I'll still state that the GM position is the most overrated position in the NFL. Winning in the NFL is about the head coach and the coaching staff's ability to develop players, first and foremost. People like to overemphasize the GM position because from a general standpoint...it's something that anybody could possibly do. You don't even have to have played football in order to be the GM of a team. Fans like that idea and tend to over-appreciate the GM that has success instead of understanding that time and time again, winning teams and losing teams are built on the HC's ability to develop talent.
It's not to say that the GM position is unimportant. Throwing away draft picks and signing guys to terrible deals can greatly harm the coach's ability to develop talent. Conversely, acquiring more draft picks and getting great deals out of players can greatly help the coach. But as far as 'eye for talent', it's mostly nonsense. Most of the league has very similar grades on each individual player and if you look at just about every single GM in the game...they've had their fair share of success and failures and it always coincides with who the HC is.
That's why I was never 'scared' of McCloughan. Hell, Jerry Jones owns the highest % of draft picks to become Pro Bowlers in the entire league and most people think he's a terrible GM. The GM position isn't 1/10th as critical as the HC position.
Where I laugh as a Cowboys fans at the Skins' demise is that Bruce Allen is that type of 'bad GM' type that will throw away picks, give awful deals to players and it's pretty apparent that Kirk Cousins doesn't want to play for the Skins now. And the issue the Skins have is Snyder's still a fan of the old Skins and Bruce Allen's father goes a long way with Snyder.
So, have fun!
YR
