Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1420 of 1503)

FOXSports.com is reporting the Redskins and Bears are discussing a trade that would send disgruntled linebacker Lance Briggs and the No. 31 overall pick to Washington in exchange for the No. 6 selection.

Wow, that is quite a price tag to give up for Briggs. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a solid linebacker, but many in the Bears’ organization feel as though he’s a “system player” who benefits from playing in the Cover 2. From Washington’s standpoint, doesn’t this sound eerily familiar to the mega deals that brought in Adam Archuleta and Warrick Holdman? Every player is different, but they were both “system players” that never panned out as Redskins. Plus, this deal would hinge on signing Briggs to a long term contract.

As for the Bears, they would get value for a player who previously said he was done in Chicago, cap space and a top-10 pick. My only question would be whom would the Bears target at No. 6? It seems likely that they would trade down seeing as how they don’t have any glaring needs. Or what about Brady Quinn?

Let me start off by saying that anything could happen regarding the NFL Draft and absolutely nothing is guaranteed. However, since Atlanta traded Matt Schaub to the Texans, all I’ve heard is how it will now trade up for Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Okay, lets stop all the Michael Vick to Calvin Johnson thoughts for a second and actually think about this: 1) The Falcons don’t have much cap room, so trading up and spending loads of money on the second overall pick isn’t ideal for the future. 2) Michael Jenkins and Roddy White are former #1 picks themselves, so Atlanta is going to exhaust every option before investing yet another high draft pick on wide receiver. 3) Joe Horn was just given a four-year, $19 million contract and Brian Finneran (Vick’s favorite target behind TE Alge Crumpler) is healthy again. 5) Unless in all of my draft research I missed that Johnson can play safety, defensive end and offensive line, the Falcons have much bigger needs than wide receiver. 6) Many believe that no receiver will make a difference as long as Michael Vick is at quarterback, so why waste extra picks?

Many teams – the Lions come to mind – try to build from the outside in, meaning the skill positions are sought after first. How many examples do we need that defense wins championships? Or at the very least, defenses keep teams competitive? If Johnson was the missing piece for a Falcon Super Bowl, I could foresee them making that move. However, I think Atlanta GM Rich McKay is smart enough to know he’s many pieces away from a championship and therefore will take a pass on Johnson.