NFL TRADE A SURPRISE
There just aren’t a lot of them
The NFL’s trade deadline is upon us already: Tuesday at 4 p. m. EST.
Denver’s acquisition late Monday afternoon of San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis notwithstanding, pardon me if I don’t ask the bosses here to launch a live TradesTracker website.
This isn’t the NHL, whose trade deadline comes deep — five months deep — into its sixmonth regular season. Or the NBA or Major League Baseball, whose trade deadlines come about two- thirds of the way through.
The NFL one comes so early, more than half of the teams this season haven’t played half of their 16 games yet. No wonder few owners, GMs or coaches want to sell off any assets, what with so much hope — read: tickets — still to sell.
It’s no coincidence. This is as NFL owners want it.
If they wanted to be like the NHL, when media ( at least in Canada) spend days previewing trade- deadline day and assign teams of insiders to report on and analyze even the who- cares transactions as they happen, then the league would set the trade deadline later in the season. The NFL doesn’t want all those midseason transactions.
About once a decade there’s a blockbuster deal on NFL deadline day. Such as in 1989 when Dallas sent Herschel Walker to Minnesota for future Lombardi Trophies, or so it eventually seemed. Eighteen players or draft picks were involved in that swap.
Remember many others? Of course you don’t.
But if there was ever going to be a year when ample deadlineday activity was warranted in the NFL, it’s this year.
Nine teams — more than a quarter of the league — have only one or two victories. Of those, probably only 2- 5 Dallas in the middling NFC East has a realistic shot at the playoffs.
There would surely be many buyers if this year’s trade deadline were later. As is, maybe there still will be a few surprise transactions, given what Denver did Monday to upgrade at tight end.
For instance, Seattle, New England, Denver, Buffalo and Miami need help on the O- line.
Green Bay and Carolina need a first- rate wide receiver.
Dallas could use an impact running back.
And before Monday’s surprising trade, the Broncos craved a more athletic, impactful tight end. The acquisition of Davis — the 10th- year, two- time Pro Bowler who shone in 2011 and 2012 when Jim Harbaugh featured him in an overhauled Niners attack — gives Peyton Manning another potentially elite receiving option. NFL Network said Denver, in return, sent undisclosed late- round draft picks to San Francisco.
There may well be other oneor two- loss teams besides the 2- 6 Niners willing to accommodate the buyers, as long as inflated draft- pick compensation is right.
Detroit, for instance, doesn’t possess one untouchable asset. That includes Calvin ( Megatron) Johnson, the nine- figure WR who, for the life of him, can’t get Matthew Stafford to throw him the damn ball often enough. And if anyone wants Stafford, they could probably get him cheap.
Chicago, too, has assets worth draft picks — and the Bears play host to the draft again, don’t forget. What might fourth- year WR Alshon Jeffery get on an active trade market? Or Jay Cutler, even? On we could go. Alas, history informs us we’re unlikely to see many deadline deals on Tuesday. If the league ever punts this deadline forward several weeks, imagine how much more fun we could have.
HERO: Peyton Manning, QB, Broncos. He can’t play anymore, right? He must have read stories that questioned whether he can still play effectively, or at least addressed that question. If you missed it, on Sunday night he looked like the Peyton of old. Throwing crisp, completed passes short and ( yes) even deep in piloting the heretofore poor Broncos attack to 500 yards, including 340 through the air on 21- of- 29 accuracy. If Manning can keep it up, Denver — with
THAT defence — will be hard to beat.
ZERO: Edward Jones Dome officials. In this day and age, how can the following be allowed to happen?
The St. Louis Rams’ lame- duck home stadium flanks the football playing surface lengthwise with concrete strips. Last week, Browns QB Josh McCown slid on the concrete and smacked into the surrounding wall, hurting his throwing shoulder. Seven days later, on Sunday, 49ers running back Reggie Bush did the same skate- and- slide thing on the concrete, only he wiped out on his butt as he slid. His legs crashed into the wall. Bush had to be carted off, with a left knee injury.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday said it’s believed Bush tore the ACL. Jeesh.
If the irresponsible local authorities who own the dome, and who let this happen a second time in two weeks, don’t immediately cover that concrete surface with rubber mats or something that eliminates this stupid danger, the NFL must step in and order them to do so.
STOCK UP: Arizona Cardinals offence. We knew at the start of the season it would be good. But few thought it would be, and remain, this prolific. The Cardinals lead the league in touchdowns scored ( 32) — four more than New England, five more than New Orleans and six more than Atlanta. Five of the six Arizona wins have come by double digits, including all three road wins.
Also, the Cards lead the league in big plays, with 44 of 20- plus yards. And in Sunday’s 34- 20 win at Cleveland, the Cards converted 81.3 per cent of their third downs ( 13- of- 16) — the highest rate in an NFL game in 27 years.
STOCK DOWN: Giants defence. It’s eroding, and fast. New York has allowed 1,351 total yards and 898 passing yards since halftime against Philly, 2 ½ weeks ago. Calculated on a per- game basis, that’s 540 total yards and 359 passing yards against. Last week against Dallas, the Giants couldn’t even stop the run anymore, after leading the league in that category into October.