DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What was the biggest mistake in the NFL this offseason

I got this idea from a show on the NFL Network. Feel free to post your own...

1) Raiders trading Randy Moss for little in return
2) Falcons trading Matt Schaub
3) Chargers getting rid of Marty Schottenheimer
4) Dolphins putting all their eggs in the Trent Green basket
5) Teams passing on Adrian Peterson in the draft
6) Dolphins passing on Quinn to draft a return specialist
7) Other

Quote:

---

What was the biggest mistake in the NFL this offseason

---

The NFL not taking the Cleveland Browns seriously


other than that, I'd say the miami dolphins in general,,from taking Ginn, to Trent Green, to signing Porter to trading Chambers...

I got this idea from a show on the NFL Network. Feel free to post your own...

1) Raiders trading Randy Moss for little in return
The Raiders got nothing from him when he was there. Better to get something than to keep him around. Maybe could have gotten a little more for him, but who knew he would still be such a beast? Answer: Tom Brady & Bill Belichek.

2) Falcons trading Matt Schaub.
Again, who knew? The Michael Vick Experience hadn't been shut down by the feds at that point and the Falcons wanted something for him instead of waiting for him to become an UFA. Can't blame them.

3) Chargers getting rid of Marty Schottenheimer.
This may be my pick but the season is still young and the Chargers aren't anywhere near done. They have way too much talent on that team. However, when you fire a head coach, you run the risk of losing a lot of his staff with him. And that's what happened. Besides, we got Chud out of it, so I actually like this move.

4) Dolphins putting all their eggs in the Trent Green basket.
Ummmm yeah, not a smart move here. Passing on Green, keeping Culpepper and drafting Quinn probably would have been the smart play by the Miami brass. Obviously, they saw things differently and now they have what we in the business call "an absolute trainwreck".

5) Teams passing on Adrian Peterson in the draft.
Questions about durability were valid but have thus far been proven a non-factor. Doesn't mean it won't happen. The draft is a crap shoot and it's hit or miss. Some teams, especially the ones drafting first, would rather play it safe. And rightfully so. Look no further than our expansion era Cleveland Browns as a template for 'What Not To Do on Draft Day'.

6) Dolphins passing on Quinn to draft a return specialist.
See above comments.

7) Other
Yeah, I really didn't like this move.

Anyway, the Dolphins get my vote. They've been kind of snakebitten this season but they just keep making bad decision after bad decision. Traded away their best receiver and then lose their star running back in the same week. Geeez. Somebody pissed off God.

Chargers getting rid of Marty Schottenheimer

Trent green ( already was a " head " case )

Wow,, Hindsight is 20/20 vision so with that in mind

1) Raiders trading Randy Moss for little in return

Come on, he was a bust in Raider Nation,, they probably figured get something,,, The Pats said,, hey,, he was once very very good,, let's give up nothing and try him out. it worked but who knew...

2) Falcons trading Matt Schaub

I put this directly on the Falcons for NOT knowing what thier players were involved with outside of the team activities... SO this was a DUMB move..

3) Chargers getting rid of Marty Schottenheimer

Egos Egos Egos,,, That's all that stood between another winning season and the mess that the Chargers have become... The GM of this team has a big head and should be fired.


4) Dolphins putting all their eggs in the Trent Green basket

Not so dumb really.. I mean, he had to pass all the physicals. I know that it was reported that the Browns were interested in Green,, I didn't want him for this very reason.. for once, I was right about something. Dolphins made a calculated guess and it backfired on them.. Green is one heck of a QB so all in all, it was a chance they took that didn't work out


5) Teams passing on Adrian Peterson in the draft

Not a dumb move at all... Look, I don't think anyone on the planet doubted AP's ability,, I don't remember hearing one person say he's a dud.. But the injury situation should have scared people away.. I'm glad he's doing well but I"m not sad we didn't take him...


6) Dolphins passing on Quinn to draft a return specialist

Again, they felt that the guy they picked up in the second round was thier future.. and Green was to tutor him.. what's wrong with that thinking.. makes sense. Except in retrospect,, it didn't work out.


7) Other

I got nothing!

RESULT:

My vote goes to the Chargers for letting a top shelf coach go so they could hire a puppet that has done nothing as a HC in the NFL.

Biggest Mistake?

Michael Vick. What he did was the biggest mistake by all.

league wide- i have to go with the dolphins. they just keep making mistake after mistake. Trent Green looked done prior to joining the dolphins- putting his latest concussion aside. Ginn is a nice addition if the puzzle is almost complete, he was a luxury for the dolphins and they should have went elsewhere with the pick. Joey Porter is laughing all the way to the bank. (on a side note- the steelers just seem to have a knack of knowing when to let go of their linebackers) All-day looks like a beast and i too was concerned about his injuries so right now the vikings look pretty good with that move. The chargers firing Marty- well they had already lost the majority of the coaching staff prior to letting him go. Wade to Dallas, Cam to Miami, Chud to Browns---- so i can see why they made the move.

The browns most glaring mistake--- overrating our safeties and letting Russell walk.

1) Raiders trading Randy Moss for little in return

While I agree that they needed to trade Moss, I can't believe it was only for a 4th round pick. He had way too much talent before to take that deal. This is one that hindsight magnifies x100 though.

2) Falcons trading Matt Schaub

It wasn't a bad idea at the time - Petrino was going to work with Vick who was under a huge contract and they got two 2nd rounders and moved up ahead of a team with similar draft interests. Who would've thought they'd lose Vick, not just for the season, but indefinitely?

3) Chargers getting rid of Marty Schottenheimer

Firing a 14-2 coach because he couldn't win in the playoffs for a coach with a sub .500 career record who probably won't even make it there? Brilliant!

4) Dolphins putting all their eggs in the Trent Green basket

Agree with you here - to carry Trent Green coming off a season-ending concussion and no one else was just plain stupid.

5) Teams passing on Adrian Peterson in the draft

Oh how I could comment on this one. Maybe I should link my old sig.

6) Dolphins passing on Quinn to draft a return specialist

Absolute stupidity. The defining moment was when Cameron talked about Ginn as a return man instead of a wide receiver. This has mistake written all over it.

I'd also like to add...

7) Chiefs re-sign Larry Johnson to a lucrative long-term deal

Anyone with two eyes could see that it was the line, not necessarily the back behind it that made the running game potent. There's a reason Larry Johnson was adament for a huge extension and it probably wasn't because he was afraid of getting hurt - he probably saw the retirements on the line and realized that things were as good as they were going to get.

The Brown's biggest blunders were
-Somehow thinking that Frye was the right QB on opening day. It just baffles me how anyone thought he was better than DA, even after the pre-season games (DA played MUCH better than the stats showed).
-Signing a punter the day before the first game. That blew up badly on the first series and put us in a hole early. And, oh yeah...Frye then came out and threw a pick on the next play.

2 very bad decisions basically put the Browns in a deep hole in the first game that they couldn't recover from. 0-1 was the result.

DA played average at best in the preseason... Saying anyone but Quinn at QB played good in the preseason is bull, I'm pretty sure neither of them had td passes.

I'd go with the Chargers dumping Marty. Here was a team that was on the verge of greatness and with one decision they went backwards big time. There's still time to right the ship, but that decision set a very, very good team back.

The dolphins did some stupid stuff too, but the Chargers were on the verge of greatness and now have to fight an uphill battle just to get back to where they were last year.

1 Naming Charlie Frye starting quarterback
2. Giving Ted Washington a roster spot
3. Giving Ted Washington a roster spot
4. Cutting Baba
5. Giving Ted Washington a roster spot

Oh for crying out loud Mour,, Get off the Baba wagon already
Just pulling your leg man..

As for the NFL, I think the Chargers firing Marty was the worst call. The guy went 14-2, and he's not the one that fumbled the interception that would have sealed the game had the DB just fallen to the ground.

As far as the Browns worst move - letting Russel go.

I'm by no means stating that he is the reason our defense sucks. Our inability to pressure the QB and getting zero push on the OL during runs kills us, which Russel would not be a part of for the most part. Our safety play was much better last year IMO - Jones has been somewhat of a letdown thus far and I'm still not sold on Poole. Russel was an above average safety and provided some veteran leadership to the defense, that is why I think he was a big loss.

Maybe our worst mistake was not addressing the DL. That will come this offseason hopefully....

1) everyone ELSE made a mistake by not going after Moss. I was pretty sure he would be good outside of Oakland. I had no idea he would be this good, but still he was worth a shot. I wondered why no one made a serious play for him.

2) yeah dolphins suck.
3) I think Marty lost most of this asst. Coaches as he likely told them to bolt (chargers joke there, rimshot! ) as I have a feeling he and they knew he would be fired. So firing Marty was the offseasons biggest mistake.

Quote:

---

6) Dolphins passing on Quinn to draft a return specialist

---

We we all know the answer to this in a year or two from now. JMHO

Simple... Moss to the Raiders... of course its not a mistake for the Patriots though..

I have to go with Miami's faith in Trent Green since (for me at least) this was by far the easiest one to see coming.

From your list I'd classify Marty's firing as the least mistake.

Interesting thread.

Chargers - can't call this one until playoffs...lots of football, their division sucks - and if they are gelling at playoffs and advance deep then there is no blunder...they lose and don't make the playoffs then finger pointing can commence.

DA - was given chance after chance to win the job in preseason...he outright sucked there was no other choice.

Bears...had an easy schedule, their division got better and they didn't. Biggest mistake for them was not starting Greise from the get go.

Dolphins - got to be on the top of the list of multiple blunders. From Ginn a returner to investing in Green and now trading Chambers sending the team down the drain and going for the #1 pick.

Browns - biggest blunder of this Savage n RAC era...not picking Merriman - haven't really uttered his name but I still shake my head thinking about it...he was perfect to build a 3-4 around. I like BE but no comparison.

Raiders...not signing Russell...but then the Dolphins show up to balance that out.

Falcons for not keeping Schaub...but who knew? Now they are cleaning house to get their place in a draft pick.

How bout NE, Pats...like Nixon being so anal that his people break in the campaign HQ of somebody they were going to beat in a landslide!!

Now they have to forfeit some hefty draft picks...they built that team via the draft - now they have a blip that can send them in the wrong direction of keeping it going.

JMHO

Probably Atlanta getting rid of Schaub, though I think they'll overcome that by drafting a guy like Brian Brohm or Andre Woodson next spring and using the picks they got in return to build the core of the team.

I think Ted Ginn will be a good playmaker at WR eventually, but even if they took anyone available except Quinn that would have been a mistake.

The Moss trade wasn't bad for Oakland, he was bad for the team and wouldn't have done what he is doing now in NE if they kept him.

Schottenheimer firing was a mistake but they'll win their division regardless IMO.

The teams passing on AD wasn't necessarily a mistake. Calvin Johnson is gonna be a superstar, Joe Thomas was a great pick (might make the pro bowl this year realistically as a rookie), Washington already has 2 good RBs and landry is a good SS anyways, and Oakland HAD to take a QB. I think Arizona and Tampa Bay (esp. TB) regret passing on AD though.

I think that the biggest mistake of the offseason was Miami NOT improving on the defensive side, especially the defensive secondary.

I think Cincinnati not working to improve their defense was equally bad.

The Falcons not signing anyone to replace Vick after his run-in...and even more-so after Shockley's injury. Sure they eventually signed Leftwich, but they needed to act sooner.

Savage not re-signing Brian Russel..

Biggest mistake was EASILY the Chargers parting ways with Marty.

The Dolphins getting Green seemed to me like a horrible idea. He is old, damaged goods, and without any semblance of offensive identity, apart from Ronnie Brown, what were they expecting?

The Falcons couldn't see the future so I really can't blame them for unloading Shaub.

Moss wasn't going to be productive in Oakland, though it may have been interesting to see him and Culpepper back together again. But you really can't say that anyone expected Moss to have the year he's having. Sure, he was brilliant in Minnesota---but he is many years removed from that. He has been stagnant for the last few seasons.

Peterson is having a monster year, but I think that the teams who passed on him had other areas that needed addressed. No biggie here. Minnesota took a chance and got a franchise back.

As for Dolphins passing on Quinn----we still don't know what Quinn is going to be like. He has yet to play a down in the regular season. And with DA lighting it up---I think it may be awhile before we see the golden boy.

Firing Marty and replacing him with Norv Turner. How does Norv keep getting hired? Were not his Head Coaching gigs with the Raiders and the Skins pretty much a train wreck? Norv must know where the bodies are burried.

In regards to NE getting Moss....Im not sure if this point was made yet but the Patriots were one of the only teams that Randy wanted to go to and take a paycut. Yes, other teams would have given up more then the Patriots if Randy took that paycut to play for them, but he would only take the paycut to play for a championship calibur team. I dont even think the Patriots would have taken Moss with his salary he had in Oakland. I know Farve was pushing for him big time but I think GBs GM didnt want to take on his pay.

In regards to Miamis downward spiral. Not only was it a bad idea to invest into an aging concussion prone Trent Green. It was also a bad idea to invest even more into Culpepper the year before and give up on him after one year whom wasnt even healthy enough to play. A healthy Culpepper beat Miami and he wasnt even in Oakland until the preseason games started rolling around. Thats two years in a row that Miami trades away draft picks for a vet QB and how much does Miami actually think Green can contribute next year? The only future Miami has at QB is to bank on Kolb. Who was a college product of Houstons pass happy system..... Im glad that Green only wanted to finish his career in sunny Florida(like Harrington) because I remember KC saying the Browns were interested. Im not sure how true that was. It was a big deal on this message board at the time. KC might have been just trying to get a better deal from Miami. Now Trent Green can buy a house in Florida and play golf all offseason, unless his doctors tell him he isnt allowed to catch too many sun rays because of concussions...... IMO Quinn will contribute more to his team then Kolb or Ginn........ What about Miami having the best defense last year then they let go like 9 offensive players, some starters and some situational players or McKinnley who was hurt and didnt play last year, then go out and spend a alot of money on a declining big mouth named Porter . Those were moves that had Miami fans wondering early in the offseason........ As far as Chambers goes. After watching the Browns game I was thinking that Chambers will not be in Miami when next season starts. They needed Chambers to be a deep threat that can stretch the defense. Against Cleveland, he was getting thrown to all day but the ball was just sailing over his head. Thats where they needed Welker. Ginn cant break away from NFL CBs. Not yet anyways.... I wonder if Saban had a reason to bolt to Alabama that he didnt tell everyone. Is Shula getting too much sayso in player personnel?...Miami fans are feeling all season what Browns fans were feeling after losing to the Steelers then trading Frye. "Where the hell is this team going and do we have the braintrust to turn this thing around?"

I thought Philly should have at least made an offer to Garcia.

Whoever said its too early to say about Marty in SanDiego is right. Although they would probabley be slightly better right now with Marty being retained as coach. The players might eventually pick up Turners new system flawlessly then run with it.

The Browns biggest mistake is not re-signing Russell. They still have the money to have Russel in the secondary with Pool and Jones on the roster.

Quote:

---

Thats two years in a row that Miami trades away draft picks for a vet QB and how much does Miami actually think Green can contribute next year? The only future Miami has at QB is to bank on Kolb

---

Kolb's on Phili, John Beck is on Miami. If the 25 year old Beck works out, the Ginn pick might make a little bit of sense. And Miami did trade Chris Chambers for a 2nd round pick so they do have a shot at reloading next year I would imagine.

Just another to toss in the hopper of ideas..

Holdouts by Quinn and Russell?

Quote:

---

How does Norv keep getting hired? Were not his Head Coaching gigs with the Raiders and the Skins pretty much a train wreck? Norv must know where the bodies are burried.

---

Or he's got the same agent as Wade Phillips. Phillips might have his "third time's a charm" gig going though.

j/c...


I don't think getting rid of Marty was the bad decision the Chargers made. I think hiring Norv Turner to replace him was the big mistake they made.

i think every move the dolphins have made, with maybe the exception of trading chris chambers (he's good, but i would take a 2nd round pick for him, if i'm in the shape miami is in) has been a mistake...

how about oakland taking up until the start of the season to sign jamarcus russell? they didn't want to pay him overall #1 money, maybe they should have thought about that before they took him... and now you'll probably have to wait most if not all of the season to see him on the field

i don't think oakland trading moss was a huge mistake, but, i think the rest of the league has a right to be mad, because the patriots offense looks unstoppable, literally. and speaking of moss, i think it was green bay's mistake not getting him

how about cincinnati not re-signing eric steinbach?

If this question was posed to other teams fans, trading a pick for BQ could be viewed as a mistake.


It was a move we had to make at the time, but events are starting to make it look like it wasn't a necessary move.