A Trade That Will Help Us & Let Nolan Do His Thing

[The Dirty Bird]

Mike Nolan is going to continue to run a base 4-3 defense in Atlanta, but he will certainly incorporate 3-4 looks at times. What we currently lack is a 3-4 edge rusher, but there is a trade that we can make that bring us a stud pass rusher.

It starts with using the franchise tag on Brent Grimes. It's clear our coaching staff and front office don't have Brent in the long term plans for whatever reason they have, but if he left we'd have a gaping hole at CB and pass defense is already our teams biggest weakness as is. Thus tagging Brent just for the sake of having him on the roster makes a ton of us.

Step 2: Sign Tracy Porter away from the Saints. The Saints are going to have to pay Drew Brees an obscene amount of money and then they have to worry about Carl Nicks -- with Patrick Robinson on the roster as the nickel back and recent 1st round pick it seems that Tracy Porter is going to be the odd man out. Much like Meachem on that team, Porter is going to be very underrated. He's a shutdown cornerback with phenomenal speed and he can bump into the slot to cover opposing teams best WR (Pats and Welker) if need be. He'll be cheaper than Grimes on a long term deal so this makes a ton of sense.

Step 3: By signing Porter and franchise tagging Grimes, we have totally dried up the cornerback market in free agency. There are two teams in particular that could badly use a good cornerback, and both have impending free agent defensive ends that perfectly fit our 4-3 soon-to-be-hybrid scheme.

--- Option A: Houston Texans and Mario Williams. The Texans continued to have a great defense, perhaps the best front 7 in the NFL, with Mario out for the year. With glaring holes in the secondary, particularly at the CB spot opposite Jonny Joseph, the Texans would probably love to add Grimes to make their defense even better. The Texans are also likely to tag Mario simply because he's just too good to let walk. If we can trade Brent and a future 2nd rounder pick for Mario Williams, it will be Thomas Dimitroff's coup d'etat. It makes a ton of sense for both teams, and would solve a lot of our pass rush problems. His best position is 4-3 DE, but he showed early last season that is more than capable of rushing the passer standing on two feet out of a 3-4 alignment.

--- Option B: Detroit Lions and Cliff Avril. The Lions have even worse secondary needs than the Texans, but it seems that they are more focused on signing Avril long-term than the Texans are on signing Mario. They do however already have a ton of money sunk into their D-Line and if they give Avril the contract he is demanding then they won't be able to do anything with their secondary and will likely continue to be early playoff exiters. If the Lions tag Avril, we can do the same trade for him. Avril has been a stud at 4-3 DE for the Lions, but at Purdue he was a DE/LB hybrid and he's a very fluid athlete. I have no doubt that he can be a very effective edge rusher in a 3-4, and I'm sure many 3-4 teams are saying the same thing (being from NY, I know Jets fans are talking about him).

Obviously a key here is bringing in Tracy Porter (or another viable corner in free agency) so we can trade Brent to fill our pass rushing need. There's always the chance that no team will take Brent in a trade (doubtful), but having a stacked secondary with Dunta, Porter, and Brent as the nickelback is definitely not a bad thing for next season keeping in mind we have to beat the Saints and Brees, Colston, Moore, Graham, Henderson, and maybe Meachem to win the NFC South.

Would you be willing to tag and trade Brent for Mario Williams or Cliff Avril?

Edited January 18, 2012 by The Dirty Bird

[UK13]

Mike Nolan is going to continue to run a base 4-3 defense in Atlanta, but he will certainly incorporate 3-4 looks at times. What we currently lack is a 3-4 edge rusher, but there is a trade that we can make that bring us a stud pass rusher.

It starts with using the franchise tag on Brent Grimes. It's clear our coaching staff and front office don't have Brent in the long term plans for whatever reason they have, but if he left we'd have a gaping hole at CB and pass defense is already our teams biggest weakness as is. Thus tagging Brent just for the sake of having him on the roster makes a ton of us.

Step 2: Sign Tracy Porter away from the Saints. The Saints are going to have to pay Drew Brees an obscene amount of money and then they have to worry about Carl Nicks -- with Patrick Robinson on the roster as the nickel back and recent 1st round pick it seems that Tracy Porter is going to be the odd man out. Much like Meachem on that team, Porter is going to be very underrated. He's a shutdown cornerback with phenomenal speed and he can bump into the slot to cover opposing teams best WR (Pats and Welker) if need be. He'll be cheaper than Grimes on a long term deal so this makes a ton of sense.

Step 3: By signing Porter and franchise tagging Grimes, we have totally dried up the cornerback market in free agency. There are two teams in particular that could badly use a good cornerback, and both have impending free agent defensive ends that perfectly fit our 4-3 soon-to-be-hybrid scheme.

--- Option A: Houston Texans and Mario Williams. The Texans continued to have a great defense, perhaps the best front 7 in the NFL, with Mario out for the year. With glaring holes in the secondary, particularly at the CB spot opposite Jonny Joseph, the Texans would probably love to add Grimes to make their defense even better. The Texans are also likely to tag Mario simply because he's just too good to let walk. If we can trade Brent and a future 2nd rounder pick for Mario Williams, it will be Thomas Dimitroff's coup d'etat. It makes a ton of sense for both teams, and would solve a lot of our pass rush problems. His best position is 4-3 DE, but he showed early last season that is more than capable of rushing the passer standing on two feet out of a 3-4 alignment.

--- Option B: Detroit Lions and Cliff Avril. The Lions have even worse secondary needs than the Texans, but it seems that they are more focused on signing Avril long-term than the Texans are on signing Mario. They do however already have a ton of money sunk into their D-Line and if they give Avril the contract he is demanding then they won't be able to do anything with their secondary and will likely continue to be early playoff exiters. If the Lions tag Avril, we can do the same trade for him. Avril has been a stud at 4-3 DE for the Lions, but at Purdue he was a DE/LB hybrid and he's a very fluid athlete. I have no doubt that he can be a very effective edge rusher in a 3-4, and I'm sure many 3-4 teams are saying the same thing (being from NY, I know Jets fans are talking about him).

Obviously a key here is bringing in Tracy Porter (or another viable corner in free agency) so we can trade Brent to fill our pass rushing need. There's always the chance that no team will take Brent in a trade (doubtful), but having a stacked secondary with Dunta, Porter, and Brent as the nickelback is definitely not a bad thing for next season keeping in mind we have to beat the Saints and Brees, Colston, Moore, Graham, Henderson, and maybe Meachem to win the NFC South.

Would you be willing to tag and trade Brent for Mario Williams or Cliff Avril?

tracy porter hahahahaha yea I really liked how Marshawn threw him down w/one arm in the playoffs last year

[madman88]

Were not goin to waste all that time and effort for something that isnt even a garuntee. We want grimes back just not at a huge amount.... I think we really need to rwconstruct dunta contract and save some money to be able to bring grimey back...

[Knight of God]

Williams and Avril are FA's

[Saintsfan#1]

Wouldn't it be easier for the Texans or Lions just to sign Porter if he's that much cheaper?

[Borat]

The whole "sign then trade thing" only works in Madden.

[A-TowN.-]

Lol or they could sign Finnegan. He's as good if not better than Grimes.

Both those guys are FA though Williams and Avril. Which means we can just sign them lol

[QuantumFalconz]

For some reason as much as I may like Grimes, I think with BVG gone we will see more man to man. Grimes is a better zone CB then man to man.

[Knight of God]

Lol or they could sign Finnegan. He's as good if not better than Grimes.

Both those guys are FA though Williams and Avril. Which means we can just sign them lol

Faster and meaner.

[sporkdevil]

I believe every offseason some team trades for a player a different team just signed. What... you don't believe me? Look at all the history? Such as... well, I suppose nobody ever in the history of the NFL, but it could happen this offseason.

[GuerillaOntology]

Grimes is going to put us out of his range anyway - get over the guy. Besides, if we are going to play an aggressive man coverage, he doesn't fit.

[The Dirty Bird]

UK13

tracy porter hahahahaha yea I really liked how Marshawn threw him down w/one arm in the playoffs last year

I forgot scouts evaluated CB talent on how they tackle power running backs. Jesus.

Saintsfan#1

Wouldn't it be easier for the Texans or Lions just to sign Porter if he's that much cheaper?

That's why we sign Porter first. Finnegan will also not be allowed to hit the free agent market. Then if a team wants to get a top corner, we are potentially the only seller of someone on a franchise tag.

Borat

The whole "sign then trade thing" only works in Madden.

Yeah you're right, when you sign someone to a long-term contract. This happens quite often, a team tags a player it knows it can get good value for in return that it either doesn't really need or doesn't have in its long term plans.

Most recent example: The Philadelphia Eagles slapped Kevin Kolb with the franchise tag, then traded him to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2nd round pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

In 2009, the Patriots gave Matt Cassel the franchise tag and then traded him to the Chiefs for a 2nd round draft pick. This move isn't reserved for just quarterbacks.

Everyone going "LOL you can't tag a player and then trade" ... I hear silence. This kind of roster maneuver happens all the time. We can do it with Grimes.

'A-TowN.-'

Lol or they could sign Finnegan. He's as good if not better than Grimes.

Both those guys are FA though Williams and Avril. Which means we can just sign them lol

No we can't because the Texans are going to franchise tag Mario and if the Lions can't come to an agreement with Avril they will tag him too. Neither player may be in the teams' long-term plans, and that is the same for Brent. So trading tagged players to teams with matching needs makes a ton of sense in this scenario.

Anyone else...

Edited January 18, 2012 by The Dirty Bird

[GuerillaOntology]

Anyone else...

[YoungHeezy]

If Brent Grimes played with the chip that Courtland Finnegan plays with he'd be the best cornerback in the league

[A-TowN.-]

I wouldn't trade Grimes for Avril. I would for Williams but I don't think they'd go for that. I would like a draft pick or two if we could

[The Monarch]

tracy porter hahahahaha yea I really liked how Marshawn threw him down w/one arm in the playoffs last year

Marshawn made a lot of players look silly on that play. The one player I'm least concerned about when it comes to tackling a RB is the CB.

That said, no, I'd rather try to resign Grimes than trade him.

[DirtyBirdDynasty]

There are a lot of dumb responses in this thread

I wouldnt sign Porter as on D I would upgrade the DL first, we need to replace Decoud, and on O we need to fix the OL.

The idea of tagging Grimes so we trade for another tagged player does make sense

We have a number of needs and no 1st rounder. The majority of the best potential UFAs will be resigned or franchise tagged so this could give us a much needed chip. Lofton is a must to resign long term but we can afford to trade Grimes if we upgrade the DL

[DirtyBirdDynasty]

I wouldn't trade Grimes for Avril. I would for Williams but I don't think they'd go for that. I would like a draft pick or two if we could

If the Lions would take Grimes for Avri straight up we`d do it in a second. Avril has been productive every season and had 11 sacks and 6 FFs this season. He`s 25. Hes a great young player. The Lions have plenty of DTs but not many DEs. They have him, Vanden Bosch who isnt a speed rusher and not really any one after that so he`s not a guy they can really afford to lose

Working out a deal for Williams might be slightly more realistic as they have 2 good DEs and OLBs and could afford to lose Williams to get another good CB to pair with Joseph and give them a very complete D

Grimes and a 2nd may do it

[A-TowN.-]

If the Lions would take Grimes for Avri straight up we`d do it in a second. Avril has been productive every season and had 11 sacks and 6 FFs this season. He`s 25. Hes a great young player. The Lions have plenty of DTs but not many DEs. They have him, Vanden Bosch who isnt a speed rusher and not really any one after that so he`s not a guy they can really afford to lose

Working out a deal for Williams might be slightly more realistic as they have 2 good DEs and OLBs and could afford to lose Williams to get another good CB to pair with Joseph and give them a very complete D

Grimes and a 2nd may do it

I wouldn't trade our second and Grimes. A 3rd maybe but we can't keep giving up picks. We need more if anything.

Avril has been good since they got Suh. Not sure if he's a product of their DTs

[DirtyBirdDynasty]

I wouldn't trade our second and Grimes. A 3rd maybe but we can't keep giving up picks. We need more if anything.

Avril has been good since they got Suh. Not sure if he's a product of their DTs

He's produced every season and is 25 years old. I doubt he hits the market

[DirtyBirdDynasty]

Even if Grimes were a better CB than Avril is a DE, Avril is younger and DEs are valued higher as good DL + avg secondary = good

while avg DL + good secondary = average

Edited January 18, 2012 by DirtyBirdDynasty

[The Dirty Bird]

Even if Grimes were a better CB than Avril is a DE, Avril is younger and DEs are valued higher as good DL + avg secondary = good

while avg DL + good secondary = average

I agree in terms of value alone Avril > Grimes. Avril is 25 years old, scheme versatile which is a huge plus, and just beginning to reach his potential with an 11 sack, 6 FF season, not to mention an interception (one handed) he returned for a TD.

The reason the Lions would likely be open to this is because they like the young DEs they have behind Avril -- Lawrence Jackson and Willie Young, who combined for 7.5 sacks this past season. They also have a ton of money locked up in their D-Line with Suh, Vanden Bosch, and Williams, not to mention recent first rounder Nick Fairley. If they give Avril the kind of deal he is looking for (Charles Johnson kind of money) then their entire defensive budget will be in their defensive line with no money to resign MLB Tulloch, CB Eric Wright, S Delmas (when his contract is up) and NO money to improve their secondary or linebackers. There issue has been there secondary and they will not contend in the NFC until they fix it.

For the Lions, letting Jackson or Young compete for the starting job and landing stud CB Brent Grimes (along with a future 2nd rounder) to help defend the Packers passing attack is a wise move.

[autigerfan]

Mike Nolan is going to continue to run a base 4-3 defense in Atlanta, but he will certainly incorporate 3-4 looks at times. What we currently lack is a 3-4 edge rusher, but there is a trade that we can make that bring us a stud pass rusher.

It starts with using the franchise tag on Brent Grimes. It's clear our coaching staff and front office don't have Brent in the long term plans for whatever reason they have, but if he left we'd have a gaping hole at CB and pass defense is already our teams biggest weakness as is. Thus tagging Brent just for the sake of having him on the roster makes a ton of us.

Step 2: Sign Tracy Porter away from the Saints. The Saints are going to have to pay Drew Brees an obscene amount of money and then they have to worry about Carl Nicks -- with Patrick Robinson on the roster as the nickel back and recent 1st round pick it seems that Tracy Porter is going to be the odd man out. Much like Meachem on that team, Porter is going to be very underrated. He's a shutdown cornerback with phenomenal speed and he can bump into the slot to cover opposing teams best WR (Pats and Welker) if need be. He'll be cheaper than Grimes on a long term deal so this makes a ton of sense.

Step 3: By signing Porter and franchise tagging Grimes, we have totally dried up the cornerback market in free agency. There are two teams in particular that could badly use a good cornerback, and both have impending free agent defensive ends that perfectly fit our 4-3 soon-to-be-hybrid scheme.

--- Option A: Houston Texans and Mario Williams. The Texans continued to have a great defense, perhaps the best front 7 in the NFL, with Mario out for the year. With glaring holes in the secondary, particularly at the CB spot opposite Jonny Joseph, the Texans would probably love to add Grimes to make their defense even better. The Texans are also likely to tag Mario simply because he's just too good to let walk. If we can trade Brent and a future 2nd rounder pick for Mario Williams, it will be Thomas Dimitroff's coup d'etat. It makes a ton of sense for both teams, and would solve a lot of our pass rush problems. His best position is 4-3 DE, but he showed early last season that is more than capable of rushing the passer standing on two feet out of a 3-4 alignment.

--- Option B: Detroit Lions and Cliff Avril. The Lions have even worse secondary needs than the Texans, but it seems that they are more focused on signing Avril long-term than the Texans are on signing Mario. They do however already have a ton of money sunk into their D-Line and if they give Avril the contract he is demanding then they won't be able to do anything with their secondary and will likely continue to be early playoff exiters. If the Lions tag Avril, we can do the same trade for him. Avril has been a stud at 4-3 DE for the Lions, but at Purdue he was a DE/LB hybrid and he's a very fluid athlete. I have no doubt that he can be a very effective edge rusher in a 3-4, and I'm sure many 3-4 teams are saying the same thing (being from NY, I know Jets fans are talking about him).

Obviously a key here is bringing in Tracy Porter (or another viable corner in free agency) so we can trade Brent to fill our pass rushing need. There's always the chance that no team will take Brent in a trade (doubtful), but having a stacked secondary with Dunta, Porter, and Brent as the nickelback is definitely not a bad thing for next season keeping in mind we have to beat the Saints and Brees, Colston, Moore, Graham, Henderson, and maybe Meachem to win the NFC South.

Would you be willing to tag and trade Brent for Mario Williams or Cliff Avril?

Cliff Avril seems more realistic but he may be the benefactor of the great talent around him.

[Land Shark]

I dont' thing the GA folks understand that the ONLY way to ever have a GREAT D is with the 3-4. It allows you to hide your pressure on EVERY play without even blitzing a LB. And, yes, we'll be in a 3-4 sheme; just lining up with 4 down more often than some this year. ****, look at what Saban does, they're in nickel more than anything else, but a D supercoach is a 3-4 coach 99 pct of the time. Praise Jesus, we're heading in the right direction and have talent out the wazzu.

[Thiccolas Cage]

I wish we could get Cameron Wake