Hello, players club? Oh, I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number. (Photo via Photo Source)
It's funny how a simple bit of speculation by a sports reporter can cause such an uproar. Yesterday, Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star tweeted his thought that Brodie Croyle might be pushing Matt Cassel for the first team job. A bit of a surprise, no?
Judging by the reaction, it is a surprise and most of us would disagree with Babb's speculation (even though we haven't been at camp).
Now, Mr. Babb didn't put this in a newspaper column which, to me, indicates that this is just a passing thought with no real legs to go on. Just an observation or a feeling of sorts. If he felt strongly about it, there's no doubt we'd be reading a column in the Star this morning. And that's fine. Isn't that part of the point of Twitter?
The newest bit of speculation (via Bestofthewest in the FanShots), that I imagine will make its rounds in the NFL world today, is a piece by Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News. In a column discussing the New York Jets options for acquiring a wide receiver, Cimini says this:
Another name to watch is the Chiefs' Dwayne Bowe, a former first-round pick. He caught 86 balls for 1,022yards on an awful team last season, but he's had a difficult transition under new coach Todd Haley. He may have played his way out of the doghouse with five catches in the preseason opener, but the Chiefs are rebuilding and will move a player if he doesn't fit their long-term plans.
Now, I understand how Cimini got to this point. Hard-nosed coach/GM + Player that doesn't fit the NE mold = trade bait. And all the points he makes are true.
It makes sense on some level, doesn't it?
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also chimed in on Cimini's name dropping:
Cimini also floats the name of Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe as a possible target, but we can't imagine Kansas City trading one of their only quality players -- cough . . . Tony Gonzalez . . . cough.
Two completely different situations if you ask me.
Bowe's tied up for three more years at a rate so low the Chiefs can't afford to trade him. In 2009, there are three other receivers on the team making more than him. The rookie league minimum is $310,000. Bowe is making $460,000 in year three of a five year, $9 million contract.
So that means, we can hang onto him, for three years at rates of $460,000, $600,000 and $690,000. Why would we trade that salary? That's the beauty of these first round picks outside of the top 10 - if they pan out early, like Bowe has, then you've got a heck of a player at a more than reasonable rate.
Trading Dwayne Bowe right now would, quite simply, be a team killing move in my humble, non-football executive opinion. For some players, he's the life of the team. A breath of fresh air in a Haley-controlled environment.