Trade #1 Exchanging Tail Feathers
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| Arizona is acquiring a player to become the franchise's cornerstone who has spent most of his NFL career on Sundays doing what is pictured above. Glad Kolb escaped from Philly, but skeptical he is worth Rogers-Cromartie, a 2nd round pick, and a 5 yr./$63 million contract. |
Arizona Cardinals acquire:
Philadelphia Eagles acquire:
- CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
- 2012 second-round draft pick
Wow. While it was no surprise to anyone that Kolb was headed to Arizona, the price for which he went is utterly astounding. The Eagles acquired a starting corner and a future second round pick (which Kolb was) for a quarterback who was, by and large, very unproven. Kolb has had 3 stellar starts in his career, and a few ordinary ones. Compounding things for Arizona, they signed him to a 5 year, $63 million contract.
That is A LOT to live up to for a player who has done nothing in the NFL thus far. Maybe Kolb turns into a Matt Schaub type, and blossoms in a new offense with the opportunity to play. Or, maybe he turns into Rob Johnson, struggling to live up to the hype generated by success as a backup.
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| Rob Johnson impressed in limited relief opportunities for Mark Brunnell. He parlayed that into a 1997 trade to the Bills in which the Jaguars acquired a first round pick and a fourth round pick. With that pick, the Jags chose Fred Taylor. With Johnson, the Bills had nothing but headaches. |
For the Eagles, its a no brainer. They got value back (equal round pick) for Kolb, and on top of that shored up a need in their secondary. Begrudgingly, the Eagles came out of this outstandingly.
Grades
Philadelphia Eagles A+
Arizona Cardinals D
Trade #2 Not So Bad, Chad
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| Ochocinco escapes a messy Carson Palmer situation in Cincy, and gets new life with the Pats. Doesn't he look like he'll fit right in with Belichick's hoody? |
New England Patriots acquire:
Cincinnati Bengals acquire:
- Two undisclosed late round picks
So it's back to futility for the Bengals. Their QB retired. Their RB got arrested again. Now they have jettisoned their biggest remaining playmaker for the equivalent to a bag of balls. A few years ago, Chad would have gone for a late first/early second round pick. It's not that Chad is still an elite WR who was going to set the world on fire for Cincy next year, but he was at least a playmaker for them. I feel sorry for Bengals fans, and for Andy Dalton, that they have to go through things like this. Dalton now has next to zero proven offensive weapons, and will be learning the position from the immortal Bruce Gradkowski (signed by the Bengals this week to provide mentorship).
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| Why wouldn't the Bengals bring in Gradkowski to mentor Dalton? He learned from the best (#2 at right) in Oakland! |
The Patriots, on the other hand, have continued their practice of pulling off intelligent trades. They lost a weapon when they sent Moss away last year, and while Ocho has lost a step, he will never be accused of dogging it. I could certainly see him being rejuvenated under Tom Brady. My prediction is that Brady and Ocho will hook up for 85+ balls, 1,000+yards, and 5-8 TD.
Grades
New England Patriots A
Cincinnati Bengals C
Trade #3 Pat Albert
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| "Hey hey hey! Billy Bels won't make me take no shuttle test" |
New England Patriots acquire:
Washington Redskins acquire:
- 2013 fifth-round draft pick
The Redskins have really gotten screwed over by the whole Albert Haynesworth situation. They have paid (and owe) him millions and millions of dollars for doing almost nothing. Shedding him truly is "addition by subtraction." Because of his extreme contract, they aren't able to get much in return in this deal. However, from an organizational standpoint, they needed to rid themselves of him. For that, they get some good vibes.
The Pats have little risk in this deal. While they have made a living on collecting late round picks and building depth through them, they have also made a living with reclamation project players (Corey Dillon & Randy Moss). Their disciplined culture of "play hard, or you won't be here" is a result of having a leader who demands these expectations, and who is also one of the best players in league history.
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| The Pats kicked the tires on a disgruntled Corey Dillon, resulting in more Super Bowl glory. |
Do I think Haynesworth will be productive in New England? I'm really not sure. I could see it going both ways. One thing I am sure of, though, is that the Patriots won't lose much sleep if they have to cut him somewhere down the road.
Grades
New England Patriots B
Washington Redskins B+
Trade #4 Taking His Talents to South Beach
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| Reggie Bush will have many opportunites in South Beach to "Superman" that... nevermind. It's been a fall from grace for Bush ever since entering the NFL, between getting his Heisman taken away, failing to make an offensive impact, and failing to stay on the field. |
Miami Dolphins acquire:
New Orleans Saints acquire:
Reggie Bush is just not going to be the NFL player that many thought he would be when the Saints chose him with the second pick in the 2006 NFL draft. The Texans were highly criticized for passing on Bush, but it should be said that they might have made the right choice. While Bush is a Super Bowl Champion, he was hardly ever the centerpiece of the Saints offense. While flashy and dynamic at times receiving it out of the backfield and on special teams, Bush made minimal contributions as a ball carrier. And he gets injured....a lot.
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| It's been a rough couple of years for Bush. No Heisman for himself, and pushed out of New Orleans by a guy (Ingram) who still has his. Is a fresh start with the fish just what the doctor ordered? |
The Saints made Bush expendable by opting for Alabama's Mark Ingram in the draft, and by signing Darren Sproles to help fill Bush's roles. The Dolphins may be able to offer Bush more touches, but they certainly can't make him their feature back....or can they? Bush will probably get 8-10 touches in the running game, and 8-10 looks in the passing game.
It's tough to grade a trade when the pick is "undisclosed", but it seems to me that there is little risk in this one for the Dolphins. The Saints lose some vibes for their once #2 overall pick turning into an undisclosed draft pick.
Grades
Miami Dolphins B+
New Orleans Saints C+
Trade #5 McNabb-ing Another Veteran QB
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| The Vikings have swapped out #4 for #5. With many of the tools in place from Minnesota's NFC Championship Game run of 2009 (minus Sidney Rice), will McNabb be the difference? |
Minnesota Vikings acquire:
Washington Redskins acquire:
- 2012 sixth-round draft pick
- 2013 conditional sixth-round draft pick
The Redskins have now cleared the way for the immortal John Beck to lead them to the promised land. I could write an entire blog devoted to the ways in which the Redskins screwed up their QB situation, but that might be for a different day (or not, because who cares about the Skins anyway?). In short, the Redskins acquired McNabb for a 2010 second-round pick and a 2011 fourth-round pick. They had him for a year, put nothing in place around him, and sent him packing for a pair of sixth-round picks. Nice sound job of managing your organization right there.
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| Thanks to the Vibe, there will now be a Google hit when someone searches "John Beck immortal". How Shanahan mishandled his QB situation is puzzling. Truth be told, he hasn't ever been satisfied with his QB's performance since John Elway hung 'em up. Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, etc. Add McNabb to that list, and watch for it to grow this year with Beck and Kellen Clemens in Washington. |
The Vikings, on the other hand, gave up very little relative to the experience that they are getting back. In the right situation, McNabb is definitely capable of winning games in this league. I'm not sure that Washington is the right situation for anyone right now. The only obstacle on offense right now in Minnesota is that they need to pursue another WR (with Sidney Rice departing). Percy Harvin isn't ready to be a #1 yet. I predict McNabb leads the Vikings into the playoffs this year.
Grades
Minnesota Vikings A
Washington Redskins C-
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