Originally posted by WildBill:
Mike Lombardi wrote a piece before the draft about his time with Walsh. You don't draft for value, you draft because the player can contribute. Walsh bristled when scouts said the player wasn't a good 2nd round pick but was a good value for a third round. Here is the link to that article and some highlights...
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82857c66/article/bill-walshs-nfl-draft-philosophies-six-lessons-from-the-master
Walsh hated hearing a scout tell him a player was, for example, not a good second-rounder, but a great third-rounder. He always said the only time people talk about rounds is in draft preparation and on draft day. Never during any player's career, Walsh would vent, does anyone say a player was picked in the right round. The day after the draft, every player is graded on his playing performance, not his selection round. Walsh only cared about what a player would be able to do for his team. He thought "round talk" was the wrong way for a scout to measure his own abilities. It was not talent evaluation, but rather round prediction.
Even though Walsh loved to move up or down...
When the cost of draft picks soared in prior years, moving down was a great option. But with the new collective bargaining agreement's reduced rookie pay scale, it is not as financially dangerous to just make the pick. Walsh believed there was always someone worth picking, because three years from any draft, people will look back at the great players in the league who were passed over by a number of teams. Once again, Walsh was all about the talent, not the spot.
Watch out for players from downtrodden programs -- particularly programs that have just fired a coach -- being unfairly downgraded. In Walsh's mind, players from a program that has just fired its coach pay a price in draft evaluation. Coaches rarely admit the real reason for their termination -- bad coaching -- instead placing the blame on bad players. These side effects of a losing culture can taint a scout's visit to a particular school. Walsh insisted that all the college prospects in this situation had to be examined closely.
Thanks Wildbill! Enjoyed reading this very much. I'm not a big fan of Lombardi but he has worked for some of the great football minds. My favorite comment was about playing fast. Walsh hated any wasted time in practice and considered it an insult to the players. Harbaugh has that same intensity and view. Moss noticed it right away and commented on the speed of practice...and they really aren't actually practicing yet. Efficiency and intensity toward enhanced performance! Back in SF!
[ Edited by dtg_9er on May 1, 2012 at 6:58 AM ]