Ranking the NFL GM's

[Stranger]

Wow, Mike Brown at 6... really?

 

[ReddingRam]

Well ... to be honest ... His FA track record is 50/50 and the trade up for Tavon is so far has not produced what was thought, the use of picks on players such as Pead is in question and the OL is still a mess ... .so Snead is no better than his ranking. Schneider in Seattle has done an excellent job and Keim has been less flashy but his roster is more solid. The Baalke spot over Snead ..... But truthfully ... yes Snead came into a bad situation ... but with the bounty of picks and money spent on FA's that haven't produced .... I gotta say he is only middle of the pack.

 

[LumberTubs]

Whilst I disagree with the list I'm going to take my homer hat off and say that until the Rams put together at least a winning season under Snead's stewardship then can we reasonably expect him to be higher on these types of lists? I don't think so.

*puts homer hat back on*

Having said that I do believe he's done the groundwork necessary and will see the fruits of his labour soon enough.

 

[Rmfnlt]

So, how do you judge a GM? Record? Number of trades? Amount of starters from his picks? I'd like to think the latter is the best measurement. I mean, that is what your goal is, right? The GM gives the best players he can find to the coach, and it's his responsibility to get the best he can out of them. So, a teams record really reflects off the players and coaches.

I don't know if I agree with this.

I always struggled with the criteria of "number of starters". You could have (and I think the Rams have had over the years) a bunch of starters, but they start because the overall talent level of the team isn't very good (i.e. the best of the worst).

If I have you right... once drafted and a starter, you are putting it on the coaching staff to eventually determine if the player ends up being talented or not. Could be the player got drafted by the GM, was put in as a starter because (again) he was the best of the worst and never really became anything better than average.

That's not on the coaching staff, that's on the GM who drafted him, IMO.

But I think Psycho has it right... too many variables to rate a GM... especially when you consider he's not making decisions carte blanche.

The coaching staff (at least with the Rams) definitely has a say.

Ultimately, after - say 5 full years - if the team isn't winning, I'd say that is on both the GM and coaching staff.

It's year 5... we need to win.

 

[Boston Ram]

The team is still under .500 and there are plenty of question marks, like 3 open spots on the oline and no long term solution at QB (yet). I don't get offended by these kind of articles, there just fillers and I cant blame a national writer for putting us in the middle of the pack when we haven't even had a winning record under Sneads watch. But when we win the division this year then the rankings will improve.

Personally I think he has done a good not great job so far. I might rank him about 12th - 15th but he hasn't done anything to warrant being in the top 10. That being said, I think this is our year and hopefully the moves over the last few years will payoff with some playoff football.

 

[Rmfnlt]

The team is still under .500 and there are plenty of question marks, like 3 open spots on the oline and no long term solution at QB (yet). I don't get offended by these kind of articles, there just fillers and I cant blame a national writer for putting us in the middle of the pack when we haven't even had a winning record under Sneads watch. But when we win the division this year then the rankings will improve.

Personally I think he has done a good not great job so far. I might rank him about 12th - 15th but he hasn't done anything to warrant being in the top 10. That being said, I think this is our year and hopefully the moves over the last few years will payoff with some playoff football.

If we can't shore up that Oline, this being the year will be a tought row to hoe.

"Hoep" the answers for the Oline come soon!!

 

[Sleepy1711]

I don't know if I agree with this.

I always struggled with the criteria of "number of starters". You could have (and I think the Rams have had over the years) a bunch of starters, but they start because the overall talent level of the team isn't very good (i.e. the best of the worst).

If I have you right... once drafted and a starter, you are putting it on the coaching staff to eventually determine if the player ends up being talented or not. Could be the player got drafted by the GM, was put in as a starter because (again) he was the best of the worst and never really became anything better than average.

That's not on the coaching staff, that's on the GM who drafted him, IMO.

But I think Psycho has it right... too many variables to rate a GM... especially when you consider he's not making decisions carte blanche.

The coaching staff (at least with the Rams) definitely has a say.

Ultimately, after - say 5 full years - if the team isn't winning, I'd say that is on both the GM and coaching staff.

It's year 5... we need to win.

I dunno, I see talent at pretty much at every position that would consider them starters on any team..

They just need time to grow..

IMO Snead/Fish has done a good job.. I see the team getting better every year and instead of hoping for other players to sign here I see that we have these Starters on our team already and just waiting for them to put it together..

Are we going on 5 years already?? Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't we going into year 4?

 

[RAGRam]

Snead is a tough one to grade, simply due to the RGIII trade, he's had something that 31 other GMs don't have, and they cover up some pretty bad mistakes, namely Pead and Austin, both of those would probably be killers for those 31 other GMs, and whilst we all hope that Robinson makes a massive leap next year grading him today all you have to go off is a poor 2014. But he's had a bunch of other picks which he's done well with and which go some way to cover up those mistakes.

FA on the other hand has just flat out sucked, we've got two mediocre receivers who we're paying like one elite receiver and a bunch of dead money.

I'd probably have him around 14, but it depends how you weight various factors, I'm not going to say 21 is completely ridiculous, just as I wouldn't say 10 is. If you can justify it, fair enough.

 

[Rmfnlt]

I dunno, I see talent at pretty much at every position that would consider them starters on any team..

They just need time to grow..

IMO Snead/Fish has done a good job.. I see the team getting better every year and instead of hoping for other players to sign here I see that we have these Starters on our team already and just waiting for them to put it together..

Are we going on 5 years already?? Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't we going into year 4?

I guess I'm not as sure as you are about the talent thing.

Yes, some of our players could start on other teams... most teams? Good teams? I have no idea. They're starting for the Rams and that's all that counts.

Perhaps I look at it as talent = wins. "Talented wins" happen because your players can consistently outplay their opponents (physical, mental, discipline). We haven't been able to do that just yet.

I don't totally subscribe to the "you are what your record says you are" but I think there is some validity to that over the course of a few years. And you're right, it isn't five years (my bad), we're going into year four... but I think that, after four years, the talent should come through.

The big fly in the oinment thus far has been injuries. But talented teams figure out that "next man up" thing. IMO, this team still isn't particularly "deep" and downright scary thin in one important area (I'll let you guess which one that is ).

I hope this is the year the talent translates into wins.. surely more than 9.

 

[iced]

21. Les Snead, Rams

Last Year’s Ranking: 21


For a team that’s supposedly stockpiled young talent, Les Snead’s roster still has an abundance of holes. The Rams lack depth basically everywhere but the defensive line, while they’re no closer to finding their quarterback of the future than they were before Snead’s predecessor took Sam Bradford. Snead and Jeff Fisher’s trade up for Tavon Austin has proven to be an unmitigated disaster, while 2014 first-rounder Greg Robinson looked nothing like a No. 2 overall pick as a rookie. Snead has been bold, wheeling and dealing draft picks. He’s lavished money on players like Jared Cook, Cortland Finnegan and Jake Long in free agency. But “bold” is not a strategy in and of itself, and too many of Snead’s hits on 17 have gone bust. Snead has been entertaining, but his team has been 7-9.

I don't agree with where we are on the list, but as far as the break down goes - for the most part there isn't much to disagree with. Only parts I disagree with:

Tavon Austin has proven to be an unmitigated disaster

and too many of Snead’s hits on 17 have gone bust

I don't think he's a disaster - Kid is oozing with talent, I just don't believe Schotty knew how to use him... Hand offs up the gut? please

None of the picks are busts yet in my mind.

Outside that, I think he's dead on.

 

[MrMotes]

It's year 5... we need to win.

Year 4 actually, but you're right, we do need to win...

 

[Angry Ram]

Wow, Mike Brown at 6... really?

Dude has gotten better. He's drafted these guys:

AJ Green, Andy Dalton, Gio Bernard, Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Leon Hall, Mohamad Sanu, Kevin Zeitler, Jermaine Gresham, Jermey Hill.

Plus he's gotten rid of diva players like Chad Johnson, and to a lesser extent, Carson Palmer.

Plus his team has been to the playoffs last few years, so I'd say he's a pretty good GM. Still might at any moment could go Zygmunt mode.

Edit: I actually read the main article and just lold.

1st, Bill Bellichick and Ozzie Newsome get praised for letting older, veteran names go? Don't a lot of GMs do that?

2nd, the Patriots and Ravens are not the gold standards when it comes to drafting. Check out their draft histories. They aren't any better or worse than any other team. Hits and misses, just like all the rest.

3rd, regarding his view on Les Snead. The author says the Rams don't have depth anywhere except the defensive line, despite all the "stockpiling" of young talent. Well, duh. When you draft Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald in the first round, of course that's gonna happen.

4th, it was obvious the author didn't do enough research (or any). Les and Jeff Fisher have completely rebuilt the secondary via the draft. Janoris, Trumaine, TJ McDonald, and EJ Gaines if he continues what he did last year. Plus, there's LaMarcus Joyner still developing.

5th, the author just completely blasted Greg Robinson without any evidence. "He played nothing like a #2 pick as a rookie". Well no shit Sherlock, of course a player isn't gonna like a #2 pick as a fuckin rookie. That's lazy writing.

6th, I actually agree with his thought on the FA signings. Most have failed. Except FA is overrated, and many FAs get headlines in March then become irrelevant 6 months later. And many GMs fall under that trap.

 

[Sleepy1711]

I guess I'm not as sure as you are about the talent thing.

Yes, some of our players could start on other teams... most teams? Good teams? I have no idea. They're starting for the Rams and that's all that counts.

Perhaps I look at it as talent = wins. "Talented wins" happen because your players can consistently outplay their opponents (physical, mental, discipline). We haven't been able to do that just yet.

I don't totally subscribe to the "you are what your record says you are" but I think there is some validity to that over the course of a few years. And you're right, it isn't five years (my bad), we're going into year four... but I think that, after four years, the talent should come through.

The big fly in the oinment thus far has been injuries. But talented teams figure out that "next man up" thing. IMO, this team still isn't particularly "deep" and downright scary thin in one important area (I'll let you guess which one that is ).

I hope this is the year the talent translates into wins.. surely more than 9.

I've seen this years team duke it down wit the best of them.. they also blew chunks with some which I will attribute to lack of experience.

Consistency is the game and I too hope it will translate to more than 9 wins this year.

 

[VegasRam]

Just for the record all...uh... it's year three.Half our fucking starters are 3rd year player or younger. Go look at the roster.
As far as Seattle, it's RW period. Rams get blasted for taking what looked like a good/great RB in the 3rd, Seattle gets slobbered over for lucking out in the 3rd with Wilson.
And can we please just fucking stop with these thousands of extra picks we got - we're basically talking two top ten picks - big fucking deal. Ain't enough to turn around the dumpster fire Snead inherited.
These articles flat piss me off in their total lack of research or context. And drafted too high? - probably - but calling Austin a bust is just ignorant. And we've been SO fortunate at QB.
Every rams fan should get on their knees and thank (whoever) for Snead and Fisher, and if you don't see it, you're beyond help.

(Not that I feel strongly about this or anything).:rockon:

 

[Corbin]

Who the hell is this boney jabroni anyways? He needs his ass kicked!

 

[snackdaddy]

As far as the list as a whole, I don't agree with a lot of his assessments. But the only one I care about is Snead. The only criteria I care about is wins when it comes to judging his work. Based on that I can't disagree with ranking him number 21. We can analyze each decision to see if it was a good or bad one. But it all comes down to wins. And we've had losing seasons in each of his 3 seasons as the Rams GM.

We can say he's acquired more talent. And we can say he's improved the team over his predecessors. We can say they should start winning more with that talent. But we haven't won with it yet and until that happens, so far his performance is below average. 6 games below average to be exact.

I'm tired of being a blind homer and saying things like "we'll be a playoff team" or "we're gonna win at least 10 games". I thought that the past couple seasons and we were out of it weeks before Christmas. For all intents and purposes we were out of it by Halloween. Sorry but I can't buy into any hype until I see them actually winning.

For all we know the talent level could be less than we think because we've been so accustomed to lousy talent even a minor upgrade seems significant. I mean, how do these guys measure up to the players on the other 31 teams? They're definitely better than their predecessors, but are they better than their opponents? Or even just as good? I can't honestly say they are until they start winning more.

 

[MrMotes]

As far as the list as a whole, I don't agree with a lot of his assessments. But the only one I care about is Snead. The only criteria I care about is wins when it comes to judging his work. Based on that I can't disagree with ranking him number 21. We can analyze each decision to see if it was a good or bad one. But it all comes down to wins. And we've had losing seasons in each of his 3 seasons as the Rams GM.

We can say he's acquired more talent. And we can say he's improved the team over his predecessors. We can say they should start winning more with that talent. But we haven't won with it yet and until that happens, so far his performance is below average. 6 games below average to be exact.

I'm tired of being a blind homer and saying things like "we'll be a playoff team" or "we're gonna win at least 10 games". I thought that the past couple seasons and we were out of it weeks before Christmas. For all intents and purposes we were out of it by Halloween. Sorry but I can't buy into any hype until I see them actually winning.

For all we know the talent level could be less than we think because we've been so accustomed to lousy talent even a minor upgrade seems significant. I mean, how do these guys measure up to the players on the other 31 teams? They're definitely better than their predecessors, but are they better than their opponents? Or even just as good? I can't honestly say they are until they start winning more.

Going by wins, Snead is twice as good as his predecessor but amazingly enough, because the previous guy was that bad, twice as good isn't good enough...

 

[WvuIN02]

What a steaming pile of a list.

Kevin Colbert 19???? Haha, how many GMs have teams that have made 3 SB trips and 2 SB wins in the past 15 years under their belt??? Snead I can understand more, because having good teams on paper means little.

 

[Limey]

It is easy to say that Snead should have made more of the "RGIII bounty" of picks, but that bounty didn't just happen - it was Snead playing Cleveland off against Washington that netted that bounty in the first place. OK, so he inherited the no 2 overall pick in a year when there was a guy that other teams wanted badly enough to fight over, but the flip side of that is the abysmal roster that earned the no 2 pick, which he also had to deal with. Like a few of us discussed in another thread, his first year of picks was hampered by him being new to the Rams at the time of the draft and not having his own scouts in place. With all of his drafted players being a year more experienced, and his last 2 drafts looking really good already, not to mention starting the year with a fit QB, I'm really hoping that his ranking will be a lot higher next year.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Going by wins, Snead is twice as good as his predecessor but amazingly enough, because the previous guy was that bad, twice as good isn't good enough...

Of course, there's more to it than wins alone.

Adding onto your thought... amazingly, Devaney improved on what had been drafted earlier (Linehan and Martz).

I think most fans would say drafting guys like Long, Laurinaitis, Quinn, Saffold, Kendricks (dare I say Bradford?)... maybe even Hoomanawanui and Fletcher were much better decisions than Carriker, Leonard, Hill, Klopfenstein, Barron, Kennedy, Thomas and Canidate.

The bad drafting started in 2000 and stayed bad until 2008, hitting rock bottom in 2006. Since 2008, it's gotten slightly better and now we see if the Snead/Fisher drafts put us over the top.