Unless you've been living under a rock you probably have heard that the Cleveland Browns have traded Braylon Edwards to the Jets for Chansi Stuckey, a decent wideout, and Jason Trusnick, a special teams ace, and draft picks(a third and a fifth-rounder to be exact but when they are not higher they aren't considered the centerpiece of the deal). There is no question that the timing of the trade indicates that Mangini is trying to make a statement. Unfortunately, the statement of, "If you misbehave than we will trade you to a contender for less on the dollar than Morgan Stanley paid for Bear Stearns" is not one that Browns fans want to hear.
Even with the statement aspect the timing is horrendous. Remember the eight catch, one hundred fourty eight yard game "Eminem" had this weekend? You could forget about those for a while without Braylon drawing safety help over the top. That should impede his development, and as the only 2009 draft pick that's actually contributing, something the Browns can't afford.
Another consideration is that the Jets essentially get something for nothing. They get to "rent" Braylon for at least the rest of the season, test drive him and then decide if he is worth a long term commitment. If it works out, great; if not they can "franchise" him and "flip" Braylon in the offseason to the highest bidder, probably for more than they paid considering he's bound to put up better numbers with a team that actually scores some points. To offset this discrepancy the Browns should have charged the Jets a premium instead of giving them a discount.
As far as what they got for Braylon, at first glance it seems as the Browns got too little from the Jets. Again. Don't get me wrong. Chansi is a nice player and it's great to get another special teams contributor( I wonder if Mangini factored Quinn's abilities on special teams when deciding he would be the starter)and who doesn't like some more draft picks, but the key in any trade negotiation is getting the other party to pay for what they think they are getting, not to what the player is worth to you. Granted Braylon drops more balls than Paris Hilton, but if the Jets think they are getting a franchise wide receiver; you've got to make them pay for one.
So I ask you Browns fans. Did we get fleeced? Let me hear what you have to say.
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