Today I ran across an interesting stream of events that began, funny enough with a post I wrote almost two weeks ago. This got me to thinking. Want to know what it got me thinking about? Follow me to the clearing at the end of the jump to find out.......
Yesterday, I dropped a quick fan shot on the front page regarding Tim Spencer scouting Illinois running back and first round prospect Mikel Leshoure. My own reaction to this was "Why?" and I saw that reaction shared in the comment thread, along with several other types of disbelief from bewilderment to dismissal.
My own reaction was what got me started. I have recently written three posts in a series spawned from the Tuesday Bears Trivia feature that I first thought of and wrote two weeks ago on Saturday. And with as much research as I have done for this series, you would think I would have learned something. But, alas, I have been a slow student of my own teachings.
Having already posted on the draft philosophy of three of the most successful franchises in the league, both in terms of drafting success and success on the field, there is already a running theme among the best drafting organization out there. Drafting should be done based on talent above need.
But here I am making hay over the Bears taking interest in a running back with 1st round talent who could very possibly be the highest graded player on the board when the draft gets around to the Bears pick at number 29. I fell into the same trap as always. We need O-Line or DT in the first!!!! Why are we looking at this kid?!?
Yet, I gave examples of these highly successful teams doing the same thing and doing it as a rule. So why do we fall into the trap of conventional wisdom even as we study how the most successful teams in the league laugh in the face of that wisdom all the way to Super Bowl? What is the purpose of writing these posts if not to learn from them?
The real question should be "Do we want Jerry Angelo and the Bears to do what we feel is right, based on conventional wisdom, or do we want them to follow the path of the most successful teams?", shouldn't it? I mean, why are we getting worked up because the Bears are looking at a player who might be the best player available when their pick arrives? Isn't that what the Patriots, Colts and Steelers have done and hasn't it worked excessively well for them?