Starter Material or Place Holders?
Posted: September 6, 2005 @ 7:22 pm
There’s little material to be found on new LB Scott Fujita and S Willie Pile. The annuals see them as league-average. Here are some reports:
Pro Football Weekly, 2003 Preview — “a real find was Scott Fujita, who shows some straight line ability.”
Pro Football Weekly, 2005 Preview — “Scott Fujita can be vulnerable in coverage on the strong side and is not very aggressive in defending at the line of scrimmage, but his pass-rush skills are noteworthy.”
Street and Smith, 2005 — “Scott Fujita is capable on the strongside, but he always seems to promise more than he delivers and is coming off injury.”
Scientific Football, 2005 — “[Willie] Pile was a rookie last year, and he was put into a bad situation filling in on an injury-riddled defense. He didn’t look good in coverage, no doubt, but you have to hope he gets another chance under better circumstances.”
You have to hope that both were also miscast on the horrible Kansas City defense, either asked to do things they didn’t do well or put at the mercy of a talent-poor squad. We’ll see.
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My Chiefs fan friend was upset that we got Fujita so thats a good sign but I leary of any talent we get from a D that was worse than us last year. Trust in Bill is all I can say.
I’m also very tired of Spaggs and Norm making the Fajita/Fujita joke.
anyone that leads a team in tackles is a decent player.
Mike,
Decent yes. Really good? Let’s wait and see. I recall seeing a letter in The Dallas Cowboys Weekly in the Spring of ‘90 that speaks to this point. A dyed- -in-the-wool Pokes’ fan wrote an angry letter then proclaiming to one and all that Eugene Lockhart was a better player than Lawrence Taylor. His rationale? That Lockhart had led the NFL with 222 tackles in ‘89.
Now, did this mean “the Hitting Machine” was a good player, or simply a standout on a bad 1-15 team’s D?
Ask Jimmy Johnson. Lockhart was not kept around for the rebuilding. He was shipped off to New England after the ‘90 season, right about the time the defense started getting good.
Now I imagine Parcells will probaby get more out of Fujita than the Chiefs did. He may even be a good player. But he was traded for a sixth round pick. If he was really good, more teams would have been after him. I’m guardedly optimistic, but I’m not expecting a miracle here.
Good point Rafael. I really liked Lockhart for his play while he was here but the D funnelled everything to him. It’s a shame my last memory of him was catching a punt in the keyster while attempting to block for the New England punter.
anyone else worried about fujita backing up singleton, instead of burnett. Burnett will now be backing up Ware.
Dave,
No, because that’s Fujita’s natural position. He’s got the body to take on tight ends straight up, which is what SOLBs really need to excel at. Sounds like his technique needs work, but his physical skills look like a good match for his new position.
naw im not saying hes gonna be a probowler but when you lead a team in tackles at least your in position to make them and then do it. all im saying is that we really needed depth, and experience and helps both out. is he starter material maybe we will see, but its deffinetely better then joe shmoe UFA. i also think he was expendable by the chiefs because of d johnson. so save some money and trade him for something rather then lose him next year and get nothing for him.
And now is a shame that Fujita wasn’t here when Banks came, Fujita’s closer to what he could give when he played that Singleton or Burnett. Maybe he can make his way back… bringing LT from the ear…
bringing LT by the ear… English isn’t my first language…
i guess LT stood up ware, unless hes coming this week. kinda bull crappish on his part.
lets put this team on field and see what we got…………!!!
Lets go COWBOYS!!!
Raf,
Remember what BP has said. You are what you are. Fujita is a guy who was traded for a 6th round pick and a conditional pick, possibly a 5th rounder. In today’s NFL to be traded for two picks one of them assured is something, but still he was traded for low round picks.
What the hell happend to Eric R? Ellis actually rushes the passer from a standing position in the last preseason game and Eric R doesn’t even show up? Has to be posting under a new identity. Come out come out where ever you are.
Rafael,
It is difficult to get good draft-pick value for even a good player, unless you have a quarterback. Personally, I don’t know what the personnel people are thinking. A decent backup is worth a mid-round pick, and any quality starter should command a second-round pick. But that’s not the way it happens. [You eventually want your second-round picks to start, but normally less than half become regular starters in their rookie seasons.]
Of course, economics comes into play. Other than the first-two rounds, a draft pick costs a lot less than a veteran.
George Allen became successful in the NFL by trading HIGH draft picks for veterans. That probably would never work under the salary cap, though.
I am not concerned at all by the apparent lack of value we had to surrender to get Fujita.
For those interested in our current salary-cap position, AdamJT13 posted the following at the CowboysZone forum:
http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?p=490893#post490893
Mr. Bill,
Remember last week when we were thinking out loud about finding the next Mike Vrabel? A versatile, smart guy who could rush and play a lot of positions across your front? Somebody, I think it was Chandus, looked into who some candidates might be.
I’ve looked up Vrabel’s old profile and now wonder if Fujita could be that guy. Here’s the writeup on Vrabel in ‘03, when he was a backup: “Backup OLB Mike Vrabel is a reliable, heady player who fits the scheme even though he does not play well in space and can get exposed outside.”
Here’s the writeup on him this year, “Vrabel is a versatile guy who is a threat rushing the passer and can play the run…”
Those profiles read a lot like the Fujita ones I listed in the main post. Parcells said he’s had his eye on Fujita “all summer.” He’s a big, 250 lb. guy, who’s a prototype size wise for a 3-4.
Vrabel was a long time bust, a high pick (by the Dolphins?) who couldn’t fit a 4-3 but was valued for his rush skills. (He’s 263 lbs.) He’s fit like a glove in the 3-4. In the best case scenario, you hope Fujita has simply been playing in the wrong system.
I think Fujita will be a good pick up for us. Definitely provide depth at SOLB. As for Pile, I really don’t know, but I also heard that he was let go instead of Jerome Woods for cap reasons. Seems that Woods would count too much against the Chief’s cap, so they let Pile go instead.
So, two former Chiefs added to our D. Hmmmm……. I thnk it will work out for us in the end. I can just picture BP yelling, PILE!!!!!! Just like Sgt. Carter used to………never mind, only the old guys would get that one. Bring on the Bolts!
onepaniolo:
Let’s hope that everything doesn’t end like in “Full Metal Jacket”… I want Parcells to stay until the end of his contract.
Rafael:
Yes, that was me, but I really don’t remember if I put Fujita in… If I missed on him I was off base again… That’s what happens when you’re making 20 minute predictions…
Rafael,
The next Mike Vrabel. Now that would be something to cheer about.
We can only hope. But, hey, we’re fans. That’s what we do!
didnt mommy and daddy pay enough atten…
wow thats some censure no seriously in 3-4 shift isnt there a hole next to TE ? +N.O.
Sounds like both players are solid pickups, are inexpensive, and have upside going foward.
By the way, the schedule change with the Giants/Saints game is a mess. If you live in the Northeast (like me), that Giant game will pre-empt the Cowboy/Redskin game. New York area Dallas fans won’t see their team until the Giant game is over. We’ll also miss the triplets going in the Ring @halftime. I’m sensitive to the New Orleans situation, but as far as sports talk is concerned, the decision to play a ‘double header’ was idiotic.
BP sounded extremely happy over the double header (being sarcastic). if fujita is the next vrabel thats would be great. hes so versatile for the pats.
onepaniolo
i know exactly what you mean with the PILE!!!! and yes i can see some jokes coming towards this guy from BP.
Chris are you sure ??I thought the giants vs saints gets moved
to espn and Dallas goes on abc at 9:00pm.
In any event I think the way Tags and the NFL has handled
the whole saints thing is ridiculous.
“The rescheduled game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC-TV. At 9 p.m. ET — at the kickoff of the regularly scheduled Washington at Dallas game on ABC — the Saints-Giants telecast will be switched to ESPN in all markets except New York, Louisiana and selected hurricane-affected areas, which will continue to see the game on ABC until its conclusion. Those ABC stations then will go to the Washington-Dallas game.”
if Bill Parcells was after him all summer and all we gave up was a 6th rounder than I ain’t got no problems with it.
Did we still get a 6th for PETE HUNTER or was that lost when he got CUT after a week or two?
Jon:
I beleive the 6th was conditional on him making the Jets roster, which he didn’t…
Seldom during the final cuts are trades made that involve any high picks. Most teams are trading the end of their roster (the 4th or 5th WR, CB, etc) where there is comparable competition and teams are thinking about “value”, i.e., keeping a rookie instead of a veteran to save a few bucks.
That being said, trading for a backup LB with 4 years experience for TWO draft picks is a pretty hefty price at this time of year. I’d being willing to bet that no trades have been made for picks 1-3, and if a mid-round selection is offered, it is most likely for a starter, not backup.
Raul and Jon,
I think the pete hunter trade was a conditional sixth in 2006 with no strings attached and if he made the Jets 53 man roster it would be a fifth in 2007.
derrick
i do believe your correct we get the 6th.
i feel very strongly both ways. signed, 1100, 07SEP
Good thing we didn’t do that Darren Howard deal with NO huh?
I like Ware, Spears, Burnett
Has Hunter been picked up by anyone else yet?
Big Jim,
I agree with you. We are much better off with our rookies, than if we traded for Darren Howard. I remember the Saints also wanted Dat Nguyen.
Bluecheese,
I haven’t heard anything about Hunter.
Derrick (for Jon and Raul),
You are correct on the terms of the Hunter trade, just flip-flop the years.
Guys,
I have heard nothing anywhere about Hunter, picked up from waivers or not.
hunter should have tried to make our team as a safety, he might have had a slight chance.
Chandus,
I agree, a “Full Metal Jacket” ending wouldn’t be too good! I’d like to see BP hang around for a while. “What’s your major malfunction, son?” With all the rookies on the team, BP is probably asking that question a lot!
Hey, it’s not son, it’s “numbn**s! Well thank you very much! Can I be in charge for a while? LOL!