411's NFL Round Up 7.22.08: Two Big Trades & More

Posted by Emmett Wilks on 07.22.2008

Two big trades highlight a big week in the NFL, Brian Westbrook is unhappy in Philadelphia, and the Bears get serious about their offense. Plus a Reader Response to the Top 10 lists and much more in this edition of the NFL Round Up!

Howdy all, and welcome to NFL Round Up! While we are still over a month away from the regular season, players around the country are reporting to camps this week in preparation for the 2008 NFL season. Man, really, this preseason is WAY too long. I played football for 11 years, including 4 years at a Division III college. While we would never be mistaken for an NFL squad, it took us about two weeks to get into football shape. I don't care how complicated an NFL playbook may be for some teams, no one needs SIX WEEKS of preparation for the upcoming season. But I digress. Onto the Round Up!

QUICK NOTES

The Rams agreed to terms with 2nd overall pick Chris Long this weekend. While terms were not released, it is reported that Long will be making somewhere in the neighborhood of $29 million in guaranteed money. Alas, the insanity continues with the first rounders.

But speaking of guys who do deserve a good deal of money, reports are surfacing that the Bears have reached a new deal with All World LB Brian Urlacher. Unhappy with his deal, Urlacher missed some off season training with the team to express his displeasure. The new deal gives him a $6 million signing bonus and about a $1 million increase a year in his existing contract, which works out to $43.5 million over the next five years. That's $16 million more than he was initially going to make. A great move by the Bears, who will have too many worries on offense this season.

And to help alleviate some of those offensive problems, the Bears signed former Lions running back Kevin Jones. Jones, entering his fifth NFL season, had been on the radar for a handful of NFL teams when the Bears scooped him up last Tuesday. With the release of running back Cedric Benson a few weeks ago, the Bears were left with rookie second round pick Matt Forte and the other Adrian Peterson to carry a big offense load. I always like Jones as a player. His 3,058 career rushing yards is very serviceable, and even though he is still recovering from

You know what saying is really annoying when looking at preseason analysis and previews. It is the term "easy schedule." For starters, there is no such thing as an easy game in the NFL, something I have mentioned in pervious articles; 53 professional players taking on 53 other professional players. It is nothing like the University of Miami taking on Florida Atlantic. And to top everything off, the NFL season has not even begun yet. Turnarounds in the NFL, heck, in all pro sports, can take just one season. A basketball team from Boston can attest to that. So to say any team has the quote "easy" or "difficult" schedule is just plain ridiculous in July and August.


Brian Westbrook is not happy with his current contract

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has begun grumblings about his contract to Philly's management according to ESPN. The sixth year back out of Villanova has become the Eagles premier back the last few seasons, and is arguably the second best back in all of football behind LaDainian Tomlinson. Westbrook, how signed a five year, $25 million deal back in 2005 believes he has outperformed that contract. Has he? Most defiantly. Will he get his money? Not sure, but more than likely yes. Already having to deal with an unhappy corner in Lito Sheppard, the typically hard nosed Eagles front office may not be willing to balk so easily, but will eventually. Westbrook wants something in the ballpark of $30 guaranteed, a number that is just very unlikely to happen. He just came of a 1,300 yard rushing and 771 yard receiving season (the best in Eagles history), so he does have a good deal of bargaining room. A compromise is going to have to be made here ($30 million is just not realistic) and with the Eagles looking to capitalize off a great finish last year, they just might cave.

Whispers are brewing out of the San Francisco Bay area that 49er's guard Larry Allen may indeed return for a 15th NFL season. Niners coach Mike Nolan has yet to speak to Allen about his decision, with a general consensus among management that Allen was leaning towards retiring. The future Hall of Famer has been completely silent with the media but has spoken to his O-line coach about a possible return. Any offensive line is better with the addition of Allen, and I hope he returns, if nothing us to thin out what is going to be a stellar 2013 Hall of Fame class with Michael Strahan, Warren Sapp, Jonathan Ogden, and maybe Brett Favre.

If there is one thing that the recent arrest (and likely upcoming release) of Jaguars receiver Matt Jones can tell us is that superior athleticism is not an obvious indicator of a good football player. The former first round draft pick from 2005 was an option quarterback in at the University of Arkansas made jaws drop with his insane NFL Combine numbers. He stood 6'6", weighed in at 245 lbs, and ran a 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, not to mention a vertical leap of just under 40 inches. Numbers wise, this was a can't miss prospect in every sense of the word. Now this is not yet another one of those rants about how "no one can determine an NFL bust" or something like that. Instead, it is to try to make sense of how and why in a sport, that on the surface, seemly needs an absurd and abundant of amount of athletic gifts in order to dominate it, is performed so well by men who often times are deemed "not that athletic" such as Tom Brady or Zach Thomas.

SOME VERY GOOD MOVES

Bravo for two excellent trades in the NFL this week. The first was between the Redskins and Dolphins, the latter sending All Pro DE Jason Taylor up I-95 to Washington. The reports coming out now have this trade taking 6 hours to complete from idea to reality. Talk about a high speed world. The speed for the move occurred after the Redskins lost starting DE Phillip Daniels for the season on the first day of camp in a 7 on 7 drill. Daniels, a solid player for the Skins was also a team leader, and his loss hit the Skins suddenly and shockingly. Washington's VP of Football Vinny Cerrato was soon on the phone with Miami to get their replacement. Taylor, who had come to be at odds with the new regime in Miami under Bill Parcells was seeking a trade, and the Fins were happy to accommodate him. It was clear from the very beginning that Parcells, GM Jeff Ireland and coach Tony Sparano were going to be short fused with their new players, and Taylor (with his Dancing with the Stars exploits) was no exception. While the Favre Fiasco had knocked Taylor and Dolphins out of the headlines in recent weeks, the two parties had been actively seeking a civil divorce, and this looks to be exactly what they wanted. In return for Taylor, the Fins picked up a 2nd round pick in 2009 and 6th round draft pick the following year.

This is very mutually beneficial trade. The Redskins are getting one of the best DE's in all of football. Many people inside the Redskins organization don't believe Taylor won't play the last year of his contract in 2009. Asked about the chances of Taylor playing just one season by SI's Peter King, Cerrato responded with "Zero, I'm 100 percent sure he's going to play out this contract [which has 2008 and 2009 to run] and then some. I wouldn't be surprised if he signed another contract and played several more years.'' In his press conference on Tuesday, Taylor expressed interest in finishing his contract, but I'll keep a "we'll see" attitude with that one. But the Skins must be happy about the deal. Daniels, for all his great work ethic and team leadership is still a just a serviceable NFL player, while Taylor is a six-time All Pro who has two or three good seasons left in him. Whether or not he plays those seasons is still unknown, but the Skins have him for at least 2008.

Playing in the NFC East is not easy for anyone. With the Giants coming off a Super Bowl win, the Cowboys a 13-3 record, and the Eagles being the sexy pick for "comeback team" this year, the Redskins and first year head coach Jim Zorn need a boost wherever possible in this ultra competitive division. Taylor will help what is already a good, but not great ball team in a potentially big way. By moving from right end to left end (Andre Carter will remain at his position with the Redskins) Taylor will be able to be a playmaking force for his new team.

What maybe getting written off here is how the Dolphins are benefiting from all of this trade. With a 2nd round pick in 09 and a 6th rounder in 2010, Parcells is practicing the age old tradition of building up draft picks to help remold a franchise and build a winner. The formula is tried and true, from the early 80's Redskins, 90's Cowboys, and Parcell's disciple Bill Bellichick in New England. Continued success in the NFL is built through the draft, and Parcell's knows this. The Fins are simply not a playoff contender this season, unless Chad Henne is the second coming of Marino, but that is likely not the case. Parcell's, from an outsiders perspective, seems to have a rebuilding plan firmly established that will bring Miami back. More draft picks are seemingly going to be a major component of that.

News of the second trade broke on Tuesday that Giants TE Jeremy Shockey would be heading to the Saints for 2nd and 5th round picks. Again, a move I love for both teams. As with the Dolphins and Redskins, the Saints and the Giants both addressed needs while playing to their own respective strengths.

The Saints hit a snag last season when they serviceable defense of '06 descended into a joke and injuries hit the offense hard. With several free agent acquisitions this off season (including LB Jonathan Vilma) and draft picks (DT Sedrick Ellis and CB Tracy Porter), they felt like the D was addressed. But the glaring hole remained at TE, where QB Drew Brees has little to no safety valve in the offense that stagnated after a remarkable 2006 campaign, falling from 5th to 16th in points scored the last two seasons. While criticism of Shockey in a very en vogue thing right now, I still vividly remember the tight end who bullied his way onto the NFL landscape in 2002 with a take no prisoner's attitude and fiery demeanor. Injuries cost Shockey almost all of last years season for the Super Bowl Giants and back up rookie TE Kevin Boss played very well for the G-Men. If and when he gets healthy, he is going to be a major boost for the Saints, and that chip on his shoulder is going to be very, very big. Good news for the Saints. But maybe even better news for the Giants.

The G-Men made out like bandits on this trade, with a 2nd and 5th round pick. Obviously they found a suitor who found Shockey's trade value higher than most other NFL teams. Why is this so good for the Giants? Because they have a very, very good GM who can use these picks. In his first season on the job, first year GM Jerry Reese selected eight players in the 2007 draft. Not only did every single one make the team, but each one played a role in the Giants championship run. While it is still premature to call Reese a draft genius, it is clear that guy does a heck of a job. With the NFC East viciously competitive every season, Reese can use those picks to continually reload and restock what is a talented football team.


READER RESPONSE

There was a very large amount of comments and mail last week regarding the Top 10 Quarterbacks list on the Round Up. All of the comments are very much appreciated and I thank everyone for reading. This is a labor of love in every possible way. As I suspected would happen, a large amount of the polite criticism came not from names that were excluded (though there were some), but rather from the rankings themselves. For example,

Shockmaster wrote

Manning above Brady is crazy, and that's coming from a diehard Hatriot. So many duels and Brady almost always wins. Four Three Super Bowl wins to one, it's not even close. Factor the Pats have had little to no running game to take the pressure off and it's laughable.

And this was furthered by Jamie who wrote;

Okay, as much as I hate to see it, Peyton does belong in his spot. However, Brett Favre is not better than Tom Brady. Reliable? Sure. But better than a man who has been to 4 Super bowl's in the past 7 years? And who has won 3 of them? Please. Tom Brady is better that Favre, and will eventually be better than the "number one guy" Manning.


As for the first comment, it is one of the biggest football debates we have today, and will likely have for another several years. There is little doubt that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are hands down the best QB's of this decade. To really debate these two guys is difficult, like "splitting hairs" as another person posted on the comments. Both guys will have detractors who make legitimate points. Lest we forget that Brady has always been complemented by great defenses during his Super Bowl runs (In 2001, they ranked 6th in points per game, 1st in 2003, and 2nd in 2004). And yes, Manning has been blessed with great players around him; Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Edgrrin James, and not to mention the stellar offensive linemen he has been provided. This to go along with the arrival of coach Tony Dungy who made a once laughable defense into one of the leagues most consistently best. Both guys have played on great teams while at the same time being great players themselves. I made the ranking on what I see in my football assessment. I believe that Manning is just better than Brady at controlling a team's defense (and their own offense), and has done it for a longer period of time than Brady.

As for the comment by Jamie, that is defiantly a sentiment felt by many people, but one that I must politely disagree with. Our memories can be very funny things. We heap praise on men like Montana and Unitas, even though many of us never saw theme play in their respective primes. With Favre, I do remember seeing him in his prime during the late 1990's. There was no quarterback in football that was close to him, not one. Guys like Elway and Steve Young remained excellent, but no one could match what Favre was doing in Green Bay. While many commentators and critics like to make light of Favre's most recent shortcomings in playoff games in the latter part of his career, it cannot be forgotten that this man was indeed a three straight time MVP to the NFL. His entire body of work was and is greater than that of Brady, but not Manning in my opinion. There is absolutely no doubt that, barring injury, Brady will easily jump over Favre with just a few more seasons in New England. But last weeks list was not about hypothetical in the future, it was about the here and now. And that is where is see it right now.


Also, I seem to get a good deal of discussion from what I think would be one of lesser controversial pieces of the column, the Future consideration section. What I do want people to recognize is that the list is nothing concrete in my assessments. It is merely CONSIDERATION, nothing more. This is not to say these men will achieve status among the greats I had mentioned above them, but rather that at this point in their respective careers, they might one day be able to have some consideration. It is certainly not to say they will. There are just some players in the NFL, for a multitude of reasons, who are just lighting rods for certain people. Take exhibit one for example:

From Brad-

You killed the column when you mentioned he words "Tony Romo" seriously, that piece of shit cant tie Troy Aikman's boots.

Harsh language, but a sentiment held by several people out there. Again, a point I must politely disagree with in general. True that at this particular point, Romo cannot tie Troy Aikman's shoes. But Aikman is still the guy who went 0-11 his first NFL season and 7-9 in his second. Romo, despite not yet winning a playoff game, has gone 19-8 as a starter thus far in his career. If you base things on their first two seasons, than the contest isn't even close. But I know that it is and should be about the career as a whole, and Romo has a a lot of ground to catch up on. Romo is a very good passer, scrambler, and all-around quarterback. I know his celebrity is both distracting and irritating for many fans, not mention he is a Dallas Cowboy, the team that elicits more hate than any other. But he is still among the NFL's best at the position, so he, indeed he deserves consideration! for a future that none of us know.

Another upset response came from someone named Guest#9448

Derek Anderson???? Ha. Haha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Jesus Christ man. What the hell are you smoking? The guy has one decent season and now he is in the "future consideration" category for best QBs of all time? He isn't one of the 10 best AFC North QBs of all time.


Like all writers, my guess is that I am a sucker for a good story, and Anderson is that story. Yes indeed, he has one good season under his belt, and not even a great one. But this man came from nowhere, a fifth round draft pick out of Oregon State who no one paid any attention to and has led a terrible team back into contention. Crazier things have happened before. My memories of the Browns-Chiefs game are still vivid in my mind from 2006. Anderson, then the totally unknown 2nd year player, came off the bench in a 28-14 deficit. He then tossed two second half TD's and dashed for a 32 yard scramble that set up the Browns 31-28 overtime win against the Chiefs. And after seeing the bench for the first game in 2007, he responded by leading the Browns to a 10-5 record as a starter and a Pro Bowl bid. Anderson is a good QB, no doubt. What he will become, just like any of these players is for time to tell us. But he will be entering his second season as the Browns starter, and a prime opportunity to show us what he's made of. Will he regress ala Tommy Maddox or blossom into a solid, heck maybe spectacular NFL starter, who knows. All I do know is that I am pumped to see.


Vince Young drew a lot of heat for his inclusion on Future Consideration list

And then came the guy who really got some people fired up, Vince Young.

Kevin wrote:

Give me a break Vince Young is one of the worst passing QB's in the NFL by far.

And that was further by Ego who said:

C'mon, putting him into the discussion is just buying into the hype. If you're going to put his name in there, you'd need to put the other QB's in the league that are already light years ahead of his level of play. Yes, he won some games...but look at the dude's stats:

2006: 12 TD's, 13 INT's
2007: 9 TD's, 17 INT's

That's terrible for a NFL QB. Personally I think he's a poor man's Michael Vick...he's got the legs...but not the passing ability.

Both guys are right to say that Young has been a weak passer initially in his first two seasons. But the key is they were his first two seasons. He has room for improvement in the passing game, yet still has been able to produce wins. Young, in his first two seasons as a starter still has more wins than guys like Aikman and Steve Young. Yes he has thrown interceptions and not a lot of touchdowns. But only 2 of those career picks have come in under 2 minutes to play, and he has thrown just 2 redzone interceptions in his career. Has he been perfect? Far from it. But he has carried his squad more so than even Ben Roethlisberger did with his amazing 2005 15-1 campaign, when he was a caretaker for a great running game and defense. While a very talented defensive unit has helped the team as whole, Young has still been productive in the win column (the number 1 priority of all QB's), and to continually beat the dead horse, he simply warrants consideration for what he has done thus far in his very short NFL career.



I've had enough for this week. Have a good week everyone.