Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer lists some of the many reasons why the Browns eventually decided to trade troubled receiver Braylon Edwards.
I do it because my team is 0-4 with Edwards, whose 10 catches are actually one fewer than what Stuckey has with the Jets. I do it because when the Browns tried to deal Edwards around the draft, the highest pick they could receive was a third-rounder along with some journeymen veterans.
I do it because Edwards never wanted to play here — he was hoping to be the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft to Miami. Instead, he went No. 3 to the Browns. And then he believed Browns fans soured on him because he played for Michigan — as if dropping more passes than any NFL receiver over the last two seasons had nothing to do with that discontent.
I do it because Edwards too often ran the wrong pass patterns, making his quarterbacks look bad by throwing to the wrong spots. And because Edwards spent much of Sunday’s 23-20 overtime loss to Cincinnati talking into the ear of quarterback Derek Anderson. He wanted the ball thrown in his direction when the coaches were calling plays to deliver the ball to rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who was in the process of catching eight passes.
I do it because Edwards seemed far more upset about not catching a pass in a game for the first time in his five-year career then the team losing a game they could have won.
I do it knowing that some people won’t like the trade, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. For the Browns, Edwards has been durable in terms of playing on Sunday and practicing, but unreliable in so many other areas — and he is no longer worth the trouble to me or the Browns.
To read Pluto’s entire column, click here.
It’s always easier to say this after the fact, but Edwards should have never been a top 5 pick to begin with. Too many times while at Michigan he would let the ball get into his pads and not catch it with his hands. So his problems with drops aren’t surprising and when you factor in his lackluster work ethic, you get a guy who wastes a lot of natural athletic ability.
Pluto hit the nail on the head several times throughout his piece, but none more then when he writes that Edwards just didn’t want to be a Brown. He was disappointed from the start and his attitude only continued to sour as his play flat lined. With a fresh start, maybe he can turn his career around in New York.
