I agree Minionhunter. Also, I think Harbs has increasingly had more influence over the draft in the last five yrs or so, which may point to the ineffectiveness of our latest draft classes.
I posted this in another thread that I think is worth taking a second look:
"I posed the question I did earlier in the thread about how much impact Harbs actually has in the overall draft process. When I was reading and researching to find out as much as I could about how our draft strategy works and who is the most influential I went back as far as I could so that I could see if there had been any major trends and/or shifts in our draft strategy, especially since Harbs arrived to see if our recent down trend in the last five years or so could be traced to Harbs' influence. Personally, I thought there had been and from what I read it would seem to indicate that this could be possible.
Here are some of the better sources I read that can give you good insight into our draft process and how it has evolved through the years, and you and others can draw your own conclusions:
2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/sports/football/19ravens.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
2013: http://grantland.com/features/bill-barnwell-baltimore-consistent-winning/
2013: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000212663/printable/whos-ireallyi-in-charge-afc-north-hierarchies-run-the-gamut
2016: http://russellstreetreport.com/2016/02/01/lombardis-way/a-shift-in-the-ravens-war-room/
2016: http://russellstreetreport.com/2016/10/18/lombardis-way/the-heat-is-on-for-harbaugh/
Here are two good articles that let you know about Harbs' philosophies:
2014: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/super-bowl-winning-coach-makes-the-most-of-each-moment
2016: http://www.ndinsider.com/football/notebook-harry-hiestand-s-influence-pays-draft-dividends/article_f86a17c2-0e81-11e6-b260-a3f63e6e91f8.html
These articles have a lot of similarities and some differences, but they do give a good overall impression as to the draft strategy. Some folks may be familiar with the sources already, but when read all together they draw a definitive picture. The article from the National Catholic Register which was a Q & A, pretty much sums up Harbs' approach to how he views the draft as evidenced by the quotes below:
"After you got back from Afghanistan, you went to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Is the combine really necessary? Do you get to learn things about players that you didn’t already know?
At the combine, the scouts are mostly rounding out their knowledge of players they’ve already studied a lot. However, coaches are a different story, since we are just beginning the evaluation process on this draft class. Coaches can learn a great deal by seeing the players up close at the combine. We start with that information and build on it up until the draft in May.
"You didn’t need to look for any kickers, did you?
No, certainly not. Justin Tucker is a tremendous kicker and young man. He exemplifies what we look for in players. There’s the obvious necessity of physical strength and skills, but above and beyond those, we look for mental characteristics. Those can make or break a draft pick. Work ethic, decision-making skills and interest in team unity are some of the things that go to make up what we call that “football intelligence.” This outweighs physical qualities 3 to 1."
Very interesting and insightful as to what he values most in a player, I'd say!
I have more questions than answers, lol. If Ozzie has been so successful with the "right player, right price" mantra that emphasizes the "evaluating and valuing players" strategy so well over his tenure as the Ravens GM, as his drafting and free agency record suggests, then why the dip in the draft over the last five yrs. give or take? The outlier to that question could point to Harbs. Once Harbs' won a SB in accordance with his record, did he feel that gave him more leverage to step in and influence the draft? If Biscotti wanted the scouts and coaches to work together, unlike they didn't do well under Billick, could it be that Harbs gets the ear of Biscotti more than Ozzie?
Obviously, something isn't working because this team lacks an identity imho...are we a defensive team or an offensive team...and if offense is it run or pass? Whatever the issues are, how can you stack a draft board when you don't have a clear vision of what you want the team to be? I would tend to agree with you ellicottraven, let the scouts scout and the coaches coach! This would only be a problem if the coach can't coach the team that is drafted, lol."
