Is Tony Banks thought of as high caliber?
I should have clarified. I was comparing the broadcasting-back to coaching thing and the percieved disarray of both teams. Rams were in shambles as the Raiders are now, but it worked out. May work out that way for Gruden. Rams lost Roman Phieffer in 1999 off season, but not anything like a Mack.
Rams didn't lose a high caliber player, but they ammassed a ton 1997-1999, which maybe Gruden can do the next couple years.
Other than Ike, I don't recall any very good players on the Rams back then. The Raiders weren't terrible. They had some key pieces in place. An outside pass rush is on everyone's list. Top WR too. I could see if Gruden was getting rid of bad apples, and unproductive players, but he's only trading the good ones. I get that he covets the picks and good players are the only ones that can land him high first or second rounders. I also get that he doesn't want big contracts mucking up his rebuild. But, he is rolling the dice here. Drafting good players isn't a given, even with first round picks. They won't necessarily be high first round picks either. Even in great first rounds the best players are gone in the top ten, for the most part. Mainly, he now has two extra firsts. It's a long shot that he will be able to replace Cooper, and nearly impossible to replace Mack. If he trades Carr, then he is certifiable. QBs are tough to find. That's why I say that he is buying into his own legend a bit too much.
Through all of these shenanigans he seems to have garnered a lot of criticism from his players. That's a bad way to start. He may have to get rid of a lot more before it's said and done. Disgruntled players are bad for fixing a roster.
At this point, he seems to have been out of coaching a bit too long. But, as you pointed out so was Vermeil, but he was acquiring great players instead of trading them.
