It’s Titans’ Tight End Day at the AFC South Blog, or in the case of this post, former Titans tight end.



Titans Radio was first to report that Alge Crumpler has a deal with the tight-end needy New England Patriots. (Earlier Thursday I posted this column on Jared Cook.)



In two seasons with the Titans, Crumpler moved from his role in Atlanta as a top pass-catching tight end to a heavier on-the-line run blocker. He played a big role in Chris Johnson’s 2,000-yard season.



I’d heard questionable things about Crumpler as a locker room guy when he arrived in Nashville, but came to see they were unfounded, and suspect they were simply one mistaken impression of him from Atlanta as a new regime looked to sweep out the locker room.



The soft-spoken Crumpler is funny and smart and I’ll remember him for telling me there is no way I’d get his weight out of him, for advising Johnson unsuccessfully in the course of this piece, for insightful opinions about his friend Michael Vick during tough times and for his work with Jared Cook and Craig Stevens.



It’s Stevens, a third-rounder out of Cal in 2008, not Bo Scaife or Jared Cook, who stands to inherit most of Crumpler’s blocking work.



Here’s something what Cook said about Crumpler when we spoke Wednesday:

“Crump was a big influence on my first year, he just taught me so much. Every chance I got I would ask him questions, just picking his brain a little bit. He was kind of a backbone, to correct a lot of things when I came off the field in any aspect of the game. It’s just part of the game, if he won’t be here, well, that’s just part of football.



“Me and Crump, we’re two different types of tight ends. I think that’s more of Craig Stevens M.O. than mine.”

The New England Patriots have a tight end who has caught an NFL pass.

Crumpler

Alge Crumpler actually has snagged 367 of them for 37 touchdowns.



Multiple outlets are reporting the Patriots have reached terms with Crumpler, a four-time Pro Bowler who spent the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans.



The Patriots had a major void at tight end after losing free-agent Benjamin Watson to the Cleveland Browns and releasing Chris Baker. Those moves left them with only Robbie Agnone and Rob Myers, undrafted rookies on last year’s practice squad, on their roster.



“It’s a loss,” Titans radio analyst and former tight end Frank Wycheck said of Crumpler’s departure. “He’s such a great professional, a stand-up guy win or lose. Theyr’e going to lose that leadership and that presence.



“The Patriots are getting a guy who fits the mold of what they’ve done over the years, bringing in guys you can trust to step up and play well.”



In Crumpler’s time with Tennessee, he evolved into a balanced tight end. He was known as a dangerous receiver for the Atlanta Falcons. He caught 24 touchdown passes in his last four seasons with them before joining the Titans as a free agent.



Wycheck said Crumpler excelled when the Titans gave him greater blocking responsibilities. Crumpler played a significant role in helping speedy running back Chris Johnson hit the corner throughout his 2,000-yard rushing season.



“He really blocked well, something he hasn’t gotten enough credit for over his career,” Wycheck said. “He’s a really stout blocker, really holds the edge well.



“He embraced the role of going both on the line as a lead blocker and still being an effective receiver.”



Crumpler had 27 receptions for a career-low 222 yards and one touchdown last season. Bo Scaife was the primary receiver at tight end, catching 45 passes for 440 yards.



Wycheck noted Crumpler won’t be breaking down the middle of the field like he used to. But Crumpler still has incredible hands and the size to post up between the hash marks.



“It’ll be a little bit of a change because everybody remembers Ben Watson tracking down Champ Bailey from behind,” Wycheck said. “If you’re expecting Alge to run like Ben Watson, that won’t be the case.”



“But I see him like Tony Gonzalez the past few years. Alge uses his smarts and experience. No one expects him to be the Alge that he was in Atlanta, but he’s still playing really well and enjoying the game.”

Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: Biggest needs revisited.



Atlanta Falcons



After making their one splurge into free agency to get Dunta Robinson and re-signing veteran Brian Williams, the Falcons have done a nice job of addressing a cornerback position that once was a big area of need. With those moves, the Falcons have whittled down their significant needs considerably.



The most glaring need is at defensive end and that almost certainly will be addressed early in the draft. John Abraham had a quiet year as a pass-rusher last season and age could be catching up to him. Nobody else stepped forward as a pass-rusher and the Falcons realize they need to get more pressure on quarterbacks. General manager Thomas Dimitroff believes in basing his drafts on need and getting a pass-rusher is critical.



The only other area that can be considered a high need is outside linebacker, but that’s not as dramatic as defensive end. The Falcons have Mike Peterson and Stephen Nicholas as their starting outside linebackers. Peterson is getting older, but still played at a high level last year. Nicholas was solid in his first year as a starter, but the Falcons could consider an upgrade.



Carolina Panthers



Their needs have grown since the start of free agency. The purge of veteran players has left the Panthers with needs in a lot of places. Without a first-round draft pick, the Panthers probably won’t be able to fill all their needs in the draft.



The defensive line, once the cornerstone of a John Fox team, has been gutted. The Panthers have high hopes for Everette Brown and Charles Johnson, but still could look for another defensive end to replace Julius Peppers.



The more glaring need might be at defensive tackle, where starters Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu were released. The Panthers have nothing but projects and journeymen at defensive tackle. Unless they suddenly get more active in free agency, they almost have to find one starting defensive tackle in the draft.



New Orleans Saints



They are the champions and, as a result, won’t draft until the final pick of the first round. The new free-agency rules prevent the Saints from doing much in free agency. Their roster is in good shape, but they still have some needs.



The defensive line is the most prominent need. Starting end Charles Grant was released after the season, and there is a possibility tackle/end Anthony Hargrove could be lost as a restricted free agent. The Saints would like to get a defensive end who can generate more of a pass rush than Grant, and they’d also like to find a solid starter to pair with defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis.



But the Saints can’t totally lock in on the defensive line with their first pick because they’ve also got a need at outside linebacker. With Scott Fujita leaving as a free agent, the Saints have some in-house candidates, but there’s no clear-cut replacement. Picking at the end of the first round leaves the Saints at the mercy of the teams in front of them, but it seems likely they’ll take the best available defensive lineman or outside linebacker.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers



There are needs just about everywhere, and the Bucs are counting heavily on this draft to be a big part of their building process. They have 10 overall picks and five in the first 99. They’ve got the third overall pick in the first round and it seems almost certain they’ll take defensive tackles Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh, if either is available.



After that, they’ve got plenty of other directions they could go. They could take several wide receivers because there isn’t a quality starter currently on the roster. Defensive end also is an area of need because there is no clear starter opposite Stylez G. White.

Why has the NFC South been so quiet in free agency?



The NFC South has been a virtual nonfactor in free agency. Aside from Atlanta adding cornerback Dunta Robinson, there hasn’t been another signing of a true unrestricted free agent in the division.



Don’t look for that to change dramatically. First off there’s not much left in free agency. Even if there were, that wouldn’t change things. The NFC South’s silence is largely by design.



It may make for a boring time for fans, but the Falcons, Panthers and Buccaneers all like to say they’re committed to building through the draft. Now, we’re seeing them back it up.



The Bucs, 3-13 last year, have needs all over the place. But they’re not known for being big spenders and they pretty much have been sitting out of free agency. They keep pointing to the 10 draft picks they have accumulated and saying that’s how they’re going to build their team. Like it or not, that’s really what they’re doing.



Atlanta has become pretty transparent since general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith took over. They’ll always tell you they believe in building through the draft and that’s what they’ve done. They’re good for one or two big moves in an offseason. In the past, that’s been signing Michael Turner and Mike Peterson and trading for Tony Gonzalez. Robinson was this year’s big splurge and there’s not likely to be another. The Falcons might plug a hole or two with some mid-level or low-level free agents, but they basically started turning their attention to the draft the minute Robinson signed his contract.



Carolina long has followed the philosophy of building through the draft, which is fine in most years. But the Panthers are full of needs and currently without a first-round pick. They’ve been known to step away from their plan from time to time. One year, they spent a fortune on cornerback Ken Lucas and offensive lineman Mike Wahle. Those guys contributed, but their huge salaries caused big problems in the locker room and neither stayed long. That was a painful lesson for the front office, but it’s only part of the reason the Panthers are so quiet this year. Perhaps more than any other owner, Carolina’s Jerry Richardson is worried about the labor uncertainty. He seems to have given his football people orders to trim salaries and it sure doesn’t look like he’s given them permission to re-invest that money.



Then, there is the exceptional case of the Saints. They’ve been the division’s most aggressive team in free agency in recent years. But their hands are tied because of their Super Bowl victory. In this uncapped year, the final eight teams from last year are playing by a set of rules in which their ability to sign free agents is limited. The Saints can only sign an unrestricted free agent if they lose one. That eliminates a lot of possibilities, but the Saints aren’t sitting still. They’ve pursued some guys who have been cut by other teams, but that hasn’t resulted in much. The good news is the Saints are a team without many holes and they can use the draft to fill their needs.

I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Detroit is serious about upgrading its defensive line.



So far this offseason, the Lions have acquired defensive tackle Corey Williams from Cleveland and signed free-agent end Kyle Vanden Bosch from Tennessee. They might be in position to draft Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh next month, and now there are multiple reports they will host New Orleans defensive tackle/end Anthony Hargrove beginning Monday night.



Hargrove is a restricted free agent, meaning the Saints would have the right to match any offer Detroit might make. If they pass, the Lions would send the Saints a third-round pick in next month’s draft.



Hargrove is an active pass-rusher who has evolved from a college linebacker to a “three-technique” defensive tackle since entering the NFL. NFC North readers no doubt got to know him during the Super Bowl, when I just so happened to write this post on his fight against substance abuse.



The visit is scheduled to conclude Tuesday. We’ll keep you updated.



One other Lions-related housekeeping note: Their trade to acquire Atlanta cornerback Chris Houston is now complete, but the terms are a bit different than originally reported. The Lions sent their sixth-round pick this season and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2011 in exchange for Houston, who is expected to start this season.

If you have ever been to an Atlanta Falcons practice, you know that team owner Arthur Blank has a strong presence.



He’s out there on the sideline, mostly observing, but sometimes chatting with his players. It all looks very casual, but it was out there on the practice field a few years back that the seeds were planted for a very big business deal.



“I used to make little comments to Mr. Blank and [team president and former general manager] Rich McKay about how I wanted to someday be an owner,” former Atlanta running back Warrick Dunn said.



What might have seemed like a joke at the time wasn’t. Dunn was very serious about his desire to own an NFL team and Blank was listening. Now, it has all happened.



Dunn recently completed a deal to become a limited partner with Blank. He’ll join six other limited partners and Blank and help run the Falcons. He’ll also serve on the Atlanta Falcons Board of Advisors, which includes heavy hitters like Hank Aaron and Ambassador Andrew Young.



It might sound like a nice token gesture for one of the best players in franchise history and a guy who has been known for his charitable and community work throughout his career. But it’s much more than that.



Dunn is taking his new role very seriously. If you know anything about Dunn, that’s no surprise. He’s very serious about anything he does.



“The deal really just became official, but I’ve already been studying up,” Dunn said. “We’ve got a meeting of the partners later this month and that will be my first real test and I’m trying to get ready for it. But I really feel like I’m blind in a sense because I don’t really know the business end.”



That may be true, but it’s going to change quickly. Keep in mind, Dunn spent his entire playing career with the Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers constantly followed by the question, “Can he do it every down?” because he was 5-foot-9 and about 185 pounds.



Three Pro Bowls and almost 11,000 rushing yards later, Dunn had emphatically answered that question by the time he stopped playing after the 2008 season. Now comes the next question: Can he succeed as an owner?



Don’t be against it. The terms of Dunn’s investment in the Falcons haven’t been revealed, and Blank controls 90 percent of the team. But Dunn made a lot of money as a player and was known by teammates for being a bit frugal.

(Read full post)

Everyone wants their team to trade down.



I get more e-mails at this time of year asking me about the possibility of the Jaguars trading out of the No. 10 spot in the NFL draft in hopes of getting more. The same kinds of questions come from Titans fans hoping their team will opt out of selecting 16th overall. Texans fans (No. 20) and Colts followers (No. 31) aren’t averse to the idea of trading down, either.



So I am here to tell you, while trading up is often too expensive, trading down is often overrated.



For starters, to get down, you need a team that wants to move up.



“Sitting in the draft room for many years, I think those are conversations that always come up: ‘Well, wouldn’t it be nice to move back and pick up a couple other picks?’” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “Well in that 10 minutes or whatever you have before that pick, if you’re not a hot commodity at that time and nobody wants to talk to you, you better be ready to do business.



“I think it’s probably a hell of a lot easier said than done.”



Said Jacksonville GM Gene Smith in a recent conference call with season-ticket holders: “My mindset is to acquire picks. If we’re able to do that, I’ll have a smile on my face.”



But even if you have a lot of needs, like Smith, is that the right route?



Let’s look at the recent trade-down history of our four teams and then assess. We’re considering just picks-for-picks trades, not moves that include veteran players.



In the last six years, with the help of Jason Vida of ESPN Stats & Information and prosportstransactions.com, here are first-round trade-downs in the division.



Houston



2008 — Traded with Baltimore

Gave: No. 18 in first round (quarterback Joe Flacco)



Got: No. 26 pick in first round (offensive tackle Duane Brown), a third-round pick (86th overall, running back Steve Slaton) and a sixth-round pick (173rd overall, defensive back Dominique Barber)



Value chart says: Ravens, 900-883.2 points



Assessment: Baltimore got its quarterback and Flacco is clearly the most valuable player of all of these. The Texans got their left tackle (Brown), a skill player who’s had one great year and one terrible season (Slaton) and some shaky secondary depth (Barber).

2005 — Traded with New Orleans

Gave: No. 13 in first round (offensive tackle Jammal Brown)



Got: No. 16 in first round (defensive tackle Travis Johnson) and a third-round pick in 2006 (66th overall, offensive tackle Eric Winston)



Value chart: Texans, 1,260-1,150. (That link is to an NFL-style draft value chart like the ones teams use to measure trade values.)



Assessment: Brown has been a Pro Bowler twice and an All-Pro once. Johnson underachieved and was traded. Winston is a very solid starter, but the Saints got more bang here, I think.

Indianapolis



Sidenote: The Colts gave up their 2008 first-rounder and their 2007 fourth-rounder to get the 2007 second-rounder from San Francisco they used to draft offensive tackle Tony Ugoh. That can be classified in different ways. I see it more as the Colts going up to get Ugoh, so I don’t use it as a trade-down scenario here.



2004 –Traded with Atlanta

Gave: No. 29 in the first round (cornerback Michael Jenkins) and a third-round pick (90th overall, quarterback Matt Schaub)



Got: No. 38 in the second round (traded to Steelers for a second-round pick, 44th overall, Bob Sanders and fourth-round pick, 107th overall, linebacker Kendyll Pope), a third-round pick (69th overall, linebacker Gilbert Gardner), and a fourth-round pick (125th overall, cornerback Jason David)



Value chart says: Colts, 845-780



Assessment: A double-trade down netted the Colts Sanders. He may miss way too many games due to injuries, but he won a defensive player of the year award and keyed a Super Bowl team. Bur Schaub sure proved to have value for Atlanta when Houston came calling a couple years later.

Jacksonville

2007 — Traded with Denver



Gave: No. 17 in first round (defensive end Jarvis Moss)



Got: No. 21 in first round (safety Reggie Nelson); a third-round pick (86th overall, traded to Baltimore for a fourth-round pick, 101st overall , a fifth-round pick, 166th overall, and a sixth-round pick 203rd overall); and a sixth-round pick (198th overall, traded to Atlanta as part of package for a fifth-rounder, 149th overall, guard Uche Nwaneri). Punter Adam Podlesh and defensive tackle Derek Landri came out of that trade with Baltimore, with the 203rd pick also going to Atlanta in the trade that got Jacksonville Nwaneri



Value chart says: Jaguars 973.2-950 (not factoring in trades of other picks involved)



Assessment: They did OK, but if Nelson continues on his current course, we’ll remember them failing with another first-rounder.

Titans



2004 — Traded with Houston

Gave: No. 27 in the first round (defensive end/outside linebacker Jason Babin) and a fifth-round pick (159th overall, traded to Jacksonville)



Got: No. 40 in the second round (tight end Ben Troupe), a third-round pick (71st overall, defensive tackle Randy Starks), a fourth-round pick (103rd overall, defensive end Bo Schobel), and a fifth-round pick (138th overall, guard Jacob Bell)



Value chart says: Titans, 860-708.8



Assessment: On draft day, it looked like a monster win for Tennessee and in time, because Babin busted, it still leaned their way. But for the Titans, only Bell was a consistent performer. It’s easy to look back on drafts and play what if, I know, but what if the Titans or the Texans had used No. 27 on Sanders or Karlos Dansby or Chris Snee?

Conclusions:



Let’s emphasize this is not scientific and it’s not a very big sample size.



Still, these five deals produced just one player we’d rate as stellar, and Sanders has major injury issues. They also yielded AFC South teams a left tackle who still has to prove himself (Brown), a defensive tackle who busted (Johnson), a free safety whose second year was very poor (Nelson) and a tight end who’s out of the league (Troupe).



Trading down doesn’t always produce the yield everyone imagines. One very good player is better than a couple who rank a notch below. The chance at that player is typically better where you are, not lower than that.



So if the Jaguars see someone they like a lot at 10 or if the Titans see someone they like a lot at 16, they should jump, not dump.

Falling



Darren Sharper. The New Orleans safety is finding out the hard way what it’s like to be 34-years-old. Despite a huge season, he doesn’t seem to be drawing a lot of attention in free agency. He also has made some comments about the Saints not showing him enough “love” (money) in their talks about bringing him back. Both sides say they want Sharper to return to New Orleans, but it’s only going to come at a price the Saints think is reasonable. They’ve got Malcolm Jenkins, last year’s first-round pick, sitting around. He spent his rookie year at cornerback, but the Saints are set there. Jenkins has the size and skills to play safety and the Saints have said, since the day he was drafted, that he eventually could end up at safety. That time might be coming sooner than we thought.



Rising



Atlanta’s defense. Look around the NFC South and ask yourself how many teams truly have gotten better in the first week of free agency. Forget your allegiances and be honest. The only answer is the Falcons. Although the Saints, Panthers and Buccaneers may end up improving themselves, all they’ve done so far is lose their own free agents and cut some prominent players. The Falcons are the only team that, right now, is better than they were at the end of the season. That’s largely because they went out and spent a fortune on cornerback Dunta Robinson and also re-signed cornerback Brian Williams, who was hurt — and sorely missed — the second half of last season. That suddenly solidifies the cornerback spot, which was a major problem area. The Falcons also have last year’s top two picks, defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore, coming back from injuries. Throw all those guys on the field and add a defensive end somewhere in the draft and Atlanta suddenly looks like a strong playoff contender.

Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: Recent history.



Houston Texans



The best move the Texans made in the past three seasons was trading a second-round pick in 2007 and 2008 to Atlanta for Matt Schaub, a quarterback who’s the key to their offense and team. With so many teams in need of a quality starter, that trade seems like a steal now. They’ve taken four defensive backs with the 10 picks they’ve made in the fifth round or later, and out of Brandon Harrison, Dominique Barber, Brice McCain and Troy Nolan they’ve not found a guy who has been able to contribute consistently. It’s time to spend a big pick on a free safety or corner who has great ball skills.



Indianapolis Colts



Skill positions get attention early, with receiver Anthony Gonzalez and running back Donald Brown grabbed with the two first-rounders in the past three years. The hits in the third round and later have become significant players: Clint Session, Pierre Garcon, Jerraud Powers, Austin Collie, Pat McAfee. Trouble spot? Look to the five offensive linemen who haven’t really panned out. That’s understandable with Steve Justice (sixth in 2008), Jamey Richard (seventh in 2008) and Jaimie Thomas (seventh in 2009), but Tony Ugoh (second in 2007) and Mike Pollak (second in 2008) have left the team with holes and problems that need to be addressed in April. Out of five picks there has to be at least one starter, probably two.



Jacksonville Jaguars



Two first-round picks out of Florida have not met expectations, but the Jaguars still hope safety Reggie Nelson and defensive end Derrick Harvey can become consistent players. Of 25 picks, only one is established as a playmaker on offense, Mike Sims-Walker (third-rounder in 2007). That’s a big part of the reason the team’s not especially potent on offense beyond Maurice Jones-Drew. The top four from the 2009 draft got significant starting experience as rookies, and the 2010 class will have similar opportunities. While Harvey can be steady, he’s not an explosive pass-rusher, and Quentin Groves has struggled. Even with Aaron Kampman signed, they still need another pass-rusher.



Tennessee Titans



The Titans have fared nicely with pass-rushers from lesser-known schools — William Hayes of Winston-Salem State is on the brink of big things and Jacob Ford of Central Arkansas is a skilled rusher. Contributions from second-rounders have been minimal — Chris Henry is already gone, Jason Jones hasn’t stayed healthy or consistent and Sen’Derrick Marks had no impact as a rookie. After hitting a home run with seventh-rounder Cortland Finnegan in 2006, late-round corners Ryan Smith, Cary Williams and, so far, Jason McCourty, haven’t panned out. A quality corner is a need early in this draft.

Each Wednesday leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: Recent history.



Atlanta Falcons



In general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s first draft in 2008, the Falcons went almost exclusively with offense, mainly because they wanted to build around quarterback Matt Ryan and left tackle Sam Baker. That draft was a huge success and it helped the Falcons build a solid offensive core. Last year, Dimitroff switched over almost entirely to defense. The jury is still out on that class because defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore missed almost all of their rookie seasons with injuries. But both will be back and will fill defensive needs. The products of the last two drafts mean the Falcons are now in a situation in which they can go any way they want. Dimitroff doesn’t mess around and talk about “the best player available.” He admits the Falcons draft on need. They’ve narrowed their needs this year. Although defensive end and linebacker currently top that list, the Falcons no longer need to spend the whole draft on one side of the ball.



Carolina Panthers



In recent years, the Panthers have been very daring in the draft. Two years ago, they traded back up into the first round to get tackle Jeff Otah, after already landing running back Jonathan Stewart. That cost them a 2009 first-round pick, but they still traded up in last year’s second round to get defensive end Everette Brown. That cost them this year’s first-round pick and they won’t be picking until the second round — at least as of now. The last couple of years have shown general manager Marty Hurney is willing to take big chances. After an offseason purge of veterans, the Panthers suddenly have a lot of needs all over the place. Hurney’s demonstrated a recent willingness to trade up and that certainly could come in handy this year. But the problem is the Panthers don’t have a lot of currency to move up.



New Orleans Saints



Mickey Loomis is another general manager who doesn’t try to make you believe he’s only looking for the best player available. Recent history has shown Loomis makes sure he gets what his team needs, even when it’s not always the most popular pick. Take last year’s trade up in the fifth round to get punter Thomas Morstead. Fans griped, right up until Morstead began having one of the best rookie years ever by a punter. The last two first-round picks, Sedrick Ellis and Malcolm Jenkins, were made based solely on need. Loomis had his hands tied last year with only four draft picks, mainly because of the trades he made for Jeremy Shockey and Jonathan Vilma and two draft choices were injured before the season ever started. Loomis has a pretty full complement of picks this year and, although the Saints are the champions, they still have needs. Nothing major, but last year showed the importance of depth and Loomis will make sure the Saints add depth in their areas of need.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers



We’re talking about two different regimes here. Mark Dominik and Raheem Morris took over last year and Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden were calling the shots before that. These two regimes demonstrated two very different styles. Allen and Gruden were all about winning now and they did plenty of patchwork with veterans and didn’t have great drafts. Gaines Adams, the top pick in 2007, didn’t work out, but 2008 first-round choice Aqib Talib has shown promise. Allen and Gruden also left their successors with a bunch of young offensive linemen, although that group was a little disappointing. Dominik and Morris value the draft more highly than their predecessors and they’re proud of the fact they’ve accumulated 10 picks for this year. They believe in building through the draft and they started that process last year by getting Josh Freeman who they believe is a franchise quarterback. He’s in place and the challenge now is to build around him.