Don't you just hate flip-floppers? Yeah, us, too, except when we are forced to reverse positions on an issue. Like the much discussed trade of Buffalo Bills disgruntled tailback Travis Henry to the Arizona Cardinals for left offensive tackle L.J.Shelton, who clearly has fallen out of favor with coach Dennis Green and his staff. We reported in this space two weeks ago that the swap would almost certainly occur before the draft.
And now? We're not so sure. For one thing, upon further inspection, the Buffalo staff isn't nearly as enamored of Shelton as it once appeared to be. There are some Bills coaches who feel that Shelton would not be a starter in Buffalo, and that he probably would serve only as the team's No. 6 offensive lineman. That means, barring an unexpected event, the Bills plan to move starting center Trey Teague to left tackle, the position he played early in his career, with the Denver Broncos. It also probably means there will not be a straight player-for-player swap between the Bills and the Cardinals. The Bills still feel they need to get something more in return for Henry, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, who lost his starting job to Willis McGahee last season, and who has vowed he will never again play in a Bills uniform.
So if Henry isn't shipped off to Arizona, where does he go? Maybe back to the Bills, who certainly can afford to keep him, especially with a palatable base salary of $1.25 million. Sure, there would have to be some fences mended for Henry to play in Buffalo again. But the rhetoric and posturing of March and April, such as that done by Henry a couple weeks ago, typically is long forgotten [and forgiven] when teams start doling out paychecks.
There also is the possibility that Buffalo could find a trade partner other than Arizona, and that notion isn't so far-fetched. A few other clubs have contacted Bills general manager Tom Donahoe and, while none has yet to approximate the ardor of the Cardinals, plenty can happen before the draft. Do not discount teams such as Tampa Bay, Seattle (if the Seahawks suddenly found a buyer for "franchise" tailback Shaun Alexander), Houston and Minnesota as potential suitors.
. Desperation is setting in the Buffalo camp.
