What is the recipe for success?

[Mick063]

I keep reading "7-8 core players and hit home runs in the draft". We all know that when it comes to "bang for the buck", getting pro bowl contributions from a player on his rookie contract is the holy grail, but I want to know who our 7-8 core players are. The players that will get paid and the players that will get sacrificed.

Wilson and Wagner are givens. Carroll is obviously enamored with KJ Wright. An argument can be made that Jaren Reed was the most improved player last year. Brown is a fixture at left tackle. They just doled out money to Britt. Clark is the best edge rusher.

Who are the current 7-8 core players? Who is on the "core player" bubble? How much will that change in 3 years when the most recent draft class (a good one in my opinion) comes due? Who, on the current roster, is most likely to develop into a core player? Are running backs generally expendable when their rookie deal expires?

 

[chris98251]

The key is recognize play mileage and not over pay for contracts to players that have high amount of impact plays, we have been to the playoffs every year but one since Carroll got us going, those games are higher in intensity as well as much more physical. Figure it's at least one or two additional seasons of wear and tear on a players body that makes his living taking impact. I say impact because not only do they tackle or are tackled a lot like a RB they are also subject to clean up impact hits from the other team and their own players. WR's can go down and run out of bounds which is why they tend to have longer careers. LB's, Safety and CB's that are run support guys as well like are's are asked to be tend to take awkward hits to themselves and wretch arms and knees making plays by awkward turns and hyper extensions as well.

It's very hard, I am surprised there is not a metric for this or I have not seen one. Letting a guy go to soon and you look like an idiot, letting them go to late and you hurt the team and still look like an idiot.