Let's Make a Deal

I wanted to write this post last week, but I was so busy in trying to fill holes in my Walgreens' work schedules (and just you know, if any of you die, I'm taking 10 days off and going to San Diego) and making more trades, that there never really was an opportunity. As such, it's a week late, but I'm sure Baron will be happy for anything that moves Cato June's name down the blog page a bit.

From October 25th to October 28th, five blockbuster deals were made, and I was involved in four of them. If not for that fifth one and Morris, I would have entitle the piece "Iceberg, Right Ahead!" but instead have settled on the largely recycled Monty Hall game show title.

October 25th:
Ed gets:
Drew Brees
Michael Turner
Lance Briggs
Drew's 9th round 2007 selection

Drew gets:
Brandon Jacobs
Kellen Winslow
Michael Pittman
Ed's 6th round 2007 selection

Why it makes sense for Madd Skillz?

In a one week span, Ed went from having two capable if not flashy quarterback to zero. The Tony Romo era began in Dallas and Vikings decided to roll over Matt Hasselbeck's legs. And so for the second time this season, Ed came knocking on my door for quarterback help. Drew Brees is a nice fit, as he has been a steady presence who occasionally opens up for the spectacular performance. He had 21 points last week, and that's with four turnovers. Regardless, with Colston, McCallister, Horn, and Bush, Brees has an offense to work with.

Michael Turner offers depth in the event that LT breaks a leg. Having been after Turner for the better part of the season, Ed finally secured this much coveted backup letting him sleep at night. Also, the addition of Lance Briggs should allow Jamie to sleep soundly after I was told that he was one of her favorite players and who am I to separate a woman and her Bear?

The final part of the deal, and the part that took awhile to hammer out, was the draft pick compensation. We went back and forth on these rounds, throwing out several different options, with Ed desperate to stay out of the supplemental rounds. In the end, he managed to make that happen reacquiring a draft pick, albeit a lower one in the trade.

Why it makes sense for Tice's Partyboat?

At the time I was still under this charade of building toward next year. Brees has twice been a keeper, but a modest one at that. As mentioned his steady presence has been a nice addition to the team, but the opportunity to acquire Tiki's replacement was too great to pass up. I am, actually, the worst general manager of all-time as I went back and looked at all the opportunities I had to acquire Jacobs' talents before this trade.

Actual order of selections from this year's draft:
Drew - Adam Vinateri
JR - Issac Bruce
Stem - Antowain Smith
Ed - Brandon Jacobs

Boy doesn't that sum up four seasons in a nutshell?

Then the week before this deal was solidified, Ed offered Jacobs for Turner straight up. I nearly accepted, but at the time, Turner was playing the 49ers and I thought he'd be more beneficial than the Giant. As such I declined and said that I'd be happy to revisit the deal after Turner was done trashing San Francisco. Turner went on to have 0 carries (despite LT and the Chargers running up the score), and Tiki announced his retirement. As such, the deal I should have taken was off the table. So, instead of having Jacobs, I took a kicker and held onto a backup running back. See, I suck.

But alas, I have Jacobs and some other pieces in the form of Bicycle Solider Kellen Winslow and a mid-round selection next year.

October 26th
Eli gets:
Randy Moss

Drew gets:
Michael Vick
5th round selection in 2007

Why it makes sense for The Slumpbusters?

In the three weeks before the trade, Moss seemed to be returning to form with 17 catches and 2 TDs. Oakland was looking less inept, and frankly Moss's value had never been lower. It was an opportunity to buy low and bolster a receiving corp that was starting Reggie Williams while big names Santana Moss and Roy Williams suffered through byes. Losing Vick was no big loss to Eli as Marc Bulger was the starter on this team, and he had made it through the bye. Dealing from his strength at quarterback had already happened this year when The Gun moved Rex Grossman to JR, so moving another non-playing QB was not unexpected.

Why it makes sense for Tice's Partyboat?

I had a huge gaping hole at quarterback after Brees departed, and Eli is a shrewd, opportunistic dealer who offered a good player at what I still deem a good price. While I'm not sold that Vick is going to do this 3 TD thing every week, as 99% of ESPN's analysts believe, I will still take him on the chance that he does have this type of outing here and there. Vick is a better option than every one on the wire and certainly better than Byron "Is he injured? Is he even the starter?" Leftwich who by default had inherited Tice's Partyboat's QB slot. The draft pick was simply icing on the cake as I, like all Minnesotans, was sick of Moss' shenanigans.

Oct. 26th
Baron gets:
Alge Crumpler

Drew gets:
6th round selection in 2006

Why it makes sense for Fresh Legs?

Despite a fairly solid line-up, tight end was the glaring weakness in Baron's roster. Heath Miller hasn't been a regular part of the Steelers' game plan (just 14 catches), due in no small part to Big Ben's continued struggles. Dallas Clark also has struggled not reaping the benefits of being in the league's best offense (just 19 catches). The opportunity to upgrade to Alge Crumpler (26 catches and as many TDs as the other two combined) was a wise one. It was also a pleasant plus that Crumpler would be coming over the week where he was set to line-up opposite Fresh Legs as Tice's Partyboat's tight end.

Why it makes sense for Tice's Partyboat?

Again, I was still in full fledged rebuilding mode trying to trade any and everything I could this year that would help next year. This deal was in the works even before Kellen Winslow came my way, but once he did, Crumpler was done with Tice's Partyboat. It was after this deal that Ed and I engaged in a series of e-mails with the subject line "Trade Whoring."

Oct. 27th
JR gets:
Edgerrin James

Drew gets:
Carnell Williams

Why it makes sense for The Nihilist Marmot?

Carnell has struggled with the Bucs thanks to a dumb offense and bloody spleens. He has just one touchdown on the season, and frankly, JR grew tired of the exhaust fumes. James, despite his struggles, is still getting a ton of touches in the desert. When Dennis Green gets canned, maybe Arizona will start playing football and James can return to form.

Why it makes sense for Tice's Partyboat?

All of you sons of bitches had combined to make it impossible to trade Edgerrin James for much more than a Culver's ice cream cone (an actual trade I made with Lincoln back in the day did in fact involve frozen custard which was incredibly tasty). A starting running back was just a plus. Though maybe I should have held out for the frozen custard. Damn it, now I'm regretting the whole thing.

Oct. 28th
Eli gets:
Warrick Dunn

Tomke gets:
Maurice Morris
Willis McGahee

Why it makes sense for The Slumpbusters?

In my personal opinion, Eli made this move because he's getting antsy. He's buying into the jinx, and he's doing everything possible to combat it. Warrick Dunn plays for the best rushing team in football and is part of the "now" solution. McGahee is racking up a lot of yards but isn't getting in the end zone. The better bet to win this year is to go with the guy who is playing for Atlanta rather than Buffalo. Lastly, Maurice Morris' value is declining with each passing week as Alexander gets set to return. Why not move him, even as if a trade sweetener while you still can?

Why it makes sense for Who Is Ron Mexico?

Even if a one or two week option, Morris does give Tomke a full slate of running backs to start. Plus who knows if Alexander is even going to be 100% upon returning. It never hurts to have that extra insurance on the roster. But the big reason for the deal was McGahee who has the brighter future. With Dunn already being pushed by Norwood in the Falcons backfield, it might be only a matter of time before Dunn's starting status is questioned. McGahee, on the other hand, is just about the only competent anything in Buffalo and probably will be relevant until 2020.