Are you sure the Bucs are a good example, though?chris98251":2uup7p4g said:We only have to look at the Bucs.
They went and got Tom Brady, Arians knew that he would be a dead man if he didn't get him support, they went out and got a O line first, and then WR's and RB's. A few pieces for defense and where it took a bit to gell at the start of the season and for Tom to learn the playbook and adapt to his new team by midway they were rolling.
It's a want by the team and of course willing to shuffle players and salary.
Before Brady, the Bucs were a team loaded with talent that couldn't win because of inconsistent QB play. Their roster is full of players drafted in the top half of every round. For example, they've drafted 7 starters in the last 3 years: early second or first-round picks (3 players are top 15 picks). On average, they've picked 16 spots ahead of Seattle.
For perspective, here's a draft value comparison of those drafts before trades: Seattle's average draft value is 544. The Bucs average draft value is 830. In other words, the difference between the average value of a single Seahawk's draft pick and a single Buccaneers draft pick is a late 2nd round pick. Think about that for a second; imagine what JS could do with 6 additional second-round picks worth of talent in 3 years.
Additionally, the only significant addition the Bucs made to the O-line was drafting Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick. Brady joined a team with two second-team All-Pro receivers and a promising young RB. He recruited Gronkowski and Brown (two additional all-pros). And Fournette chose to play with them because of Brady. On top of that, Brown and Fournette were on cheap deals because they are basketcases.
So how exactly do Pete and John emulate the Buccaneers? They don't have the draft capital because they've been too good, and they've traded picks away to improve their defense. The likelihood of them finding bargains like Brown, Fournette, and Gronk are relatively low. And let's remember, they did make similar moves as the Bucs; They tried to sign Brown, brought in Olsen, and attempted to revive Gordon's career. It didn't work out, but those types of moves rarely do. Furthermore, Russell's contract is anywhere from 5 to 7 million more per season than Brady's.
I guess I don't really see a blueprint for Seattle to emulate the Bucs. It's a nice thing to say. However, it's almost impossible for them to do given the context of their current situation. What are they going to do? How are they going to draft a top 15 O-lineman? Who are this year's Gronk, Brown, and Fournette? Unless you are certain you can answer these questions, to assume it's a viable way to build a team is wishful thinking.