If you were an NFL GM?

Question

If you had a horrible team that needed serious rebuilding would you work or the defense first or the Offense.

Ex.2005 Raiders and Niners
Two poor teams.

Raiders appeared to focus on defense adding Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, and Michael Huff. The D greatly improved to 3rd in the League but their record decreased to 2-14.

Niners add Larry Allen, Antonio Bryant and Vernon Davis. The D plays poor 26th but the offense is enough to help them go 7-9.

Answer 1

I would build with defense first, like the Raiders. Great offenses are always helped out by the defense if you ever noticed it. The Raiders had offensive line trouble in the begining of the season and they were never able to establish anything all season. Next year if the defense improves and they get quality QB play they should be fine. Maybe they will improve to 9-7. A good offense will win you a few games but defense is what wins championships in the long run. Look at Indy. They always had a potent offense with Peyton Manning. They weren't a contender until their defense improved dramatically. The defense started out slow this year and had injuries during this season but they made the needed adjustments. And they beat teams up in the Playoffs. Speaking of drafting defensive help. Didn't the 49er's draft some defensive players in the first 3 rounds also? I think they drafted Manny Lawson out of NC State in the first round.

Answer 2

Defense wins championships. The 2000 Ravens had zero offense but still managed to bring home a world championship (at the expense of my New York Giants) because of their amazing defense. The 70's Steelers won with defense, The 1985 Bears won with defense.
I'd always work on my D first. Defense sets the tone in any game, just like good pitching in baseball will always beat good hitting, a good defense in football will always stop a potent offense. Granted in The Super Bowl, The Bears had a great defense but if you look at their D down the stretch, it was inconsistent in stopping the run and it burned them.

In order to win you must be able to run on offense and stop the run on defense. I work on D first, then go after a solid running back. The Raiders have so many holes in their team I'm not sure where I'd start. Perhaps I'd deplete their offense of all their problems. Trade Moss, Porter and Brooks. Try to get some draft picks or younger talent, sign a guy like Michael Turner for my RB and work on building a defense.

Answer 3

I always believed that when building a team you really should get yourself a franchise QB. Defense is a little to draft for than drafting a QB, plus there are multiple defensive positions that need filling and there's only one QB out there at once. Its the hardest position to play therefore the most important. If I were Oakland I'd take JaMarcus Russell. At 6'6" 260lbs running a 4.5 forty his the best player in the draft hands down. We all no he's a winner with a rocket arm and he's a much better fit in Oakland than Quinn cause Quinn is a system guy. Oakland doesn't have a great system to say the least. They need a more mobile guy that can make things happen even when there isn't any thing there, which is about all the time for the Raiders.

Answer 4

I'd work on the D. As to the Raiders they made a big mistake in getting Aaron Brooks. You need a DECENT QB. You don't really need a great one, Trent Dilfer come to mind, if you have a good enough Defense. The Raiders went and got the worst starter in the league though. On top of that they have no real offense. That team is a total mess, and the coaching staff wasn't helping things. If they get a good coaching staff in place and keep it there maybe it will help.

Answer 5

First thing you always have to do is solidify the defense. I mean look at the 2005 Chicago Bears. They had one of the worst offenses in the league but won 11 games because they were able to keep most teams to only a field goal a game or maybe a touchdown. After you have a solid defense, you can build your offense up with a young talented QB.

Answer 6

It depends, I believe. For example, the Lions, a poor team, has an OK offense. So I would work on the Defense and make them good. Then, I would tune-up the offense. But for the Raiders, it is flip-flop.

Answer 7

As a Defensive Coordinator, I would always start with Defense.
Defense wins Championships.
Defense can score touchdowns and change the destiny of a team.

Our first year in the league, we finished in the middle - even though our Offense averaged only 100 yards total per game.
Our Defense scored EVERY game and relinquished very few points.

Once your defense is set...then you can work on developing your offensive strategy.

Answer 8

A good offense certainly is a must. You can have a terrific defense but they are still going to allow some points, you need to be able to still outscore your opponent. Can anyone say Chicago Bears. Also I personally believe that if a poor performing defense practices against a good offence , week in and week out they can't help but improve their ability to cover since they are seeing quality plays. On the flip side your great defense snuffs out your offense in practice simply because they suck it does'nt help the egos of any of the players involved.

Answer 9

Id start with the d-line and o-lines. No team no matter how good they are at the skill positions can win unless they win the battle in the trenches. Giving your QB and Rb the protection they need and a good D- Line can change a game. All of the great teams if you look at them...had great o and d lines.

Answer 10

Best way to rebuild a team is to start with the OL and DL. The old saying that the game is won in the trenches is absolutely true.