Do we have to lose out to gurantee change? =(

[Jeff in D.C.]

I agree with you illone. I'm tired of the way this organization is run. I want the Eagles, the patriots, or the Colts management style. I want a real GM and structure. I'm tired of hearing stories about Danny boy pulling out contracts on coaches, complaining the he doesn't have enough control over player personnel, or players getting shafted ala Lavar (and his contract situation).

I just want the organization to be run with as much class as it was when Cooke, Gibbs, and Bethard was around. That's probably asking way too much though.

I don't care about draft picks. I just want Snyder to lose and clean house and start over correctly.

I absolutely agree that who the GM is and what the FO structure is is much more important than a high draft pick at this point, but a high draft can still help in a hurry and it's not like this team is going to the playoffs anyway.

Besides they probably have to go 3-13 or 4-12 for Danny to consider whacking Vinny.

[boofMcboof]

[/i]Bottom line, we want to see this team get better in a hurry and be a contender in the next few years, and having a high pick is one of the keys.

Um no, building a winning mentality is the most elusive and important aspect to success, more so than good drafting. The only way you do that is by winning and fighting through losses, not inviting them.

[Koolblue13]

Um no, building a winning mentality is the most elusive and important aspect to success, more so than good drafting. The only way you do that is by winning and fighting through losses, not inviting them.

If you are trying to imply that hoping to lose, is not the way to get rid of our losing mentality, you sir have no place here in the stadium.

[polywog999]

"Losing proposition?" No one cares about a better draft pick? Here are some of the top 8 picks in the NFL draft since 2000...

How do you think teams get better? Free agency certainly hasn't been a winning proposition for the Skins this decade has it? You build through the draft, and the higher the pick you have the better & faster you can improve. Remember how the Skins got all those picks from the Saints back in 99? They had the 5th pick and Ditka wanted Ricky Williams badly so he traded away his entire draft to the Skins to get him, all because of the position the Skins were in. A top-8 pick also has tremendous value when trading down, you can demand alot of picks depending how far down they trade.

I think there's some high draft pick fear around here because people are afraid that whoever the GM is will be tempted to take one of the QB's with that pick rather than have a lower pick where the risk isn't as great and a top-10 player may fall.

Bottom line, we want to see this team get better in a hurry and be a contender in the next few years, and having a high pick is one of the keys.

Same lame, unfounded argument. You have 22 guys out of 72. What happened to the other 50 guys?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/141590-the-biggest-myth-about-the-nfl-draft

The contract slotting of those top players dictate that the teams who draft them need to invest huge sums of money to get them into training camp.

The cost of making a mistake in the top five selections is astronomical and can hamper a team for years. This is especially true if that mistake ensures they will draft in the top five again the following year.

New England and Indianapolis seem to have figured this out. They routinely draft at the bottom and scout accordingly. When the Patriots do have a higher pick, they often look to trade down and acquire more later round picks, rather than use the higher slot.

Why don't we do like the Pats?

[Jeff in D.C.]

Same lame, unfounded argument. You have 22 guys out of 72. What happened to the other 50 guys?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/141590-the-biggest-myth-about-the-nfl-draft

Why don't we do like the Pats?

That article makes many valid points - however, a few things to keep in mind. Assuming that having a high pick is a "curse" is to just assume that the FO is going to consistently screw up. The Raiduhs, Brownies, and other consistent bottom feeders have horrible GM's that couldn't make a good pick to save their lives, so the success (or lack there of) of those teams with consistently high draft picks shouldn't be mentioned because they're simply incompetent organizations.

Secondly, the Colts are mentioned in that article - where was Peyton Manning picked? #1 overall. Somehow I don't think the Colts wished they had the 15th pick in that draft instead of #1 so they could get a franchise QB like Manning.

Also, yes 50 or so of the 72 top-8 picks in the 2000-2008 drafts (too soon to tell with the class of 09) haven't panned out or don't look like they'll pan out, but with a competent FO your chances at landing a franchise type player are much higher than if you have a lower pick. And fact is that those 22 names that HAVE panned out big time can't be ignored. And you have many more choices of players with a higher pick. Remember, many players are drafted by teams who don't fit their system, and alot of times it's because certain players that those teams wanted were off the board already. Having high picks doesn't guarantee any success, but it does help and it increases your chances because of where you are on the draft board.

Also, having a high pick enables you to trade down and collect more picks because of the higher value of the pick. I'm not even saying that the Skins should draft someone with the 5th-9th pick, but rather trade down and stockpile. The higher their pick, the better the stockpile. Case and point, the Ravens had the 8th pick in 08 and the Jags were sitting at 26 but wanted to move up and take Derrick Harvey. The Ravens traded down and pretty much raped the Jags of draft picks because of the value that the 8th pick had. Harvey looks like a bust, but the Ravens came out looking great when they were the ones who originally had the 8th pick. I agree it comes down to a competent front office and knowing what to do, but a higher pick is a much better position. Although I will say that looking at the money that high picks get which I didn't realize was as much as it is, that does affect my position somewhat. But like I said, my only point in hoping the Skins get a high pick is the value the pick would have for them trading down and collecting more & better picks than if they didn't have as high a pick.