I keep reading the comments on the breaking news of the trade and I keep trying to get the perspective across in the dialogue and I think there are some things that we need to understand and think more about before we freak out quite so much.

 - Compensation: It is a second rounder! Any 2nd rounder for a guy that is playing year to year is great compensation. Tony is a future HOF'er and still arguably at the top of his game but he is a Tight End. Favre, one of the greatest Quarterbacks of all time was traded for a 3rd or 4th (dont remember) last year with similar tenure expectations. Like Parade said in the other thread, this is a gamble for sure but I consider us very lucky to have recieved a 2nd Rounder.

- Our Loss: Tony has been the go-to guy for our Quarterbacks for the past few seasons, almost to a fault. Last year Tony gave us 96 receptions so you could argue that we are losing that from our offense. I, however, would argue that is not the case. We would be losing that from LAST YEAR's offense but this is not the same offense. Cardinal's Tight Ends under Haley's offense had a total of 31 receptions last season. It is clearly not a featured position in this offense.

- Philosophy: People are going crazy about Pioli being an idiot and that he was not what we thought. This is EXACTLY what we were inviting in calling for Pioli. This is the same kind of moves (and fan reactions) that occurred in New England when their regime arrived. This is not a sentimental bunch but they know how to build a team and that is exactly what we are doing, building.

With all this said...I will miss Tony immensely. We all love him like crazy and wish him the best....