Gene Smith Lets Everyone Know How Big His Cajones Are
by Alfie Crow on Apr 23, 2010 12:00 PM EDT
in 2010 NFL Draft
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There has been loads and loads of scrutiny of the Jacksonville Jaguars first round pick Tyson Alualu. We've already weighed in our initial reactions and Collin wrote a nice piece about how much it bolsters a potentially very good defensive line. It does seem however, that Gene Smith has giant cajones and plans to stick to HISboard no matter what anyone else says. He had some interesting thoughts that he told to SI.com's Peter King, and he made his feelings clear.
It's a double edged sword, but an admirable strategy.
"This is not a popularity contest,'' Smith told Peter King of SI.com. "I don't give a damn about perception. I care about picking the right player for our team. My attitude is, 'You can outsmart people some of the time, but you can outwork them all of the time.' If you can't trust your ability to judge players after all the work you put in on them, you shouldn't be in this business.''
A lot of scrutiny has come from the local Jacksonville media, namely really just a single radio station which I won't mention, but everyone knows which one. There is an increasing backlash from not selecting local super hero Tim Tebow, combined with selecting a player tha undoubtedly most fans have never heard of. There are calls of "Tyson Who-Who" and "Tyson Lulululu", etc. from some bent out of shape fans, but fans need to realize that teams draft for one reason and one reason only: To win football games.
I think it's been made pretty clear Gene Smith is not going to cater to the fans. Some local media will focus on that fact and attack it, but I applaud it. Gene Smith caters to the fans by trying to build the best possible football team, not drafting local collegiate golden boys.
"You can call this a reach,'' Smith told King, "but the more work we did on him, the more we saw an excellent player with high character and excellent competitiveness who'd played every spot on the defensive line. I watched every game he played the last two years. The more I watched, the more I became convinced this was an excellent player for what we do. He had 17 sacks, playing inside a lot, and another one in the Senior Bowl. He's a very disruptive player.''
I'm inclined to trust Gene Smith with this pick, but that doesn't mean I've got to like it. Nothing against Tyson Alualu, I think he's a very good player. I just don't see the value at 10 overall, but as I mentioned in a previous article... I didn't see it with Derek Cox and Terrance Knighton last season, either. For that reason last year, I'm willing to temper the "freak out" and let it play out with Alualu. I had my fair share of the "What the..." moments last night, but i've watched him play, watched tape on him, and watched him in the Senior Bowl. He's a good football player. If he's as good a football player as it seems Gene Smith believes, he should have no problem living up the 10th overall pick.
There has been a lot of talk about not trading down and draft Alualu, who many feel would have been available later. There have been surfacing reports however, that a team like the Tennessee Titans or New England Patriots were very high on Alualu, and Jacksonville felt they would miss him. There's also a report of the San Francisco 49ers offering up the 13th pick and a 4th rounder for the 10th overall pick, but Jacksonville declined. I have to assume they were offered this early in the clock and declined it in hopes of another offer, though.
Gene Smith has balls, and I'm okay with that.
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In 2-3 years
and this guy is a solid productive DT no one is gonna care or remember where we drafted him.
I say this as an enormous Cal and Alualu fan, but even if he turns out to be fantastic (as I think he will be), it’s a bad pick. If Alualu’s the one he really wanted, he probably could have gotten him lower, paid him less, and gotten another pick or two in the process.
Cal alum Brandon Mebane on the Seahawks is a good example example. He was drafted in the third round in 2007 and became a surprise immediate starter and impact DT. If they redid the 2007 draft, he’d probably go in the first half of the first round. But hindsight’s 20/20 and in 2007, it’d still be a bad pick because you could have had him in the third. It’s not just about how good the player ultimately becomes, but how good that players becomes with respect to the value of the pick.
All that having been said, I am a big Tyson fan and I think you all will be please to have him on your team. But if it were the Niners who made that call, I’d be upset.
I'm OK with it too
Ultimately, Gene Smith is going to be judged on you he picks…. so why should he pick who the FANS or mockdrafts want? There are no consequences for fans who get it wrong.
If I’m going to be fired or retained on the basis of what I do personally, I’m doing things MY way.
Gene Smith's Cajones are visible from space
That’s a fact.
by Dmurph on Apr 23, 2010 12:12 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
+1
The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.
Vince Lombardi
Follow me on Twitter:
by Brian Fullford on Apr 23, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I'll also +1 that
I think it’s some unfair criticism (which is why I’m commenting). The draft is about making sure you get your guys. If Gene Smith thinks Alualu will be awesome for 14 games then by all means…pull the trigger.
At least you guys didn’t give up 3 draft picks for Tebow. Take solace in that.
"Lord, beer me strength."
I'll say it again. There is no one I would have chose after this guy after Spiller was already gone...
after watching the film.
Alualu is a monster.
Espn has done a horrible job this year on the Draft. If more Jag fans had been watching it on the NFL Network then there wouldn’t be so many angry fans. Mike Mayock has sense enough to know that not every team’s board is going to agree with his. While he did acknowledge that this was a surprise, he brought up the positives about how this player can help our team. Getting the fans excited, Isn’t that what the draft is about? Kiper should take note and realize that its not all about him and his big hair
Shake and Bake
by theMAGICman on Apr 23, 2010 12:20 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
My question...
… is why are Jags fans listening to the same guy who had Cox as the #105 best CB last year?
by alwaysforgiven821 on Apr 23, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd this
PR and perspective is driving this right now. As much as I like BigBlueShoe, his take on MockingtheDraft that this was the worst pick in the first round is just typical and pedestrian. This “mock mentality” has to change and not just for the Jags. Those who report on the whole are flat out lazy.
The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.
Vince Lombardi
Follow me on Twitter:
by Brian Fullford on Apr 23, 2010 12:29 PM EDT reply actions
Yeah,
that makes me wish I would have stayed at work where we have direct tv and watched it on NFL network. espn is such a piece of shit.
it wont be
the same espn team next year. between steve young never shutting up tom jackson pissed at him gruden saying every pick was wonder and dropping cuss word kiper still having his number 4 overall on the board after day one, the espn team sucked this year w their coverage. for all the hype the analysis was poor. i was just hapy that berman didnt make any brown or cfl references in 3 hours of coverage
by Slawsc on Apr 23, 2010 12:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm okay with the pick
A big nasty on the DL is fine by me. I only wish the casual Jag fan was more sophisticated. Ballsy pick? Hell yeah. We’ll see if this kid can survive the backlash and still thrive. If he does, it may open up the eyes of a lot of Jax fans; football players come from everywhere…I just hope the gas meter continues to climb in spite of the shock.
yep
The Tebow may thing may work out after all, if indirectly ha
by JohnnyBiceps on Apr 23, 2010 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
High character and works harder than anyone
by MCM711 on Apr 23, 2010 12:56 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Alualu is beastly on video!
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.
this is CRAZY
How can all of you possibly be happy with this pick??? There’s a hundred reasons why this pick is an absolute joke:
First, we’re going to be paying #10 money to a guy that’s going to sit the bench until either Big John retires (or gets traded) or Knighton gets hurt. Great use of a large contract if you ask me.
Second, there was a TON of talent on the board that Gene Smith decided to completely ignore. Earl Thomas is a future multi-year pro-bowler that would have fit in perfect, or even a quarterback for the future like Clausen that would have generated some buzz and shown us a future pick. Alualu played in a weak conference and was projected by NOBODY as a top 30 talent, NOBODY!!!!! not just ESPN or Scout.com or anyone on the planet.
And Derek Cox….. boy, with this draft being so deep, do you honestly think Cox was worth this year’s 2nd rounder? Cox was average at best last year and was consistently picked on by every quarterback who didnt want to throw Rashean’s way. I dont get all this Derek Cox love???? All I hear are his league leading 4 picks as a rookie…. well at least 2 of them were deflections and he had BY FAR the most passes thrown his direction as a rookie… he’s the only rookie cb to play every game. If you ask me, Gene Smith should lose his job!!!!
^ Aaaaaand that comment is a perfect example what's wrong with the majority of Jaguar 'fans'
How can someone criticize a player they’ve never heard of or watched before? You can’t. Also, you can’t criticize someone whose priority for the last few months was to evaluate players. Have a little faith.
A few things you failed to take into consideration...
…and that is that Gene and his team also know his current players better than any of us. Apparently, they are content enough with their safeties and DE’s, that those positions were not a critical need. You also are forgetting that the draft isn’t over yet. John Henderson may be traded or, heaven forbid, we keep him and Alualu beats him out. How do you know Alualu won’t be a starter this season? And don’t use the injury excuse. Drafting Earl Thomas wouldn’t help us if Knighton got hurt. Injuries happen, and you don’t figure them into your draft picks, other than for depth.
In case you haven’t noticed, Gene doesn’t draft off of the popular mock draft boards. The people who make up those mock drafts are not professional scouts. They don’t do all the legwork required. How do you know that the talent still on the board, at the time Alualu was picked, was better than Alualu. You personally scouted every one of those guys? No, you took some analysts recommendation (personal opinion) over the pro’s knowledge.
And on Derek Cox’s situation, you really expected a rookie to play better than he did? Hell, he wasn’t even on anyone’s radar, and look at the contributions he made.
Everybody who’s a regular on this site is humble enough to trust in the judgement of Gene, because they know, no matter what they may have wanted the Jags to do, Gene knows better/best.
Wow, guess Vic's "anger" rants of late aren't misguided
Calm down bro, the sun will still rise. I agree it would have been nice to bring in a sexy pick to ignite the fans, but your boy Clausen is still up for grabs. The more I think of it, the happier I am our GM is just running the team as an NFL team; not catering to some fan driven “arm chair all star draft” allowing every angry little man with ESPN to play GM “assessing” a bunch of kids who have never played at the NFL level. Let’s just try and let our staff attempt to put the best team on the field as possible. If Jax fans can’t get over themselves and support the team in spite of decisions they find questionable in their infinite wisdom then it won’t (nor shouldn’t) be a problem for them much longer.
by JohnnyBiceps on Apr 23, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
thisthisthisthisthis
In Gene We Trust.
by MoveThoseChains on Apr 23, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow I think you are crazy
All the Derek Cox love is justified, and if you watched any of the games all season you would see why. Yes he was picked on by every QB but you need to expect that bc he was a rookie. He had the best numbers of any of the CB drafted last year and was one of the best rokkie secondary players all seaon. There is a reason why Cox was the only rookie CB to play every game and that is HE IS GOOD.
As for this pick I will admit is was shaking my head as well last night, but then I thought about it. Alualu numbers were better than McCoy’s and he has a solid charcter. There wasn’t all the hype around him like all the others people wanted us to draft, so I say the pressure is off. Going along with that point, signing him should be a breeze (knock on wood). You don’t drafted a player bc you want him to start right away, to draft him bc you can see what he can do when he starts. Yes we have Pot Roast and Big John, but they don’t play on every down, and God forbid one of them gets hurt or whatever, we have a skilled player ready to jump in.
Gene should NOT lose his job for this, and THANK GOD he didn’t draft Tebow, bc that would have been a HUGE reach at number 10.
Re: Derek Cox
Do you remember his first game last season against the Colts? Cox intercepted Peyton Manning on the goal line and recovered a fumble. Of course during the course of the season he was beat numerous times by veteran receivers, but still, he was a rookie. Judge him on this upcoming season.
Vic Ketchman Apr 23 3:21 PM
It’s my belief that the team the Jags feared was in hot pursuit of Alualu is Miami, which selected Penn State DL Jared Odrick at pick 28.
by alwaysforgiven821 on Apr 23, 2010 3:50 PM EDT reply actions
I'm not an NFL scout
I don’t study college players as my profession, and I’d never heard of Alualu until I heard Goodell call his name.
(Short detour: I was riding the train home during the draft and it was difficult to not peak at was happening. I’d taped in on NFLN and my first reaction was “Who??” Then I went to BCC and the discussion was instant classis.)
That being said, Gene drafted this guy to start—sooner rather than later. The more I read about him, the better I like him.
I also like that the pick befuddles a lot of “experts.” Gene’s a scout. I think he knows what he’s doing.
IGIT
Everyone would have probably lost their minds
if we’d have taken MJD in the first round in 2006 too, but looking back on it, seems like it would have been a solid pick at #1 overall. Screw the analysts. I’m trusting Gene no matter what. Let people talk shit. In 2-3 years when Gene has gotten us deep into the playoffs and possibly a Super Bowl, every analyst who doubted his decision making can eat their words… and some crow.
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