Please stop dreaming about trading LJ!

[jmlamerson]

Look, I understand that we don't want to cut LJ and take the cap hit. I understand we don't want to keep him and his behavior problems on the team. I understand we all think/know he can be a 1500/year back still in this league, and don't want to trade him for peanuts.

But everyone needs to realize that: We aren't getting high draft picks or starting players for LJ.

No team is going to trade a decent pick for a 30-year-old guy with his injury history, suspension threat, his 416 carry season, behavior problems, and big salary. He's a good one-dimensional back that can't block or catch well and who fumbled five times in 2008. Not to mention that RBs past 30 don't last for long historically.

Many teams might be interested in him as a FA, but GMs are become cheaper and cheaper at RB as everyone figures out the OL is becoming more and more important than individual RB talent. Playoff teams like the Colts (Rhodes), Giants (Ward and Bradshaw), Pittsburgh (Moore), and Cards (Hightower) have been able to plug in low round picks or cheap FAs as starters this year specifically for that reason. Big money contracts are not given to 30+ RBs anymore, especially one-dimenional ones.

Our best case is probably a 5th rounder for him. And that's only if we get very lucky with a very dumb GM.

[jmlamerson]

Remember the Broncos went through six RB's this year. They may look for somebody.

The Broncos go through 2-3 RBs minimum every year. They'll plug in someone cheap. They won't trade a high pick for a RB when they're able to chop block any 7th rounder into a 1000 yard back.

I don't think they'd be willing to pay LJ if he were a FA, much less trade for him.

[m0ef0e]

The Broncos go through 2-3 RBs minimum every year. They'll plug in someone cheap. They won't trade a high pick for a RB when they're able to chop block any 7th rounder into a 1000 yard back.

I don't think they'd be willing to pay LJ if he were a FA, much less trade for him.

Probably not, but their system will most assuredly change now that the GM/HC that has orchestrated the donkeys' rushing attack for the last decade or so is gone. Who knows what the new donk ground game is going to look like? They just might go for a big name for the simple fact that they have gone thru so many RB's every year.

[jmlamerson]

Probably not, but their system will most assuredly change now that the GM/HC that has orchestrated the donkeys' rushing attack for the last decade or so is gone. Who knows what the new donk ground game is going to look like? They just might go for a big name for the simple fact that they have gone thru so many RB's every year.

Anyone might do anything. But I can't imagine the new GM for the Broncos sitting in his office and thinking to himself: "We badly need to rebuild our defense, and we need youth on the interior of our OL. I know, I'll trade high draft picks for that RB who was arrested for spitting on women!"

I mean, the Broncos might start doing things drastically different in a lot of places, but the new GM will be charged first and foremost with fixing the defense, not with updating their 12th ranked run offense with a high priced malcontent.

[Chiefster]

Please stop dreaming about trading LJ!

But, dreaming is just so much fun!

[jap1]

When we tried traditional running he was hit behind the line most of the time in each game we did it. He gives about a half a$$ effort and is a cancer in the locker room. Just my opinion & observation but I'd like to see him go whether we get anything for him.

How nice would it look to have Charles and Ward (Giants) back there? His contract is up this year according to ESPN...

This is the exact argument I would make for why he did give a significant effort this year. In the Broncos game where he blew up he was fighting for every inch. I remember one play where the corner tried to dive at his knees, so LJ got low enough to go shoulder to shoulder with him and was able to get an extra 5 yards because of it. I would like to see anyone else try to average over 4 yards/carry behind our O-line this past year.

The only reason I would give for trading him is if a) he actually causes problems/arguments with other players in the locker room or with the press (which I have never seen any reports of) or b) he openly says that he doesnt want to play anymore. I realize he has said the latter, but he seemed to say he felt more like he was not welcome or needed here, so he wanted to go somewhere else.

I know most of you hate who he is and what he has done and want him gone at any cost. I like to set emotions aside and think of him as a player and asset. One that to me is very valuable. Maybe not worth the big salary that he has, but definitely not worthless.

[jmlamerson]

But, dreaming is just so much fun!

It usually is! But everyone keeps saying that we can trade LJ for two high picks and use those picks to fix all of our problems. It's driving me batty when people say we can stay out of FA this year because we can trade LJ and use the picks to get the C and RG we need.

[m0ef0e]

Anyone might do anything. But I can't imagine the new GM for the Broncos sitting in his office and thinking to himself: "We badly need to rebuild our defense, and we need youth on the interior of our OL. I know, I'll trade high draft picks for that RB who was arrested for spitting on women!"

I mean, the Broncos might start doing things drastically different in a lot of places, but the new GM will be charged first and foremost with fixing the defense, not with updating their 12th ranked run offense with a high priced malcontent.

True. Even if they did go after a big-name feature back, I doubt the donkeys would go after LJ. There are other guys out there at a comparable talent level that don't have the excess baggage LJ brings. The smart thing would be for them to stick with drafting RB's, IMHO. I was just throwing a big 'what if' out there. I would have mentioned the faders since "dirty-depends" Al Davis seems to love malcontents but they already have good backs in jokeland... maybe LJ for Fargas straight-up

[I H8 Every Team But KC]

This is the exact argument I would make for why he did give a significant effort this year. In the Broncos game where he blew up he was fighting for every inch. I remember one play where the corner tried to dive at his knees, so LJ got low enough to go shoulder to shoulder with him and was able to get an extra 5 yards because of it. I would like to see anyone else try to average over 4 yards/carry behind our O-line this past year.

The only reason I would give for trading him is if a) he actually causes problems/arguments with other players in the locker room or with the press (which I have never seen any reports of) or b) he openly says that he doesnt want to play anymore. I realize he has said the latter, but he seemed to say he felt more like he was not welcome or needed here, so he wanted to go somewhere else.

I know most of you hate who he is and what he has done and want him gone at any cost. I like to set emotions aside and think of him as a player and asset. One that to me is very valuable. Maybe not worth the big salary that he has, but definitely not worthless.

My arguement for that is that he is not consistent with his efforts. He broke a large run in that game which I'm sure put him in the right spirits. We need him to be a leader when things aren't going well instead of a whiny b*tch. I also believe we were already running the Pistol in that game but I could be wrong. The year before when he got hurt I think everyone would agree that our Oline was worse than the line we had this year. I remember Kolby Smith having some pretty good games with that line when Johnson wasn't doing anything. The difference is Smith runs with passion & LJ could care less.

I definietly see your point but you aren't going to convince me that we are better off with him than without him.

[wildcat]

Because LJ can't block or catch passes, is overpaid, there are questions about his legs, he has attitude problems, and because he is facing a suspension if he steps even a little out of line?

Arizona learned its lessons about over-30 FA RBs with the Edge experiment. They're not making the same mistake twice.

They already have. You are forgetting about Emmit Smith. The Edge already was their second time.

[jmlamerson]

They already have. You are forgetting about Emmit Smith. The Edge already was their second time.

Emmitt Smith was brought in to sell tickets to the (many) Cowboys fans in AZ and to fill the stadium, not to be a RB.