Trade Weddle???#WTF!!!

[Den60]

Wow Den50... I'm dropping you 10pts, because that's about the silliest thing you've ever posted. (silliest: politically correct way of saying stupid)

So much for the Band of Brothers bullshit, eh?

[Fleet]

Den60, you are an idiot. I think you get a rise out of being ridiculous (this site and the last), or you just don't know football or the way the current salary cap works. Weddle had one of the best seasons for a safety in the last 5 years last year and has been consistently getting better every year. Proven on and off the field leader and his football IQ is off the charts. Even first round picks are gambles, why trade one of the best, if not the best safety in the league for a gamble?

Check your PMs bro. Cant have you calling people idiots. Just the way we roll around here. It only instigates and inflames and creates uneeded drama.

Your new and probably dont know about the very few rules we have. So ill PM you some details.

[Mister Hoarse]

I don't think anyone is going to trade multiple 1st round picks for a single player anymore. I just don't think you see it happen anymore. Maybe it could.

But back when the Vikings traded to the Cowboys to get Herschal Walker, that was just about the time FA stated. I think we know from experience, if you hit on those players, you may be able to keep them all, so it is just a temporary flux of talent. A successful franchise has to bring in a steady supply of new players. It is having too many top players all at once that is the problem, either in FA or in draft picks.

Den has his point of view about how long it takes, but he is assuming that the only thing that matters is the total talent level and that improvements/decreases in talent level are equally important and can be evenly replaced, which is not necessarily true. If it was, roster that are widely considered the best would almost always win, and in fact they rarely do. And teams that make dramatic improvements often can be linked to a single player coming in, that fills a final hole and teams often just need that last hole to be filled. Team sports are about working together to overcome limitations or holes in the roster, which was the one thing holding everyone back.

Gawdammit that's a great point!

[Den60]

I think Den's underlying thesis on the team explains most of his posts: the team is several years away from even being competitive and resigned to losing seasons. In this case we lose big with, or without Weddle- so why not trade a player of high value to get picks which could help fix the team going forward? It worked for Dallas when they traded Hershey Walker for example.

I didn't have the time to respond to this yesterday but I think you are misrepresenting what I have said. Yes, I do think we are at least 3 years away from being able to field a team that can contend for a ring but I don't simply advocate trading players for the sake of trading them. With Rivers my point was that he is going to be at the end of his contract, is going to be 35 years old when he is due to be renewed, and he is coming of two straight years or pretty poor play. At the next opportunity we have to think seriously of drafting his future replacement and nowadays teams pretty much play rookie QBs who are drafted highly immediately. Of course, when it came to Rivers I did say that the compensation would have to be similar to that which Cincy got for Palmer or Denver got for Cutler to make it attractive for me.

The other player I mentioned about possibly trading was Gates. He is older and might be valued more by a team that is a contender and needs a receiving TE. The type of offense we are going to run this year isn't playing to his strengths. He will not be renewed by the Chargers once this contract is up. Next year he could be cut just for the cap savings ($2.6M more than he would cost us to keep him). He almost surely won't be here for his last year where he can be cut for a savings of almost $6M). So with him it is more of trying to get something for him while you can.

Weddle is in the prime of his career. It doesn't make sense to trade him for a pick now when you are going to need to use that pick to replace him. You're not gaining anything except, perhaps, getting slightly younger at the position. A third round pick is probably a bit low for compensation. A second round pick is probably more likely. The only way I see us getting a first is if a team thinks they are a player away from winning the big prize. If that team is right then your first round pick is then only a pick or so away from being a second round pick. I surely don't see us getting multiple picks (much less two first rounders) for him.Now, if Weddle was in the last year or so of his contract and we are still 3 years away from being a true contender then I would consider trading him just to get younger at the position. I believe when his contract is up he will be 31 which isn't young for a safety.

[Steve]

I still think you are massively undervaluing him, in terms of the compensation.

It is a key position on any D. Not many FS can play cover 1 and cover the whole field like Weddle does. He can play in the box, deep cover 2, cover 3, man, zone,.... He has even developed into a pretty big hitter, which was part of why some teams didn't think he was a good prospect. The knock on him was that he was a solid tackler, but didn't lay out receivers like coaches like to see, but Weddle has gotten a couple of fines for big hits on defenseless receivers.

I think the main reason that so many teams don't value S more highly is that most of them end up being somewhat of a disappointment. There just are not that many top S around. You have to spend a top pick, or a lot of salary cap space on someone to fill the hole, then you don't get much production for it, ....unless you have Weddle. Teams throw away from him and often don't attack the middle of our D, and he still makes a fair number of plays. In general, I agree, no one is going to trade for a S giving away that much. Weddle is the exception, which is why I think the trade value discussion starts at several #1 picks.

[oneinchpunch]

It doesn't matter because a trade isn't going to happen but when is the last time a safety was traded for a first round pick?

[sandiego17]

Heard the same type of argument (when was the last time) in regards to Guards drafted in the first round, let alone top-10, it always depends on the situation. Agreed that Weddle isn't going anywhere, Chargers need more, not fewer, playmakers. No need to trade Weddle for a first, he's already preforming better than most first rounders.

[oneinchpunch]

Heard the same type of argument (when was the last time) in regards to Guards drafted in the first round, let alone top-10, it always depends on the situation. Agreed that Weddle isn't going anywhere, Chargers need more, not fewer, playmakers. No need to trade Weddle for a first, he's already preforming better than most first rounders.

The draft and trades are two deep seperate beasts. Mostly because its not just about the player involved.

[sandiego17]

I agree, draft has many more variables. Still, I do think a team might be willing to part with a first if an Ed Reed or Eric Weddle in his prime were made available.

[Steve]

Like I said earlier, Weddle is not available, there is nothing to this beyond some guy who is a Bears fan thinking the Bears should trade a middle round pick and get an all pro to fill their biggest need on D. The Chargers aren't going to part with their best defensive player.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

A top quality safty is part of the formula Superbowl winning teams have on the squad more than not. Look back at the last 5 or so. Weddle is not going anywere becuase he is a piece of the puzzle we need. If he hit the trade market teams would over pay for him, becuase you can not get the puzzle piece unless you draft it or find an aging vet that can still play well. Not meny of them get to FA like Pass Rushers and LT's.

[Steve]

I don't know if SB teams all have great play at S. Seems like they should, but I bet there are some who don't.

I just like the idea of:
A). Finding elite players at any position are rare, even the best teams only have a couple, so why force yourself to go find another?
B). Build up the middle. A guy in the middle is a factor on plays that are at him, or in pursuit to either side. But players on the edge are not really a factor if they have to pursuit all the way across the field.
C). Even though potentially you have to the chance to find elite players in the draft, it is still a rarity for even top 5 picks to become elite players. Most of them are good or even great players, but not many players in the league ever get to the level Weddle is at. And the fact that there are just not many great S coming out of college suggests to me the big hole up the middle of the secondary could get really bad before it gets better, if we were to trade Weddle.