Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 927 of 1503)

      Patriots trade Cassel and Vrabel to Chiefs for second round pick

      February 28, 2009 /

      Scott Pioli is quickly turning the Kansas City Chiefs into the Patriots of the AFC West after he was able to acquire quarterback Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel from New England in exchange for a second round pick (No. 34 overall).

      NFL.com’s Adam Schefter, who first reported the story, claims that the two teams have agreed on the compensation, but details are not yet available. Rotoworld.com, however, confirms that the compensation for Cassel and Vrabel is a second round pick, which seems incredibly light for a starting quarterback and linebacker.

      Did Bill Belichick do his old buddy Pioli a favor by only letting Cassel go for only a second rounder? Did Pioli have incriminating photos of New England front office members and was set to release them unless they agreed to trade Cassel for as little as possible? How they hell could the Pats only get a second rounder for Cassel and Vrabel?

      Three years ago, the Falcons traded backup quarterback Matt Schaub to the Texans for two second round picks and the teams also swapped first rounders (Atlanta got the 8th overall pick, while Houston got the 10th). How did the Falcons get two second round picks and jump up two spots in the first round for Schaub, yet the Patriots were only able to muster a second rounder from the Chiefs for Cassel, who is coming off a full season as a starter?

      Obviously New England was petrified of having Cassel’s cap number on their books for the 2009 season and decided to jump when KC offered up a second round pick. Vrabel only saves the Pats $3 million in cap space, so it’s still unclear why he was part of the deal, although maybe this is where the aforementioned favor comes in. Vrabel was set to take a lesser role next year in New England, but in KC, he’ll be a starter and a mentor in the Chiefs’ new 3-4 defensive front.

      This was a nice move by the Chiefs. Cassel already has a season under his belt as a starter and now gets to work in a pass-happy situation in KC under new head coach Todd Haley. He also has Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez (if he’s not traded) to throw to, as well as Larry Johnson (if he stops bitching about wanting to be traded) to take some pressure off him in the offense. The Chiefs still have to sign Cassel to a long-term deal, but their questions at quarterback have finally been answered.

      As for the Patriots, they’ll clear a ton of cap space off their books, but it’s shocking how little they received for Cassel in the end. He may never pan out in Kansas City, but his value had to be more than a second rounder, right?

      NFL

      Eagles agree to send CB Lito Sheppard to Jets

      February 28, 2009 /

      Lito SheppardThe Eagles have agreed to a trade that would send cornerback Lito Sheppard to the Jets for a 2009 fifth round and a 2010 conditional pick, which could turn into a second rounder depending on Sheppard’s playing time next season.

      Some Philly fans will look at the fifth round compensation and scoff, but the Eagles really got a great deal here. Sheppard barely played in 2008, starting just three games and amassing only 21 tackles and one interception. They held onto him last offseason after not attracting many quality offers and still wound up getting a fifth this year and anywhere between a second and fourth next year. It was a solid trade.

      The deal isn’t horrible for the Jets, but there is a catch-22. They acquired Sheppard hoping that he would become a starter, which he should opposite Darrelle Revis. But if Sheppard does become a starter and plays most of the snaps in ’09, then there’s a good chance that conditional round pick could turn into a second rounder.

      A second and fifth round pick for Sheppard would probably be too much, but again, if he turns into a quality starter than maybe it was worth it for the Jets. And it’s not like they’re getting a bad player. Sheppard is only 27 and before injuries started taking their toll the past two years, he was one of the more productive players in the Eagles’ secondary.

      NFL

      Patriots trade Vrabel to Chiefs – will Cassel and Peppers eventually be part of the deal?

      February 27, 2009 /

      In a surprising move, the Patriots traded veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Vrabel was expected to take a lesser role with New England next year, so this move allows him to start in KC and be a mentor for a young Chiefs team.

      On a related note, Patriots beat writer Mike Reiss is speculating that the Vrabel-to-KC-trade could be part of a bigger trade involving quarterback Matt Cassel.

      2) Could this be part of a larger deal with the Chiefs that might involve Matt Cassel? The 33-year-old Vrabel was entering the final year of his contract in 2009. He was due to earn $2.2 million in base salary, would receive a $1 million roster bonus, and count $4.3 million against the salary cap.
      Given Vrabel’s contributions to the Patriots — on the field and in the locker room — that doesn’t seem like much to digest.

      So why make the deal?

      From a Chiefs perspective, they had one of the youngest rosters in the NFL last season, and new general manager Scott Pioli understands the importance of veteran leadership in the locker room. Vrabel will provide that in Kansas City, likely as a team captain.

      The question is why the Patriots would trade Vrabel.

      Well, the Pats only save $3 mil in cap space with this move, so it couldn’t have just been about money. New England might have been toying with the idea of cutting Vrabel, so once they found a trade partner they jumped. At least they get compensation.

      If you want to get really frisky, here’s a trade possibility that will no doubt make the ass hairs stand up for Patriot fans:

      Chiefs trade the No. 3 overall pick to the Patriots for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel.

      The Patriots then turn around and trade the No. 3 overall pick to the Panthers for Julius Peppers, who they just made room for in their 3-4 scheme by trading Vrabel.

      A Peppers-to-Patriots deal has been rumored for about a week now – is it time to jump on the speculation train?

      NFL

      MMA Review for Friday, February 27

      February 27, 2009 /

      Diego SanchezHere’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

      – UFC 95 featured eight wild stoppages, Diego Sanchez’s successful debut as a lightweight, and a shocking (and somewhat controversial) loss for Josh Koscheck.

      – MMA heavyweight Tim Sylvia is trying his hand at boxing, while boxing heavyweight Hasim Rahman is trying his hand at MMA. Of the two, we’re guessing that Rahman’s failure will be more epic.

      – Georges St. Pierre’s camp has responded to BJ Penn’s accusation that he greased during their welterweight championship match last month by releasing a 17-page statement and a video showing that what his cornerman did was simply part of a breathing technique.

      – Living legends Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will likely be fighting at UFC 101 in Augusy — which may also be when BJ Penn and Kenny Florian face off for the UFC’s lightweight title.

      – New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly droned on and on and on about how MMA is like prostitution and how it breeds more violence in society And your point is?

      – We tried to get inside the head of 0-13 fighter Scott “LionHeart” Blevins.

      – WEC 39 goes down Sunday night in Corpus Christi, Texas, with featherweight champion Mike Brown making his first title defense against Leonard Garcia. Watch the action live on Versus [versus.com] starting at 9 p.m. ET, and come back to CagePotato on Monday morning for results, videos, and commentary.

      Mixed Martial Arts

      Report: Jets deal with Scott not official, Ravens back in mix

      February 27, 2009 /

      According to the Baltimore Sun, the Jets’ deal with free agent linebacker Bart Scott is not official as initially reported, and now the Ravens are apparently offering him a five-year contract worth $42 million.

      Bart ScottRavens inside linebacker Bart Scott is in New York, but continues to still negotiate with both the Ravens and Jets.

      There is speculation that the Ravens have offered Scott a five-year contract worth $42 million, and Scott also wants assurances that he will become the center piece of the defense in Baltimore, much like Ray Lewis was during the last decade.

      Jets head coach Rex Ryan, the Ravens’ former defensive coordinator, keeps increasing the ante as the Ravens go up.

      Several sources reported that the Jets’ deal for Scott was already completed, but apparently it was just an offer. It’s easy to see why Scott would sign with the Jets considering Rex Ryan is now New York’s new head coach, but apparently the Ravens are still very much in play.

      Ray Lewis might walk, so losing Scott would be a huge blow to the Ravens’ linebacker corps. It’ll be interesting to see how this thing plays out.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip

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