Already one of the NFLs best GMs?

[kam.]

10. Gene Smith: The NFL executive we don't know. Yet.

The Jaguars have a one-game lead on Indianapolis with three to play, including the potential AFC South championship game next Sunday in Indiana. Their general manager, Gene Smith, has done a masterful job of retooling the roster since taking the job 23 months ago. In fact, all 15 of his draft picks are still with the organization -- either active, on the practice squad or on injured-reserve. Six of them started Sunday against Oakland, and five others played.

Smith's an interesting story. When he got hired as the Jags' GM, he said he thought of professional team-building in a similar way to college team-building, and thought back to his days as recruiting coordinator at small-college Edinboro (Pa.) two decades earlier. "We didn't necessarily go the junior-college route,'' Smith said. "We went with high school players, and I saw over the course of time players who were in the program four and five years develop this sense of ownership, 'This is our team.'

"I saw on our best teams great peer leadership because they felt that when things were going wrong that they were going to correct them. The guys that were in the program for three, four, five years, they were stepping forward and saying, 'No, this is how you do it. This is our way.' I think when you have players in the building that play well, do right off the field, if you have an opportunity to reward your own ... I think it sends the right message."

The starters are led by four meat-and-potatoes linemen: defensive tackles Tyson Alualu (round one, 2010) and Terrance Knighton (round three, 2009), and offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, the first two pick of the 2009 draft for the Jags. A strong cover corner, Derek Cox, came in the third round last year. A seventh-rounder last year, running back Rashad Jennings, burned the Raiders for 109 rushing yards in Jacksonville's 38-31 win; he's become a good complement for Maurice Jones-Drew. Fourth-rounder Mike Thomas from last year is a speed threat at wide receiver -- and gave Jacksonville the gift win over Houston last month by being in the right place at the right time with the Hail Mary catch from David Garrard. And so on.

Smith got famous -- or infamous -- last April for picking Alualu 10th overall when most teams had him rated between 30 and 50. I remember talking to him and getting the sense that he truly didn't care what the public or media or his scouting peers thought. Either he was whistling past the graveyard and being a macho guy about it, or he was sticking to his principles of drafting good players with good character who could turn an inconsistent team into a solid, consistent playoff contender.

Knighton, a nose type with rush ability that a pure space-eater doesn't have, and Alualu are already one of the three or four best defensive-tackle combinations in football, and neither has turned 25. Smith had the courage to take the slings and arrows and make sure he got Alualu without getting cute by trying to pick him lower, and the kid is panning out. What I appreciate about Smith is he's not one of those scouts who asks others what they think, then forms his opinion. He decides what he thinks -- not recklessly, but with a strong base of fact behind it.

Executive-of-the-Year is turning into a good horse race now between Kansas City's Scott Pioli and Smith, with Atlanta's Thomas Dimitroff, Giants GM Jerry Reese, Mike Tannenbaum of the Jets (though some of his pickups are fading in New York's recent downturn) and Billy Devaney of the Rams contenders too. All have good cases, and it's a very subjective award. Whether Smith wins or not, I like the young talent base he's built -- a lot.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/12/13/week-14-mmqb/index.html#ixzz180qCChRY

So finally I have some proof on what I've been saying the past couple of weeks about Gene Smith and anything and everything that has to do with him in the Jaguars front office but what was later pushed off by all you Jaguar haters out there... Believe me now?

 

[A.E]

OMG...

I can appreciate the love you got for your team...but jeez, 1 season a game ahead of Indy & we get thread after thread about how great the Jags are.

I would've expected Jags fans to take a more humble approach to the success of this season.

 

[Blake]

Nobody cares about Jacksonville. Are all the games still blacked-out? Does the NFL still want to move the team?

You go from complete irrelevancy last season to now stars of the NFL? No.

 

[DJT]

I like the Jags, they are my favorite team. MJD is my favorite player, has been since UCLA. But man you really don't need to make a thread for every little thing the Jags do. Sure the big things or things to get discussions started is fine. Just don't make too many all at once I guess is what I'm getting at.

 

[Pugz]

hes just happy lol. atleast theyre playing good, better then us lion fans alwasy bragging about nothing

 

[DJT]

Thats true. haha

 

[Blake]

Someone take away his topic privileges.

 

[kam.]

Nobody cares about Jacksonville. Are all the games still blacked-out? Does the NFL still want to move the team?

You go from complete irrelevancy last season to now stars of the NFL? No.

We was 7-9 last season, was 7-5 and leading wildcard race until we completely flopped and lost the last 4 games. This year the team is better and also, Tampa has had more blackouts than Jacksonville. Jags havent had a blackout since like November of last year kid.

 

[kam.]

Someone take away his topic privileges.

I'm sorry, when I state a fact in a thread, and somebody calls me out on it and calls me wrong. I can post whatever I want, this topic is just as informational as your dumbass Suh topic. So please don't spam my thread, kthxbai.

 

[footballplaya52]

lolgeraldmccoy.

 

[A.E]

You have to expect to take heat Kam. 99% of fans of teams that are bad for this long...don't come off so arrogant when said team is in a division lead.

 

[kam.]

lolgeraldmccoy.

LOL INDEED.

 

[kam.]

You have to expect to take heat Kam. 99% of fans of teams that are bad for this long...don't come off so arrogant when said team is in a division lead.

Jags haven't been bad for long, you act like we're the <Censored>ing lions.

Seasons
95 (first season)
96 (2nd season, playoffs - AFC Championship)
97 (playoffs)
98 (playoffs)
99 (playoffs)
2000 - 2004 = Tom Coughlin fired, Jack Del Rio hired and team is rebuilt.. Shack Harris takes over as GM.
05 (Playoffs)
06 (barely missed playoffs)
07 (Playoffs)
08 (bad drafting by Shack Harris and bad Free Agent pickups has lead the Jags to the worst season in the past 4 years.. after 2008.. Shack Harris was fired and Gene Smith was hired as GM and has completely changed things since)
09 (Rebuilding year, had like 5 rookies starting.. started 7-5.. finished 7-9, almost made playoffs with youngest team in the NFL then)
10 (Leading AFC South and will more than likley make playoffs with very young team and Gene Smith has did a fantastic job of rebuilding the team from the inside out, almost all his picks were hits and they're all still currently on the roster.)

Calling the Jaguars bad just makes you look like you don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Dorado]

lol let Chammeh be.....at least he's not as bad as TWill, thinking his team should be 16-0 every year LOL

 

[kam.]

lol let Chammeh be.....at least he's not as bad as TWill, thinking his team should be 16-0 every year LOL

Bingo.
Atleast I bring facts to the table, instead of spouting off about bull<Censored> saying

"GARRARD IS TOP 5 QB, WHAT HAS RIVERS DONE IN THE PLAYOFFS?
KLEENEX IS ON AISLE 5"