Baby Steps

A new year. To most it means a chance to hit the reset button and start fresh. For Moeller, that has been welcomed with open arms every year. 2020 will be the most stacked he has come into a draft. Ever. Can he finally make the right moves this year to get himself back to the playoffs? Or is he destined to ride another two tight end set back to the Relegation Bowl?

A benchmark to a good season is setting some realistic goals going into it. Making it back to the playoffs would be a huge accomplishment and a great place to start for a team that has been in a 7 year playoff drought. The last time he went to the playoffs was in 2012 where he made it to the championship and came 3.14 points away from hoisting his first bobblehead. Since that playoff run, the best he has finished is 7th place.

Moeller’s first baby step begins on August 21st. Draft Day. A good draft will be crucial to turn this team’s downward spiral of terribleness around, and he has the weapons this year to do it. Moeller is coming into this year’s draft ranked with the 3rd highest strength of picks with two 2nd round picks and two 5th round picks. If he can stay awake and resist the temptation of wasting those on TEs or Robbie Gould, he could put himself in a position to start the season off on the right foot.

While this might sound like an easy first step, Moeller hasn’t always come out the other end of draft day successfully. Rewinding the tapes back to last year, Moeller spent his first 10 picks on James Conner, Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, Brandin Cooks, Josh Jacobs, Jared Cook, Eric Ebron (2TE Set), Sterling Sherpard and Royce Freeman. And of course Robbie Gould in the 13th. They finished the season 35th, 8th, 10th, 61st, 21st, 7th, 27th, 48th and 36th in their respective positions. He had one player in the top 10 from each position but a whole lot of nothing after that. If he has another performance like that at this year’s draft, the turnaround might not be happening until 2021.

His next baby step will come in the form of stringing together some wins early in the season. The last time he has had a winning record going into week 4 of the regular season was in 2012. That same year, he won his first three games of the season, went to the playoffs, and finished the season in 2nd place. He has not made it back to the playoffs since that near championship run. If he can string together some wins early in the season, it will go a long way in getting himself back to the playoffs.

His final baby step will come in the form of making smart trades at the right times throughout the season. Moeller has always been one of the most active managers during the Winter Meetings. He has been involved in at least one trade in the past three years but has never made the splash that he needs to get over the hump. Last year he traded for a 2nd and 5th round pick early in the season and looked like he was going to be a seller. But then, in one of the last trades of the year he traded away his 3rd round pick, becoming a buyer. His trades have been headscratching at best. If he wants to get back to the playoffs, some smart trades at the right time will be necessary.

Baby steps - something he needs to focus on not just at home but also on the field. If he can do that and have a good draft, get some early wins, and make some good trades, we just might see him back in the playoffs this December. Draft Day is baby step number one for Moeller. We will have to wait and see what he does with it.