http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/01/jets_considering_train_wreck_for_front-office_role.html Adam Schefter ✔ @AdamSchefter Jets GM Mike Maccagnan is strongly considering adding former Jaguars GM Gene Smith to his front office, per sources. The two men are close. FYI: Gene Smith drafted Blaine Gabbert over JJ Watt, Tyson Alualu over Earl Thomas, and Bryan Anger over Russell Wilson
I posted this in the MacCagnan thread, but it belongs here now: Current front-runner for 2015 Jets headline of the year, pertaining to Smith's potential hiring: http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/01/jets_considering_train_wreck_for_front-office_role.html Jets considering train wreck for front-office role, per reports
It doesn't even seem like it's an issue of just making bad picks or having things not work out with this guy - it seems he's just BAD at what he does: Seriously, that's just poor evaluation technique. No way around it - just pure stupidity.
So I've liked all the hirings so far and at least feel like they provide me with some hope as a fan, but Gene Smith seems like an absolute disaster. If he's hired, which I hope he's not, it better not be a position of high power. Whatever happened to the idea of bringing in Mark Domenik to be more of a cap-specialist?
He wasn't the only person who passed on Wison. In fact he was passed on 3+ times by every team. With that said it still a bad hire. Imo
I take everything said to the media with a grain of salt. No GM is going to come on and say "well no one really wanted to come to Jacksonville so we're hoping overpaying these guys plus giving them an opportunity since they're better than what we have they'll turn out to be solid players."
That's an amazing article. How could a guy run an NFL team for that many years and make nothing but bad decisions? Well, maybe he did make some good picks for all the right reasons but that didn't fit with the article these guys wanted to write. If the guy has a lot of experience and Maccagnan wants him on the staff, maybe he knows better than I do and maybe he won't be the guy making final decisions, ya think?
From Wikipedia "Smith joined the Jaguars in 1994 as a college scout. He was promoted to director of college scouting in 2000, and then took on the role of Executive Director of College and Pro Personnel in January 2008. He became the first general manager in Jaguars history on January 12, 2009, after the resignation of James "Shack" Harris, who had been the team's Vice-President of Player Personnel.[1] Smith was fired on December 31, 2012[2] following a 2–14 season which was the worst record in team history." So, he came up the hard way from Day 1 with Jacksonville. He had a hand in quickly building an expansion franchise into a playoff team. Very odd that Jacksonville's front office structure didn't allow for a GM until 2009.
So, he's being considering for a front office position with this on his resume? Evidently its far more important WHO you know than WHAT you know..
If he wants to work with this guy, ok. The stuff about getting players with character sounds good to me. You can shoot down everybody if you just want to be negative.
Loved everything I've seen until this. No reasonable person can defend this, so hopefully it's not true. Also, why is this being leaked? Love the nj.com headline though.
By no means am I endorsing the guy but just because he was a shitty GM doesn't mean he was a shitty scout or shitty director of college scouting. Could be an example of the Peter Principle. He probably never would have been promoted to GM if he wasn't really good at his previous roles with the Jags.
Yes, but there's a limit. It depends on what capacity he's being hired into, but his track record suggests that he's not very good at what he does or he hired all the wrong people when he was in charge.
Jaguars 1st round picks from 2001 to 2009 when Gene Smith was Director of College Scouting: You get at least a C if you can get on an NFL field and stay there for a bunch of years. 2001 - Marcus Stroud (DT) A 2002 - John Henderson (DT) A 2003 - Byron Leftwich (QB) C 2004 - Reggie Williams (WR) C 2005 - Matt Jones (WR) C- (substance abuse) 2006 - Marcedes Lewis (TE) B 2007 - Reggie Nelson (FS) B 2008 - Derrick Harvey (DE) D 2009 - Eugene Monroe (LT) C+ Jaguars 2nd Round picks from 2001 to 2009: 2001 - Maurice Williams (RT) B 2002 - Mike Pearson (LT) B- (injuries) 2003 - Rashean Mathis (CB) A 2004 - Daryl Smith (ILB) B+ 2004 - Greg Jones (RB) C 2005 - Khalif Barnes (LT) B 2006 - Maurice Jones-Drew (RB) A 2007 - Justin Durant (OLB) C 2008 - Quentin Groves (OLB) C- 2009 - Eben Britton (RT) D Jaguars 3rd round picks from 2001 to 2009: 2001 - Eric Westmoreland (LB) D 2002 - James Boyd (DB) F 2002 - Akin Ayodele (ILB) B 2003 - Vince Manuwai (LG) B 2004 - Jorge Cordova (LB) F 2005 - Scott Starks (DB) D 2006 - Clint Ingram (LB) C 2007 - Mike Sims-Walker (WR) C 2008 - None 2009 - Terrance Knighton (DT) B 2009 - Derek Cox (CB) B Other notable players: Notable players made a contribution over a number of years to the Jaguars. 2001 - Marlon McCree (FS) 2002 - David Garrard (QB) 2003 - None 2004 - Bobby McCray (DE), Josh Scobee (K), Ernest Wilford (WR) 2005 - Gerald Sensabaugh (FS) 2006 - None 2007 - Uche Nwaneri (RG), Adam Podlesh (P) 4th round!? 2008 - None 2009 - Rashad Jennings, So this is what I take from the Jaguars drafts over the period in which Gene Smith was Director of College Scouting: they made very safe and mostly productive picks in the first two rounds. The 3rd round and later was very spotty with not a single star player drafted after the 2nd round from 2001 to 2009. Note to Mike Maccagnan: be really careful who you bring in to the scouting area. Everybody is highly attuned to the fact that this is the primary area the Jets fell down in from 2005 onwards. You're not going to get extra time to sort things out there, you need to get it right the first time. If you've ever seen Jeremiah Johnson you'll understand this: hiding your wife and kids in the corn crib isn't going to save anything when the savages start putting up billboards. The reason the Jaguars collapsed was their drafts weren't at all good from 2007 onwards. That's it in a nutshell.
Tough to say. Drafting some of those players can certainly be labeled as poor scouting. He had final say in who was drafted, I'm sure. Depends on how much he put into the scouting and evaluations. Whatever, it's hit or miss and maybe he just had a rough, overwhelming patch. I don't think there's anything to really be excited about here or upset about because who knows what capacity they're even looking at him with. I'll be more upset if they hire Bobby Boucher as the waterboy. Everyone knows Gatorade is better.
If your list is accurate, the solution seems simple: Keep Smith in the room until the 3rd round on draft day. Then put him on a plane.
It's one thing to pass on him but to pass to take a punter??? Hope those guys still have that billboard space.
