Mike Reinfeldt defends his offseason moves

Apparently, our FO gave Starks and/or his agent that was their impression of him.

 

No - agents ALWAYS tell the truth.

So last year I seem to remember an awful lot of discussion after each game about what went wrong with our offense. Most of the time it boiled down to the fact that we were generally able to move the ball, but we just went ultra-conservative in the red zone and settled for field goals. And when we got any semblance of a lead we sat on it... run, run, run, punt... run, run, run, punt.

Let's keep some perspective, people. To fix this offense, a new coordinator and play caller is the best thing we could have done. People would be dancing in the streets if we had signed Randy Moss, and Moss would have drowned in our offense last year. No one is talking about Heimerdinger, but his play calling will make Vince better. It will make Lendale better. It will make Gage better. That alone plus Crumpler will mean the difference between FGs and TDs.

Bell, Odom and LaBoy will be replaced in the coming weeks. We'll have lots of cap left over to secure the 4-5 key players we really need to keep, and we'll have a locker room full of guys who feel like the FO has full confidence in them and are motivated to prove them right.

 

Good post if we land some of these "soon to be motivated" second tier players. My concern is if we are "building a core through the draft" last year's class doesn't appear to have produced much. MR is going to have to pony up and take credit for the Chris Henry pick- shoooweeee- that one stinks.

 

I have no problem letting the stink settle over the pile. You know I think Young needs improvement.

As far as Henry, I was holding out judgement and still am to a degree. But man- he never showed improvement in seeing the holes or cutback lanes. That was a big knock on him. I don't remember seeing a whole lot of Williams play so I'm not down on him.

I think it is a good point to note that some of these "second tier" players might have some extra motivation to prove their worth to the organization in hopes to get a big contract 2-3 years from now. That is a lot different than some of the "experience vets" that really are only looking for another pay-day.

I have been thus far disappointed with MR and I think as some journalists have pointed out, we are gaining a reputation among players as being slow and cheap. That in itself can be damaging to keep players motivated.

I don't understand the plan carrying so much cap space into this off-season and I think MR's actions don't support his comments. If we are establishing a core and using FA to fill chinks, why didn't we lock up our core players like AH or Roos/Stewart?

I honestly don't think MR is sharpest knife in the GM drawer- probably not even a butter knife.

 

Nashville is a very small market team and has to be frugal, if players think they are cheap then so be it. Reinfeldt is only working with what the owner allows him to do. As a San Antonio Spurs fan he reminds me of GM/Coach Greg Popovich.

For him to be successful he is going to really need scouts that are good at their job and a coaching staff that can get the most out of the talent he does bring in.

I think he is doing a very good job right now but if anyone in the organization fails in their job it will make him look really bad. You can't build through the draft if you suck at drafting.

 

Are you seriously suggesting we should judge a draft class based on 1 pick 1 year into his career? Can you tell me how the Patriots last 2nd round pick is doing? How about let's look at all the 2nd round running backs:

Kenny Irons (49th to CIN). Suffered torn left knee ligament (ACL) in preseason opener on Aug. 9 at Detroit ...

Chris Henry (50th to TEN). 31 Att for 119 yds 3.8 YPC and 2 TD.

Brian Leonard (52nd to STL). 86 Att for 303 yds 3.5 YPC and 0 TD.

Brandon Jackson (63rd to GB). 75 Att for 267 yds YPC 3.6 and 1 TD.

We let 2 DEs go who were good but still replaceable role players. We passed on 3 WRs in week 1 of FA (1 old with an attitude problem, 1 with injury concerns, and 1 who the general consensus is that he's probably not a #1). There are still guys out there who are worth looking at, and we are bound to begin seeing some veteran cap casualties as a result of the spending binges. It's about 3 months early for panic.

 

Who is panicking? I'm criticizing where we are right now.

We'll just have to see how replaceable Odom proves to be. IMO- we could have afforded him and he was certainly worth what the Bengals paid.

I see your "1 pick 1 year into his career" point. But I'm NOT OK with a GM coming in and getting a pass because it is early in his tenure. He was hired for his experience. He should have made a stronger play for Odom. That will bite us- particularly if some of these other "second tier" players go elsewhere. I just haven't seen much from MR that suggests he is as great his defenders are suggesting.