Effect of Holmes Trade On Division & Conference
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 8:29 AM EDT
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PrintWith the Pittsburgh Steelers unloading troubled wide receiver Santonio Holmes by trading him to the New York Jets for a 2010 5th round draft pick, how does this upset the balance of power in both the AFC North as well as AFC as a whole? Holmes reportedly is facing a four game suspension and the repeated troubles off the field convinced the Steelers to get whatever they could for him right away plus made it a deal that Rex Ryan and the Jets just could not ignore.
But what does it do to the Steelers, the Jets, the AFC North and the AFC overall? The Steelers will miss Holmes' great ability to get open while Ben Roethlisberger is scrambling around in his backfield looking for an open receiver as his pass protection breaks down, as well as the yards after catch that has made him the threat he was there. However, Pittsburgh found a steal in the draft last year in WR Mike Wallace, who is bigger and maybe even faster than Holmes and came on strong last year. He obviously has the confidence of Roethlisberger, as Big Ben threw to him on the last play of the game in 2009 when they came back to beat the Green Bay Packers.
The combination of an aging, yet still productive Hines Ward and Wallace, along with a solid tight end in Heath Miller, makes Holmes expendable in Steeler minds. The hope that WR Limas Sweed will rise to the occasion as well as the off season additions of Antwan Randle-El and Arnaz Battle plus this year's deep draft class convinced the team to part ways with both the player and a portion of the cloud of trouble over them as an organization.
The Jets have obviously upgraded their offense at a relatively inexpensive price. Mark Sanchez now has two Pro Bowl caliber wideouts in Holmes and Braylon Edwards on board, as well as a tight end in Dustin Keller who is a great target in the middle of the field. The addition of LaDanian Tomlinson gives the Jets a lot of targets that should improve the offense by leaps and bounds. However, it will all depend on the growth of the second year Sanchez and remember, this is still most likely a run-first offense just like the Baltimore Ravens.
The addition of Holmes will make the Jets a front runner for the AFC East title and certainly at the very least a Wild Card contender in the conference after making the AFC Championship Game last season before losing to the Indianapolis Colts. That possibility means one less playoff team from the other three divisions in the AFC. The Ravensd the AFC North play the AFC East this season so not only will we face Holmes and his new team, but so will the Steelers in 2010. How the Jets do against the Ravens and Steelers will go a long way towards deciding both divisions as well as the playoff picture, which although a long time away from now, is food for fodder as the 2010 regular season NFL schedule is about to be released within the next week or so.
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Holmes out of the AFC North is nice. He was a big time playmaker for Pitt, and the scariest person with the ball in their hands on that team.
Also getting the rep as
“Plexico Jr.”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Lets just hope he starts carrying a loaded glock in his booty shorts at the club next time.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Booty shorts… haha…. isn’t that what girls wear (today’s “Daisy Dukes”)?
He is gonna be in the clubs till 4 now all the time. If you live in NY, buy Holmes some shots if you see him out. Make it some Grain Alcohol.
ill go buy him a glock in florida, tell him its legal to carry anywhere in the US—TRUST ME—and then explain that the trigger safety mechanism is so safe that it doesnt even really need the traditional safety that every other gun has and that it is completely impossible for him to accidentally discharge the weapon.
then, we buy grain.
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
No, it was his sweatpants
On this site, DT711 said he should have received a two-year jail sentence for just wearing sweatpants to a nightclub! HA!!!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I think Jets are the front runners for that division
Right now I think they are the only team in the AFC with no huge weaknesses anywhere in their team. They have solid and great players everywhere. Rex Ryan sure has some serious balls and it is going to pay off. He is making moves that he knew would never happen with Ozzie above him and it might pay off really well.
Oh yea, HAHA Pittsburgh. Let’s hope Ben is next after he is found guilty today.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
As kong as the Pats have Tom Brady
They are the favorites, IMO, and the Jets still have the same questions we had after the first year QB took them (and us) to the AFCCG.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions
As "kong?"
I meant “as long” obviously.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions
he looked....
like shit last year against us, and he Jets will handle him….
by Rayisyourdaddy on Apr 13, 2010 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Props
to the Jets front office. Who is running the show over there now?
by Rayisyourdaddy on Apr 13, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Good point
With that many picks, the Pats are bound to find a gym or two. We could sure use one of those third rounders lol. I like the Jets….and think they are doing a helluva job getting ready. They do look good to come out of the AFC East. Meanwhile, thank god Holmes is gone that mofo used to kill us especially with the YAC and the punt returns. God Bless!
by Dfense4champs2052 on Apr 12, 2010 9:24 AM EDT reply actions
The Pats work out in a "gym" but
perhaps in the draft, they’ll find a “gem” or two instead of a “gym!”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
The Steelers undoubtedly got worse in this move
We do not have a #1 capable WR. Wallace may be bigger and faster, but his route running is not up to par with Holmes. Tone could take on #1 CBs and beat double teams. I am not sure if Wallace can do that. Additionally, with our backs on the line, Holmes was a star. Just look at the SB run from 2008. He had several huge games, including a breakout performance in the SB. Also, with the many hard fought games against you all, Holmes was the guy who always delivered the dagger in our wins. He was a certified Raven killer and the reason we finished on top of you in the division recently.
This is an awful off season to be a Steelers fan. Bad news keeps getting worse.
Providing you your Daily Six Pack. If you have something good for a six pack, shoot me an email at john.stephens8@yahoo.com
Even though your best offensive player is gone
I will still get nervous playing you guys the week before the game. You do still have Harrison Woodley and Troy.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Just do not understand how they could not get more than a 5th rounder
It is mind bottling, you know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle?
Providing you your Daily Six Pack. If you have something good for a six pack, shoot me an email at john.stephens8@yahoo.com
by John Stephens on Apr 12, 2010 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Now that I think about it, it makes sense.
He probably is going to get suspended 4 games(could be more). That means he’s only going to play max 12 games(reg season), and his contract is up at the end of the year. So it’s basically just a trial period for the Jets this year to see if they want to sign him up long term.
12 games from a 1st round WR is better than anything you can get for a 5th rounder. Also, at the end of 2010 we could have tendered him for at least a 1st round pick. That is a better option than just a 5th round pick, IMO.
Providing you your Daily Six Pack. If you have something good for a six pack, shoot me an email at john.stephens8@yahoo.com
by John Stephens on Apr 12, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
More like the Steelers cutting their losses
and probably would have settled for a sixth rounder if they couldn’t find a taker.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
+1
Even with his baggage Holmes is a first rate talent. When the Steelers FO started calling around the league a bidding war should have ensued. Holmes going for a 5th says 2 things. A lot of theses teams (especially the bottom feeders) want to give the appearance of wanting to win and teams put too much emphasis on draft picks and not enough on proven players (baggage notwithstanding).
Yea definitely a shocker
I am just amazed that he was shipped off just like that after all he has done for that team and for almost nothing. Bennigans has been more of a cancer to your team with all his crap. Holmes burned one after a rough day at the gym, big woop. He is not the only player in the league that does it. God, I would hate to see what draft pick I be traded away for…
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
One rough day?
What about his previous pot charge and the other charge in 2006? This was his 3rd offense and the Steelers don’t need any more issues or suspensions. Ends up being a great deal for them anyway, as it gets Wallace more PT to see what he and also Sweed can do before they consider him a bust if not.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
People who think the Steelers won't respond to this abd remain a contender
have very short memories. They are still a very good and dangerous team. I would not be too quick to write them off. I still see the AFCN being a three team race to the end. Now if BIg Ben gets a suspension the just might find themselves in a hole to big to recover from.
The Pats without Welker in the first several weeks could find themselves in the position of depending on too many rookies to produce. If they do they will be ok but they are not the team they were.
This draft is going to be more impactful than it has been, especially in the AFCN. It is possible that with the teams in the division being so close in overall ability a special player or two could make any of the top three (Bengals, Ravens and Steelers) move ahead a bit. This will be a very interesting draft. I give the draft edge to the Bengals as they have 6 picks in the top 3 rounds but it depends on whether they can make them count. The Ravens and Steelers have a few areas that still need upgrading to get where they want to go while the Bengals only have one glaring weakness at TE though could use a good safety and corner prospect as well . The rest of their draft should help shore up less urgent problems such as another WR (hopefully Shipley) and depth.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Thank JungleJohnJacobJingleHeimerSmith.
Definitely going to be an interesting year. This is the best draft class we have seen in a very long time. I agree that the Bengals have very little needs. Good, young defense with serviceable starters everywhere. A SS could definitely be an option with Roy losing it. Another WR and definitely a Tight End. You guys most likely won’t be starting any rookies next year while the Ravens could possibly see 2-3 start like we did last year.
I do think however that the Holmes loss is going to hurt, badly. Yes they will reload, but they won’t
get that same production for a while that they had with Holmes. I put them third in the division as of right now with Ravens at the top. You guys are a good team, but we are the seasoned team that know how to get it done when it matters.
None of your guys have playoff experience like we do, and that hurts alot as apparent by last year. We
would have spanked the Jets.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
The Steelers are great at reloading
But there is no way you can say this team got better from this move. They got worse. And we do not have a name on the roster that can (or is ready to) take over Holmes role.
Providing you your Daily Six Pack. If you have something good for a six pack, shoot me an email at john.stephens8@yahoo.com
by John Stephens on Apr 12, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the steelers did get worse from this trade but in the long run helps them. I do not know too much about Holmes except that he often has found himself in trouble with the law. Rooney is disappointed and needed to do something to address all of this bad publicity surrounding the steelers. He is a great player and consistently given the ravens headaches so I am ecstatic to see him move the jets. The steelers are still a very dangerous team and best believe ill be nervous when we play next year.
Steelers are still one of the better teams in the league
and as long as thye have Ben and Troy, both sides of the ball are dangerous. If Ben gets a four game sitting, then all bets are off for their season.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions
This trade is sick...
…gotta think that with the defense they have and as long as Sanchez comes in healthy from Day 1, Edwards and Holmes are going to make these guys serious Contenders.
Playing, coaching, and watching basketball.
I agree Sherman. They might be the best team in the AFC at this point
You can never count out Peyton and the Colts, Brady and the Pats or whoever survives the trial by fire in the tough schedule of the AFCN but the Jets may have climbed up to challenge them all. I see the Chargers falling off a bit. It looks like a fun year is on the way.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Jets are best team in AFC?!?! You’re crazy…..
1)Colts
2)Chargers
3)Pats
4)Steelers (With Troy and Ben for the full year)
5)Ravens
6)Jets/Titans
You are delusional of you think the Chargers, Pats and Steelers are better than us right now. I put us in the top 3 for sure, #1 in my opinion. But that’s the homer coming out.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Alright, put me in the nut house then.
Joe still hasn’t beat Ben when they play head to head. Troy kills Flacco, and every other QB.
Chargers can light it up against anybody. There WR’s and TE’s are BEASTS. With LT gone, they’ll find another back in the draft that’ll be more explosive. They also got a lot of good picks from the Whitehurst trade.
Pats, we know won’t stay down long. So many picks in the early rounds. Edelman is up and coming. Brady will be good from game 1 this year. They still have Moss.
We got Boldin. A great WR but not a home run threat. If we get some explosive WR in a trade or through the draft, then I’d move us up on the list. Also I’d like to see us pick up a legit CB.
I just don’t get how you can put us at 5 when we have finished in the top 2 and top 4 the last two years and our team has actually gotten better. In my opinion, the Pats, Chargers and Steelers have all declined since last season ended. We have gotten stronger simply because of our WR.
You are naming individuals, but failing to look at the team aspect.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
We have gotten younger/better at almost every position as well as set ourselves nicely for the draft. We are only a few players away from being an elite team for many years to come imo. This team has been through a lot the last two years and endured some growing pains. I would definitely rank us as one of the top three teams in the AFC now. Ozzie has made it more than clear that this team wants to win and we are trying to win now.
Their QB’s are better than ours is right now too. If Flacco makes the jump and can throw inside and in the redzone, wow, we’ll be scary. Until then, I don’t think we’re a better team.
I see what you’re saying team wise, I just don’t think our O can consistently keep up with these teams. Of course, we can beat any of them on any given Sunday. However, if I power rank all the AFC teams, I’d have us 5th.
Colts are still the team to beat
but the rest of the league is catching up and will fight to unseat them. As good as the Chargers are, we all know they’ll choke at some point as they always do. I say the Pats, Jets, Ravens, Steelers, Bengals will fight it out to challenge them again.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 12, 2010 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Titans?
I think they will be back in the mix next year. A tier below most of the teams you mentioned (Jets, Ravens, Colts, Steelers, NE, SD) but I have them on par with the Bengals as far as chances of coming out of the AFC.
I need to see Ced Benson do it again before I’m totally sold that he’s gotten “it”. Also I need to see Carson step up when it really matters, late in the season and in the playoffs.
If VY can keep the momentum going and their def stays healthy, Chris Johnson gives any team a good chance to compete.
and now the rumor is that
Albert Haynesworth might be traded back to them for a 3rd rounder or later.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 14, 2010 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Im wit Malor
Ok the chargers have a high powered offense. But there defense is not heading in a good direction. Cromartie is a Jet, jamal Williams is a Bronco and merriman wants out. They may have a few names to fill those holes but they are not proven.The Ravens have a better well rounded team. Thats why we should be in the top 3 and Boldin solidified that. Boldin is a homerun threat. He’s had 1000 pretty much every year he has played. Thats a homerun to me.
by Raven_all_day on Apr 12, 2010 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Bmore, I said might
The draft is going to go a long way to determining who rises in our division. The Bengals, will get better as well. I see it this was predraft:
1) Colts ( I should just say Peyton)
2) Pats ( if Welker doesn’t miss too many games)
3) Ravens
4) Jets
5/6) Titans/Steelers (this depends on Ben’s situation, they could fall. Troy keeps them
up here if he stays healthy)
7) Bengals ( we are pretty solid and the D and O both should improve)
8) Chargers ( there are question marks here too)
Any team on this list could rise or fall several positions if they draft well. The Pats and Bengals are probably in the best position here as they have more picks and fewer major issues to address. This draft will be huge in determining the AFCN IMO. There is not much separation in draft position and the Ravens have 2-3 fewer picks than the Bengals. We have 6 picks in the first 4 rounds and only TE as a major need. The Steelers need WR, OL, Corner. The Ravens need corner and safety if Reed shows his age too much and they also have some depth issues in D and they still don’t have a real stretch the field WR. Boldin is not a burner, Several of these problems can be fixed in the draft and whoever does the best job can come out on top.There is also a good possibility that we could come out of this draft pretty even.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Good Points John. I like the Peyton comment.
You guys do have a lot of draft picks. I don’t think you draft as well as the other teams on the list though. That of course could change this year.
I’m curious what a Bengal’s fan thinks of Crason Palmer these days. In the games I watched, he didn’t look like the older version of himself. A little shaky in the pocket and his accuracy was off. He had an injury to his off hand, which I’m sure affected his game. The play action passing really suffered. Overall I didn’t see the accurate gunslinger I saw early in his career. What’s your take?
I am not one to make excuses for Carson
I, as a Bengals fan, have had my gut filled with them over the last decade or more. Here is my take on Palmer. Lets just look at the facts. He missed 3/4 of 2008 with a pretty bad throwing elbow injury. Then in 2009 he missed almost all of the preseason games after and ankle got rolled up in the first quarter of the first game. He goes into the first game of the season as his first game with the team in over a year and we lost the game on the infamous immaculate deflection to Stokley with Denver. He then injured his left thumb. Coles turned out to be a dog, both of our starting TEs were lost for the season in TC and Chase Coffman never recovered from a foot injury he suffered in his last college game.
Caldwell dropped way too many passes leaving Chad as his only reliable target. Trying to force balls to Chad, which was really his only option he was intercepted more than usual. All of this behind a retooled Oline where only one player was in the same position and our #1 pick broke RT his foot.
If you didn’t know the record but just this real sinerio you would probably guess at a 5-11 record. We won 10 games, swept the Steelers,Ravens and Browns and won the division. Even with all of the credit you must give Benson I think he did more with less than any year in his career. I thing he is a very good QB whose best years may still be in front of him. He just needs the tools around him. I am not sure Manning, Brady, Brees or Ben, who I consider the top 4 QBs in the league, could have done much, if any, better than Carson did. Hopefully we can fix that with the addition of Bryant and another target or two like Gresham and if my personal prayers are answered Jordan Shipley.
Our Oline is coming back as a unit for the first time in 4 years, Benson is healthy, Andre is in better shape, had is foot fixed and is healing well. We had a top 5 D and signed Zimmer to a 3 year contract. With 6 picks in the first 4 rounds I expect him to also get as safety, corner and maybe a LB or DL to groom so I don’t think they will fall off but rather be better. Now if Mike Brown will just lock himself in the closet and let Marvin and Zimmer run the draft I expect that 4-5 of the first 6 picks to help.
Sorry for the long post but I am not a skilled enough writer to fully explain in fewer words. The Bengals are going to be very competitive this year, but we need to be because the Ravens and Steelers will be out for blood after being swept and both are top quality teams.
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Thanks for the good input.
I hope we still kick your ass this year. Good luck against everyone else.
You are welcome
One thing good about football in the AFCN. Games between us are always high points of the year and in the end the truth will be in black and white numbers on the scoreboard. Just know one thing. We are not the same old Bungles anymore. If you want to win come to play, play hard and play to the end. We will. I promise. Lets have an agreement if only just between to two of us. Whatever happens – no excuses – OK?
"Coincidence is God's way of staying anonymous"
Caldwell looked like an All Pro
against us and caught the one pass that killed us!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Apr 14, 2010 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
This trade makes sense to me. The steelers know he is trouble and want to dump him while they can. The Steelers public image has taken a hit this offseason and are trying to cut their losses. You know the steelers will not be getting rid of Ben so why not trade holmes before his contact runs up and try to salvage a little bit of their image? Rooney is disappointed and is just attempting to clean the team up while keeping them competitive.
Although Rex and the Jets are wheeling and dealing for veterans they better hope they get it done in the next two years. With all the draft picks being traded away, I feel like they are setting themselves up for long term failure. They appear to be a dangerous team in April but the same can be said for the Redskins almost every year. Should be an interesting season all around.
by ryantz on Apr 12, 2010 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
i agree so much that i can only add
“BOOM SHACKA-LACKA!”
"Just win baby. Yeah, I stole that."
--Jon Gruden
This could workout for us in more than one way
Its plus that we dont have to see Santonio Holmes twice a year. But also if they see the WR position as a hole they may try to go reciever which could let a defensive prospect slip, and a domino effect will occur leaving someone good for us.
Yes now we sweep pit YES!!! he has one dependable target hines ward if we have reed back divsion is raped up >_>
by shangs_assassin on Apr 12, 2010 5:38 PM EDT reply actions
Posted this elsewhere already but...
Holmes was a great trade for the Steelers. He was already being suspended for four games and is a FA after the season. The Steelers reportedly would have just released Holmes if they couldn’t find a taker for him. Therefore, they probably would have accepted a 6th or even 7th for him instead, so it appears the Jets actually “overpaid.”
Some people say this quick “get-rid-of” by Pittsburgh is more of a “shot across the bow” by the Steelers to Big Ben. “Get the message, Ben?” they’re saying.
aka 'Rexx'
Wow
I kno he has had his off the field issues but how do u just let go of a guy that brought u a ring and was very productive, and just for a 5th round pick. I dont understand, do u care more about the how a person is making your franchise look or how many rings he is bringing.
I think....
they could have pulled out a 4th rounder or even a late 3rd if they let the team negotiate an extension with him, like we did with Boldin…. he is one of the better WR in the league, and he is only 26. I would say he is better than Antonio Bryant, who the Bungles threw 7 million a year at, and he is much younger….
by Rayisyourdaddy on Apr 13, 2010 12:12 PM EDT reply actions
ya I say jets got a steal. Even with the 4 game suspension, how much production do you really think you were going to get out of a 5th round pick in his first year? To get one of the biggest playmakers at WR for a 5th is a steal. Jets are setting themselves up to be in the hunt again this year. In my opinion they are the team to beat right now.
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