Tepper's "habits of mind" and Rhule

[MHS831]

Tepper found his man--he was so certain of it, he gave him a long contract at up to $10m per.  That is confidence.  So how does a hedge fund manager operate?   He finds potential.  He grabs commodities when they are not popular and invests in them.  While Rhule has been turning heads for his Hollywood-movie-ish incredible turnarounds, some of you are determined to find negatives--as if there was a better coach anywhere available.  So what are the things that made Tepper grab a college coach when the trend is to leave them alone--they have not fared well lately?  He does not consider WHERE they coached to be a legitimate variable. He is looking deeper--he, like when he examined a potential stock, is looking for potential that is strong enough to withstand the negativity and eventually stand out.  Tepper was not a day trader--he is not looking for the quick fix. 

Besides turning college teams around in 3 years,  what separates Rhule from the others?  The secret to his success was recruiting excellent athletes that had fallen between the cracks.  He values athleticism.  Ron benched his young guys, but Rhule develops them and wins with them. Finding rough gems and coaching them up--that should excite everyone on here. It means Greg Little will be coached.  It means that Brian Burns will actually see the field.  It means that players will improve.  Ron did not develop talent--been saying that for years. Look at the good athletes we have lost or are losing:  Gaulden, Jackson, Samuel, Paradis, Little, etc.  Now imagine if we actually developed raw talent like Little, Thomas, Carter, Williams, etc.  Rhule won with what he could get---when I think of all the bad picks in rounds 2-3, it makes me wonder---how good could we be if we had a guy who could mold the best athletes into players?  He is going to mine for gold at the bottom of the draft, undrafted free agents, and free agency.  This is not conjecture--it is what he did in college to turn 11 losses in 2017 into 11 wins in 2019 after doing the same thing at mighty Temple.

  The Sports science issue was not lost on Tepper either, after watching lingering, recurring injuries ruin 2 seasons.  An exercise bike and a hot tub are only so effective.  Reducing injuries is a very important aspect of the NFL--most players play with nagging injuries that slow them down.  If Rhule can reduce players in IR, on the sideline and playing in pain, it gives us an advantage.

Finally, Rhule  is about relationships and everyone being held accountable. A lot of coaches say it, but his record is evidence of it.  Some of you have said that RR had a good culture.  He blamed his players and was easy on them (they used to tire at ends of games a few years ago).   Tepper sees potential in Rhule, and I am starting to see it too.  I do not know enough to sing his praises yet, but I know that there is nothing negative about him that should necessitate these individual Huddler campaigns that try to totally discredit him.  Trolls, probably, but I think some of them would love to see us lose so they could say that they were right. That is dysfunctionality and they should be ignored.   If we win, they will try to knock true fans off the bandwagon as they  adopt convenient amnesia so they can enjoy the ride like the real fans.

Just an observation to point folks into the strengths amids a circus of attention-seekers trying so desperately to convince us to convert to their unsubstantiated brand of negativity.  Sad.

[kungfoodude]

Lol. Gaulden was a good athlete?????

[MHS831]

Just now, kungfoodude said:

Lol. Gaulden was a good athlete?????

He had some value--maybe a bad example.  Out of that article, you zoom in on a negative to exploit?  Come on man--you are too smart to fall into that mess.

[Pazhoosier89]

The only problem with that is Marty Hurney making those late round picks. Marty is terrible at it. I actually hope Rhule has some say in those late round picks.

[Moo Daeng]

Little didnt play because he was hurt all the damn time.

This poem is too long and full of fluff.

[kungfoodude]

5 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

He had some value--maybe a bad example.  Out of that article, you zoom in on a negative to exploit?  Come on man--you are too smart to fall into that mess.

That was just where I immediately hit the eject. Gaulden was a notoriously bad athlete, even by safety standards at the combine. That was literally the rap on him coming in. 

Plus, drawing a direct line from being able to identify between the cracks recruits and being able to mold NFL players is a bit dubious. Is it sort of the same general idea? Yes. But, projects can be dangerous in the NFL. You don't have redshirts and 100+ man rosters like college. And, as we know, a lot of that is going to rest on the strengths of the coaches that he hires, as well. 

I agree that Rhule has some definitive positives as a leader and motivator. It does remain to be seen if he can reach professional athletes, who are much more jaded than eager young college kids. 

[MHS831]

Just now, kungfoodude said:

That was just where I immediately hit the eject. Gaulden was a notoriously bad athlete, even by safety standards at the combine. That was literally the rap on him coming in. 

Plus, drawing a direct line from being able to identify between the cracks recruits and being able to mold NFL players is a bit dubious. Is it sort of the same general idea? Yes. But, projects can be dangerous in the NFL. You don't have redshirts and 100+ man rosters like college. And, as we know, a lot of that is going to rest on the strengths of the coaches that he hires, as well. 

I agree that Rhule has some definitive positives as a leader and motivator. It does remain to be seen if he can reach professional athletes, who are much more jaded than eager young college kids. 

All players after the first round are projects for the most part.  In college, he was able to take athletes and make them competitive football players in less than 3 years.  That is about the time a player needs to develop in the pros on that first contract, which also is about 4 years. 

The point I must not have made is this:  We have been drafting poorly in the Hurney era after the first round.  What if that changed because Rhule goes after skill set and athleticism over whatever it is they use now?  I was impressed with the Ian Thomas pick because that is exactly what I am talking about--raw (look at his college numbers) but a big upside.  We just benched him and that was that.  Everyone wants Greg Little's replacement in the first round.  He has the skill set (injuries here are the problem). 

The key will be to see if he can do anything with the QBs currently on the roster.  I think the strength coach comment is 100% agreeable.

Apologies for not looking up Gaulden--I did not fact check it, but really thought he was a good athlete being asked to play out of position--but now that you mention it, it is all coming back.

 

[Khaki Lackey]

8 minutes ago, Pazhoosier89 said:

The only problem with that is Marty Hurney making those late round picks. Marty is terrible at it. I actually hope Rhule has some say in those late round picks.

I agree. Not only picking, but developing them. One thing we can say about Gettleman was that he had a decent eye for later round talent and that effects the roster just as much as superstars. Our teams were always better when the bottom of the roster exceeded expectations. I hope Rhule can bring out the best in areas where we don't have cap room for big name players.

[MHS831]

14 minutes ago, Moo Daeng said:

Little didnt play because he was hurt all the damn time.

This poem is too long and full of fluff.

I am surprised you read it all.  You are making progress.  It is full of "fluff" because that is all we have--which is more that the Rhule critics have---and they are wordier than this.  Glad Hooked on Phonics is paying off for you.

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, MHS831 said:

All players after the first round are projects for the most part.  In college, he was able to take athletes and make them competitive football players in less than 3 years.  That is about the time a player needs to develop in the pros on that first contract, which also is about 4 years. 

The point I must not have made is this:  We have been drafting poorly in the Hurney era after the first round.  What if that changed because Rhule goes after skill set and athleticism over whatever it is they use now?  I was impressed with the Ian Thomas pick because that is exactly what I am talking about--raw (look at his college numbers) but a big upside.  We just benched him and that was that.  Everyone wants Greg Little's replacement in the first round.  He has the skill set (injuries here are the problem). 

The key will be to see if he can do anything with the QBs currently on the roster.  I think the strength coach comment is 100% agreeable.

Apologies for not looking up Gaulden--I did not fact check it, but really thought he was a good athlete being asked to play out of position--but now that you mention it, it is all coming back.

 

It could change but I also fear that falls into that classic Hurney trap of getting infatuated with "project" guys and overdrafting them. I agree that his track record of developing recruits could certainly become a valuable asset for our younger players and draft picks. We need for that to continue to be a strength for building a successful franchise. 

Ultimately, I want to see some serious adults in the front office that can get Rhule the guys to be able to successfully mold. Hurney's big problem is that he cannot consistently do that. He can identify high caliber talent relatively easily but once it gets nuanced, he is lost. Rhule will need a strong front office to set him up with a roster that will succeed.

[kungfoodude]

6 minutes ago, Khaki Lackey said:

I agree. Not only picking, but developing them. One thing we can say about Gettleman was that he had a decent eye for later round talent and that effects the roster just as much as superstars. Our teams were always better when the bottom of the roster exceeded expectations. I hope Rhule can bring out the best in areas where we don't have cap room for big name players.

You can't blame the development on Hurney or Gettleman. That would have been on RR and Co. All any GM can do is give them the raw putty to mold. If I bought you a container of putty and you just opened it and set it on the counter, it's not my fault it ended up dried out. You might be able to blame me if you tried to use it and it was absolute dogshit, however.

[MHS831]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

It could change but I also fear that falls into that classic Hurney trap of getting infatuated with "project" guys and overdrafting them. I agree that his track record of developing recruits could certainly become a valuable asset for our younger players and draft picks. We need for that to continue to be a strength for building a successful franchise. 

Ultimately, I want to see some serious adults in the front office that can get Rhule the guys to be able to successfully mold. Hurney's big problem is that he cannot consistently do that. He can identify high caliber talent relatively easily but once it gets nuanced, he is lost. Rhule will need a strong front office to set him up with a roster that will succeed.

That scares me too (Hurney trap) but I think (guessing here, like anyone else) that Hurney drafted players that were not developed.  I def see your point, and hope that Rhule is able to convert a marginal talent into a productive, functional player.  I have read more from Rhule about doing that in one day than I did in nine years of reading about RR. 

[stan786]

3 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

It could change but I also fear that falls into that classic Hurney trap of getting infatuated with "project" guys and overdrafting them. I agree that his track record of developing recruits could certainly become a valuable asset for our younger players and draft picks. We need for that to continue to be a strength for building a successful franchise. 

Ultimately, I want to see some serious adults in the front office that can get Rhule the guys to be able to successfully mold. Hurney's big problem is that he cannot consistently do that. He can identify high caliber talent relatively easily but once it gets nuanced, he is lost. Rhule will need a strong front office to set him up with a roster that will succeed.

Totally agree, surrounding him with a solid front office that values things similarly and is able to identify those assets is key.  I'm not personally as worried about Hurney this first draft as I think Rhule will have a lot of say and I think Hurney will be processed out still personally, but if we are starting the season next year with Hurney as GM i'm pretty nervous.

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, MHS831 said:

That scares me too (Hurney trap) but I think (guessing here, like anyone else) that Hurney drafted players that were not developed.  I def see your point, and hope that Rhule is able to convert a marginal talent into a productive, functional player.  I have read more from Rhule about doing that in one day than I did in nine years of reading about RR. 

It would be interesting to know if we have gotten any more or less out of our non-1st round draft picks with Ron or with previous coaches. It's something I could look at, I suppose. He did have to rely on younger players a lot more over the past 2-3 years.