CONFIRMED: Scot McCloughan has accepted offer to become Redskins GM: Per Michael Robinson, Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport

[Isifhan]

Not sure if many folks had the chance to read this article http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/drama-dysfunction-disappointment-bad-decisions-con/

But even with Mac we have a long way to go. My question is for things like renovation of the locker room and facilities will Mac have the power to demand that change? What if he wants to move the offices of the marketing department which by Doc Walkers account on 980 are bigger than the scouting department? Will Snyder make those changes? Is that Macs domain or is that Bruces?

There's still a lot wrong with the franchise. I think Mac is a huge step in the right direction and I'must glad he's here but will it be enough?

[RedBeast]

Not sure if many folks had the chance to read this article http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/drama-dysfunction-disappointment-bad-decisions-con/

But even with Mac we have a long way to go. My question is for things like renovation of the locker room and facilities will Mac have the power to demand that change? What if he wants to move the offices of the marketing department which by Doc Walkers account on 980 are bigger than the scouting department? Will Snyder make those changes? Is that Macs domain or is that Bruces?

There's still a lot wrong with the franchise. I think Mac is a huge step in the right direction and I'must glad he's here but will it be enough?

 

If SM really wrote his contract correctly? If he was allowed to hire/fire "who he wants and needs?" Then they gotta make space. I agree with you 10000000%.

 

If it were me? I would put scouting and other "mission critical operational components" out in another new purpose built building. George Allen style. Highly secured. Locked down. Like a Tier IV Data Center. 24x7x365 operational. Food, coffee, drinks, beds, everything they need to run long hard nights, when needed. Hell put all of the Redskins Data Center elements in there. Secure all data, info, tapes, resources, email, etc. This is 2015. It's not 1999 anymore. Invest in your future Dan.

 

"This town needs an enema!"

[Dark Acre]

For the Love of GOD, can we please get rid of this zone blocking bullcrap??? Go to a traditional oline scheme and draft/sign some REAL fat boy studs. Tired of this slim athletic crap. It aint workin.....

You want "REAL fat boy studs", you better spend some 1st and 2nd round picks on them.

[RemoveSnyder]

There's nothing wrong with questioning this move and McC's creds, Monk.

But I think you're not seeing the bigger picture. It's not about who is responsible or accountable for individual draft picks during his time with the Seahawks and 49ers. It's bigger than that.

He gives us one vision, one plan to follow. He brings a heavy enough reputation to earn some time from Snyder to implement that plan. Most importantly, he gives us the street cred to attract other qualified talent evaluators and football minds in the FO.

So you contend that the Seahawks/49ers drafts were the result of a brain trust, and that McC is getting too much credit for individual hits. Him being here represents a sea-change in the way our FO operates (whether you approved of the interview and search process or not). He can create a similar brain trust here, over time. It doesn't all need to be on his shoulders, but his reputation can do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of attracting other talented scouts.

 

Good post, as usual.

 

Well, that's the whole matzah ball isn't it? - http://youtu.be/WryLqx4i-RI?t=57s

Did he burn the bridges in San Fran? Did he strain friendships/relationships?

 

What will be telling to me is, if Tom Gamble, who is a free agent and likewise started the same year as McC in San Fran, 2005, and who additionally spent his years focused on Free Agency as the Director of Pro Personnel, does he come on board?

 

What kind of relationship do they have? 

It's not like we have an established Vet at the Pro Personnel, Free Agent, helm. 

 

You know how folks around here are attributing Justin Smith as a McC move? Well, Gamble was the D. of Pro Personnel, the leader of Free Agent acquisition, in 2008, the year they signed J. Smith. So, at least partial credit belongs to Gamble. Well, folks aren't doing that around here, it's all McC's according to them.

 

You already know my aversion to attributing something to someone, by the folks around here who haven't even taken the time to research who did what. 

 

Does McC have a great group at the ready? Sworn loyalty? 

 

Are we going to see Kent McCloughan come in as an Senior Advisor to the GM?

Is his brother Dave McCloughan going to come over from the Raiders and be our National Scout?

 

I'm mostly curious about Gamble because those two worked closely together from 2005 to 2009. He knows all about him. And it was after McC was let go by York in 2010, that Baalke stepped up to take over the GM reigns a few weeks before the college draft. You know, scramble the airplanes.

 

But likewise, Gamble then had split duty, adding collegiate scouting to his plate in addition to running Free Agency. You know what that's like in the workplace, when someone flakes out and others have to scramble and take over more responsibilities, more work ... it can leave an indelible mark on the relationship. 

 

You know, I'm not concerned one bit about the other San Fran guys, like Ethan Waugh or Reggie Cobb. That's like the kinship I have with the guys in the Comprehensive, like you, Steve and Dukes. We might not agree, but we'll listen to each other. I'm interested in the other "heads of state" from the San Fran days, like Gamble, who spent 5 to 6 years with the man. 

 

Is Waugh or Cobb or Brother Dave inline to replace Scott Campbell as D. of College Scouting?

...

Anyway, I want to know about:

 

Tom Gamble

...

Kent McCloughan 

Dave McCloughan 

...

Ethan Waugh 

Reggie Cobb

[Conn]

If SM really wrote his contract correctly? If he was allowed to hire/fire "who he wants and needs?" Then they gotta make space. I agree with you 10000000%.

If it were me? I would put scouting and other "mission critical operational components" out in another new purpose built building. George Allen style. Highly secured. Locked down. Like a Tier IV Data Center. 24x7x365 operational. Food, coffee, drinks, beds, everything they need to run long hard nights, when needed. Hell put all of the Redskins Data Center elements in there. Secure all data, info, tapes, resources, email, etc. This is 2015. It's not 1999 anymore. Invest in your future Dan.

"This town needs an enema!"

All of this. There is absolutely no reason why a billionaire owns a team with terrible facilities. We should have not only everything you mention, but an entire analytics/advanced metrics division feeding a huge scouting staff data to work with. We should have ridiculous weight rooms, etc. Facilities also attract FA's, so it's kind of mind-boggling that there are many big-time college football programs with newer, nicer facilities. This is one area that has NO salary cap and can make a tangible difference over time.

[RemoveSnyder]

 

If SM really wrote his contract correctly? If he was allowed to hire/fire "who he wants and needs?" Then they gotta make space. I agree with you 10000000%.

 

If it were me? I would put scouting and other "mission critical operational components" out in another new purpose built building. George Allen style. Highly secured. Locked down. Like a Tier IV Data Center. 24x7x365 operational. Food, coffee, drinks, beds, everything they need to run long hard nights, when needed. Hell put all of the Redskins Data Center elements in there. Secure all data, info, tapes, resources, email, etc. This is 2015. It's not 1999 anymore. Invest in your future Dan.

 

"This town needs an enema!"

 

Yeah. 

 

What would be great for a scout is to be able to access the database securely, while on the road, click a hyperlink of a players name and have access to already edited and annotated game film, with the ability to grade it out, analyze it, and leave a report linked to the game / the player's overall scouting report.

 

So that you aren't just localized simply to Bunker One. Ashburn 

 

But you would need a top flight video team getting that tape and turning it digital, likewise have that database servers team tightly secured, encrypted. 

 

So that the GM can log in, maybe while in Ashburn and access the report written by the West Coast regional scout, who just watched an east coast prospect's tape. 

 

It would also help war-torn scouts who have been watching D. II players from press boxes, on rugged scouting details, get the joy of watching a major 1st round prospect and add their own analysis to the pot of scouting reports.  

[Mercuryrising]

Yeah. 

 

What would be great for a scout is to be able to access the database securely, while on the road, click a hyperlink of a players name and have access to already edited and annotated game film, with the ability to grade it out, analyze it, and leave a report linked to the game / the player's overall scouting report.

 

So that you aren't just localized simply to Bunker One. Ashburn 

 

But you would need a top flight video team getting that tape and turning it digital, likewise have that database servers team tightly secured, encrypted. 

 

 

So that the GM can log in, maybe while in Ashburn and access the report written by the West Coast regional scout, who just watched an east coast prospect's tape. 

 

It would also help war-torn scouts who have been watching D. II players from press boxes, on rugged scouting details, get the joy of watching a major 1st round prospect and add their own analysis to the pot of scouting reports.  

Mind blown! Good stuff Monk...

 

I Would be shocked if the league does not already have a service converting college film to digital to distribute to all the teams. I assumed that they did this already. Do you know for certain that they do not?

[Trung Canidate]

Not sure if many folks had the chance to read this article http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/drama-dysfunction-disappointment-bad-decisions-con/

But even with Mac we have a long way to go. My question is for things like renovation of the locker room and facilities will Mac have the power to demand that change? What if he wants to move the offices of the marketing department which by Doc Walkers account on 980 are bigger than the scouting department? Will Snyder make those changes? Is that Macs domain or is that Bruces?

There's still a lot wrong with the franchise. I think Mac is a huge step in the right direction and I'must glad he's here but will it be enough?

Reading about the facilities irked me. How does the 9th most valuable sports franchise in the WORLD not have adequate facilities for its athletes? That's embarrassing and it needs to change immediately. 

[RedBeast]

All of this. There is absolutely no reason why a billionaire owns a team with terrible facilities. We should have not only everything you mention, but an entire analytics/advanced metrics division feeding a huge scouting staff data to work with. We should have ridiculous weight rooms, etc. Facilities also attract FA's, so it's kind of mind-boggling that there are many big-time college football programs with newer, nicer facilities. This is one area that has NO salary cap and can make a tangible difference over time.

 

I am with you 1000%. I have always thought we should a top flight Tier 1 faciltiy for the longest time. We had staph infections not long ago. We just got a bubble and real big screens. INVEST in our future, not only in staff and players but also facilities and infrastructure!

 

Yeah. 

 

What would be great for a scout is to be able to access the database securely, while on the road, click a hyperlink of a players name and have access to already edited and annotated game film, with the ability to grade it out, analyze it, and leave a report linked to the game / the player's overall scouting report.

 

So that you aren't just localized simply to Bunker One. Ashburn 

 

But you would need a top flight video team getting that tape and turning it digital, likewise have that database servers team tightly secured, encrypted. 

 

 

So that the GM can log in, maybe while in Ashburn and access the report written by the West Coast regional scout, who just watched an east coast prospect's tape. 

 

It would also help war-torn scouts who have been watching D. II players from press boxes, on rugged scouting details, get the joy of watching a major 1st round prospect and add their own analysis to the pot of scouting reports.  

 

Dude, don't get me going. No ****. Optimized real time and secure IT? Danny could look at everything on his phone/laptop/xPad from the Bahamas with the right VPN/encryption. He could lift a drink, dangle his feet in the water, and make a few comments. Or JUST READ AND LEARN...from the Bahamas!

 

Mind blown! Good stuff Monk...

 

I Would be shocked if the league does not already have a service converting college film to digital to distribute to all the teams. I assumed that they did this already. Do you know for certain that they do not?

 

Who knows, I wouldn't doubt it, but I know for sure our facilities are NOT TOP NOTCH. I would assume that their IT is also built on scraps and limited funding. You want to win? Go all in! 

 

Dan...you got the resources. We have the technology. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Reading about the facilities irked me. How does the 9th most valuable sports franchise in the WORLD not have adequate facilities for its athletes? That's embarrassing and it needs to change immediately. 

 

Because emphasis has been put on the wrong elements. You need to invest to succeed. Dan is slowly learning and realizing this. If someone can gain his ear/hear, show him the true net value, demonstrate the benefits correctly? He might fund phase 1 (of 5?). Change is not immediate, but rather annual (budgetary).

 

Unless Dan puts a true emphasis on turning the Redskins and Redskins Park into a world class operation the knowledgebase/IT/thought leadership will be missing for a long time. For a long time it has been run on shoestrings/minimal effort and financial backing.

 

Put the Haynesworth contract into facilities Dan. It will PAY YOU in spades. Need a CIO? Send me a PM. I have done it all over the world for the largest companies and all business verticals. TIer IV in Saudi Arabia? Been there. US? Canada? South America? Europe? Middle East? Asia? Australia? Yep x7. Holla at me Danny Boy. I gotcha back bro!

[Mercuryrising]

I am with you 1000%. I have always thought we should a top flight Tier 1 faciltiy for the longest time. We had staph infections not long ago. We just got a bubble and real big screens. INVEST in our future, not only in staff and players but also facilities and infrastructure!

 

 

Dude, don't get me going. No ****. Optimized real time and secure IT? Danny could look at everything on his phone/laptop/xPad from the Bahamas with the right VPN/encryption. He could lift a drink, dangle his feet in the water, and make a few comments. Or JUST READ AND LEARN...from the Bahamas!

 

 

Who knows, I wouldn't doubt it, but I know for sure our facilities are NOT TOP NOTCH. I would assume that their IT is also built on scraps and limited funding. You want to win? Go all in! 

 

Dan...you got the resources. We have the technology. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

 

Because emphasis has been put on the wrong elements. You need to invest to succeed. Dan is slowly learning and realizing this. If someone can gain his ear/hear, show him the true net value, demonstrate the benefits correctly? He might fund phase 1 (of 5?). Change is not immediate, but rather annual (budgetary).

 

Unless Dan puts a true emphasis on turning the Redskins and Redskins Park into a world class operation the knowledgebase/IT/thought leadership will be missing for a long time. For a long time it has been run on shoestrings/minimal effort and financial backing.

 

Put the Haynesworth contract into facilities Dan. It will PAY YOU in spades. Need a CIO? Send me a PM. I have done it all over the world for the largest companies and all business verticals. TIer IV in Saudi Arabia? Been there. US? Canada? South America? Europe? Middle East? Asia? Australia? Yep x7. Holla at me Danny Boy. I gotcha back bro!

I agree with you guys about all of the upgrades to technology etc. But seriously, even if they were not to do that there is no reason in the world the facilities that you have now shouldn't be ship-shape and completely maintained. Broken equipment and worn carpet? For real? What kind of message does that send in a business where your mantra should be "The little things matter!"?

 

I truly had no idea.

[JesseNeckred]

Anyone else feel like this is some dream?

[Cooleyfan1993]

sheesh, can our fans be happy for at least a day before we start whining about stuff again? i mean, we JUST hired an actual GM. now we're complaining about Redskins Park? ive been in there many times, and i dont see any problems with it.

[respectgibbs]

Pro********Talk is a product of Mike Florio.

 

Mike Florio wants only the worst for the Redskins.

 

He will " troll " Redskins fans every chance he gets.

 

Florio is the ****ing worst. That smug, pretentious douchebag needs take out the opinion slant on his articles and just report news. I have to hold back vomit every time I head his site. 

[TheItalianStallion]

Assuming no weird crap comes up that derails this, this sounds awesome. Haslett canned, now a real GM with full control? Obviously things won't get turned around in a single offseason (barring something like the switch being flipped for 1 or more of our QBs), but I feel confident of a return at least to respectability.

[TSO]

Finally got some time to post my detailed thoughts on the hire, been a busy few days for me and I haven't got to read through the entire thread like I wanted to, so I'm sure I'm probably repeating what some of you, who I know are usually on my wave length, have said already... 

 

First, let me get the negatives out of the way since they're few. Bare with me, it might seem like I'm going on and on about them, but trust me, I'm really happy about this move overall...  

 

The guy has a drinking problem. He clearly isn't totally admitting it (as of the time of that ESPN "living on a farm" article) and can, therefore, fall back into it pretty easily. I don't take alcohol lightly at all, so I really don't care much for his "hard liquor is the only real problem for me" train of thought that just sounds like self-deception to me. Of course, that could just be personal bias. 

 

But the other part of that is, with this organization, it seems like whoever we bring here that, like any human being, has their strengths and weaknesses - well, their weaknesses/issues/past failures somehow get magnified while their strengths are rendered irrelevant, sometimes in the most ridiculous of ways. 

 

It really is mind-boggling when you go down the list of those who've come here, from executives to coaches to players, and see just how consistently this occurs. 

 

It happens way too often to be completely comfortable with a hire like McCloughan. Had he went to the Steelers, Packers, Pats, Giants, Chargers, Saints, etc... where you can find a recent history of normalcy throughout the organization, I'd assume he'd be just fine and be surrounded by a good enough support system.     

 

Here? Pretty scary and quite risky.

 

The other negative is/was the hiring process. This may be nitpicky, but I would've liked to have seen us at least interview a few more options... I just wonder if they know what exactly they're looking for, you know? Do they have a detailed thought process in terms of what kind of GM/talent evaluator would be best? Do they even know and, if not, how can they really pick the right one or know when they've got him?

 

We're treading such new territory here you have to wonder how much they understand themselves about what they're doing. This is the ultimate punishment for Snyder taking this long to finally wake up. Had he done something like this early on after he bought the team, he would've at least been at a stage where he can identify the right type better, simply out of experience.   

 

If nothing else, I would've liked to see a couple more guys get interviewed just to know that legit candidates were actually willing to come here in the first place and weren't scared off by the perception of our Owner and top brass.     

 

Now, those are my negatives. Here's why I'm overall pleased and pretty dang excited by the move. 

 

First and foremost, this move is a major step towards a competent FO structure based on sound organizational principles. If everything falls in order as has been reported, this guy is going to actually have a title representative of his skill set and he's going to be able to shape the FO as he deems fit. 

 

I can't believe I'm able to write that last sentence there with a straight face. 

 

That's huge to me, because, even if he fails or doesn't produce the results we're hoping for, we should now be able to remove the stigma Snyder has so willingly attached to the organization of being a vortex that includes, inside of it, a black hole in which career-ending quantum gravity sucks the skill set out of anyone foolish enough to travel through.

 

According to some, and recently from Rick Snider, legit talent evaluators and men who know what they're doing in personnel acquisition never wanted to come here because of that stigma. I think now the NFL and its top evaluators have seen that we're willing to change that, finally.

 

If Scot comes here, immediately re-shapes the Front Office and is able to go through a few years without having anything crazy happen... this means that, even were he to fail during his tenure, others will gladly come to have a chance to turn things around themselves the way they think is right.

 

They'll know they, at least, won't be hindered from doing so.

 

I can't stress enough how important this is.

 

The other positive is that everywhere he's been the last decade or so, he's played a role in turning a bad team around. There's no way for any of us to know how much of a role he's played or who was behind some of the picks, good or bad, but we do know with certainty that every team he's been on the last decade or so has had success while he was there or immediately following his departure with players he was, at the very least, a part of scouting.

 

We also know, with certainty, that he's been heavily involved and worked with some of the biggest and most successful names in personnel acquisition or evaluation today (Shneider, Gamble, Baalke, etc...). Even if you believe it was all those guys and he wasn't that involved, you'd have to accept that he just happened to be around all of these successful personnel guys and that he'd have surely learned a thing or two (if it's not the other way around).

 

We also know that this is his life... this what he was brought up doing with his father.

 

So, with that, I say welcome to the Redskins Scot McCloughan, I'm really excited you're here and may God increase your success and, through that success, ours as well!  

[Skins3000]

For the Love of GOD, can we please get rid of this zone blocking bullcrap??? Go to a traditional oline scheme and draft/sign some REAL fat boy studs. Tired of this slim athletic crap. It aint workin.....

Listening to the drive today and one of the 49ers beat writer stated that Scot only draft fat boys for the offensive line. Do not look for him to take a quarterback in the top 10 because that is not his philosophy but he would take a corner in the top 10. Scot is not big on free agency and will only be used for a stop gap. 

[FrFan]

Charley Casserly: Hiring G.M. before coach is preferable, not set in stone

[FrFan]

so, just out of curiosity, what's this guys position and history on trades and cap management?

"CBSSports.com's Ryan Wilson actually chronicled his drafts back in 2012, noting that from 2005 through 2007 the 49ers acquired a whole host of talented players including Alex Smith (1st round), Frank Gore (3rd), Adam Snyder (3rd), Vernon Davis (1st), Manny Lawson (1st), Michael Robinson (4th), Delanie Walker (6th), Patrick Willis (1st), Joe Staley (1st), Ray McDonald (3rd), Dashon Goldson (4th) and Tarell Brown (5th).

That's a crazy amount of talent in a three-year span. The Seahawks are known for unearthing late-round gems too, with many of them coinciding with McCloughan's work with John Schneider.

Richard Sherman (5th), Byron Maxwell (6th) and Malcolm Smith (7th) are examples of the never-ending run on talented, late-round cornerbacks for Seattle. Kam Chancellor was a 5th round pick as well. Russell Wilson was a steal in the 3rd as was Bobby Wagner in the 2nd. J.R. Sweezy is starting guard drafted out of college as a defensive tackle in the 7th!" Link

 

"Former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson, now an analyst with the NFL Network, told his hometown radio station, Richmond’s Fox Sports 910, that McCloughan also has a knack for assembling locker rooms of quality, committed players.

“He’s not just looking for your attributes on the field,” Robinson said Wednesday. “He’s looking for how can I infuse you into this locker room to make this . . . a place where it’s conducive to winning.”" Link

 

"McCloughan said he has no inclination to pursue the most expensive names in free agency (think receiver Reggie Wayne or safety Ed Reed). “You go get the big name, the fans will love it,” McCloughan said. “And maybe we will at some point. But I don’t think you invest all your money in one guy when your roster looks like this right now"

 

"McCloughan has favored big, physical players and is an advocate of building through the draft, something that his new employers have failed to do under owner Dan Snyder."

[SKINSFAN87]

Kudos to dan and bruce for making this happen, finally. This is absolutely a huge hire, and it gives the redskins instant credibility that can, and I think WILL, take them on the path of successful playoff runs in the year ahead. This is the biggest offseason acquisition this team has made in 15 years. Great to be a fan right now.

[Commander Adama]

"McCloughan said he has no inclination to pursue the most expensive names in free agency (think receiver Reggie Wayne or safety Ed Reed). “You go get the big name, the fans will love it,” McCloughan said. “And maybe we will at some point. But I don’t think you invest all your money in one guy when your roster looks like this right now"

 

This was a quote from a recent article, but the quote from McCloughan is from 2005. I think it definitely pertains to the Redskins. The article also talks about how McCloughan likes to trade down when having high draft picks to get more draft picks. All of this sounds great to me and parrots what other people have been saying for years.

 

I know I am excited.

[justice98]

I wouldn't say those are swings and misses considering all of the guys have had or did have long NFL careers as competent backup QBs except Frye.

Sorry, you bring in each of those guys to be starting QBs and they definitively play themselves into backups, that's a miss. You shouldn't get credit for a guy simply being in the league somewhere.

Exactly, spot on EMB. Too many analyst in the business have stated how talented Scotty M. is.

You can be talented and still have misses. Nobody is 100% right on every guy. I think all except Flynn wound up as 3rd stringers eventually.

[LD0506]

 Finally, the initial rush is wearing off and we're getting some great input here.

 

TSO nailed it IMO, this hire isn't about rebuilding the roster, it is about establishing a functional organization, something we are decades removed from. As badly as Allen was scorned after the presser, we are seeing the first steps of actual change, things he didn't want to discuss, things he couldn't discuss just to mollify the fans or the media. Off to a great start I think, but it's still only just a start.

 

But we are off the map here, even the possibility of fielding a first class FO that manages the team in a sane fashion has existed only in hopes or imagination for so long. There is simply no way to predict how this will play out, there is no basis for anything but speculation (and again, hopes or imagination). My hope right now is that Scot holds their feet to the fire and gets the authority to effect change, and that Allen supports him in this, knowing that a total renovation of the organization is necessary and long overdue. The dream would be that TheDan is 100% on board and allows change to happen, to be embraced. Huge IF there, we all need to be shown that's a reality before believing it, no benefit of the doubt on that one, all that goodwill has been squandered. This plays back into the hiring process discussion, this can work but an essential element will have to be allowing the establishment of new, not just grafting pieces onto the old dysfunction.

 

Strangely enough I am not worried about any of SM's baggage, alcoholism has a terrible momentum to it and the sheer fact that he has faced it and admitted the reality of his own responsibility there gives me some satisfaction that this will not be an issue, no matter where he might be personally.

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/seahawks-prevailing-wisdom/story?id=22350549

 

It was Scot McCloughan, the Seahawks' senior personnel executive, who like many members of the organization had been cast off and found redemption in Seattle. McCloughan is a former GM of the 49ers. He picked most of their stars before an abrupt parting in 2010. He is perhaps the NFL's premier talent evaluator, and he is on the NFL's premier scouting staff, led by GM John Schneider.

 

The Seahawks are not just talented. They are mysteriously talented. They are comprised not only of draft-day afterthoughts who have become quality starters but draft-day afterthoughts who have become stars. It is as confounding as it is rare.

 

The timeless philosophy is that of Ron Wolf, the legendary architect of the 1990s Packers. Schneider and McCloughan are both disciples of Wolf. They are approximately the same age (41 and 42, respectively) and learned in Green Bay how to build a team through the draft by, as Wolf likes to say, "playing the percentages." That means not deviating from height and weight and strength standards set for each position. That would explain Seattle's secondary, tall and physical in the era of the lithe speedster. But as McCloughan says, "You can't be stubborn."

 

Nowhere was that more evident than in the drafting of 5-foot-10 QB Russell Wilson. Schneider and McCloughan interviewed Wilson for two hours at the Senior Bowl two years ago and came away smitten by Wilson's unbending, even demeanor. It's perhaps Wilson's greatest attribute as a quarterback, never allowing him to overthink challenges or be overwhelmed by the stage.

 

We have so many guys who nobody thought would be as good as they are now when they were drafted," McCloughan says.

In a game that most figured would come down to how well the Seahawks would adapt to the Broncos, Seattle didn't really change. The schedule for the week before the game was exactly as it was all season, down to snack times for players. Carroll lifted curfew Monday, an NFL player's typical Saturday night. Schneider and McCloughan held normal draft meetings at the team hotel, planning for the future as the coaches plotted for the present.

But the NFL is a great equalizer. Nobody is good without luck. McCloughan seemed to sense this as he left the stadium. His fingerprints are all over the two most talented rosters in the NFL.

Since joining the Seahawks in 2010, he's had offers to be a GM, and it is only a matter of time before he says yes. Only a team made up of cast-offs and underdogs can appreciate how hard and essential it is to maintain magic.

That's why after the game, Schneider and McCloughan gave each other a hug and exchanged words both simple and rare, exclusive each year to only one team:

"We did it."

[clskinsfan]

I would fully expect us to do a couple things in this draft ...

 

1. Target OL/DL early

2. Target CB/S in the mid-rounds (4th to 6th)

3. Draft a QB in the 4th to 7th rounds

 

The more picks we can get togehter the better. Meaning, trading #5 down and maybe make your first pick around 21-22 ... and in the process get 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... then with all those picks in the 2nd-4th round, use one or two and trade back a bit more and get some 5ths, 6ths and 2016 draft picks. I WANT TO LEAVE THE 2015 DRAFT WITH 10-12 PICKS AND 2016 DRAFT OF AT LEAST 8 PICKS.

 

LOL. Glad you know more than our new GM. And again you need a willing trade partner. People get on first-pick and think thats how the draft really works. 

[Rocky21]

I don't want to stray too far from the McGlougan hiring topic because it's the best thing that's happened to this franchise in a long time but I just wanted to comment on some of the Snyder posts over the last few pages of this thread.  The Snyder apologizing in this thread is humorous. But mostly sad.  As to Snyder's involvement in on the field concerns....

 

“The three of us normally at the end of it try and come up with a final game plan for the draft," Gibbs said. [The three of us being Gibbs, Cerrato and Snyder.] "Dan's philosophy is to be aggressive," Gibbs said. "We fall in the category of being more aggressive and it's based on Dan being as aggressive as he is." - Joe Gibbs

 

‘Later today Dan and I and Jim have our weekly Friday lunch, like we always do, and like Dan's done forever with the head coach, to go over the upcoming game." – Vinny Cerrato

 

“I count on his opinion. He’s very instrumental on the draft, the salary-cap, free agency, strategy on how the team should be built.” - Joe Gibbs