Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
I don't disagree with your opinion on the Oliver signing, especially with how deep the position was this year, but I'm glad we traded for TJ and the 2nd we gave up was more than fair. At least we have one of the best Cap guys in the business so I trust they have a plan to make the numbers work for JJ, TJ, and a Cousins Extension.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ AGRforever said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
stays healthy lololol
I thought the writers guild was on strike and we weren’t going to have comedy shows for awhile.
Kyle Rudolph and Robert Smith had sketchy, injury filled starts to their careers. We heard over and over and over that they were busts and they would never stay healthy...until they did. Same with Frank Gore, Antonio Gates. Injuries are so overrated. It's more bad luck than anything.
sometimes we make our own luck, some guys come into the league thinking they are invincible and dont prepare their bodies and only learn with time what it takes to be a top athlete in a physical sport, some come in prepared but dont keep themselves in top shape once they get paid, and are always injured. others are just not built for the game. IMO injuries are much more than bad luck or wrong place wrong time.
I don't think it matters how many picks we have KAM is going to try and trade down regardless. But Rick has proven that trading down doesn't work for us and when it always ends up the wrong decision then opposite decision would be the correct one. So we should trade up one year and pick in rounds 1-3 only. So we can bundle picks 4-7 and move up and get 4 or 5 picks in rounds 1-3.
Quote: @TBro said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
I don't disagree with your opinion on the Oliver signing, especially with how deep the position was this year, but I'm glad we traded for TJ and the 2nd we gave up was more than fair. At least we have one of the best Cap guys in the business so I trust they have a plan to make the numbers work for JJ, TJ, and a Cousins Extension.
I hope so. I'm in the "it's time to rebuild" camp, so while I really like Hockensen as a player, I just didn't see the logic in making that move all things considered. I know why they did it, but I just question how wise of a move it was. On the other side of that coin, the Lions unloaded Hockensen and the big money they were going to have to pay him on an extension, actually became MORE productive as a TE group after the move, and they drafted Sam LaPorta in the second round and now have him on a rookie deal for the next four years. IMO the Lions continue to lap the Vikings and Kwesi
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
A rookie TE that might be OJ Howard or Maxx Williams for all we know. Proven vs. Unproven is the key. Given all the busts in the draft, that is an enormous distinction. It's also why this team didn't (and wouldn't) trade Cousins for a seat at the craps table.
Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ AGRforever said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
stays healthy lololol
I thought the writers guild was on strike and we weren’t going to have comedy shows for awhile.
Kyle Rudolph and Robert Smith had sketchy, injury filled starts to their careers. We heard over and over and over that they were busts and they would never stay healthy...until they did. Same with Frank Gore, Antonio Gates. Injuries are so overrated. It's more bad luck than anything.
sometimes we make our own luck, some guys come into the league thinking they are invincible and dont prepare their bodies and only learn with time what it takes to be a top athlete in a physical sport, some come in prepared but dont keep themselves in top shape once they get paid, and are always injured. others are just not built for the game. IMO injuries are much more than bad luck or wrong place wrong time.
For soft tissue injuries, sure. Not fingers, ankles and knees.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ JimmyinSD said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ AGRforever said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
stays healthy lololol
I thought the writers guild was on strike and we weren’t going to have comedy shows for awhile.
Kyle Rudolph and Robert Smith had sketchy, injury filled starts to their careers. We heard over and over and over that they were busts and they would never stay healthy...until they did. Same with Frank Gore, Antonio Gates. Injuries are so overrated. It's more bad luck than anything.
sometimes we make our own luck, some guys come into the league thinking they are invincible and dont prepare their bodies and only learn with time what it takes to be a top athlete in a physical sport, some come in prepared but dont keep themselves in top shape once they get paid, and are always injured. others are just not built for the game. IMO injuries are much more than bad luck or wrong place wrong time.
For soft tissue injuries, sure. Not fingers, ankles and knees.
sure can, if you dont keep your joints loose and flexible, through regular stretching and working out, you are much more likely to tear or sprain something. somethings are flukey, but not everything, especially when it keeps happening to the same person.
since we can now bet on virtually anything, what are the odds that ISjr makes it a full season? how does that compare to other TEs in the league? I dont really get into betting on sports, but my money would be on the under for ISjr.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
A rookie TE that might be OJ Howard or Maxx Williams for all we know. Proven vs. Unproven is the key. Given all the busts in the draft, that is an enormous distinction. It's also why this team didn't (and wouldn't) trade Cousins for a seat at the craps table.
I get it. Hockenson is a really good player, but that's not the point. The point is how much cap do you want tied up at that position when we have other upcoming big money contracts that need to get done and a defense that still needs upgrading? The Lions traded him because they didn't want to allocate the big money contract it would have taken to retain him and chose to take the draft picks and future cap flexibility. They also smartly took advantage of the historic talent and depth at the TE position in this draft and now have a young, high upside TE in LaPorta on a rookie deal who they don't have to pay for four years. Meanwhile, Hockenson got this franchise no closer to winning a Super Bowl last year as we would have without him. We could have started Mundt and lost to the Giants at home. I'm not so sure the Lions weren't the wiser team in this deal
Quote: @JimmyinSD said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ JimmyinSD said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ AGRforever said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
stays healthy lololol
I thought the writers guild was on strike and we weren’t going to have comedy shows for awhile.
Kyle Rudolph and Robert Smith had sketchy, injury filled starts to their careers. We heard over and over and over that they were busts and they would never stay healthy...until they did. Same with Frank Gore, Antonio Gates. Injuries are so overrated. It's more bad luck than anything.
sometimes we make our own luck, some guys come into the league thinking they are invincible and dont prepare their bodies and only learn with time what it takes to be a top athlete in a physical sport, some come in prepared but dont keep themselves in top shape once they get paid, and are always injured. others are just not built for the game. IMO injuries are much more than bad luck or wrong place wrong time.
For soft tissue injuries, sure. Not fingers, ankles and knees.
sure can, if you dont keep your joints loose and flexible, through regular stretching and working out, you are much more likely to tear or sprain something. somethings are flukey, but not everything, especially when it keeps happening to the same person.
since we can now bet on virtually anything, what are the odds that ISjr makes it a full season? how does that compare to other TEs in the league? I dont really get into betting on sports, but my money would be on the under for ISjr.
Not mine. In fact, I plan on betting on him this year. I may not be right, nobody's right 100% of the time. But I've won 4 big-money fantasy championships in 12 years because I specifically target players others avoid due to injury reputation. Honestly, it's like taking candy from babies. Everyone thinks a player who was hurt last year, and/or the year before, is more likely to get hurt this year, which is obviously nonsense. It's actually the opposite. But shhhh, don't tell anyone.
And before you mock fantasy, keep in mind it's the exact same thing as free agency: betting money on a player's talent, potential, fit, injury history, etc. Except, y'know, with hundreds instead of millions.
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ HappyViking said:
@ supafreak84 said:
Ouch...
I think it was a pretty average draft. Hard to do much when you don't have a second round pick, which is a hugely key piece in maneuvering up or having an "on paper" nice looking draft. If you don't count Hockenson as part of the draft, then yeah, on the surface it pales in comparison to a lot of team's draft tally's. Even counting Hockenson, it's still fair to wonder if we would have been better off keeping our pick and taking advantage of maybe the deepest TE group ever and having say, Michael Mayer or Kincaid on a rookie contract. Now we are going to be breaking the bank on Hockenson, after inexplicably giving Oliver a 21-million dollar contract, and still having to manage the cap to fit in JJ's soon to be record breaking contract. Oh and there is still the contract issue of Kirko on top of everything else. I don't know man, it just seems like whenever this front office does anything, it's questionable on if it was the right decision to make at the time. I would just like for once to be able to stand up and applaud the front office and say "great fucking move!" Two years in and I'm still waiting for it to happen...
Remember the Hock trade was because ISJ was hurt... again (another "great" Spielman pick, btw), and the Vikes wanted a replacement TE for their playoff run. Hock not only replaced ISJ, but he might end up being the best TE in Viking's history. I'd much rather have that than unproven drafted rookies with the #2 pick.
Disagree about ISJ. If he stays healthy in Pittsburgh, he's going to be a real weapon for them.
But I totally agree on TJH. Proven, 25 year old, 2X Pro Bowl TE and there are some questioning giving up a 2nd round pick for that? Madness.
It's not so much about the player as it is the position he plays and money allocation after forking over $21 million to Oliver in free agency. How much money do we want tied up at the TE position with JJ about to break the bank on a new contract, Darrisaw coming up, and Cousins contract still up in the air? I think all things considered I would have preferred taking advantage of the talent depth in this draft and having a productive TE on a rookie deal for 4 or 5 years while our salary cap gets sorted out.
A rookie TE that might be OJ Howard or Maxx Williams for all we know. Proven vs. Unproven is the key. Given all the busts in the draft, that is an enormous distinction. It's also why this team didn't (and wouldn't) trade Cousins for a seat at the craps table.
I get it. Hockenson is a really good player, but that's not the point. The point is how much cap do you want tied up at that position when we have other upcoming big money contracts that need to get done and a defense that still needs upgrading? The Lions traded him because they didn't want to allocate the big money contract it would have taken to retain him and chose to take the draft picks and future cap flexibility. They also smartly took advantage of the historic talent and depth at the TE position in this draft and now have a young, high upside TE in LaPorta on a rookie deal who they don't have to pay for four years. Meanwhile, Hockenson got this franchise no closer to winning a Super Bowl last year as we would have without him. We could have started Mundt and lost to the Giants at home. I'm not so sure the Lions weren't the wiser team in this deal
Man, I just don't understand the way you think. LOL.
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