Goodbye Ladell

This guy lost a vote of confidence as well

First, there was Carried Away, Mike Wise's Ladell Betts - Rock Cartwright buddy pic from Sunday. Two guys share an apartment, dress the same, play the same position, not assholes about playing in preseason (unlike the rich starter with the bit part). Two guys gonna make it. Cue antics.

Then one day, they met the man that would change their relationship forever.

The Redskins trading their 2007 (next draft) 3rd round pick for TJ Duckett happened in this context: the Falcons realllly wanted Ashley Lelie, who wanted no part of Denver. Denver, it so happens, was looking for help at running back in exchange for Lelie, and obviously did not want Duckett. A clue you say?

Here's how bad decisions multiply:

Denver signed Javon Walker from Green Bay in the offseason. Javon didn't get the memo that if Brett stays, so do you, so Brett will have a worse season than the one he should have retired after. Javon was out all last season, but said he'd hold out for big money. Packers must not have bought the line and moved his knee over to Denver.

Javon, Rod Smith, who's been putting up numbers since Elway, and Lelie don't make three. Javon (5th season) had a stellar 2004 (89 catches, 1382 yards) as the primary reciever, but is coming off ACL surgery. Lelie has been reliable (54/1084 in 2004, 42/770 in 2005), at the number two (Rod Smith has had roughly twice the number of Lelie's catches in both seasons). Hard to see who has the better upside. But you think the 19 will sit as number three to the 20? Lelie had to go.

And check this out. How fucked up is this? Lelie is holding out, has forfeited over $300,000 of his $800,000 total contracted compensation for this season. When I first went to look at NFL.com to see his player card, and he's not there!


12:15am, 8/23/2006. No entry for Lelie, Ashley.

Pop over to ESPN, and it's there.

So Denver took on Javon, gave him $40 million to make him the presumed number one. Lelie is a free agent next year, and that will be Rod Smith's 13th season, so I could see an argument that you re-sign Lelie (Shanahan is a svengali and is not going anywhere), ride out Smith's contract and then deal him. He'll be in his 13th season next year. Unless there was some other non-football beef with Lelie, bringing in Javon was a bad idea.

Atlanta, meantime, really wanted Lelie, and they wanted to move Duckett, but for a player, not picks. According to the Atlanta Journal-Consitution, the Falcons' need was at #3 receiver...which is where Lelie would have been in Denver. Lelie will be #3 behind Michael Jenkins (3rd season, 36 catches last year) and Roddy White (2nd year, 29 catches last season). What a bunch of greenies, and so I can't buy the 'I can't be #3 thing' for Lelie in Denver, unless it's wink-wink, nudge-nudge for him in Atlanta. Which whould make for some pissed off young recievers that got passed over after getting promised they wouldn't (never promise in football).

To make matters more mediocre, in moving Duckett, the Falcons traded away their established #2 RB, leaving a rookie to back up Warrick Dunn. That won't seem smart in a few weeks.

In 2002, Duckett was drafted 18th, Lelie 19th and Walker 20th. Work that ego thing out.

That's a long digression, but there's a point. Denver did a stupid thing and traded away the guy that should be the heir apparent at #1 receiver. The doled out $40 million to a guy that played under 1 game last season and lost the guy that knows the offense.

Atlanta set themselves up nicely to undermine the confidence of their two young starting receivers, while simultaneously dismissing their legitimate backup RB.

That's the context. Snyder just had to make a deal, and please, Joe, don't tell me as President of Football operations that this was your idea.

Acquiring Duckett means one of two things: either someone is offering a higher 3rd rounder or 2nd rounder for Betts (he's worth a 2nd rounder only to a desperate team), and the Redskins will pull the trigger on that deal and make Duckett the number two, despite not knowing the playbook, or, they don't believe Brunell can get it done in the passing game with Betts as the lead guy. There's no question about the Redskins receiving corps. No injuries, and ret to go. The problem there will be too many mouths to feed, not too few opportunities to go downfield.

If there's not a trade in the offing, that means they don't have confidence in Brunell and Betts together for more than a game or two.

And dealing away a 3rd rounder in the draft, the Redskins need that pick. Good players at every position can be had in the 3rd round, including offense defense.

But instead, they telegraphed that Betts, all 4 seasons with the Redskins and in the last season of his contract, will be gone next season, either traded or allowed to sign elsewhere.

All these 5th season guys, shuffling around.


Antonio Pierce sacking former teammate Mark Brunell, 10/30/2005: Jeff Zelevansky