How the Lance Briggs deal started.

[Gmanc711]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I think it's because some people don't know how to do anything but complain. It's like the folks who keep bitching about how we never re-sign our own guys in spite of all the re-signings we've completed this offseason. That mentality will only change when the team starts winning, if even then.

In this case, I disagree 100%. You can't tell me that if we were to, right now, trade the #6 for the #31 overall pick and Lance Briggs that it would not be a dumb trade. The 6th pick was three weeks ago worth Dre Bly' a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round draft pick. Lance Briggs was a third round draft pick. I think peoples biggest gripe is that we should be drafting 2-3 starting calibur guys a year. I mean we draft guys well, we just dont have any picks. In addition, its highly likley that on April 28th, that #6 pick is going to get much better offers, especially if a few certain people fall too #6.

Furthermore....we just wasted two freaking second round picks on a linebacker at the same positoin 11 months ago, and we have a guy in Lamar Marshall, who has been a pretty solid starter for us for the last 3 years and excelled in 2005 and was one of the defenses best players. Unless were changing the entire defensive scheme to be a 3-4, why would we add someone else to that linebacking core?? It's just stupid.

Finally, we can only resign Ethan Albright and Ade Jimoh (not that I dislike the guys and Albright is probaboly the most under-rated player on the team), but we can only resign them so many times to make me forget about losing guys like Fred Smoot (1st time), Antonio Peirce, and Derrick Dockery or Chris Cooley if that dosent go down next year. I'm glad we re-upped Sellers/Thomas, but they still had time left on their deals too. Its our starters that people are upset about. We didnt re-sign any of them this year.

People arent just complaining for the sake of complaining. They are complaining because its deals like this that made us a dysfunctional franchise to begin with. Dont take my word for it, go re-listen to Clinton Portis on the John Thompson show after the season, the players dont like it either. I'm not saying you cant do a deal like this every now and then, but our front office does it just for the sake of doing it. Adding Lance Briggs to this football team and losing that #6 pick makes us a worse football team.