budzy wrote:
Unfortunately you can't & won't ever predict life. Football is only ever A PART of a persons life. Many other things that can't be predicted can/will contribute to a footballers life that can/will affect there football performances.
Drafting players (even 1st rnd picks) will always contain a level of risk.
btw, I have full faith in Wayne, Paul

& the rest of our recruiting team to make the right calls

There's always an Enron or big company that can collapse out of the blue, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Now, of course a player could suffer a nervous breakdown that can't ever be predicted... and you have to wear than on the chin as an unpredictable element.
But people make a living EVERY DAY out of making good business decisions in uncertain markets. Some are better than others, but they all get judged the same.... if you were a shit stockbroker, you couldn't say "sorry, I didn't see all those loses coming" and get away with it, especially when you if you're building a reasonably safe portfolio.
A first round pick SHOULD be a good player... a regular player. Some will be brilliant. If they're not good players, and there hasn't been an unpredictable influence like a massive injury, then someone at the club has failed.... either the development as a player or the recruiter.
Not expecting great things from recruiters with great picks is a massive cop-out and something you wouldn't tolerate in business.
A lot of people make crap decisions in uncertain markets - that's a fact (unless you're name is Warren Buffet). History has shown our recruiting dept. has underperformed relative to other teams - still not convinced about the class of '04, '03 was a debacle. Fish was a great (if lucky) get in '02. How can we have confidence they can get it right.
KEEP LANCE AT CARLTON. HE IS A LEADER. KIDS LOOK UP TO HIM.