I've said this before, but this team will achieve success when it stops depending on good stories and starts relying on good players. For too long, we have waited for 7th rounders out of Youngstown State and QBs from the Ivy League and castoffs from arena leagues and graduates of Coe College to be the core of the team. Not contributors, or role players, but to carry the team. Yeah, some are good players, but we have asked too much of too many of them.
That Cinderella complex came about because of really crappy talent evaluation and talent management (which has hopefully improved, but time will tell with Whaley) and a fan base that has spent a decade and more looking up at down. But good stories ain't gonna get it done. We need players.
So Tuel is a great story. I see nothing that says he is a great player, and honestly, no one else has either. Just potential (You remember the Groucho Marx line: "He's got nothing but potential. And little of that.")
EJ's a player. Tuel's a nice story. Let the EJ era begin.
kj