The REAL trade Buffalo made...

[BillsFanInLV]

Lets say Lynch has another 'run-in' with the law just one day after our last game of the 2010 season. As we await the Commissioner's fine/suspension, we try to quickly trade Lynch off to any takers. We are offered a single 5th or 6th round pick from only one team.

 

His suspension comes down from the Commish and it is a 6 game suspension during the 2011 season. Now what? ----Is he of ANY value to the Bills? ----We saw how 'out of sync' Lynch was after serving just a four game suspension, now imagine his play after a six or seven (due to a possible bye week inclusion) week suspension.

 

Listen, I liked Lynch's play and I have 'mucho dolares' invested in his Football Cards/Jerseys, but he had to go if we plan on being a stronger/better/more competitive team in 2011 and 2012.

 

Simple 'Supply and Demand' dictated that we received the picks we did as compenstion. We can't hate the current Team GM and coaches for this trade.

Edited October 6, 2010 by BillsFanInLV

[birdog1960]

I made this same exact observation in the Chat box earlier today. The OP is spot on.

 

But really, the thing that irks me about this trade is not ML per se. He is a very good back. But what ticks me off is how we got here. If I were taking over as Bills HC, I'd first make a list of our strengths and weaknesses and try to address them in the off season. My strength list would look like this:

 

RB

DB

KO returner

Punt returner

Kickers

 

The rest including WR, OL, DL, LB would be weaknesses. So what do we do? With the #9 pick in the draft we take a guy that does 2 of our strengths (RB and Kick returner) WE DON'T NEED THESE.

 

So, 4 weeks into the season we have to have a fire sale to get rid one of our best guys because we're overloaded at one position of strength.

 

For this team this year, we didn't need an upgrade at RB. We needed upgrades everywhere else. We could have instead gotten any of the following to help our weak points - Iupati, Baluga, Dez Bryant,Maurice Pounsey, Weatherspoon. Any of these guys could have helped us in areas of need. We'd be better off with one of these guys and ML.

 

Instead of adding one of these guys we got rid of a very servicable RB who was just fine for us and got a 4th round pick. Net net - lose ML and gain Spiller (what did we gain that can help us in the short term really?) and a 4th and 5th or 6th pick.

 

I'm trying to be positive about Coach Gailey and Nix, but it's getting very hard. that and whole deal of us only adding Levi Brown in the QB dept (one of our biggest weaknesses) makes me think these guys don't have a clue.

i think you're right and i don't see a counterargument to your logic. but wait.... someone will come up with some ridiculous fallacy to defend this ridiculous organization

[The Senator]

First, we all must accept that the Bills would have never moved Lynch if they didnt draft Spiller. This is very easy to accept and no one who has a clue could argue this.

 

At the end of 2009 the Bills had:

Marshawn Lynch

the 9th overall pick in the draft

 

In 2010 the bills have:

CJ Spiller

4th round pick

 

 

THE BILLS TRADED MARSHAWN LYNCH AND A TOP 10 PICK FOR CP SPILLER AND A 4TH ROUNDER.

 

Worst. Trade. EVER.

I look at simply as 'we traded Marshawn Lynch for a 4th round pick, with a conditional 7th round pick that may turn into a 6th rounder. So for our 1st round pick on 2007 - a 24 year old Pro Bowl RB who was the 12th overall pick - we may get, say, a MARCUS EASLEY (currently on IR) IN 2011, ALONG WITH A LEVI BROWN (released outright, then re-signed as 3rd string QB) OR A KYLE CALLOWAY (released outright and gone from professional football) IN 2012. Doesn't seem like all that great a deal, for Buffalo at least.

 

BUT...depending on the 'conditional' triggers, it could turn into LYNCH FOR A MARCUS EASLEY-type AND AN ARTHUR MOATS (injured, played a down or two, now re-injured) OR A DANNY BATTEN (on IR). Now you can maybe begin to see a little of Buddy Nix's genius with this trade, yes?

 

A terrible trade for the Bills, but a good one for the Seahawks and Lynch...

 

Seahawks Acquire Marshawn Lynch in Trade with Bills

 

A Lynch-pin addition

 

There's a nice townhouse available in Sawgrass, if anyone's interested.

Edited October 6, 2010 by The Senator

[Orton's Arm]

I'm looking at a RB in Marshawn Lynch who has poor field vision, is one mistake away from sitting out a whole season, a player who lost his starting position to a walk on, plus someone who's gone after this season anyway.

 

Anyone who see's this trade as a mistake needs to get real...if anything was a mistake it was drafting him to begin with...

There's no question that the Lynch pick was a mistake. Any time you use the 12th overall pick on a player, and are unable to get more than a fourth rounder plus sundry for him just a few years later, that pick was an error.

 

As for the Spiller pick, the Bills have the following drafting history when it comes to RBs.

 

2001, 2nd round. Travis Henry. Result: failed to provide enough of an upgrade over Antowain Smith to be worth a 2nd rounder.

 

2003, 1st round. Willis McGahee. Result: failed to provide enough of an upgrade over Travis Henry to be worth a first rounder.

 

2007, 1st round. Marshawn Lynch. Result: failed to provide enough of an upgrade over Willis McGahee to be worth a first rounder.

 

2010, 1st round. CJ Spiller. Result: __________________ ?

 

Every running back on that list (sans Spiller) was traded away for significantly less than what we used to draft him. We got a third rounder for Henry, two third rounders for McGahee, and only a fourth rounder + conditional pick for Lynch. There is no question that the Bills' overuse of early picks on running backs has been a significant contributing factor in this team's decade-long legacy of failure.

 

This is not to suggest the Spiller pick is necessarily going to be more of the same. Most analysts had rated Spiller as a significantly better player than the others available when the Bills picked. If those high ratings prove justified, then hopefully Spiller will a) stay on the roster for a long time, b) cause the Bills to resist the temptation of using other high draft picks on RBs for a very long time, and c) be a Thurman Thomas or LaDanian Tomlinson for the offense. If Spiller accomplishes those three things, he will succeed in doing what the litany of other RBs utterly failed to do. He will have justified his draft position.

[NaPolian8693]

Marshawn Lynch never fit the image the franchise wanted.

 

Marshawn's image was perceived by some as thuggish. He has gold teeth and long hair. He is intimidating and threatening to sheltered suburbanites. He has had some off the field issues, and his whole persona does not fit into the overall image that the front office marketing machine is trying to create for this franchise.

 

CJ Spiller is more All-American. He has a winning smile and less tattoos. He rates higher on the Character charts, and his persona feels safer and less dangerous.

 

Good luck in Seattle, Marshawn! They are a more open-minded people up there.

[ganesh]

huh? We chose Spiller with the 9th pick in the draft and we traded Lynch for a 4th round pick. Those are two mutually independent moves, not ones linked together. As much as people wanted Lynch to be the back everyone wanted him to be, he simply wasn't. He averaged 4.0 YPC, and was an average back in the NFL.

 

The same guy had 2 1000 Yard seasons in his 1st two seasons as a Bill. Also, he had far more # of TDs than Jackson and Spiller combined.

[offsides#76FredSmerlas]

Look, it's just dumb. Spin it however you want. You take a guy that's probably going to be a top ten RB with just about any other team in the league and you trade him for a number four? This ownership and staff is simply out of it. Most top-tier NCAA teams are not run this badly.

 

"Oh, we'll package that number four and get a number three out of it." What crap!! This will go down as one of the worst deals in Bills history. It will make a great combo with what will likely be one of the worst seasons in Bills history.

 

I dont care if Johnny U and Jim Brown came to this team in their prime. They would stink. There is no O-line (and no desire to win) and therefore no offense and no winning. Rock bottom? Yeah, we're very close. I cant believe that the line for the JAX game is the Bills +1.5. My god, get ready to make a LOT of money. The Bills will be blown out. They are the WORST team in the NFL with no debate possible. Pay your mortgage and put it all on JAX. This one wont be close either.

I suppose New England has no clue on what their doing either by getting rid of a top 3 WR in the league for a 3rd round pick. The bottom line is some value is better than no value. Jackson and Spiller had little value to the Bills but now that Lynch is gone they bring a lot of value. You have to look at the big picture and not be narrow minded. A 4th rounder is better than Lynch riding the bench because in actuality he is not our #1 back, Jackson is, and also he wasn't going to get more carries than Spiller who they are trying to get more touches. Lynch was showcased for 3 games so they could get rid of him.

[TheBows]

I see this trade as a mistake but for a different rationale. They have been linked to trading Lynch all off season and into the season. They vehemently denied that they were trying, but as it turns out they were trying to move him. That's fine, I know you don't publicly state you're trying to trade a player.

 

But here's my issue. You held onto Marshawn, knowing you were trying to trade him. Started him the last three games pissing off your number one back (Jackson), let Joique Bell walk out the door, so now we are at the very least not as good without him, all for a 4th round pick? That's what you did all that for? Baffling.

 

Agreed. I'm all for blowing up the team and getting what we can in trade, but the trade was handled poorly. The front office needs an enima.

[Adam]

First, we all must accept that the Bills would have never moved Lynch if they didnt draft Spiller. This is very easy to accept and no one who has a clue could argue this.

 

At the end of 2009 the Bills had:

Marshawn Lynch

the 9th overall pick in the draft

 

In 2010 the bills have:

CJ Spiller

4th round pick

 

 

THE BILLS TRADED MARSHAWN LYNCH AND A TOP 10 PICK FOR CP SPILLER AND A 4TH ROUNDER.

 

Worst. Trade. EVER.

What you are failing to understand is that Lynch was picked under a different front office/coaching staff with a different vision than this one.

[Billy in 4C]

This move was about a culture change. Marshawn was a no-show for team activities, poor work ethic. Chan and Buddy are trying to change the culture by getting rid of guys like Trent and Marshawn.

 

Trust me, I liked Marshawn, but Spiller will be better. Marshawn would have left in a year and half. Might as well completely seal up the #1 overall pick and start fresh.