Rumor has it that the Broncos are shopping Brandon Lloyd. This seems like a pretty bad idea, since Denver has Lloyd and a whole bunch of #3 wideouts, and Lloyd is assuredly better than the third round pick they’re asking for will be.
However, this ought to be really good news for the Texans. They dealt a 7th rounder to the Jets last week for Derrick Mason, and now find themselves with a golden opportunity to land a star to play across from Andre Johnson. If they don’t win the division this year, Gary Kubiak is done. Lloyd could put them over the top.
The Broncos suck on ice, and what’s worse, they’re sucking with a bunch of old guys. By the time they fix that defense and have a decent QB up and running it’ll be 2013 and Brandon Lloyd will be 32. If I were them, I’d be willing to take a fourth-rounder.
They’re not ancient, but there are way more old guys in key roles than a 4-12 team should have. WR is a relative strength; Lloyd taking snaps away from Demarius Thomas and Eddie Royal does not make the 2013 team better.
The Lions are not especially young, but the old guys are mostly peripheral players and not in the way; e.g. it doesn’t matter that Jason Hanson is 53. The core is young.
Lloyd is not taking snaps away from Eddie Royal; Royal lost his starting job to journeyman Jabar Gaffney last year and a high round (undrafted?) rookie this year. In any event, Lloyd led the league in yards and touchdowns last year; he must be worth more than a third round pick.
Thomas might be a future star, but as far as I can tell he hasn’t been on the field this season.
I don’t think Lloyd is a star, and any team giving more than a 5th rounder for him would be stupid. He’s 30, been in the league 8 years and has one, and only one, great year, 1 good year, and 6 mediocre ones. Were I the Broncos, I’d be shopping him too and be thrilled if I got anything for him.
Browns head to Oakland with a bunch of questionables, including Joe Haden, Alex Mack, and Tony Pashos (great O-line on paper, can’t seem to get them all healthy at the same time). I have a feeling McFadden is going to have a monster game.
Also, I think it’s time I conceded that my preseason prediction of Cincinnati being dogshit was wrong. They’ve already won 3 games, which I thought would take them all season. Foiegras was right, that defense is solid and Dalton has looked more than competent, so mea culpa. Now I’m wondering why they haven’t traded Carson Palmer yet.
My Bills are playing the Giants. I have already seen Wide Right on TV once this weekend. I wonder how many times I’ll see it before it’s over.
Interesting matchup. Eli passes for a ton of yards every game but is good for a few turnovers too. The Bills defense gives up a ton of passing yards but also forces a lot of turnovers. I can see how this might go.
The Eagles are 1-4 and in desperate need of a win. The problem is they aren’t going to win. I just can’t see how it would work. They have nothing going for them this week. Washington will be at home, coming off a bye, highly motivated, and really strong in areas against the Eagles’s biggest weaknesses.
Philly will again be without their top O-Lineman (and both their backup tackles are hurt too, so no one really knows who will play LT) and their best defensive player. Pretty awesome. After this week Philly will be done unless they can basically sweep the rest of the season.
He was a first-round pick a year ago who played OK as rookie. He’s been injured all season, but is expected back in a week or two. He’s the kind of player a bad team develops.
Lloyd is an 30 year old free agent seeking a long-term big-money deal.
Lloyd would be a good use of a third rounder for the Rams. He can at least catch a football. That alone makes him the top of thier roster. More than we can say for last year’s third round choice.
The marquee matchup this week is 49ers at Lions. The Lions are unbeaten, they look good but certainly not unbeatable. The 49ers look good, too, and are getting better every week. It could go either way. The key for the 49ers is getting pressure to Stafford from unexpected directions. I think the Niners win it by less than three points.
That west coast team has already won twice in the east, and they regullarly play in Seattle, the loudest stadium in the league. The game is going to be won and lost on the field, not via location.