All Or Nothing League News with Henn Schefter (@HennDash)
The new wave of GM’s has shaken the All Or Nothing League to its core.
Since yesterday – when all of the NFL’s GMs were fired and replaced by a fresh crop of young – well, mostly young, executives – phones have been ringing non-stop.
And the phone that’s been ringing the most is mine.
Free agency pickups, trade rumors, actual trades – hell, even team trades. In one day we’ve seen more personnel moves in the NFL than we have in three offseasons combined. But is that a good thing?
Sure, the wild trade happy nature of our new GMs is great for fans. But what will that mean for the actual organizations? All men are created equal right? WRONG. Some men are created better GMs than others and now – more than any other time – is the time to exploit that.
Our new GMs know this. That’s why they triple check their rosters, contracts and schemes before even thinking about entering into a trade. They study other teams’ rosters, their strengths and weaknesses and where they’re most vulnerable and liable to dive into a lopsided trade. What they don’t realize is that the other person is doing and thinking the exact same thing.
The results?
A litany of sources. A litany of trades. A litany of news.
People, prepare to fall in love with the NFL again, because these new owners – business savvy or not – have made the NFL the most interesting and entertaining thing in your lives.
Below, I’ll highlight some of the biggest trades made in this short two-day span, the implications the move has on both teams and overall the winner of the trade.
Indianapolis Colts & St. Louis Rams
Indianapolis sends:
WR T.Y Hilton
St.Louis sends:
RB Todd Gurley
2016 2nd round pick
What this means for the Colts: Frank Gore’s old. There, I said it. They needed to plan for life after Gore and – based on this trade – that could start as soon as tomorrow. They netted a rookie stud in this deal and a 2nd round pick to boot isn’t bad. If Gurley and Gore can provide a strong run game, Andrew Luck will see a lot of those receivers not named “T.Y Hilton” getting open more often. Can Gurley live up to expectations? That’s the question.
Whats this mean for the Rams: They filled a hole. Pause. Now they have a solid receiving core and they’ll need it if Nick Foles is going to amount to anything. They lose Gurley, but many seem to forget they already have Tre Mason. And guess what. Tre Mason happens to be good. And he’s only a year younger than Gurley. The 2nd round pick on top may hurt them later though. If Nick Foles can’t find those targets during the regular season, that 2nd round pick could have ended up being a great lineman.
Winner: Edge goes to the Colts. The 2nd round pick mannnnn. That 2nd round pick.
St. Louis Rams & San Francisco 49ers
St Louis sends:
DT Nick Fairley
2016 3rd round pick
San Fran sends:
S Eric Reid
2016 2nd round pick
What this means for the Rams: Rams get active again with an interesting little move here. They send off a defensive star with a pick and receive a potential defensive star along with a higher pick. I love this move for the Rams. They have a phenomenal defensive line with studs at every position (pause?). With this trade, they help patch up their shoddy secondary and look to keep it that way for the future.
What this means for the 49ers: They got exactly what they needed. A star DT on that line. This is a great move for the 49ers as they receive one of the best DTs in the business and while they do send away a young safety, they have the talent to cover that position at least for a season or two.
Winner: This is a classic example of a trade that helps everybody. Both GMs can be happy with this trade. That said, I have to pick St. Louis as the winners here. They receive a higher pick and the talent they already have at DT was too good to not move Fairley.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Pitssburg Steelers
Tampa Bay sends:
WR Vincent Jackson
CB Sterling Moore
2016 1st round pick
2016 6th round pick
2017 2nd round pick
Pittsburg sends:
WR Antonio Brown
OLB Bud Dupree
TE Jesse James
What this means for the Bucs: Highway robbery. A lot of the other owners in the league called this a “Homie Deal.” I understand their frustration. In a game totally dominated by WRs, the Bucs just netted the best one. And, if that wasn’t enough, rookie sensation Mike “AC” Evans is in his second season (I’ll let you guess what “AC” stands for) and if he isn’t the second best receiver in this game, he’s damn close. The Bucs may have had a poop overall before, but now they’re a serious serious threat in a stacked NFC. You can all thank Dikembe MutWumbo for that one. The Bucs have been active, and made a few other deals, but this one is definitely the most egregious.
What this means for the Steelers: The Steelers making this move tells me 2 things: 1. He’s a rook GM. 2. He’s not in “win now” mode. Getting rid of the best player on your team is a classic sign that you’re building for the future. But with the young talent on that roster, WHY IN THE FUCK WOULD YOU BE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE???? YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MIKE EVANS WUMBOOOOOOOO.
Winner: Do I even have to say it? Matter of fact, I’ll just do this…
Losers: EVERYBODY.
New England Patriots & New York Giants:
Patriots send:
2016 1st round pick
Giants send:
RB Shane Vereen
What this means for the Patriots: Well they get a pass catching speedster out of the backfield, which is great for Checkdown Charlie over here. As far as implications, it doesn’t mean much. Yes he’ll help the Patriots this season, but the AFC isn’t that challenging. Justino should come out of it regardless. And if he doesn’t – WITH THE FUCKING PATRIOTS – then he’ll have some bigger issues to address than his scat back.
What this means for the Giants: Chino gets a 1st round pick which is great. This trade actually caused a lot of controversy among the other GMs. A lot believe Chino took the L-hammer in this trade because Justino’s pick will be likely be a laaaaaate 1st rounder. But I’m of the mindset that it’s still a 1st rounder and it’s still a pick in the top 32.
Winner: Chino won this trade. Justino could have grabbed a running back out of the free agency pool to fill Vereen’s role. Or just traded for another back that wouldn’t have cost him a 1st round pick. I think he’s a lifelong fan though and that may be getting to him – causing him to overpay for players that were actually on the team.
Washington Redskins & New Orleans Saints:
Redskins send:
QB Robert Griffin III
Saints send:
T Andrus Peat
4th round pick
What this means for the Redskins: They get Rob Griffin III out of Washington which, if you don’t live under a rock, you know needed to happen. He gets a fresh start somewhere and honestly that’ll probably help him get his career back on track. In return, they get rookie T Andrus Peat and a 4th round pick. If the Redskins can build up that offensive line, then perhaps the person they have behind center can last longer than a season.
What this means for the Saints: Drew Brees’ era has come to a sudden and abrupt end. They net a speedster at the QB position which could possibly mean they’ll be changing their entire offensive scheme. With the subpar season the Saints had last year, this could be the change they need to finally pull ahead in that division.
Winner: Rather not comment on my own trades. I’ll let you decide who the winner was.
And now we enter the twilight zone; The zone where only the nuttiest of trades make sense. I personally like to call it the Chandler Zone.
Indianapolis Colts & Kansas City Chiefs
Colts send:
(backup) TE Dwayne Allen
Chiefs send:
2016 2nd round pick
2016 6th round pick
What this means for the Colts: Wow.
What this means for the Chiefs: Chandler..you already have Travis Kelce…..
Winner: *facepalm*
Dallas Cowboys & Kansas City Chiefs
Cowboys send:
CB Morris Claiborne
2016 4th round pick
Kansas City Chiefs send:
MLB Derrick Johnson
What this means for the Cowboys: -___-
What this means for the Chiefs: Morris. Claiborne.
Winner: Bruh.
Washington Redskins & Kansas City Chiefs:
Redskins send:
G Brandon Scherff
Chiefs Send:
G Zach Fulton
CB Philip Gaines
2016 5th round pick
What this means for the Redskins: They desperately needed a cornerback opposite Chris Culliver and they get one here. In return, they give up the 5th overall selection in last year’s draft.
What this means for the Chiefs: Stronger offensive line. Plain and simple. The game starts in the trenches, so if the Chiefs can make that offensive line strong for years to come, they’ll do big things. Same goes for any team ever.
Winner: Honestly, I’d rather not comment on my own trades. I’ll let y’all determine the winner of this trade for yourselves.
Those are a few of the moves made over the last 48 hours. Phones are still ringing. Sources are still contacting me. Much MUCH more to come. This will be a fun season folks.
– Henn Schefter
