Another Man’s Shoes…
June 10th, 2010 | by detfan1979 |The only way to truly understand a man is to walk a mile in his shoes. As fans of a franchise that has been through almost every level of awful management, player, and any other craziness imaginable outside of Oakland, CA we can understand the pain other fans are going through when they see trades backfire, management dump the wrong guys, and their teams seemingly self destruct. It’s nice, for a change, to finally be walking in the shoes of a team that is headed in the “right” direction. Just like with any new pair of shoes, we’re not used to wearing these “respectable” shoes. I know I won’t be for some time. I keep waiting for “20 year old Converse with no soles left” shoe to return at any minute, even though it is honestly silly.
One case in point is that Martin Mayhew has made so many trades, that often times we focus on the ones happening now without thinking about what made them possible. For instance, as we were reminded by the Detroit Free Press today Mayhew wrangled one 6th round pick in 2009 into a pair of currently projected starters and a piece of a third. (I know what you’re thinking Lions fans, and no – the 6th rounder we traded wasn’t for a future HOF – at least not at this point.)
Says John Niyo today:
As expected, the Broncos cut loose one of their four quarterbacks this week, releasing second-year pro Tom Brandstater . That means rookie Tim Tebowis now third on the unofficial depth chart behind Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn. Brandstater, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers by the Colts, who already had three QBs — Curtis Painter , Drew Willy and Tim Hiller , an undrafted rookie out of Western Michigan — vying for backup spots behind Peyton Manning .
… Here’s the end result of the Broncos’ draft-day trade to move up to get Brandstater in the Lions’ sixth-round slot last year. The Lions got a 2009 seventh-round pick (Zack Follett) and a 2010 fifth-round pick that was dealt this March to Cleveland for defensive tackle Corey Williams and a 2010 seventh-round pick. That pick went to Minnesota along with a swap of fourth-rounders as the Lions traded back into the first round to get Jahvid Best
Brandstater – 3rd string QB trying to hang on, for Zack Follett (projected WLB) and Corey Williams (Starting DT) as well as the final ammunition for Jahvid Best (projected starting RB). That is one heck of a trade! It is also a reminder that the days of Shaun Rogers for a stick of gum and a cheeseburger are fading further into the past.
These new shoes may give us some blisters at first, but I know I’m really starting to like them. How about you?
Tags: Corey Williams, Detroit Lions, Jahvid Best, Martin Mayhew, Zack Follett
By Clusterfox on Jun 11, 2010
Nice Shoes! Its about time you got rid of those converse.
But seriously, I was optimistic about Mayhew even when everyone was up in arms about us not “Cleaning House”. The way I see it is even though Millen was doing a terrible job, Mayhew was still doing his job. He wasn’t focusing on the mistakes of his boss, and creating dissension in the ranks. Some may view that as a fault when the mistakes are so glaring from the top. But I see someone who knows that there are alot of moving parts in an organization like this, and It helps to stick to your job and do it well and hope that the Big Man upstairs sees where the mistakes begin and end. Long story short it took WCF a bit to long to notice, but it seems we’re in capable hands now.
Go Lions!!!
Clusterfox