Pft: Defensive Tackle Trades Bring False Hope

[DWinzit]

DEFENSIVE TACKLE TRADES BRING FALSE HOPE

We continue to receive e-mails from readers who support the various teams who picked up via trade arguably washed-up defensive tackles.

And we continue to disagree.

If Shaun Rogers or Kris Jenkins or Marcus Stroud were that good, their former teams wouldn't have traded them. As a general rule, NFL franchises don't let truly invaluable players get out of their clutches.

Compounding the problem for the Browns (who acquired Rogers) and the Jets (who picked up Jenkins) is the fact that both players have received new contracts with significant chunks of guaranteed money.

Here's the problem with defensive tackles, as we see it. They are often hard to motivate, as evidenced by the fact that so many of them are, well, fat and/or sloppy. They often perform their best when they are playing for a new contract (see Albert Haynesworth, Gerard Warren, Daryl Gardener, Jason Ferguson).

By giving Rogers and Jenkins new contracts, the Browns and the Jets have taken a huge risk that both of them won't try as hard as they can. The Bills merely shuffled some of Stroud's money around, but didn't give him the big raise he wanted. Of the three, then, he's the most likely one to come out playing hard.

All three teams likely regard the risk as justifiable based on the fact that the Giants proved to the football world that the way to get past the Patriots is with a dominant defensive line. (Not coincidentally, two of the three teams play in the AFC East and the other has designs on soon competing with the Patriots for elite status in the conference.)

But, again, if Rogers and Jenkins and Stroud were capable of dominant performances in seasons during which they weren't playing for new contracts, they wouldn't have been allowed to leave their prior places of employment.

[DWinzit]

if Rogers and Jenkins and Stroud were capable of dominant performances in seasons during which they weren't playing for new contracts, they wouldn't have been allowed to leave their prior places of employment.

It looks like Stroud was an afterthought addition to this sentence. Note to author, he was suspended for 4 games. I have always been a fan of Stroud and think he would have been a great addition to the Redskins.

[Peregrine]

There is some truth to the notion that teams dont let invaluable players go, but to use that as the main reason for them being unlikely to produce is a bit ridiculous. Look around this league and you can find superstars who were let go by their first team. Teams make mistakes. In particular, bad teams make mistakes. We got Andre Carter because SF made a big mistake(which they made in the first place putting Carter as a LBer). He was a very good player that was on a bad team, in the wrong position. There have been other players like that. Now if NE or Indy lets a player go, its likely hes no good. However if someone like SF or Detroit lets a guy go, he just may be a star in the making.

[CowboysSaintsFan]

I read on the Panthers' MB last year that Chris Jenkins "mailed in his 2 week notice"(RUMOR) toward season's end.

I can't see him doing any better with the J-E-T-S, quite frankly, which is a sorry organization. He wanted out of Carolina...well-he got his wish.

[DWinzit]

Agreed Peregrine, plus many times teams are forced to trade or cut good players due to salary cap ramifications or personal reasons.

[Tom [Giants fan]]

This is why you get an overload of DE's and convert one into a DT (see Justin Tuck).