Thanks for the trade!

[AsylumGuido]

I see this trade as a bit of a bigger win for the Seahawks. Unger is a very heady player, but his perennial All Pro status is a bit undeserved. He has been injured a lot during his career, and has been really "iffy" with his shotgun snapping for the past couple seasons.

Thanks for Jimmy, Guido! The kid might be a tad soft but he can ball.

Jimmy has been dealing with his share of injuries, as well. The bad shoulder and wrists led to his worst season to date. Drops were very worrisome. The guy is a great person and teammate, though. You have an area small airport for him to fly out of? That his hobby. Flying.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

If I were a Saints fan, I'd be much happier with this trade than I am.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Sorry good sir, the Seahawks just straight up mugged the Saints.

It kind of felt like a game at the Clink.. that's how severe the mugging was

 

[kearly]

I thought the Saints were very generous in this deal. If they were so generous, it stands to reason they thought they were getting a good deal too.

The Saints GM is a really cool guy and let's not forget that he's a native Oregonian who spent 15 years with the Seahawks franchise as a front office assistant. I wouldn't be surprised if Loomis' friendly relationship with the Hawks played a factor here.

 

[kearly]

I'm a little bit nervous that the Hawks are going to end up in a similar boat in 2017 when delayed hits finally catch up with us, but odds seem pretty good that the new TV deal can keep the ball rolling.

I'm not worried about that. Seattle always signs contracts they can get out of after a couple years, and the fact that the cap keeps rising by almost $10 million a year every year definitely helps. JS always views the draft and FA through a 3 year window, so he's making moves today with 2017's cap in mind.

The cap hit difference from Graham to Unger is only something like $4.6 million AYP. Lynch is going to have the same cap hit this year as he did pre-deal, and the two added years are fairly painless to void if need be. Seattle is still in great shape cap-wise, and could even add another big name player if the terms are right.

Edit: I wrote this before Seattle signed CB Williams for 3/18.

 

[seabowl]

As much as I love Graham I can't help but be very enthused about this deal. It frees up the cap situation, gives the Saints the much needed anchor at center, adds a second first round pick and give the other two very capable TE's (Ben Watson and Josh Hill) more playing time.

Game 1 2015 season
Saints vs ????
Quarter 1
Saints O takes the field
Bree's out of the shotgun
Hut hut HIKE
Guido: WTF was that snap!!!!!! Mother ?&@%#

 

[xgeoff]

I think both fanbases will only see the flaws in each player traded away and only the good parts of the player they are getting.

Reality is that 2 good players were traded away, each with their own issues that made them expendable in the first place.

I totally agree. I like Max Unger, and he was probably the best Offensive Lineman we had. That, however, is not saying much. I like Jimmy Graham, but I have no faith that Bevell will know how to use him. And we have already have an up-and-coming talent in Luke Willson.

Now, before people start going crazy, I am NOT suggesting that Willson is anywhere near as good as Graham. But I think he's up and coming and capable of being very above average in that role.

Where we are desperate is the Line. And we gave up a first round pick and the line is still a shambles. Jeez, I don't know how the heck that line is going to hold up. I actually do think that the backup Centers we have are pretty decent (Lemuel Jean-Pierre, Patrick Lewis) did as good a job as anyone else on the line, so that is at least encouraging.

Alvin Bailey might be someone who will develop into a good Offensive Lineman. I think he shows promise. We need help, though.

If the OL can get Wilson time to throw, then Jimmy Graham might make a lot of sense. Hopefully Schneider has a plan...

 

[AsylumGuido]

If I were a Saints fan, I'd be much happier with this trade than I am.

If you were me you would be. Graham was becoming vulnerable. He was hurt the past couple of years, of course, but he never got that dominance back. He is a tremendous kid. I wish nothing but the best for him. You have acquired a great locker room addition and, when healthy, can catch anything anytime.

I have seen several comments that stated "win/win". I must agree, although my wife and many other women in Who Dat Nation are upset because Jimmy is so good to look at.

 

[Scottemojo]

If I were a Saints fan, I'd be much happier with this trade than I am.

If you were me you would be. Graham was becoming vulnerable. He was hurt the past couple of years, of course, but he never got that dominance back. He is a tremendous kid. I wish nothing but the best for him. You have acquired a great locker room addition and, when healthy, can catch anything anytime.

I have seen several comments that stated "win/win". I must agree, although my wife and many other women in Who Dat Nation are upset because Jimmy is so good to look at.

I had no idea the African American gingers were so popular with the ladies.

 

[two dog]

I'm sure the Saints didn't actually want to get rid of Graham any more than the Seahawks were looking to
get rid of Unger. It's just easier to replace even a high quality center than to find a guy with Graham's size
and skills. Max is both a high quality center as well as a locker room leader and all around good guy though.

The Saints get cap relief and an extra 1st rounder which can either bring a quality player or packaged with
their own pick to move up for a premium player. The Seahawks get a player like they have never had.

The 3.4 mil cap hit saved by cutting Miller and max's 3.4 mil hit go a long way to offsetting Graham's 2014 hit.

I'm kinda New Orleans centric right now Guido. Just finished Gary Crist's book "Empire of Sin" about
Storeyville and the city's history from 1900 to 1920. I love reading history, especially when it's
about hookers.

 

[AsylumGuido]

I'm sure the Saints didn't actually want to get rid of Graham any more than the Seahawks were looking to
get rid of Unger. It's just easier to replace even a high quality center than to find a guy with Graham's size
and skills. Max is both a high quality center as well as a locker room leader and all around good guy though.

The Saints get cap relief and an extra 1st rounder which can either bring a quality player or packaged with
their own pick to move up for a premium player. The Seahawks get a player like they have never had.

The 3.4 mil cap hit saved by cutting Miller and max's 3.4 mil hit go a long way to offsetting Graham's 2014 hit.

I'm kinda New Orleans centric right now Guido. Just finished Gary Crist's book "Empire of Sin" about
Storeyville and the city's history from 1900 to 1920. I love reading history, especially when it's
about hookers.

A wonderful study for history buffs, two dog. One of the classic cities in the world.

But agree completely on the dynamics you pointed out.

 

[onanygivensunday]

Re the cap hit for Jimmy, he's due a $5M roster bonus this year that can be spread out through the remaining 3 years of the contract, thereby lowering his 2015 cap hit of $8M.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Funny how all of the posts in this thread ignore what Guido said about Graham's injuries, and how those injuries have caused his play to regress. This deal isn't as lopsided as it looks.

 

[drdiags]

Until both players pass their physicals, I would refrain from getting too pumped one way or the other.

As a Saints fan, getting a 1st rounder and dropping some financial investment in Graham has to be a positive to take from this. For this Seahawks fan, having a dynamic playmaker who, if not the damaged goods some of the Saints fan say he is gets me hopeful that the offense can be effective.

There are fans of both teams that are lamenting the loss of a key player but I see it as a win/win, or maybe it becomes a lose/lose? Who knows?

 

[Optimus25]

Hope Drew enjoys all the crooked ass snaps! We'll enjoy the TD's!

 

[YYZHawksFan]

Win win really but helps Seattle more overall IMO.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

Nice to see you here Guido.
Like many others I see it as a win/win though it may end up weighted in one team's favor based on health of the 2 main guys involved.

 

[ChiefHawk]

If I were a Saints fan, I'd be much happier with this trade than I am.

If you were me you would be. Graham was becoming vulnerable. He was hurt the past couple of years, of course, but he never got that dominance back. He is a tremendous kid. I wish nothing but the best for him. You have acquired a great locker room addition and, when healthy, can catch anything anytime.

I have seen several comments that stated "win/win". I must agree, although my wife and many other women in Who Dat Nation are upset because Jimmy is so good to look at.

Sounds like this might be closer to either side that it seems on the surface - the same could be said of Unger and his injuries and performance over the past couple years.

I do not think that Max was ever labeled as good to look at, though....

And yeah, there is a stupid amount of civil aviation up here - airports everywhere, actually a rather congested airspace on many days.

 

[Silver Hawk]

Funny how all of the posts in this thread ignore what Guido said about Graham's injuries, and how those injuries have caused his play to regress. This deal isn't as lopsided as it looks.

Where is this "regression" of which you speak? I don't really see a case to be made for it in these numbers. The most significant difference is in the 2014 vs. 2013 TDs but I don't see a pattern here. Especially not in the number of annual receptions.


Rec Yards TD
2011 99 1,310 11
2012 85 982 9
2013 86 1,215 16
2014 85 889 10


edit: Tried to cleanup the table formatting. Sorry if it doesn't come out right. Point is, there is no regression in Graham's number of receptions. 2014 TD's are down from 2013 but on par with 2011 and 2012.

 

[glad2bdada3]

I think we paid a high price for Graham. But we also need him..... badly.... he's #1 in red zone TDs. I still have a bad taste in my mouth over the Harvin deal and losing Golden but I know Graham isn't anything like Harvin. So what do we do for a C? The draft? I am glad we're going to be doing something/anything about our OL. It's our CB situation is what I'm really worried about.