How trading for a new Vet WR helps the rams long-term

[berg8309]

I see a fair amount of speculation on this topic, media and message board. One of the schools of thought is that we need to take a long term approach, and keep our draft picks. It isn't a bad strategy, this draft is deep. A 2nd or 3rd round pick can make a big difference, look at Saffold.

However, there is a player on our roster that 2nd or 3rd round pick could help now. Sam Bradford. Not just his stats, not just our record, his development. No matter what people say about his poise, his intelligence, or his perseverance, he still must be put in a position to succeed.

I am speaking purely from the perspective of making sure Bradford has a reliable target. The kids are young and inconsistent. I think to make sure Bradford develops his confidence and skills to be that franchise quarterback, it would be best if he had a receiver like he had in Clayton. A guy he felt very comfortable throwing to, and who could make the plays when needed.

Does that mean we should panic and trade the farm for vjax or some other receiver? No, the overall rebuild is more important. We can't throw away picks for one guy. However, I think Bradford may be worth investing another draft pick in, if it helps his development.

[AvengerRam]

That's all well and good in concept, but who... and for what?

We really don't know who is and is not available, and for what price.

[DPskywalker]

If we can get Lee Evans for a 5th or Steve Smith (Car) for a 4th, we should do it.

Also, NYG has excess WR's. Maybe we can throw them a 4th for Manningham or someone?

[bry134]

I'd love VJax, but not at SD's asking price of a 2nd and 3rd - AJ Smith is playing some ridiculous hardball - Id rather go a 4th and a conditional, pending a contract; VJax is looking to get paid as well FWIW. If the '11 draft is as deep as everyone is speculating that it should be, I'd rather keep the picks and roll the dice with what we have.

[berg8309]

That's all well and good in concept, but who... and for what?

We really don't know who is and is not available, and for what price.

That is definitely the unwritten part of my post. No panic trades or overpaying, I just think they should attempt to get a vet, whether they can or not.

[bruce4life]

I'd rather have a proven football player then a draft pick anyday of the week... enough said ladies.

[berg8309]

I'd rather have a proven football player then a draft pick anyday of the week... enough said ladies.

I don't like blanket statements like that. Would you trade the #1 pick in the draft for a proven #2 running back? Proven player vs. draft pick. It's all about value, not every proven player is worth every draft pick.

[Aussie Dave]

not until now do i realise how much i took Bruce and Holt for granted...

[Azul e Oro]

That's all well and good in concept, but who... and for what?

We really don't know who is and is not available, and for what price.

Um....yeah, what he said...

Why on Earth would anyone oppose trading anybody other than a handful of obvious names for the right player at the right price at any position other than QB ?

[berg8309]

Um....yeah, what he said...

Why on Earth would anyone oppose trading anybody other than a handful of obvious names for the right player at the right price at any position other than QB ?

I don't think my point was "here is who we can get" or "this is how much it will cost" or anything even close to that. I wasn't addressing who was available or why we should get player X and how dumb it would be not to. I don't pretend to know who is available at what cost. Did anyone see the Mark Clayton trade coming? I never saw him name pop up once before that trade. Getting the right player at the right price is Devaney's job, not mine. He gets to call other GMs, I don't. I thought there were other posts about which particular players we should pursue.

There were plenty of "We don't need to get a veteran WR" people before we got Clayton, and it seems like a few still remain. I guess I just wanted to stimulate discussion more on the benefits vs. cons of a veteran WR in general rather than another generic "trade for vjax NOW!"thread where pretty much all is debated is why that particular WR is overrated, over priced, or not a good fit.

[NJ Ramsfan1]

There are two types of guys that become available: The first are guys who have been released from their previous teams, usually because their skills, work ethic or health are in question. We've caught lightning in a bottle with a few of our current guys (Clayton, Amendola) because of shrewd evaluation by Billy Devaney. This is not something you can hope to do each time you want to pick up a receiver. More often than not, guys who are released will not help you much. In the NFL, one man's trash is usually not another man's treasure.

The second type of guys that are available are disgruntled players with good/great ability along with questionable character/attitude. While they may fill a void and help you in the short term, they will invariably bring you headaches that you'll have to deal with at some point- and cost you considerably.

The Rams have shown that they are building through the draft and will most certainly need at least one or two more productive drafts to be a playoff contender again. They have not NOR SHOULD THEY give up a king's ransom to obtain Vincent Jackson or anyone else of his ilk. The Rams will and should stick to the guys on their current roster while scanning the waiver wire for guys who can be a short term fix/contributor, buying time until the '11 draft. This may not be a desirable course of action for many, but I believe it is the most prudent one.

[TylerBishop]

I hate the term building through the draft, because I want to make sure everyone realizes you wont ever build a winning team just through the draft.

If we expect to draft our WR problems away we may be looking at another 08' where we wait for guy to develop for 2 years and then he blows out an ACL, and your left wondering, did I just waste the last 3 years.

[RebelYell]

When Lynch was traded to Seattle, GMs supposedly told reporters that they would have offered more if Buffalo had called. We need to remember, just because a trade happened doesn't mean the Rams were allowed to make an offer for the player.