A Writer Who Covers the Bills - Trade Idea

[azdad1978]

I don't want Travis Henry under any scenario. We can pick up Ciatric Fason with our #44. He the second coming of LaDanian Tomlinson.......but think of these options:

#1 Trade Anquan Boldin to Baltimore for their 1st rounder (#22) overall. They need a WR big time and Boldin comes a hell of a lot cheaper than Randy Moss. We eliminate the sure fire problems of Boldin's likely protracted contract negotiation and in having two similar styles of WR on the field at the same time. We now have the #8 and the #22 picks in round #1.

#2 Trade LJ Shelton to Cleveland for their 2nd round pick (#35). Cleveland need an OT big time and they would not find anyone as good as LJ in the 2nd round. We now have the #35 and the #44 picks in round #2.

#3 Trade Ray Thompson to Kansaas City for their 3rd round pick which is #79 overall. Outside of a CB, KC's biggest need id for a OLB. Thompson is better than anyone they could pick up with this pick. We now have the #75 and the #79 in the 3rd round.

Each of these players are currently signed to very cap friendly contracts that have lots of life left in them. This makes these trades very attractive to these respective teams.

In summary, we now would have the #8 and the #22 in the 1st; the #35 and the #44 in the 2nd and the #75 and the #79 in the 3rd. We've gone from 3 picks in the 1st three rounds to having 6. We've eliminated one potential problem in Boldin and cleaned out player's who Green doesn't like.

At #8, we take Heath Miller (TE). He replaces Freddie Jones who doesn't deserve to be resigned to a bloated extention. At #22 we take Daryl Blackstock as our new W/OLB. Darling starts the season at W/OLB and has value as a back up MLB to Gerald Hayes. Blackstock eases into the starting line up a la Dansby last year.

At # 35, we take Mark Clayton as a replacement to Boldin. Bryant Johnson moves to split end to replace Anquan; Fitz stays in the slot and Clayton becomes our new deep threat. He has speed to burn. With the #44, we take Ciatric Fason.

At #75, we grab James Butler as our next FS.........and at #79 it is a slam dunk.......Luis Castillo.....our run stopping DT.

And I've only had three glasses of scotch and one of them darn British Columbia stoggies......wait till I over load and talk about what really is likely to happen as we get closer to the FA signing and Draft period.

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[daytripper]

The trade possibilities with the Bills are intriguing.
As they dont have a first round pick this year due to the trade last year with Dallas that brought the Bills Losman, they will be looking for some help on day one.
Something I havent seen mentioned here yet is that the Bills starting left tackle, Jennings, is about to become a free agent.
My idea for a trade is our second and Shelton for Jennings and Henry. Both teams address needs and we get a back and a lineman who are used to each other. Granted the issue of Henrys value is still a question that may be addresed by swapping later round picks.
Anyway it goes were going to need to see several of these moves soon in order to catch up to the curve in place for the new stadium.

Hasta Luego

GBR 40

 

[imaCafan]

Are you advocating Jennings at RT, because Green already has his LT.........

 

[Crazy Canuck]

The trade possibilities with the Bills are intriguing.
As they dont have a first round pick this year due to the trade last year with Dallas that brought the Bills Losman, they will be looking for some help on day one.
Something I havent seen mentioned here yet is that the Bills starting left tackle, Jennings, is about to become a free agent.
My idea for a trade is our second and Shelton for Jennings and Henry. Both teams address needs and we get a back and a lineman who are used to each other. Granted the issue of Henrys value is still a question that may be addresed by swapping later round picks.
Anyway it goes were going to need to see several of these moves soon in order to catch up to the curve in place for the new stadium.

Hasta Luego

GBR 40

Trade for a guy who is about to become a free agent.... why?

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I don't want Travis Henry under any scenario. We can pick up Ciatric Fason with our #44. He the second coming of LaDanian Tomlinson.......but think of these options:

#1 Trade Anquan Boldin to Baltimore for their 1st rounder (#22) overall. They need a WR big time and Boldin comes a hell of a lot cheaper than Randy Moss. We eliminate the sure fire problems of Boldin's likely protracted contract negotiation and in having two similar styles of WR on the field at the same time. We now have the #8 and the #22 picks in round #1.

#2 Trade LJ Shelton to Cleveland for their 2nd round pick (#35). Cleveland need an OT big time and they would not find anyone as good as LJ in the 2nd round. We now have the #35 and the #44 picks in round #2.

#3 Trade Ray Thompson to Kansaas City for their 3rd round pick which is #79 overall. Outside of a CB, KC's biggest need id for a OLB. Thompson is better than anyone they could pick up with this pick. We now have the #75 and the #79 in the 3rd round.

Each of these players are currently signed to very cap friendly contracts that have lots of life left in them. This makes these trades very attractive to these respective teams.

In summary, we now would have the #8 and the #22 in the 1st; the #35 and the #44 in the 2nd and the #75 and the #79 in the 3rd. We've gone from 3 picks in the 1st three rounds to having 6. We've eliminated one potential problem in Boldin and cleaned out player's who Green doesn't like.

At #8, we take Heath Miller (TE). He replaces Freddie Jones who doesn't deserve to be resigned to a bloated extention. At #22 we take Daryl Blackstock as our new W/OLB. Darling starts the season at W/OLB and has value as a back up MLB to Gerald Hayes. Blackstock eases into the starting line up a la Dansby last year.

At # 35, we take Mark Clayton as a replacement to Boldin. Bryant Johnson moves to split end to replace Anquan; Fitz stays in the slot and Clayton becomes our new deep threat. He has speed to burn. With the #44, we take Ciatric Fason.

At #75, we grab James Butler as our next FS.........and at #79 it is a slam dunk.......Luis Castillo.....our run stopping DT.

And I've only had three glasses of scotch and one of them darn British Columbia stoggies......wait till I over load and talk about what really is likely to happen as we get closer to the FA signing and Draft period.

Cue bong rip pic Maddog!

 

[WildBB]

T. Henry:

1438 yards rushing in 2002 w/ 13 TD's, 1356 yards in '03 w/ 10 TD's.

Last year he was beat out by first round draft pick Willis McGahee, similar to Shelton's being displaced by the second overall pick of a couple of seasons ago.

Only last week we were discussing Emmitt's 900+ yards as being the best Cardinal's rushing production since A. Murrell in the late ninties.

That's why some might be interested in Travis Henry.

The Shark

Give me that kind of second tier back any day!

 

[WildBB]

BC Stoggies! I thought that they and Cuban cigars were outlawed south of the 49th.

The scenario is a touch too complcated for me.

For whatever the reasons. LJ's relationship with the Cards is largely fractured... and much the same may be said for Henry and the Bills.

I'd take the trade 1 for 1... and move on.

If the Cards believe it has to be sweetened a touch, we can take the Bills sixth round pick to replace the one we traded to the Raiders.

Just make it a 5th - Done!

 

[AntSports Steve]

I think LJ is just testing the waters. For the Cards to trade LJ, they are going to want real value. So.... I see LJ being the Cards starting RT next year unless they are blown out of the water by a trade. Henry and all the other RBs that people want to trade for are just not worth it. Why? When you can have a shot at either Alexander or LaMont Jordan for free.

Tell LJ to get his butt in shape and ready to play because the Cards still need him. Clemment, better get his self ready also, because he's the backup and if he wants to start again, he had better play well in his limited time this year.

The Cards won't tollerate any more slackers, so get your ass in shape now. They are going to the playoffs in 2005 and you will work hard or be left behind.

 

[jefftheshark]

AntSport Steve:

Personally, I think LJ is going to leave.

With Step filling in just fine for Kendall, I don’t think DG is afraid of replacing a ROT. That said, I think the Cards have already expressed an interest in Henry, so LJ’s asking for a trade looks to be a great opportunity.

Thanks for answering my cap question. My thought is that we have two great needs, a run stopper, and someone else to tote the rock. A trade for Henry, and a FA pickup of Williams would seem to meet this criteia. The draft can then be for BPA across the board.

I agree that anyone not toeing the line in regards to strength training and off-season workouts will be on the outside, looking in.

The Shark

 

[Billy Flynt]

Won't fly. Starting LTs are worth more than second tier starting RBs. I'd rather do draft picks.

Henry is worth a 3rd rounder. Shelton, a low 1st rounder.

Even a part-time starter on an underacheiving line?

Make this trade!

 

[daytripper]

Are you advocating Jennings at RT, because Green already has his LT.........

I have a feeling there will be several moves along the o line this year. Jennings at RT seems logical but I wouldnt mind seeing him at Lt with Big at LG where he can dominate.

GBR 40

 

[daytripper]

Trade for a guy who is about to become a free agent.... why?

IMHO it would be easier to negotiate with him if we had his rights rather than letting shop FA. Also I would guess that if something like this would happen that we would want to tie down a contract prior to making a trade.

 

[JPlay]

Trade a pro-bowl wide reciever for the #22 pick are you crazy. Boldin is a third year player that has had the greatest 2 years ever for a WR and that's with him missing almost half the season last year and playing with a less than competent QB. You don't know what you'll get with the #22 pick. Just pay Boldin what he deserves.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Won't fly. Starting LTs are worth more than second tier starting RBs. I'd rather do draft picks.

Henry is worth a 3rd rounder. Shelton, a low 1st rounder.

skorp, you are usually so much more realistic. do you REALLY beleive we're gonna get a low 1st rounder for shelton?!? we drafted him the low first round and now he's got less tread on his tires. he's not a dominant LT, never was. he's been part of the worst oline in the league for years, even if he was the best part of it. and he ended the season on IR. i think we'd be LUCKY to get a 3rd for him. i'd trade him for henry in a second.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Henry hardly played at all last season.

If he isn't good enough to start for the Bills why should the Cards look at him as their starter?

Henry is also small at just 5'9. Henry got picked late in the 2nd round and hardly played last season. I wouldn't give up an early third round pick for Henry.

this is so short-sighted it's incredible. mcgahee came in a took away the job. just b/c someone does something better doesn't mean the other player can't play. or would you have turned up your nose on priest holmes when jamal lewis came in and took his starting spot on the ravens. hmm, priest was also short like henry. hmm, priest was a much later pick than 2nd round. your arguments are faulty. henry is a proven commodity in the league. he is very much worth a 3rd round selection.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I want to grow our own RB......Henry is solid but has three years of wear on his tires.....Shelton is worth more to us than Henry is. Henry's on the smallish side.

It's not that I don't like Henry.......but!

why is shelton worth more to us than henry? back up the statement w/ some arguments please.

shelton has been part of a putrid offensive line. henry has produced rushings seasons not seen in arizona since the cards moved in. who would be worth more to us . . . ?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

What scares me is using a first round pick on a Thomas Jones/Curtis Enis/Ki-Jana Carter/Rashaan Salaam.

right, so pinning our hopes on a leland mcelroy is a much better idea . . .

 

[jefftheshark]

Wow! Ouchie just hit for the cycle, as I agree with all four of his last posts.

The Shark

 

[joeshmo]

IMHO it would be easier to negotiate with him if we had his rights rather than letting shop FA. Also I would guess that if something like this would happen that we would want to tie down a contract prior to making a trade.

Crazy C was talking about your Jennings idea in the trade, not Henry.

Jennings will be a FA, so the Bills wont own his rights to trade to us, unless they put the franchise tag on him which they wont.

 

[Lomax to Green 84]

Really if you look at what Dennis Green goes after, Travis Henry fits the bill perfectly. Denny has said more than once that he likes guys in 4-6 year range of their careers. He said that guys in that range who have had some ups and downs tend to be more hungry. Is their a guy with more chip on his shoulder in the entire league than Travis Henry? Here is a guy who put up pro bowl numbers in 2002 and 2003 and then gets replaced for no apparent reason except that the organization wanted to get their #1 pick on the field.

Henry runs hard, he runs downfield, and he is a proven commodity with only 4 years of service in the league and basically an entire year of inactivity in 2004. He has always struck me as a guy with alot of pride. Kind of a underappreciated type who had to deal with the same type of underappreciation at the University of Tennessee playing behind Jamal Lewis and now has it with the Bills and McGahee. The guy puts up big numbers every year and every year the team he plays for looks for a better replacement. Jamal Lewis was the superstar that the Vols needed and Henry put up superior numbers and McGahee was the game changer the Bills needed and once again Henry's numbers were superior to McGahee's.

Henry is a 1200-1500 yard back every year. Not flashy. Not necessarily big or extremely fast, but extremely dependent and productive. I'd trade him for Shelton in a minute.

 

[Russ Smith]

Henry runs hard, he runs downfield, and he is a proven commodity with only 4 years of service in the league and basically an entire year of inactivity in 2004. He has always struck me as a guy with alot of pride. Kind of a underappreciated type who had to deal with the same type of underappreciation at the University of Tennessee playing behind Jamal Lewis and now has it with the Bills and McGahee. The guy puts up big numbers every year and every year the team he plays for looks for a better replacement. Jamal Lewis was the superstar that the Vols needed and Henry put up superior numbers and McGahee was the game changer the Bills needed and once again Henry's numbers were superior to McGahee's.

.

That part just isn't true, Lewis had a knee injury in college but when healthy he was a MUCH better back than Henry, that's why he played.

And the primary difference between Henry and McGahee is blocking, I pointed it out awhile ago if you look at the sack numbers when Henry played and when McGahee played it becomes quite apparent that McGahee is a superior blitz pickup guy and with a QB like Bledsoe that was a huge deal.

Neither guy was great out of the backfield catching the ball. McGahee got 4 YPC this year and he didn't fumble nearly as much as Henry has. He had as many TD's this year as Henry's best year, had the same number of 20 +yard runs, in 5 less starts. They didn't bench Henry just to get McGahee on the field, Henry wasn't 100% healthy and eventually missed the last 5 games completely.

He's a good RB but I don't think it was a coincidence that McGahee started and they went on a hot streak.

 

[Lomax to Green 84]

That part just isn't true, Lewis had a knee injury in college but when healthy he was a MUCH better back than Henry, that's why he played.

And the primary difference between Henry and McGahee is blocking, I pointed it out awhile ago if you look at the sack numbers when Henry played and when McGahee played it becomes quite apparent that McGahee is a superior blitz pickup guy and with a QB like Bledsoe that was a huge deal.

Neither guy was great out of the backfield catching the ball. McGahee got 4 YPC this year and he didn't fumble nearly as much as Henry has. He had as many TD's this year as Henry's best year, had the same number of 20 +yard runs, in 5 less starts. They didn't bench Henry just to get McGahee on the field, Henry wasn't 100% healthy and eventually missed the last 5 games completely.

He's a good RB but I don't think it was a coincidence that McGahee started and they went on a hot streak.

Russ, I agree that Jamal Lewis was the better talent, but I know some Tennessee Vols fans who told me that if Lewis has stayed at Tennessee his senior year he was going to be the backup to Travis Henry because Henry tore it up the year that Lewis came back from the injury. Lewis averaged only something like 4 yards per carry his junior year compared to something like 6 yards per carry from Henry. I agree that Lewis was an absolute freak when he came into the Vols program as a freshman (pre-ACL injury). I really thought that Lewis was the best back I had ever seen when he was a freshman.

 

[joeshmo]

He's a good RB but I don't think it was a coincidence that McGahee started and they went on a hot streak.

I will try to find the article I read this in but the gist of it was:

The coaches equated there win streak to one thing. There oline. They had 2 new starters and they felt like they just did not gel during there lossing streak, and their chemsitry was way off. The oline had a private meeting without coaches after the Baltimore loss and from there on out they played like cohesive madmen.

McGahee had a little part of it, but the biggest factor was their oline IMO.

 

[Russ Smith]

I will try to find the article I read this in but the gist of it was:

The coaches equated there win streak to one thing. There oline. They had 2 new starters and they felt like they just did not gel during there lossing streak, and their chemsitry was way off. The oline had a private meeting without coaches after the Baltimore loss and from there on out they played like cohesive madmen.

McGahee had a little part of it, but the biggest factor was their oline IMO.

Could be, in 98, Lewis averaged 6.8 YPC, Henry 5.1, Henry had 100 more carries. Next year 4.5 Lewis, 5.6 Henry, Lewis had ~70 more carries. Careerwise both averaged 5.5YPC.

People also forget, that 99 season was the year Travis Henry was carried off the field on a backboard with a potential career ending neck injury. I think that's another reason Buffalo has been hesitant to commit to him long term, apparently the same thing happened to him in highschool. So even though tests all cleared him to play, one of the reasons he slipped in the NFL draft was concern over that injury.

He's a good player but I can certainly see McGahee taking his place, he's a terrific blocker and just as good a runner.

 

[Russ Smith]

I will try to find the article I read this in but the gist of it was:

The coaches equated there win streak to one thing. There oline. They had 2 new starters and they felt like they just did not gel during there lossing streak, and their chemsitry was way off. The oline had a private meeting without coaches after the Baltimore loss and from there on out they played like cohesive madmen.

McGahee had a little part of it, but the biggest factor was their oline IMO.

Pass protection improved immediately upon inserting McGahee as a starter.

Maybe that was OL gelling, or maybe it was replacing a non blocking RB with a very good blocking RB?

The first 4 games Henry was the primary back and they were sacked 19 times including 7 each by Oakland and New England. Miami game on, last 12 games with McGahee, 18 sacks total.

now I'm certain SOME of that is the OL, I'm not saying McGahee is Jonathan Ogden as a RB or something, but that's a pretty staggering difference and it happened right after they benched Henry so I'm guessing that was one of the primary reasons they did it.