thought he could play OT, he couldn't and they moved him to Guard)
3 John Moffitt (traded to Denver for a practice squad DL, would have been cut otherwise)
4 K. J. Wright (starting SLB)
4 Kris Durham (cut by Seattle, became a starter in the 3rd game of this season for the Lions, career totals 49 for 645)
5 Richard Sherman

• Pro Bowl (2013)
• 2× AP First-team All-Pro (2012, 2013)
• NFC Champion (2013)
• NFL interceptions leader (2013)
• Ranked #50 in the Top 100 Players of 2013
• 3× NFC Defensive Player of The Week
• NFL Defensive Player of The Month (September 2013)
• First Seahawks Cornerback to be named NFL Defensive Player of The Month
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2011)

2 picks after Sherman Seattle selected another DB, Mark LeGree. He never made it out of pre-season with them.
Seattle has collected a lot of picks and overall drafted well but their 5th round draft history the past 4 years is littered with trash ... and the 2 All Pro, Sherman/Chancellor.

http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/teams/seahawks

 

[peplaw06]

It's just a point you don't want to acknowledge as legit. Now if you could show a bunch of teams consistently hitting on late round picks, you might have something. Instead of an outlier or anomoly.

It's legit to knock a team for picking a guy who turns out to be a star in late rounds? Are you serious? The Seahawks have 8 guys who have made big plays on the field tonight who they have drafted in the 4th round or later since 2010. That's not an anomoly.

 

[JonJon]

It's called smart drafting. If the Seahawks had a high grade on a guy that they could get late in the draft, why pull the trigger early? You have to consider price of contracts in your drafting as well. Getting a starter with a low salary is heaven for a few years and it worked out well for them.

 

[tyke1doe]

This all assumes that Sherman and Chancellor would have been the same players had they been drafted by the Cowboys. I don't think they would have. They may have been talented, but I don't think they would have fulfill their full potential here.

 

[Alexander]

Every team has picks that bust or just can't play. It is a numbers game. The best drafting teams just seem to find guys late in the draft or off the street more. It is not a ton more, but a couple of difference makers In a parity league can be the difference in 8 wins to 11 wins.

Outside of Parcells stay here, Dallas has done poor finding any difference makers late in the draft. Some solid players but certainly not difference makers

It is indeed a numbers game.

Jimmy Johnson knew that, that is why he stockpiled picks. He also blew a bunch of them. So did Gil Brandt back in the day. For every Dirty Dozen class like he had in 1975, he had huge busts.

 

[tyke1doe]

The truth is that we are run just like other teams and the only reason we are not as successful as others is because of injuries and bad luck.

Don't deceive yourself. Our problem is and will always be leadership, which starts at the top. We have only one playoff win since 1997. And yet our GM/Ownership remains the same. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know what our problem is.

 

[Alexander]

Don't deceive yourself. Our problem is and will always be leadership, which starts at the top. We have only one playoff win since 1997. And yet our GM/Ownership remains the same. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know what our problem is.

Your sarcasm meter is broken.

 

[tyke1doe]

Your sarcasm meter is broken.

Was I being sarcastic?

 

[JonJon]

This all assumes that Sherman and Chancellor would have been the same players had they been drafted by the Cowboys. I don't think they would have. They may have been talented, but I don't think they would have fulfill their full potential here.

Their early development is sure to have included a hamstring injury or two, and possibly missed rookie training camps.

 

[Alexander]

Was I being sarcastic?

Err. Nevermind.

 

[Spectre]

Difference between Seahawks, Cowboys comes from the draft
Posted by Mike Florio on January 29, 2014, 7:15 PM EST

Maybe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has opted to unleash a few significant changes to his coaching staff during Super Bowl week as a diversion to a fairly bright-line comparison between his team and the current NFC champions.

The Seahawks’ superiority to the Cowboys (and the rest of the NFC) comes from the draft. For Dallas, there’s a specific apples-to-apples comparison that becomes a bad look for the ‘Boys.

As pointed out by David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys used a fifth-round pick in 2011 on cornerback Josh Thomas. Eleven picks later, the Seahawks picked cornerback Richard Sherman.

But that wasn’t the first time the Cowboys whiffed on a rookie who became a big-name defensive player. In 2010, the Cowboys picked safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah . . . seven spots before the Seahawks selected safety Kam Chancellor.





http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...etween-seahawks-cowboys-comes-from-the-draft/

This kind of comparison could be made between most any two NFL teams at most any time. So and so took so and so when so and so was still on the board. Much of the draft is hindsight 20/20. Dallas' drafts have sucked a good bit in recent years. Likely the biggest difference between the 2 teams is chemistry- particularly between the coach and QB. And the crowd support/energy in Seattle puts Dallas' to shame. That goes a looong way when a team has a fast defense.

P.S. We also got Dez Bryant and Sean Lee in that draft. 2 of the best (and youngest) players in the NFL at their respective positions.

 

[rwalters31]

Draft is important?

Point made in this Super Bowl!! Jerry, you are phoney GM who has no idea how to build a team. Please get a GM who knows how to draft Super Bowl players, coaches that can teach, motivate, and plan to win games. We the Fans expect more than you can deliver!!

 

[IrishAnto]

At first one would think dallas is being pick on. But these are guys dallas miss at the same postion in the same rounds. Its like drafting Ryan Leaf over Manning then a few years later drafting Blaine Gabbert over Cam Newton. Simple picks like this can add much needed depth on a team. I guess this is why JJ has bought in another pairs of eyes to help set up their board. Something has to be wrong when you cant develop anyone on the DL or secondary past the 1st round.

It's not just the DL or secondary, the OL is another area that once you go past the 2nd round we have great difficulty in developing talent.

Really it’s a team wide problem.

 

[lostar2009]

It's not just the DL or secondary, the OL is another area that once you go past the 2nd round we have great difficulty in developing talent.

Really it’s a team wide problem.

Also for some reason we spend most of our prime picks on TEs, WR, CB , RB if not that were trading away picks for no reason... Roy Willams trade, MO. The point is Dallas knew they were moving to a new defensive skin and never really plan or draft for it. You cant always try to rack up on udfas then wonder why this part of your scheme sucks...Will Allen vs Jeff Heath... Ill rather sign a vet that has some juice left.

 

[xwalker]

Difference between Seahawks, Cowboys comes from the draft
Posted by Mike Florio on January 29, 2014, 7:15 PM EST

Maybe Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has opted to unleash a few significant changes to his coaching staff during Super Bowl week as a diversion to a fairly bright-line comparison between his team and the current NFC champions.

The Seahawks’ superiority to the Cowboys (and the rest of the NFC) comes from the draft. For Dallas, there’s a specific apples-to-apples comparison that becomes a bad look for the ‘Boys.

As pointed out by David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys used a fifth-round pick in 2011 on cornerback Josh Thomas. Eleven picks later, the Seahawks picked cornerback Richard Sherman.

But that wasn’t the first time the Cowboys whiffed on a rookie who became a big-name defensive player. In 2010, the Cowboys picked safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah . . . seven spots before the Seahawks selected safety Kam Chancellor.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...etween-seahawks-cowboys-comes-from-the-draft/

Two of Seattle's top difference makers were free agents in 2013. They signed both Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett in free agency prior to the 2013 season. Marshawn Lynch was not drafted by Seattle.

 

[khiladi]

Sorry, but their coaches know what they are doing... You think these players would look phenomenal with our defense. I can't count the times Carr laid Megatron off to some player in the zone, with only that guy not being there.

 

[khiladi]

The Seahawks won 9 games in the TWO years before Carroll arrived.
It was easy to have zero commitment to anyone.
They had a ton of high draft picks and no idea who'd be the QB.
Russell Wilson won the job and that saved them a fortune for a very mediocre Flynn.

They won 7 games each of the first two seasons under Carroll.
But he collected young, cheap talent.
They've made both good and bad decisions(paying a WR a fortune to watch from the sidelines?) and have had more money and higher draft picks than just about anyone to play with.
Zero argument they've done a great job but let's not be childish and pretend it was all a level playing field where they just beasted the field.

They won 23 games from 2008-2011. That's not quite the 3x5-11 years here but pretty close.

A lot of teams were just as miserable, with just as much and still waffling in misery.

 

[khiladi]

Jason Garrett has clearly stated the draft philosophy is to take the best player available. Our team doesn't have a philosophy and direction.

 

[TwoDeep3]

Difference between Seahawks, Cowboys begins and ends with the GM.