By now, we have all heard of the trade the Skins made to acquire presumably RG3. The price was steep as we traded first round picks this year plus the second rounder this year and our first rounders in each of the next two years.
It's more than I had wanted/hoped to spend. However, it was clear that was going to be the price. Miami reported this much a few weeks ago. Cleveland apparently had jacked up the price recently and apparently there were some other teams in the running as well. Washington felt the need to get this done now so that they could get their QB of the future but also done prior to FA to start making their plans for FA. It was part of their plan developed back a couple of months ago.
It's a big gamble. On the one hand, we may have found someone special that will be the cornerstone of our offense for years to come. On the other hand, it could be a bust that sets our team back years. What I like about RG3 is his obvious physical abilities (speed, arm strength, accuracy) but I love that he appears to have discipline, smarts, and hard work. Additionally, by all accounts, he is a natural leader and he has that swagger that all the great QBs have. Time will tell if the pick is worth it. If he is half of what he is pumped up to be, it will be well worth the trade.
People thought that the Giants gave up too much for Eli. However, looking at the trade now and seeing how the Giants found their franchise QB and he has delivered two Super Bowl victories plus developed into one of the better QBs in the league, I think most people would agree that the Giants made the right decision.
We'll see if the Skins are to be as fortunate.
12 comments:
I like RG3. I believe the price was too high, but there really is no other better alternative. I think the price of waiting around and wasting more time for the right deal and for the right QB is more costly to this franchise. I was listening to Mike Wise this morning and a caller posed a very interesting question.
Would you trade 3 First round picks and a second round pick i.e. Orakpo, Trent Williams, Kerrigan, and Hankerson or Jenkins for RG3?
That put it into perspective. I really dont think I would trade those four for RG3. What do you do you all think?
Interesting scenario; however, again, time will tell. RG3 has the potential to be a game changer. Orakpo and Kerrigan are very good. Williams is solid but has some temper issues and is still learning. Hankerson and Jenkins are largely unknown quantities right now. They all seem like quality players. However, none of them have shown to be game changers. Part of that is that they do not have the ball in their hands all the time so it isn't entirely their fault.
RG3 has the potential to be that game changer. If he can have similar success in the pros as he did in college, the trade is worth it. Again, it is a big "if" so only time will tell if the trade was worth it.
It is a stiff, stiff price to pay. I probably would not have gone that high, but I don't really have a problem with the Deadskins doing it.
Here is why - they have sucked for 20 years and have turned into a lifeless, soulless, shell of the team they once were.
RG3 gives them hope and he could own this city if he has any type of success.
For most teams the trade would make no sense, but I think for the Deadskins it is a risk worth taking.
The hope is that we are drafting a game changing QB that will be the cornerstone/face of the franchise for the next decade.
If we could trade all the guys JSR mentioned for Aaron Rodgers, I would say do it. That is the hope of RG3.
Again, time will tell if he is as good as advertised. No doubt it's a gamble but that is the thing about this deal. It is most definitely high risk/high reward.
I have a couple of students who are African American and Deadskin fans and we were talking about it today. Pretty much universally the feeling is that it is a good move. They are excited because RG3 is a major talent, but they are also happy that he is AA. After the Donovan McNabb experiment, most of these students felt that Shanny would never draft a black QB.
I really think the guy could transform the Deadskins and own the city. But there is a long way to go. At least Deadskin fans will have real hope for the first time in years.
Did you see that the NFL just hit the Deadskins with $36 million in cap reductions that they have to deal with over the next 2 years?
Apparently the Deadskins poorly managed their cap in 2010 (the uncapped year) and the NFL hit them with a significant penalty.
This will have an effect on their free agent spending this year. Who knows, maybe they knew they were going to have this hit them so they traded away a couple of first round picks and their second to avoid having to pay so many guys that bigger money.
First of all, let me say that I am absolutely thrilled that we made the trade. As everyone knows, and as Allen has already said, the price is very high, but it had to be done. Also, if you consider other similar trades, it's not too far off base. Didn't the Pears trade two first rounders and Kyle Orton for Cutler? Getting a potentially great QB isn't cheap.
Regarding the cap situation...I'm surprised considering Allen's cap experience. What looked like a great situation just this morning has turned into a mess. How much can we bring in to help RG3? It'll be tough, but we'll have to see how the team splits the $36million hit over the next two seasons.
Deeps - I don't think "it had to be done."
Quite honestly, the risk is extremely high and I would say that it is more likely that it will be wrong for the Deadskins than it will be right for them. That said, given how bad they have been for so long, why not?
I don't think you can compare the Cutler trade in any way, shape, or form. The Bears got a young vet QB who was coming off a Pro Bowl year (4500 yards passing) with his prime in front of him. In exchange they gave up a serviceable QB, 2 first round picks and a third round pick. They also got back a 5th round pick which they used to get Johnny Knox so that worked out OK>
Giving up 2 first round picks and a second for a spread offense QB who may or may not pan out is EXTREMELY risky. Steve Czaban has a good piece that explains the potential foolishness of the trade (www.czabe.com).
But, one thing is for sure. Let's say RG3 is a good player, there are plenty of good QBs in the NFC alone, but the teams that the Deadskins are looking up at who are ahead of them all have picks to bolster their teams. Think about what the Giants, Cowboys, and Eagles willl do with 2 more number first round picks and a second round pick - 3 more good young starters than the Deadskins. That is tough to overcome.
We need a QB. It's that simple. Our QB play over the last few years has been subpar.
RG3 gives us the chance to have that franchise QB.
Again, to JSR's point, assuming we found our franchise QB, I would make the trade in a heartbeat.
The REAL test, and I have said this numerous times, is if he will pan out and only time will tell.
The cap situation hurts but assuming we spread it out evenly over the next two years, instead of having $40M cap space this year, we have $20+ this year. It still allows us to make some signings. We'll see what they do with it. The two most important needs to me are WR and secondary. If we can get two players plus resign Fletcher, I will feel comfortable with what we have done.
The thing is we could not go into the season with what we had at QB last year. We also couldn't risk our future on Tannehill (a converted WR) or Weeden (29 years old). They may pan out but RG3 has WAY more upside. We'll see what he does but it at least gives us a chance to have found that franchise QB.
I really believe the Redskins had to get Luck or RG3. There really is no other option. Was the price high? Yes without question. This is the one position that changes everything on the field. Peyton Manning being injured last year turned a Superbowl contender from the year before into the worst team in the NFL. Imagine if thats the case here in Washington and RG3 is the missing link. There is only one way to find out. Go and get him.
My only concern is patience. If the Redskins arent in the playoffs next year or even the year after, How long do RG3 and Shanny have.
The way I see it, the combination of giving up first rounders for the next few years, and given the failure so far of Shanny to make any real improvements to the record and the failures at QB, I have to say that this is it. Its one last pitch and the Redskins have to knock it out of the park. Some real signs of life from the offense have to be seen this year. Rookie mistakes from RG3 are expected. They will be accepted but there really has to be some flashes of brilliance. Then it wont matter what the record is. Kind of like what happened with Cam Newton last year. 6-10 isnt great but its almost unanimously accepted that Panthers are on the right track and will be better in Cam's second year. In fact I forgot what their record was until I just looked it up. I just knew that they are going to do some damage soon.
So the "patience" and just hope to see some flashes of offensive brilliance are my main concerns.
The record may not indicate it but we were a much better team last season than the one before that.
Shanny inherited an aging/overpriced team that had a number of holes to fill. He did make some mistake in thinking he could win immediately and botched on the McNabb deal. Consequently there were a number of growing pains that first year and the team was very inconsistent. You really didn't know what you were going to get week in/week out.
Last year, we cleaned house. Getting rid of higher priced/aging vets. We had a successful draft and brought in complementary FAs. This was a very different approach to previous years. It was clear we were rebuilding so I said at the very beginning of the season that I just wanted to be competitive. Outside of the Bills game last season, I think we were successful in being competitive.
Now the interesting thing about this offseason was that we had draft picks and we also had a dire need for a QB. We made the choice to get ourselves hopefully that franchise QB that will be the cornerstone of the team for the next decade. If he pans out, it will be worth it. If he doesn't, the team is set back in a big way. The issue is that you cannot have it both ways. You either make the investment to get the QB or you continue to build other parts of the team and bring in second tier rookie QB or a retread QB (e.g., Orton, Henne, JC, etc.).
The issue I have is the fickleness of fans. Many are all on board with the RG3 move. However, if he doesn't pan out, these same fans will be the ones bitching and moaning about how we traded away all those picks and how it was a mistake. Again, you cannot have it both ways.
Also, if we don't make a play for RG3 this season, do we try and build out the rest of our needs this season and hope to make a play for Barkley next draft? You'd have to assume we would have at least the 6th pick or worse next year and the price would be even more staggering than this year. By all accounts, the Browns were ready to give similar compensation to what we gave up. Miami Herald mentioned a few weeks ago that it would take 3 first round picks for the trade. The Giants trade to the Chargers was considered hefty 8 years ago. We paid what the market dictated. It was an unprecedented trade but it is what the market dictated.
In the end, it is without question a high risk/high reward move. It is risky but RG3 has a very high ceiling and if he comes close to it, we will be set for a long time. Bottom line is I have said it time and time again, that time will tell if the trade was worth it.
It seems safe to leave it at that.
Either RG3 leads this team to the playoffs, or Shanny is out and they will have to rebuild. We'll have to see but it is as simple as that.
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