What could have been

[PullMyFinger]

QB: Tom Brady
WR: Randy Moss
WR: Steve Smith
RB: Frank Gore
LT: Al Iafrate
LG: Homer Simpson
C: LeCharles Bentley
RG: Princess Diana
RT: Marcu McNeil
TE: Shannon Sharpe
FB: Gimli the Dwarf

Mem'ries.....

FB: Gimli the Dwarf

Those were the days, not only was he short and hard too see but stocky and hard to bring down......:wink2:

 

[PullMyFinger]

Hind sight my ***!, I was furious at the time, and every time I see him play I get nauseas.

If he didn't have a "risk" factor then we would have been ignorant to pass on him in the first.

The risk is well worth the reward IMO. A guy has top 10 ability, and the skills to fit the coveted LT position, you take him in a heart beat with your late second. Especially when your O-Line has been weak for years.

The "degenerative Spine" condition is quite common, many people live full and long lives without symptoms. Irvins' condition was in the neck region, that's a different story, especially for a WR, a big hit could cause paralysis.

Mcneil's condition is in the Mid-thorasic to Low Back region, odds are that even if he developed symptoms from this condition it would be more of a chronic pain issue IMO.

Most males have some level of Degenerative Disk Disease by their thirties, I know I am one of them. I get excruciating pain doing dishes, but I can still lift weights or play basketball for three hours.

Many second round picks never even play a game (Rogers), Mcneil has already played in a pro bowl at Left Tackle. Perceived risk or not, he would be a real nice player to have on our team.

I get excruciating pain doing dishes

Wish I could use that excuse on my wife.....

 

[mwj473]

I get excruciating pain doing dishes.

The vacuum cleaner & washer & dryer are my kryptonite. I lose all energy and can't function when I get close to them, so I just stay away, unless there broke. Then I'll swoop in and save the day for the wife.

 

[5mics]

I wonder, would you be saying the same thing if we had used the second rounder to pick McNeill, and he DID end up getting his back hurt? Because THEN, we probably would not have a back up for Witten, and god-forbid if Witten got hurt, who would step in for him, and also, we just wasted a 2nd rounder on a guy that 31 other teams had worries about. Yeah, didn't think so.

Hindsight is 20-20 for most of you, the others had sheer dumb luck . Parcells/Jones had plenty reason not to pick McNeill, and I still stand by their decision.

Maybe this will make it more clear: Flo was coming off a MAJOR knee injury. Witten was healthy. McNeil was a LT who had a chance to compete for a starting job. There was no way to project Flo being healthy enough to play last season. Why would you pass up on a LT when you knew your current LT was iffy at best heading into the draft?!

REALITY: Flo was hurt going into the draft = need at LT
REALITY: Witten was healthy = no need for a TE that high

NOW, if we had stuck to the original plan and continued to run a two-TE set then you'd have a better argument. However, it looks like we're going back to the FB and Fasano is relegated to a back-up role while McNeil is a Pro-Bowl LT.....

 

[dbair1967]

When I see McNeil.....I see a poor man's Erik Williams....that is why I brought this thread up.

.

would have to be a very poor man, because Big E before the injury was EONS better than McNeil

David

 

[burmafrd]

The Hotel had a knee injury that was NOT that serious- a garden variety ACL. NO COMPARISON to a back condition that could make you retire at any time. And as we have found with Rivera, a bad back and good performance does not match.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Fasano will hopfully play better ball this year......

 

[5mics]

would have to be a very poor man, because Big E before the injury was EONS better than McNeil

David

Williams PRE-Injury was indeed eons better than ROOKIE McNeil. However, I'd give McNeil a couple more years in the league before finalizing my opinion.....

 

[5mics]

The Hotel had a knee injury that was NOT that serious- a garden variety ACL. NO COMPARISON to a back condition that could make you retire at any time. And as we have found with Rivera, a bad back and good performance does not match.

What about a knee condition that can make you retire at anytime (Colombo)? Where we that sold on Pettiti at the time? Where we that sold on Fabini? Enough to pass on a stud Tackle prospect? I just can't agree about that. Btw, an ACL injury is still a serious injury especially if your 330+ lbs and over 30 years old no matter how good they've become in treating and re-habbing guys.....

 

[burmafrd]

ACL is in no way as bad as the back condition COULD be for McNeill. He does not have to get hit or anything for it to go. Unlike someones knee that requires an impact to go.

 

[superpunk]

lol LOVE the Al Iafrate mention.. the wild thing had a SICK shot...

It's sad that this thread has gotten so far off the Al Iafrate topic.

Adam Oates - maybe you can get this thing back online.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

McNeil is a better player than Colombo you have to be blind not to realize that fact BUT Colombo has a solid season last year.

 

[peplaw06]

What about a knee condition that can make you retire at anytime (Colombo)? Where we that sold on Pettiti at the time? Where we that sold on Fabini? Enough to pass on a stud Tackle prospect? I just can't agree about that. Btw, an ACL injury is still a serious injury especially if your 330+ lbs and over 30 years old no matter how good they've become in treating and re-habbing guys.....

Well obviously the front office had concerns on the line... We took McQuistan didn't we? It was just a simple matter of not being willing to take the risk on a 2nd rounder with back issues. It has nothing to do with whether we thought Fabini, Colombo, Flo or Fabini were answers or not.

 

[zrinkill]

McNeil is a better player than Colombo you have to be blind not to realize that fact BUT Colombo has a solid season last year.

You would also have to be blind to realize there is much less risk involved in keeping Columbo than using a 2nd round pick on a guard with a bad back .....

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I can not find fault with error on the side of caution approach. It has to do with a systematic plan IMO. You balance the risk/reward factor and you make a decision. If you view things from the perspective of playing odds, then you can't deviate from that. Odds say that players with histories of back problems don't have long productive careers. If you factor this in and you say that your draft policy is to stay away from that type of player, then your going to win out more times then not. If you deviate from this on occasion, then your going away from your strategy. It's going to bit you in the back side. I'd rather a team develop a plan and stick to it. It's not that long ago since we were a team who changed plans every couple of years. That got us 10 years of bottom feeding. I am not excited about ever trying that approach again.

 

[5mics]

You would also have to be blind to realize there is much less risk involved in keeping Columbo than using a 2nd round pick on a guard with a bad back .....

Rookie All-Pro at OLT.....and I do think we were gun-shy drafting an o-lineman so high after the Rodgers & Peterman fiasco. McNeil's back was good cover for JJ & Co. to avoid taking another shot at o-line w/ a high draft choice, imo.

 

[adamknite]

QB: Tom Brady
WR: Randy Moss
WR: Steve Smith
RB: Frank Gore
LT: Al Iafrate
LG: Homer Simpson
C: LeCharles Bentley
RG: Princess Diana
RT: Marcu McNeil
TE: Shannon Sharpe
FB: Gimli the Dwarf

Mem'ries.....

You've got it all wrong.... this man should have been our fullback