Should Gene Smith be the Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager?

[Wacca Pilatka]

I understand where you are coming from.  As much as I like Anger, I would've expected him to be there later than the third.  And the draft was deep in DEs, so even though I am impressed with Branch so far, we probably could've waited until the third for a Crawford.

I also understand always having an eye on OL in the draft.  I wasn't especially concerned about our getting a backup interior lineman but I was kind of hoping we would draft a backup tackle for insurance.  I was interested in Sanders and the Mississippi RT whose name I'm forgetting.   

Glenn got the job done against SEC competition but I was concerned about whether he had the speed, footwork, and technique to be an NFL tackle.  I was concerned he would be a bust at tackle (not that he couldn't be moved to guard).  Buffalo apparently is throwing him to the wolves at tackle and I'm very interested to see how he will do.

I think I'm being a little unclear when I say "adequate."  I didn't mean "the starters are barely passable" by that but "the overall unit is good enough to win with."  I think Monroe, Nwaneri, and Meester are above-average starters, I hope Britton and Rackley will be at least average (at least I think they have the ability to be), and I thought Spitz/Estes/Bradfield were acceptable backups.  Estes' absence is my biggest concern because like you said, Brad's been around a long time and if he gets hurt, right now we would be down to Brewster at C and in the same boat as the Cowboys.  Of course, some observers thought Brewster was a steal and good be a good backup too (I don't know watch enough Big 10 football to comment intelligently) and Spitz can also play C.   

I think we were just talking past each other before, because both of us think the line, overall, is not fantastic.  I was just commenting on depth because I don't think any NFL teams have more than 8 or 9 linemen who can play.  We did have 8, hopefully 9 with Brewster, though the absence of Estes takes us back down to 8.  Having 8 or 9 who can play, to me, doesn't reflect a failure to accumulate depth.  I wish we had an ace lineman rather than three pretty good starters and two OK starters, but I didn't think the number of linemen was a problem coming into the season.  That's all. 

I don't think it's comparable to '08 (pre-Smith), when Meester missed six games and both starting guards went out on opening day, because the backups were incompetent other than a then-raw Nwaneri.  Also, both Barnes and Pashos regressed that year and the only backup T of any consequence was a shooting victim right before the season started, so there was no way to replace them.  That was a definite failure of depth accumulation.  This year, I don't think the world stops if one or two guys go down because there are competent reserves on hand.

What do you think Smith should have done differently in building the line?  Do you think they missed out on a specific draft pick or free agent?  Carl Nicks in FA this year or Pouncey in the draft?  I really don't have that much of a complaint with his decision making process, other than I wish we had had more trade-down opportunities and maybe there was a failure to pursue those.  I would've approved of trading down and taking Pouncey or the guard who went to the 49ers whose name I'm forgetting in the 2010 draft (I think I remember your having mentioned that one specifically before).  Monroe seemed like the best call in the first round in '09 and has in fact been the best LT of the draft, Britton seemed like probably the best available player at the time of the second pick (mock drafts had him going at about #20-25), and Mayock and other respected scouts praised the Rackley selection on that draft night.

I don't think Smith's been perfect by any means, but I think he's done a pretty good job overall.  I think he's made good FA decisions, picked up some useful undrafted FAs, and made a very smart trade in getting Lowery for next to nothing.  His draft record has been mixed - I consider 2009 a good draft, 2010 a disappointing one.  We'll know a lot more about his draft record after this year as we see how the 2011-12 guys are panning out.  Hopefully Gabbert, Rackley, D'Anthony Smith, Blackmon, and Branch all make real strides this year.  If they do the record looks a lot better. 

If you look at draft history (and I am the kind of person who will pore over the NFL draft encyclopedia), it's rare for teams to hit on every pick in the draft, or even close to it, even to the extent of having a starter or useful contributor each round.  I think the expectation that every pick will be a pearl is unrealistic, and it bewilders me - not that you did this, of course - when people get hopping mad that a 5th rounder only lasted a year, or something.  What Gene hasn't drafted yet is a star and that's where his draft record falls short.  Hopefully a few of these picks become stars.  But a draft like '09, with Monroe, Britton, Cox, Knighton, Thomas, Jennings - that's a lot of quality contributors for one draft by any standard (notwithstanding Thomas' rotten, miscast 2011).  I'd rather have that than a draft where you get a star in the first round and then virtually nothing else the rest of draft weekend.  (Or a pre-Gene 2008 where a bunch of picks are frittered away in trades and none of the guys are even in the NFL anymore except Quentin Groves.)

I think in rating Smith there tends also to be an underestimate of just how severe a rebuilding project the Jaguars faced when he took over after 2008. 

The only real position of strength was RB.  Adequate starting QB in Garrard but nothing developing behind him.  WR a disaster area with Jones, Northcutt, and Williams on the way out the door for good reason and Sims-Walker the only piece worth keeping around.  TE was not terrible with Lewis and a couple of acceptable blocking backups.  The O-line, the only pieces worth keeping were Nwaneri and Meester, with Manuwai coming back from a serious injury and everyone else who had extended playing time in '08 justly being shown the door. 

The D-line was a mix of old players who were in decline or about to retire (Henderson, Meier, Spicer), two young guys who were and would remain severe disappointments (Groves and Harvey), and some replacement-level veterans like Kennedy and McDaniel.  Mincey worked out well, but at the time he was constantly hurt.  LB looked strong at the time, but Peterson was in decline, Ingram and Durant never really panned out the way we hoped, and only Daryl Smith was and would remain a quality player.  The secondary was a disaster area, with one good starter in Mathis, gaping holes everywhere else, and no one who would qualify as a good reserve except Florence, who was getting starter money and creating resentment because of it.

Looking at that roster as '08 ended, it was not only short of blue-chip players but alarmingly short of what I guess you could call red-chip guys who were mid-level NFL starters or even decent backups.  Look at that team and who would you want to keep around long-term?  Who appears to be an average or better NFL starter on it?  Jones-Drew, Greg Jones, Lewis, Nwaneri, Daryl Smith, Mathis, Scobee, Podlesh is about it.  Plus Garrard as a stopgap, because what other choice was there, and Mincey and Sims-Walker seemed to have potential.

That's a tremendous, tremendous hole to dig out of and while Gene hasn't filled the roster with stars since then, he's restocked it and brought in what I consider a good quantity of average or better starters and backups: Monroe, Britton, Robinson, Jennings, Thomas (as a slot WR), Knighton, Alualu, Posluszny, Session (prior to his injury), Allen, Cox, Lowery, Landry, Ross, Middleton.  Plus some guys who are hopefully going to blossom into very good players like Gabbert, Branch, and Blackmon.  And I think Rackley, Lane, and Shorts will become useful contributors.

I understand the point of view that none of them is a real star, and I understand the criticism that Gene played it safe instead of taking chances on a guy with higher upside in some instances (e.g., Alualu over Pierre-Paul).  But the quantity of useful NFL players on our roster is much, much greater than it was four years ago, and I give Smith credit for that.  A lot of GMs would have panicked and swung for the fences in free agency and the draft in potentially crippling ways.  They might've gone for the gate attraction in Tebow and put an already highly questionable QB in an exceedingly difficult situation.  They might've tried to delude themselves into thinking guys like Barnes and Pashos still had something left in the tank.  They might've gone for a skill position guy with a lot of sizzle like Michael Crabtree at the start of the '09 draft instead of taking a safe and solid pick like Monroe. 

Smith's level-headedness stabilized and buttressed the roster and kept the franchise from making a disastrous situation into a calamity that might've threatened the team's very existence in Jacksonville.  For that, I am grateful and think he was the right man for the time.  Will his caution prevent the Jaguars from moving to the next level?  Possibly, and I understand why you would be concerned about that.  It goes without saying that 2012 seems to be the year that will determine Smith's record and future, and particularly the Gabbert factor.

[MusicMan]

I still say FIRE HIM. I watched Seattle last night, and their back up QB is Russell Wilson. Wilson played at NC Sate
where he single handedly beat FSU at least once , and then transfered to Wisconsin, where in his first and only season he set the all time Passing Efficiency rating record with a 191 rating while leading Wisconsin to the Big ten Championship. Threw 33 touchdown passes (also a record) on a primarily running team...... His list of statistical superlatives is nothing short of amazing.

ANYWAY...................................

He looked like an experienced pro absolutely destroying the Broncos back ups as he went up and down the field.
I checked and, you geussed it, he was taken 5 draft picks AFTER Gene Smith picked Anger. When you miss guys like Russel Wilson  because you took a punter then you put yourself in the type of hole it is nearly impossible to get out of.

[Wacca Pilatka]

That's certainly a fair criticism.  I imagine at the moment a lot of fans are mad at their GMs for not taking Russell Wilson.  I imagine a lot of Seattle fans are mad at their GM for paying $9 million a year for Matt Flynn when he is probably going to end up backing up Russell Wilson.

[British Shoe Company]

Another ugly season for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 has the organization thinking differently about 2013.

NFL Network's Mike Lombardi told "First on the Field" on Sunday that longtime general manager Gene Smith will be fired by the team.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that a pair of player personnel directors, Jason Licht of the Arizona Cardinals and Tom Gamble of the San Francisco 49ers, loom as potential candidates.

The Jaguars would like to retain first-year head coach Mike Mularkey, according to reports, but we expect significant roster changes for the 2-13 club. Former owner Wayne Weaver urged Shahid Khan to retain Smith, but it's no surprise the first-year owner wants to hand pick a successor.

Smith was named GM prior to the 2009 season and he's one of 10 current Jaguars staff members employed by the team dating back to the franchise's launch in 199. The Jaguars have never finished better than 8-8 under Smith, results that don't jive with Khan's hunger for a perennial winner.

Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.

[spuwho]

NFL Network will be live all day tomorrow to cover the coach/GM/roster changes.

Jaguars Radio Network was making note of ESPN's report on Gene Smith just before game time.

Anyone who has heard the weekly Jaguars radio show on WOKV when Gene Smith is speaking, he has always been diplomatic and humble about his GM role. As he says, "I serve the team until they tell me I am not". He has always been very candid and straightforward about how the NFL works and is aware that jobs are as secure as your wins and losses.

Mark Lamping (President of the Jaguars) ran the St Louis Cardinals during their World Series runs in the late 90's/early 2000's. He knows how professional sports organizations s/b run. I would believe Lamping if he says that changes are required in any part of the organization at any time. He runs a tight ship in sports.

[MusicMan]

Hate to say "I told you so" but Russel Wilson led Seattle into the playoffs, as a Rookie, while we ended amongst the worst teams in the NFL. You build a great team (like for instance, the NE Patriots), over many years through excellent drafting, player development, and the occaisional trade to fill in a hole or position of need. We have done none of these things. There are excellent players all over the NFL who were drafted after the third round, you just have to have an eye for it. Smith has had several drafts to build this team and has managed to nab one superstar for this team, MJD.

Gene Smith is terrible and no other team will take him, at any price.

Was Wayne Weaver actually quoted as suggesting to Shad Khan to keep Smith? That sounds surprisingly naive for a guy of Weaver's stature, to try and tell Khan what to do with the team after selling it to him. I never saw that or heard it reported. We cannot get any worse, so I welcome all the change possible.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Gene Smith Fired this morning 12/31/2012 on his Birthday! Happy Birthday Mr. Smith 

[tufsu1]

Was Wayne Weaver actually quoted as suggesting to Shad Khan to keep Smith? That sounds surprisingly naive for a guy of Weaver's stature, to try and tell Khan what to do with the team after selling it to him. I never saw that or heard it reported. We cannot get any worse, so I welcome all the change possible.

on the same day that Del Rio was fired and the team was sold, Smith was given a contract extension...what makes you think that happened without Weaver talking to Khan?

[spuwho]

UPDATE: Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey told players in a team meeting he's still the head coach after talking with the owner Thursday and Monday, reported Fox Sports Insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer.

[duvaldude08]

Was Wayne Weaver actually quoted as suggesting to Shad Khan to keep Smith? That sounds surprisingly naive for a guy of Weaver's stature, to try and tell Khan what to do with the team after selling it to him. I never saw that or heard it reported. We cannot get any worse, so I welcome all the change possible.

on the same day that Del Rio was fired and the team was sold, Smith was given a contract extension...what makes you think that happened without Weaver talking to Khan?

I also questioned what really happened. Even when Khan was asked about it, he wouldnt comment. That lead me to believe that Weaver did it before offically handing the team over. But even if he did "convince" khan to give Smith a chance, that wasnt right either. Khan should have brought his own personnal in from the beginning. WW should not have "forced" any of his people on the new ownership. Of course I dont blame Khan for it. He was a new owner and only trusted what WW told him (if that actually happened).

[spuwho]

Was Wayne Weaver actually quoted as suggesting to Shad Khan to keep Smith? That sounds surprisingly naive for a guy of Weaver's stature, to try and tell Khan what to do with the team after selling it to him. I never saw that or heard it reported. We cannot get any worse, so I welcome all the change possible.

on the same day that Del Rio was fired and the team was sold, Smith was given a contract extension...what makes you think that happened without Weaver talking to Khan?

I also questioned what really happened. Even when Khan was asked about it, he wouldnt comment. That lead me to believe that Weaver did it before offically handing the team over. But even if he did "convince" khan to give Smith a chance, that wasnt right either. Khan should have brought his own personnal in from the beginning. WW should not have "forced" any of his people on the new ownership. Of course I dont blame Khan for it. He was a new owner and only trusted what WW told him (if that actually happened).

It is not unusual in corporate circles to retain some of the prior staff as part of ones executive transition plan. You give them a shot to see if they can work to your expectations or hold on to them until you have your plans together. Also, if you are planning a total revamp, you don't want the collective organizational knowledge to go out the door in a day.

I would just consider it the next step in the revamp of the Jags. I am sure there will be more.

What surprised me is that the announcement comes from Shad himself, not Mark Lamping the President.

[duvaldude08]

Gene Smith will never build a team better than 9-7. 

He has wasted picks already trying to be the smartest guy in the room.  Taking several small school guys who haven't panned out, thinking he knows more than 31 other organizations.  He has taken the most small school guys of any GM in the NFL during his tenure.   Where has that gotten us?

I don't want to "hate" on the Jaguars as they are our home team, I just don't think Gene Smith can take us where we want to go.

I'm glad he hasn't done a TERRIBLE job so far, but if that's all we can get excited about means we have a long way to go. 

Please name me someone that the Jaguars drafted that was a "home run" under Gene?  How about Free Agents?

Well is really doesnt matter now because he's gone. So I really dont understand why the debate continues. TO answer question, he had some home runs, just very few. Blackmon, Shorts, and Cox are the only picks he got right. Shorts in particular is the golden child of his drafts. Cox is outstanding, but his inability to stay healthly is going to be a problem. OTher than that he make a few solid picks, but to your point, it still wasnt enough. Hes gones now, so lets just move on.

[Gators312]

Gene Smith will never build a team better than 9-7. 

He has wasted picks already trying to be the smartest guy in the room.  Taking several small school guys who haven't panned out, thinking he knows more than 31 other organizations.  He has taken the most small school guys of any GM in the NFL during his tenure.   Where has that gotten us?

I don't want to "hate" on the Jaguars as they are our home team, I just don't think Gene Smith can take us where we want to go.

I'm glad he hasn't done a TERRIBLE job so far, but if that's all we can get excited about means we have a long way to go. 

Please name me someone that the Jaguars drafted that was a "home run" under Gene?  How about Free Agents?

Well is really doesnt matter now because he's gone. So I really dont understand why the debate continues. TO answer question, he had some home runs, just very few. Blackmon, Shorts, and Cox are the only picks he got right. Shorts in particular is the golden child of his drafts. Cox is outstanding, but his inability to stay healthly is going to be a problem. OTher than that he make a few solid picks, but to your point, it still wasnt enough. Hes gones now, so lets just move on.

I'm confused, the debate isn't continuing?  You quoted me from March 2012?

[duvaldude08]

Was Wayne Weaver actually quoted as suggesting to Shad Khan to keep Smith? That sounds surprisingly naive for a guy of Weaver's stature, to try and tell Khan what to do with the team after selling it to him. I never saw that or heard it reported. We cannot get any worse, so I welcome all the change possible.

on the same day that Del Rio was fired and the team was sold, Smith was given a contract extension...what makes you think that happened without Weaver talking to Khan?

I also questioned what really happened. Even when Khan was asked about it, he wouldnt comment. That lead me to believe that Weaver did it before offically handing the team over. But even if he did "convince" khan to give Smith a chance, that wasnt right either. Khan should have brought his own personnal in from the beginning. WW should not have "forced" any of his people on the new ownership. Of course I dont blame Khan for it. He was a new owner and only trusted what WW told him (if that actually happened).

It is not unusual in corporate circles to retain some of the prior staff as part of ones executive transition plan. You give them a shot to see if they can work to your expectations or hold on to them until you have your plans together. Also, if you are planning a total revamp, you don't want the collective organizational knowledge to go out the door in a day.

I would just consider it the next step in the revamp of the Jags. I am sure there will be more.

What surprised me is that the announcement comes from Shad himself, not Mark Lamping the President.

I actually would rather hear it from the owner. Khan knows they are skating on thin ice with the fan base. He needed to make the accouncement himself. But what is encouraging is that Lamping will be invovled in the GM search. He knows what the heck he's doing. Khan and Lamping share the same vision and believe in over acheiving. They are going to get the best person in there as possible. Im excited.

[duvaldude08]

Gene Smith will never build a team better than 9-7. 

He has wasted picks already trying to be the smartest guy in the room.  Taking several small school guys who haven't panned out, thinking he knows more than 31 other organizations.  He has taken the most small school guys of any GM in the NFL during his tenure.   Where has that gotten us?

I don't want to "hate" on the Jaguars as they are our home team, I just don't think Gene Smith can take us where we want to go.

I'm glad he hasn't done a TERRIBLE job so far, but if that's all we can get excited about means we have a long way to go. 

Please name me someone that the Jaguars drafted that was a "home run" under Gene?  How about Free Agents?

Well is really doesnt matter now because he's gone. So I really dont understand why the debate continues. TO answer question, he had some home runs, just very few. Blackmon, Shorts, and Cox are the only picks he got right. Shorts in particular is the golden child of his drafts. Cox is outstanding, but his inability to stay healthly is going to be a problem. OTher than that he make a few solid picks, but to your point, it still wasnt enough. Hes gones now, so lets just move on.

I'm confused, the debate isn't continuing?  You quoted me from March 2012?

Hahahaha now how did I do that?? Look man its my first day back at work after being off for 9 days, Im delusional right now!