BRAYLON EDWARDS TRADED & CRABTREE DROPS THE HAMMER
The Cleveland Browns got rid of a PITA(pain in the ass) wide receiver & got 2 players & 2 draft picks for the biggest distraction on their team. Braylon Edwards was traded this morning to the New York Jets for WR Chansi Stuckey, linebacker/special teams guy Jason Trusnik & 2 draft picks believed to be a 3rd & a 5th. Edwards was a Pro Bowl performer in 2007 when he caught 80 passes for 1,289 yards & 16 touchdowns. He suffered thru the Browns QB troubles last season catching 55 passes & only 3 touchdowns, plus he led the league in dropped passes with 16. He was barely involved with the Cleveland offense this season with 10 catches for 139 yards & no scores. He made it clear he wanted out of Cleveland after last season & tho the Browns shopped him around, there were no takers. Coach Eric Mangini considered Edwards a major distraction with his constant complaining & poor practice habits.
The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back came at about 3 AM Monday morning, when Edwards was involved in a dustup at a swank Cleveland nightclub. He allegedly punched the club owner, giving him a black eye. The 6-3 215-pound Edwards hit the wrong guy, the diminutive club owner, said to be 5-7 & about 135 pounds, was a personal friend of the King of Cleveland, LeBron James. Thru the local media, James called Edwards a coward for hitting such a little guy. He said there was no place in Cleveland for people like Edwards. He may still be charged for assault even tho he's moving on to New York.
The Jets get the big, fast receiver they had coveted in the off season. Edwards is only 26 years old. He will move right into the rotation & should be the full time starter within a couple of weeks. Edwards can be a game changer, he can stretch the field & when he minimizes the dropped passes, he is a great red zone target. If Edwards can return to his 2007 form, the Jets got a true steal. The question is, can he stay focused living in New York?
The Browns unloaded a big salary, Edwards was the 3rd overall player selected in the 2005 draft. They unloaded a distraction & even tho I don't think they got equal value, but they got quite a lot for an in-season trade. Stuckey is a decent receiver, he caught Mark Sanchez's first NFL touchdown pass, but he'd been in coach Rex Ryan's doghouse. Stuckey had a Twitter entry gripping about his playing time & Ryan deactivated him for the following game. He should move right into the WR rotation as soon as this Sunday. Stuckey has 43 catches for 479 yards & 4 TD's in his 2 years with the Jets. Trusnik was a throw-in, but the 2 draft picks could become something for the Browns.
Late last night the Forty-Niners & 7th overall pick, the only unsigned player from April's draft, Michael Crabtree, agreed to a 6-year deal. Apparently having M.C. Hammer on the premises was all it took to get this deal done. He wasn't actually in on the contract negotiations, he was just there for moral support. Maybe Hammer was there to teach Crabtree a few endzone dance moves. I doubt the 47-year old Hip-Hoppin' ex-Oakland A's batboy really had too much input.
In reality, I think it was the Niners 3-1 record, without Crabtree, that motivated agent Eugene Parker & Crabtree to get a deal done right now. Every game the Niners win, Crabtree's offer was going to decrease, you know, "who needs ya?" Crabtree wanted more money than his 7th spot was slotted to get. The Niners got around that by giving him a 6-year deal instead of the usual 5-year deal for first rounders. There were also a load of incentives in the deal that realistically won't be reached playing on a Mike Singletary team that runs the ball as much as they do. The 6th year can be voided if certain performance levels are/aren't reached. He is scheduled to earn $4 million in the 6th year, not really that great by NFL WR standards, the kind of contract a productive diva-like wide receiver starts whining about in year 3. The type of deal they want renegotiated. But at the end of the day, the deal looks better on the surface than it really is.
Crabtree most likely won't be activated for Sunday's game with the Falcons, the Niners will petition the league for a 2-week roster exemption so he can get into some sort of playing shape. Frisco's bye week follows the Atlanta game, so Crabtree's 1st appearance will likely come October 25th in Houston.
The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back came at about 3 AM Monday morning, when Edwards was involved in a dustup at a swank Cleveland nightclub. He allegedly punched the club owner, giving him a black eye. The 6-3 215-pound Edwards hit the wrong guy, the diminutive club owner, said to be 5-7 & about 135 pounds, was a personal friend of the King of Cleveland, LeBron James. Thru the local media, James called Edwards a coward for hitting such a little guy. He said there was no place in Cleveland for people like Edwards. He may still be charged for assault even tho he's moving on to New York.
The Jets get the big, fast receiver they had coveted in the off season. Edwards is only 26 years old. He will move right into the rotation & should be the full time starter within a couple of weeks. Edwards can be a game changer, he can stretch the field & when he minimizes the dropped passes, he is a great red zone target. If Edwards can return to his 2007 form, the Jets got a true steal. The question is, can he stay focused living in New York?
The Browns unloaded a big salary, Edwards was the 3rd overall player selected in the 2005 draft. They unloaded a distraction & even tho I don't think they got equal value, but they got quite a lot for an in-season trade. Stuckey is a decent receiver, he caught Mark Sanchez's first NFL touchdown pass, but he'd been in coach Rex Ryan's doghouse. Stuckey had a Twitter entry gripping about his playing time & Ryan deactivated him for the following game. He should move right into the WR rotation as soon as this Sunday. Stuckey has 43 catches for 479 yards & 4 TD's in his 2 years with the Jets. Trusnik was a throw-in, but the 2 draft picks could become something for the Browns.
Late last night the Forty-Niners & 7th overall pick, the only unsigned player from April's draft, Michael Crabtree, agreed to a 6-year deal. Apparently having M.C. Hammer on the premises was all it took to get this deal done. He wasn't actually in on the contract negotiations, he was just there for moral support. Maybe Hammer was there to teach Crabtree a few endzone dance moves. I doubt the 47-year old Hip-Hoppin' ex-Oakland A's batboy really had too much input.
In reality, I think it was the Niners 3-1 record, without Crabtree, that motivated agent Eugene Parker & Crabtree to get a deal done right now. Every game the Niners win, Crabtree's offer was going to decrease, you know, "who needs ya?" Crabtree wanted more money than his 7th spot was slotted to get. The Niners got around that by giving him a 6-year deal instead of the usual 5-year deal for first rounders. There were also a load of incentives in the deal that realistically won't be reached playing on a Mike Singletary team that runs the ball as much as they do. The 6th year can be voided if certain performance levels are/aren't reached. He is scheduled to earn $4 million in the 6th year, not really that great by NFL WR standards, the kind of contract a productive diva-like wide receiver starts whining about in year 3. The type of deal they want renegotiated. But at the end of the day, the deal looks better on the surface than it really is.
Crabtree most likely won't be activated for Sunday's game with the Falcons, the Niners will petition the league for a 2-week roster exemption so he can get into some sort of playing shape. Frisco's bye week follows the Atlanta game, so Crabtree's 1st appearance will likely come October 25th in Houston.
Comments