Building a quality NFL roster that is capable of competing for a championship is not easy. But there are some basics that I believe great NFL front offices follow that I wish our FO would learn and practice. We are about to find out if they have learned anything lately or if they somehow believe they just need to get lucky.
THE BASICS:
HAVING A CLEAR GUIDING PHILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY FOR ROSTER BUILDING
- You must have a guiding philosophy. Know exactly what kind of team you are now vs what kind of team you want to be in the coming season and beyond.
- Draft and acquire players that align to the team’s guiding philosophy.
- Be proactive. Take a calculated risk once in a while.
- Being too conservative is just as bad as being too risky.
- If you know the players you want to keep long term, extend them EARLY. Waiting costs more and hurts your ability to make other moves. If you’re not sure about committing to a player that has current value, trade them while they still have value.
- If you feel you have a team that has a realistic shot to compete for a championship, TAKE SOME RISKS; forget about 3 years from now, focus on NOW.
THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT SCOUTING AND COACHING
- Make sure you hire a great head coach who aligns with the team’s guiding philosophy. Great coaching matters in the NFL. Otherwise you are just playing fantasy football.
- Invest lots of resources into acquiring outstanding talent scouts. (There is no cap on what you can spend on coaches or scouts) Having great scouts along with great coaches is a very wise investment.
- Use every available source of talent acquisition: draft, free agency, even spring leagues like the XFL to find talent.
- Do not rely solely on the draft to build your team. Why? It takes too long in today’s NFL. You must have good drafts PLUS some key, quality free agents to build a top roster.
FINALLY: LET YOUR COACHES AND STAFF DO THEIR JOBS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE
There are no guarantees that doing these things will build a top notch roster and bring a championship. But I can guarantee that if this front office continues doing what it always does we cannot expect different results.
We are about to find out very soon if our leaders have learned anything from their decades of mistakes.
