My quick thoughts on the Braylon Edwards deal, with obviously more to come:
The Browns did the next best thing to suspending him. They traded him. Now he's New York's headache. I'd have suspended him. Hurt him in the wallet and the ego department and make him come back and contribute to the Browns and see what happens in the offseason with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Browns chose to trade him. Which is fine. He was a headache, is a headache and would have always been a headache in Cleveland. This should open up playing time for Brian Robiskie and allow Mohammed Massaquoi to develop and give Derek Anderson freedom from someone who almost killed Anderson's career with his drops. Those are good things.
I wish they'd gotten more than two more ex-Jets — is this an endless pipeline? — and two mid-round picks, but that might have been Edwards' market value right now. And clearly Eric Mangini covets his former players. You can never have enough average ex-Jets on your team.
The problem with dealing Edwards this way, though, is they gave him what he wanted.
Edwards will say he loved Cleveland and respected LeBron and all that, but the fact of the matter is his actions indicated he wanted nothing to do with Cleveland. He didn't like it the day he was drafted. He got Terry Robiskie fired. Now he's gotten what he wants — a ticket out of Cleveland, a ticket away from Mangini, a coach he (and many others) simply did not enjoy.
And look where he goes: To New York, to play for the Jets, for one of the more popular new head coaches in the league.
The Browns might have done themselves a favor unburdening themselves from Edwards and his shenanigans, but they did Edwards a bigger favor trading him to a team and a city that will feed his huge ego. Broadway. Herald Square. Madison Avenue. He's probably drooling at the thought of it.
The Browns got a young receiver, a special teams player and (according to reports) third- and fifth-round draft picks for the third overall pick in the draft. In other words, the Browns got four guys.
The Jets get a potential headache, but also a potential 1,000-yard receiver — if he can get back to what he did in 2007.
Edwards gets exactly what he wanted.
It's almost as if the kid who sat in the corner and cried and screamed and held his breath until he turned blue got his way.
{ 54 comments }
Good luck Braylon – hope you grow up a little and find your niche.
Its over – time to move on – get on with the season and the future. I think Cleveland spends WAAAY too much time looking in the rearview mirror on things. And if Braylon is successful, just let it be.
Who was traded?
LOVE IT! I would have traded him for the picks alone. He was only here for 12 more games anyway. Everyone who was screaming for Mangini to take a stand-he did.
Pat, Suspend him and keep him? Are you as nuts as Mangini for keeping him at all?
Come on Crennel should have dumped this guy, I could care less if he got what he wanted as long as what he wanted was not staying in Cleveland.
Can Mangini please go away now? And FAST. This will be only the second thing he has done right since he got here. The first was put DA back in. The problem with what Mangini does right is that it is not with a plan and thought he got these two thing right by accident.
DUMP MAGINI PLEASE!
It really doesn't matter who they got, it wasn't a trade that was done from a position of strength. It's just another step toward Mangini having "his team". And at that point – he says – the progress will begin. Let's hope.
Pat, you don't have to worry about hurting Edwards ,he has hurt himself by his poor play and his actions off the field.. By the time he figures out NY's playbook his contract will be up .
Best of all, Braylon can stay out realllly late in New York City. He could do all of us a big favor by punching out Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez when he "bumps" into them at the night clubs.
Now they have zero playmakers, and their new #1 receiver was legendary for dropping more passes thrown by Matthew Stafford than the number of passes that were dropped by the guy they pretty much gave away.
And Ed, how did Mangini "take a stand," as you put it. Indeed, he did just the opposite.
This is all part of "The Game" these people play. They get drafted and they tell the world that they single handily be the greatest thing ever. The first year they play okay. Next year they get hurt (????) and then they start complaining! They aren't happy, no one appreciates them (BOO-HOO). They start acting up and want traded. They take their millions and got on the next suckers, I mean team and repeat the process. Examples T.O., Winslow and on and on!
alan and pat are on the money.
also, now the jets have received a possible franchise qb and a dangerous receiver from the browns for scraps. braylon the pouting child got his wish i have no doubt a career renaissance is on the way. for a couple years at least until he invents a new problem to cry about.
mangini is well on his way to building his roster of retreads and marginal players. the jets will be more than happy to be rid of mangini and accept every stupid trade the browns are willing to pull.
braylon had to go. but the nfc would have been a smarter destination.
welcome to hell browns fans.
I wonder if the Jets' front office people are getting to be like the Dallas Mavericks' front office people, afraid to leave the office in the event somebody from the Cavaliers might call. Only in this case, Stepien and his underlings is Mangini and his underlings.
Folks (actually terje) – you think Mark Sanchez would have made a difference on this tragical offense?
elizabeth–no i don't. i don't think the browns got good value for the number 5 pick. if i'm a g.m. i have to take into consideration the needs of a potential trading partner. the jets desperately needed a player of sanchez' potential. i would have rather picked a different player at number 5 than made that trade. and to compound that trade by giving sanchez a talented but moody player who's been pining to play in n.y. since college? unbelievable.
there are no bigger browns fan right now than the new york jets and their fans.
I'd personally have benched him. I know he was a cancer on the team, both on and off the field. However; I would not have given him what he wants. I would have benched his sorry arse. Let him sit and collect dust for the rest of the season. In one perspective you could see this as trading a trading Stuckey for BE and they are throwing in 2 draft picks(which the browns will more than likely waste). So we really only get an unproven WR to replace a proven loser. Why bother? Let him sit here and then try and earn a decent contract after falling into oblivion. Now with our luck as Browns fans BE will go to NY make Dirty Sanchez look like a ProBowler and then turn around and sign a fat contract with a team just looking for a god WR to fill out their roster. Oh well at least Mangini got us another ex Jet to ride the pine all season.
There is nothing more enjoyable than watching and reading about the Cleveland pro teams and the circuses that surround them. Cleveland fans are actually giddy that the Browns "almost" won and are talking that the Bill's game is a "winnable" game. For most NFL teams, any and all games are winnable–even the crappy teams sometimes fluke out a win when they shouldn't (see Browns vs Giants 2008).
Watching the Browns lose on Sunday, reading the papers about the game on Monday and then reading and listening to the crap that surround the team the rest of the week is great entertainment.
Then Labrown has to add his 2 cents worth–what a goofball.
There is definitely too much crack available in the Cleveland-Akron areas. And not nearly enough mandatory testing.
1. Getting a #3 (which, some reports say, upgrades to a #2, based on production) and a #5– in return for a discipline problem who's playing badly and bitching and openly looking for a new contract– is a great deal. If the other two guys can play at all, it's a bonus.
It's s a crappy return on the third pick in the draft, but no one was going to offer a #1 in the two weeks before the trading deadline. And after the season, Edwards is at least a restricted free agent and maybe unrestricted..
To put it into perspective, it's more than the Browns got for Kellen Winslow– a player who was signed longer and could at least catch the ball.
2. If Edwards plays well, the Jets have a great deal. And if monkeys fly out of my butt, I'll make a pretty penny selling them to zoos.
Edwards is a sloppy player and a slow learner. He drops passes and he doesn't work hard. How quickly do you think he'll learn a new system and begin to contribute in it? Not very fast, probably. Certainly not fast enough to make either Rex Ryan or the New York media and fans happy.
If the Jets teach him 2-3 plays and send him out only when they've called those plays, he might be help… but they'll be tipping off opponents whenever they send him out (pretty much what happens when the Browns line Josh Cribbs up).
3. Edwards might think he wants to play in New York… But having lived there, I doubt he'll feel that way three months from now. The people in this city who whine about the negative media don't understand what lapdogs the Cleveland folks are. The New York guys eat people for sport– it's a way top build a career.
Sometime in the next 48-72 hours, for example, someone will write "So let me get this straight– the Jets traded for a guy who punched LeBron James's friend? Doesn't this screw up our chances to get him?" In his first meeting with the writers, someone will ask "You led the league in dropped passes last year– are you ever going to learn to catch?" And he's got Rex Ryan– who isn't the nicest guy in the world when he likes you– as his coach.
Those Braylon Edwards comments that people here just grit their teeth and moan about will get run nonstop there. They'll tar and feather him.
4. As for the notion that Edwards, having gotten what he wants, will just shut up and play well– doing great things for his new team– I have a two-word answer: Terrible Owens.
Players often think they can just turn ability off and on– and decide to stop the complaining and causing distractions. It usually doesn't work that way.
I don't know if the Browns will make good use of the picks and players, but I;'m pretty sure the Jets will regret suurrendering them. I didn't think I would ever write these words, but "Well done, Eric Mangini." (I'd write more, but I have to go to the men's room to check for monkeys.)
Would everyone have the same reaction if it were the Chargers he was traded to and we got the same package?
You build a team 1-53, not 1-22. The Browns need depth and badly. Look what happened last year when there were injuries, the team was horrible. Teams like the Pats, Colts, Steelers, do not miss a beat when there is an injury. Look at how many people that Savage signed are no longer in the league. We may only have B+ to C players but we not longer have any D & F players.
For those bemoaning the fact that we traded our only offensive threat, I'll ask what team have you been watching for the past season and a quarter. Braylon Edwards is an immensely talented underachieving malcontent. Good riddance.
In addition Geoff said, "Those Braylon Edwards comments that people here just grit their teeth and moan about will get run nonstop there. They'll tar and feather him."
People seem to be taking it out on him already. One of today's top 5 trending topics on Twitter is #BraylonGotTradedFor… which for all you non-twitter people means for some reason a slew of people on twitter have been making posts saying things like #BraylonGotTradedFor (a snuggie and a pair of crocs is one example).
No idea why the twitter universe decided to rip on Bray-Bray today, but it's pretty funny stuff.
i seem to recall "terrible owens" playing pretty well for a team that made the super bowl.
and what makes anyone think mangini knows what to do with draft picks? he lost one on waivers to the jags, robiskie shines a seat with his butt and mack looks more like a 4th rounder.
this trade is a guaranteed loser.
Please. They GAVE THE GUY AWAY! Much like the Cliff Lee trade, THAT is the problem here. When you deal in any line of business, a good businessman receives value for value. It's the same way they gave the 5th pick in the draft away. The Mangini motto is officially "We'll Give You Quality For Quantity."
Edwards is going to be a perfect citizen for the Jets, and anybody who says otherwise is, and I'll put it nicely here, a freakin' moron. Especially in light that he will be playing for a new contract, and next season will be uncapped. For Edwards, he'll get Christmas on December 25, and he got Christmas on October 7. Two Christmases. Hell, add six more days and he could celebrate Hanukkah.
Edwards had trade value during the off-season. Mangini kept him. And then, for all intents and purposes, gave him away. Incredible.
"Edwards had trade value during the off-season. Mangini kept him. And then, for all intents and purposes, gave him away. Incredible."
yep. i'm not shocked that a lot of browns fans don't grasp this.
terje
he drafted david harris, nick mangold, dustin keller and darelle revis, that tells me he can draft a little bit. it's too early to judge the 09 draft anyway.
alan t. what exactly would edward's trade value be this off season? whatever value there may be it would have nothing to do with production or character.
andy, mangini drafted NO ONE with the jets. tannenbaum the g.m. did. mangini had nowhere near the pull with the jets as he does in cleveland. if he had he'd probably be wasting another season for the jets.
The refutation to the "traded our only offensive threat" nonsense is that 2009 is Edwards's fifth season and the Browns have been wretched offensively in four of them:
1. Currently rank 29th in points scored this year.
2. Were tied for 30th in points last year.
3. Ranked 30th in 2006.
4. Ranked 32nd in 2005.
In 2007, Edwards had a good season and Cleveland ranked 8th in points. On what basis do we conclude that he is solely responsible for that? Jamal Lewis gained 1,552 yards and scored 11 times, Kellen Winslow had 1,106 yards and 5 scores, Derek Anderson made the Pro Bowl, Josh Cribbs added 2,200 yards and three scores.
Certainly Edwards (1,289 yards, 16 scores) played a meaningful role. But to claim that he was the most important cog in the machine is silly. Even in his 'breakout game' (the 51-45 win against Cincinnati where Edwards caught 8 passes for 146 yards and two scores):
* Lewis gained 216 yards and a TD
* Winslow caught 6 passes for 100 yards and a score
* Joe Jurevicius caught 2 TDs (which were Cleveland's first two TDs)
* Cribbs averaged 36.6 yards a return
I hate to quote Phil Seghi, but the Browns sucked with Edwards and I think they can continue to suck without him.
Seeing all these lousy arguments, a lot of people here would be a perfect fit for the Browns staff.
It is completely irrelevant that the Browns suck. It is completely irrelevant that the Browns sucked prior to this season. We are talking about a potentially great player, Pro Bowl material, but one who needs more babysitting than the average player. In other words, value. An asset. Only a philanthropist gives away his assets, and you'd have to be mentally retarded to just give away your only asset. Why is it Cleveland homers consistently fail to comprehend this simple fact?
how do you know what say mangini had in drafting with the jets? are you a former member of the jet's front office? i would be willing to bet he had his fair share of input even if mike tannenbaum had final say. just two weeks ago on countdown chris mortensen said mangini was responsible for the jets taking harris.
"how do you know what say mangini had in drafting with the jets? are you a former member of the jet's front office? i would be willing to bet he had his fair share of input even if mike tannenbaum had final say. just two weeks ago on countdown chris mortensen said mangini was responsible for the jets taking harris."
how do i know? do teams routinely give a coach with ONE year as a defensive coordinator (under bill belichick btw. that's like being bill walsh's offensive guru) the keys to the kingdom? did mangini have some say in drafting? sure. did he run the draft and have final say? hell no.
@ alan and terje, are you sure you two aren't brothers ?
First, what do you base your facts on? What makes you think Edwards is a "dangerous receiver "or a "play maker"? He has basically had 1 good year,not several like TO or others.He is a distraction on and off the field, his inability to run a pass route is a QB killer. Why do you think Anderson stopped throwing to him Sunday? Because he wanted a chance to win and after hitting him in the chest with the first throw and watching it bounce off is a sign this guy did not have his head in the game.
What good is a player to the Browns if he doesn't want to be here? Terje,what makes you think an NFC even wanted this guy,having led the league in dropped passes, in 2008,and then showing little improvement this year, when he knew his contract was up ? His stock was as low as it gets . Beckman is dead on about NY, they will eat him for lunch there.Having lived in Boston ,I know what those big cities do to pro's who don't live up to their expectations.
Sorry guys , the Browns got rid of a problem child who was not about to change,yes I would have loved to see him get "punished " so to speak ,and yes he will find some owner like A. Davis to write him a big paycheck, but that happens in every sport.
braylon has wanted out of cleveland since day one. browns fans don't seem to consider that braylon has been playing bad ON PURPOSE. the guy stopped giving a crap. and amazingly enough—HE WAS REWARDED WITH EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED. the guy didn't lose his physical abililty. he lost he interest in playing for the cleveland browns. i can't wait to see the new offensive attack next week. the team had better hope buffalo is hung over because they won't be running or passing.
merry christmas braylon. browns fans get another lump of coal to add to the pile.
God, some of the comments here are dumb. One day Mangini thinks Edwards is worth a first-round pick in a trade, then proceeds to devalue his only asset to the point where he gives him away. How shrewd.
This is idiotic in more Cliff Lee ways than just not getting a thing for an asset. The Cliff Lee deal could have been done later, and a better deal could have been done. Same thing here. The trade deadline is October 20. This exact crappy deal could have been done at any time with anybody. What happens if a playoff team loses a receiver to injury before the October 20 trade deadline? Odds are always pretty decent that it could happen, since it happens every year. In that case, Edward's stock would have risen, and the team that needed him would have been willing to up the ante. Substantially.
Mangini is gutless. Rather than suspend him, he gave him away. Obviously didn't even try to find a better deal. People are trying to justify a turd by saying it's addition by subtraction. Edwards is not a zero elsewhere, just you watch. However, the Browns are a zero, and zero plus zero is still zero.
You can say he "gave him away," but really, what is he worth? To us, nothing or less than nothing. And from another team's perspective?
Braylon is under contract for 12 more games, 2 or 3 of which he very well may be suspended. And he's got to get up to speed in your system. And he isn't all that bright. So you're getting half a season of a high-talent receiver with concentration and motivation problems. Probably work out pretty well, considering it's their biggest hole. But it might be just a waste, especially with a rook QB because Braylon does not help you out on your underthrows.
If Braylon plays well there, we get about the value of a first round pick. If he doesn't, say a 2nd rounder. I'm ecstatic. Stuckey is no chump. He's decent, still young, and under contract. We've got Braylon's money to shop, and the 2 or 3 and 5 probably amounts to one solid or good player. Good deal. Might be a good deal for the Jets too.
"You can say he "gave him away," but really, what is he worth? To us, nothing or less than nothing. And from another team's perspective?"
look what roy williams was worth to jerry jones.
i sometimes wonder what type of people would fall for scam e-mails from nigeria and bogus phone salesmen. then i read comments from browns fans when the local teams make yet another boneheaded move. maybe i should move to lagos and spend my days phishing northeast ohio.
spaeking of dumb coments and arguments how about comparing cliff lee to braylon edwards. your right alan we probably didnt get enough for lee, he was cy young winner with a track record of success. braylon edwards is a malcontent with one good season in four, thus we get a third a fifth and chancey stuckey. "potential"?! are you serious alan? if a player in the nfl hasn't realized his potential in his first five years hes probably not going to.
also terje, suggesting edwards played bad purposely might be the worst comment on this whole board. no one plays bad on purpose because it would cost them a significant amount of money, not to mention strip them of their credibility as a person and a player across the league. edwards would have wanted to produce if for no other reason than to get a lucrative contract.
andy, brandon marshall did it. what makes you think braylon wasn't playing bad on purpose as well? marshall's getting his way and braylon got his.
andy … huh? Edwards made the Pro Bowl in '07. Seems like some of that potential was tapped.
And actually, terje's Roy Williams comment was spot-on. A very high first-round draft choice, like Edwards. Williams made the Pro Bowl in '06. Like the Browns previously did in the off-season, Detroit was demanding at least a first-round pick in return, or no deal. Before the trade deadline last season, Jerry Jones gave up a first-round pick in 2009, plus a third- and sixth-rounder for Williams and a seventh-round pick in 2010. On the other hand, Mangini got himself a quarter-pounder and a few bags of fries.
It just boggles my mind that people are saying this is good, that unloading Edwards for nothing was a wise move. Seriously, are some of you folks that vacuous?
Oh, and just like Edwards, Williams' production had slipped considerably after the Pro Bowl season. But Detroit still was able to extract a first-round pick in return. Then Williams immediately signed a fat extension with Dallas. That's how deals are done, or supposed to be done. But Mangini couldn't be bothered with trying. Because that would have taken real time and real effort, not to mention real guts in suspending the guy for his conduct. Perhaps if Edwards had taken an unauthorized can of Mountain Dew from the mini-bar, things would be different.
roy williams was 20 to 30 pounds overweight at the time of the trade. at least braylon is in shape.
The New York media and fans will have a feast on Braylon miscues….Plaxico u are gonna have a cellmate
and unlike edwards roy williams can catch the football and is not a jerk.
also jerry jones was justifiably ridiculed for giving up way too much for williams. no one was gona give up a first and a third for edwards, the cardinals couldnt get a first and a third for boldin.
Patrick,
I see where you are coming from in saying that Braylon is like a bratty child who gets his way. But, I think that all depends on how he plays in New York. If he plays well, then your arguement will be proved right. But if he continues to drop passes, the NY media and fans will crucify him. Cleveland will seem like a walk in the park compare to that!
Ben Smith
Copley
So long Braylon … hope you "drop" by once in awhile. Oh … yeah … and I hope you blow out your friggin' knee.
andy, who cares if Jones was "ridiculed?" (Actually he really wasn't, but that's not the point.) The point is that all you need is ONE team out of the other 31 to make a deal. Who out of the 30 NBA teams, other than that moron Danny Ferry, would have given a role-playing Varejao six years and $50 million when the salary cap is going down? All it takes is one.
Who in their right mind would argue that Mangini and/or his invisible minion Kokinis called all 31 other teams to see if there was a better deal available. Not a chance in hell. Five minutes with one call to the Jets. And why didn't he wait until the trade deadline, and trade Edwards to a desperate playoff contender when their receiver went down? Nope. All that tub of lard cared about was ridding himself of what he considered a nuisance and a headache.
A horrible, horrible deal.
Oh, I forgot to mention, andy, … indeed, like Edwards, Roy Williams was also constantly heckled for dropping passes, and, like Edwards, was also going to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Roy Williams. Perfect example, terje. Glad you brought it up, because I forgot about him.
When ask about the team, his "I've got one more year here" comment said it all. Edwards also has a drinking problem. We wasted alot of plays throwing to him and it cost other people their careers – almost DA. I don't know if it's his drinking or his attitude or both that gave him the dropsies, but I'm glad to see him go. Paul Brown would have had him gone like crap through a goose. Character is important. We will be better off without him. To those who would have benched him, I say, he doesn't deserve the effort.
I just realized that Edwards would have been a restricted free agent, not unrestricted, if the CBA is allowed to lapse. Which makes this trade even worse, if that's possible.
This is unbelievable. Mangini has done everything wrong to date. Fans attacking him left and right. Then, the guy is too gutless to suspend Edwards, so he instead trades him to the very city in which he wanted to go in exchange for a few bowls of Cheerios covered in spoiled milk. And incredibly, the exact same Taco Bell dogs who previously were attacking Mangini's ankles are now giving Mangini a standing ovation for giving Edwards away. This when a far superior deal could have been accomplished either in the off-season or at the trade deadline. All in the name of some imaginary moral high road. Suddenly, in these same peoples' eyes, Mangini is some sort of moral miracle worker, a locker room oncologist killing an imaginary locker room cancer.
I'm sorry, but terje is right. Cleveland fans (in all sports) have got to be the most naive and stupid fans on the face of the planet. Seriously.
So what if Braylon was restricted next year. His value would have been lower as trade bait since he was not going to be effective with the Browns this year. Waiting another two weeks to see who else would have called could have dropped his value more as well. If the league comes back on the 19th and says Edwards is suspended 2 games, would they then be able to trade him for the same value? Most likely not.
This season is lost. Let's see what we have with the rookie WR's. The Browns desperately needed depth. It is up to the coaching staff to do the rest
Also, the Roy Williams example is a stretch because Jerry Jones was indeed ridiculed for the trade. I am not sure how you can say that because everyone criticized it then and especially around the draft. Boldin, who was better then either Edwards or Williams couldn't get a sniff of a first rd pick. No GM was going to make that mistake. This was the best they were going to get so they took it. Addition by Subtraction
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/sportatorium/2009/04/dallas_only_daily_exploits_aik.php
http://profootball.scout.com/2/802110.html
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/hyde/blog/2008/10/dolphins_not_getting_roy_willi_1.html
http://newsok.com/its-roy-williams-or-bust-for-cowboys/article/3363483
Please. I didn't say Jones wasn't ridiculed. Even a few movie reviewers thought "The Godfather" sucked. So what? Most didn't. The point was one GM out of 32 thought Roy Williams was worth a 1st round pick. Not only didn't they get a 1st rounder, they didn't even get a 2nd rounder! Why wasn't he traded on draft day, when some GMs panic? Why wasn't he traded at the deadline, when some GMs panic?
I mean, this is so f**king stupid, that "addition by subtraction" rationalization and con job. It's not addition unless you receive something tangible and/or in quality in return. Sorry, but future bench players and waiver wire scrap is not addition in any way, shape or form.
And whoopie, Robiskie will now get playing time. He could have and should have gotten playing time regardless. Play a three wide receiver set. Or whatever.
Scraps, rejects, retreads and rookies. An 11-year-old expansion team. They'll still win a few, but this mess is inexcusable, and the arguments in favor of this lousy trade stink to high heaven.
"andy, who cares if Jones was "ridiculed?" (Actually he really wasn't, but that's not the point.)"
sounds like you did say jones wasnt ridiculed
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