The Trade (Unger & Anthony for Jimmy & Lockett)

As a Saints fan I am looking for some open discussion regarding the players involved in the trade. It's easy to get one side and guess as to the other, but rather than let the two prior nights games do the talking, I would like to read an honest opinion as to how the players are playing.

Unger did a great job against the Ravens first team defense, and showed that the rumors of him being a top center are true.
The 1st round pick did as good a job as a rookie MIKE lb can do in his first game. He looked lost to begin the game, but he game on as the game progressed, and he shows promise.

How was Graham last night?

Once again, I am not looking for winners or losers, I just want to read about how things are going with the players.

The way too early to bring this up thread....

Graham was quiet, as expected last night. He had a great catch, but didn't play much, as one might assume for a player of his caliber during the preseason. I don't think we'll see the same results for the trade you guys will until the regular season starts for that reason. Still, we're pretty stoked to have such an awesome weapon for Wilson.

I am very happy for you and your team.

For me, it came to the point that I couldn't take watching Unger and his lousy snaps. That Unger was traded along with a iffy 1st round pick that John S graded as a 2nd round pick, for a TE that this team needed, was a fantastic trade for me.

I'm sure you already know how Jimmy did.

Very limited action for Jimmy as our 1st string O was only on the field for a very short time. Jimmy's only target resulted in a 12 yard reception for a 1st down. The catch was on a Russel Wilson bootleg left and Jimmy ran a nice route to get open.


With Max Unger, when he is healthy, he can be a pro-bowl caliber C no doubt.

Bobblehead":1qpzanxf said:

I am very happy for you and your team.

For me, it came to the point that I couldn't take watching Unger and his lousy snaps. That Unger was traded along with a iffy 1st round pick that John S graded as a 2nd round pick, for a TE that this team needed, was a fantastic trade for me.

I'm sure you already know how Jimmy did.

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Would it surprise you if I said I didn't know how Jimmy did (don't have cable, and little free time to check out highlights)? I read saintsreport.com for my Saints news, but 35% of the Graham updates are slanted to sound like he is the second coming of Cristian Fuaria. That's why I am here looking for your opinions.

Graham has gotten rave reviews in TC. Some (Brock Huard, etc) even going so far as to say that no other player has dominated TC on offense the way Graham has in the Pete Carroll era. In the first preseason game, he barely played, but ran a nice route for a 12 yard catch.

Unger had been riddled by injuries over his career, particularly the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Seattle went to the SB both of those years playing almost half their games without him. He also had a nagging shotgun snap issue. Our offense does a lot of shotgun snaps so this was a pretty big deal. Some even believe that a bad Unger snap contributed to the ill-fated play in the SB.

For weeks before he was traded, I was dead sure that Max Unger was on his way out. And I think that, when healthy, Max Unger is a legit pro-bowler. He is also one of the coolest dudes in the history of the team. But the worrisome trends about his poor health and poor snaps, combined with a decently sized cap hit and Seattle's "next man up" philosophy, made him a prime candidate to be offloaded. If Seattle had simply traded Unger to the Saints for a 4th rounder straight up, it would not have shocked me.

Trading the #31 player on the NFL top 100 for the #31 pick in the draft is mismatch city, but the Saints have done a horrible job with the cap in recent years, showed no heart at the end of last year, and had to do something.

For the sake of comparison, Logan Mankins was slightly older but with a somewhat similar pedigree for an interior lineman as Unger, and was traded for a 4th and a backup TE that's since switched teams again.

The most puzzling thing to me however was not that JS viewed a late first as equal value to a 2nd rounder (understandable), but that he will have never have taken advantage of the new-CBA 5th year option for first rounders that can be such an advantageous tool in future years.

ctrcat":jkjpm6or said:

The most puzzling thing to me however was not that JS viewed a late first as equal value to a 2nd rounder (understandable), but that he will have never have taken advantage of the new-CBA 5th year option for first rounders that can be such an advantageous tool in future years.

Click to expand...

There is some speculation that GM John Schneider dislikes the 5th-year option because it makes it more difficult to structure contract extensions the way he likes. If you look at the the way the Seahawks have done extensions the last couple of offseasons, it's clear the priority is future cap flexibility rather than minimizing APY or maximizing the number of years of club control. It's possible the 5th-year option just doesn't appeal to them for non-QBs.

Alexander":2ztthckd said:

ctrcat":2ztthckd said:

The most puzzling thing to me however was not that JS viewed a late first as equal value to a 2nd rounder (understandable), but that he will have never have taken advantage of the new-CBA 5th year option for first rounders that can be such an advantageous tool in future years.

Click to expand...

There is some speculation that GM John Schneider dislikes the 5th-year option because it makes it more difficult to structure contract extensions the way he likes. If you look at the the way the Seahawks have done extensions the last couple of offseasons, it's clear the priority is future cap flexibility rather than minimizing APY or maximizing the number of years of club control. It's possible the 5th-year option just doesn't appeal to them for non-QBs.

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Yeah, I suspect it's not a zero sum all positive option. Oh, and FTR, I kind of agree that a late first is not much better than a 2nd, unless somebody really good drops a lot. I'm thinking someone like how Rodgers ended up in Green Bay, but that doesn't happen often. And if we continue to draft in the 30-32 range, well you tell me.
:229031_shrug:

Seahawk Sailor":dn497yf6 said:

Graham was quiet, as expected last night. He had a great catch, but didn't play much, as one might assume for a player of his caliber during the preseason. I don't think we'll see the same results for the trade you guys will until the regular season starts for that reason. Still, we're pretty stoked to have such an awesome weapon for Wilson.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't really expect to see much from Jimmy since he's a starter. But man, Unger was mauling LB's like crazy against the Ravens' starters.

BlackandGolden":276au791 said:

Seahawk Sailor":276au791 said:

Graham was quiet, as expected last night. He had a great catch, but didn't play much, as one might assume for a player of his caliber during the preseason. I don't think we'll see the same results for the trade you guys will until the regular season starts for that reason. Still, we're pretty stoked to have such an awesome weapon for Wilson.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't really expect to see much from Jimmy since he's a starter. But man, Unger was mauling LB's like crazy against the Ravens' starters.

Click to expand...

I will say after watching his sole catch over a few times, it was a thing of beauty. Looked like the play was set up disguised as either run or pass. He dove into the middle like he was going to block on a run play and then squeezed out wide open for a nice catch and gain for the first down. He does that often and consistently all year, and you can keep Unger and whomever you drafted with that first round pick!

Seahawk Sailor":2i0kriqg said:

BlackandGolden":2i0kriqg said:

Seahawk Sailor":2i0kriqg said:

Graham was quiet, as expected last night. He had a great catch, but didn't play much, as one might assume for a player of his caliber during the preseason. I don't think we'll see the same results for the trade you guys will until the regular season starts for that reason. Still, we're pretty stoked to have such an awesome weapon for Wilson.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't really expect to see much from Jimmy since he's a starter. But man, Unger was mauling LB's like crazy against the Ravens' starters.

Click to expand...

I will say after watching his sole catch over a few times, it was a thing of beauty. Looked like the play was set up disguised as either run or pass. He dove into the middle like he was going to block on a run play and then squeezed out wide open for a nice catch and gain for the first down. He does that often and consistently all year, and you can keep Unger and whomever you drafted with that first round pick!

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You're going to see a lot more athletic plays like that from JG this year. :th2thumbs:

I think Jimmy in your system will be great, and for that I will draft him at his usual (fantasy football) spot. He will be Seattle's #1 receiving option (like he was for Brees), and I think he will only give RW more credibility.

I also like what Unger looks to bring to our run game. If Thursday is any indication, the Saints oline will be night and day different from last season. Who knows, we might even meet each other again in the playoffs thanks to Unger's impact.

El Caliente":2xfo7far said:

I think Jimmy in your system will be great, and for that I will draft him at his usual (fantasy football) spot. He will be Seattle's #1 receiving option (like he was for Brees), and I think he will only give RW more credibility.

I also like what Unger looks to bring to our run game. If Thursday is any indication, the Saints oline will be night and day different from last season. Who knows, we might even meet each other again in the playoffs thanks to Unger's impact.

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El Caliente, Welcome to .net and I wish New Orleans all the best this season . You got a real player in Unger .
He turned into a great lineman for us and I for one hated to see him go.

BlackandGolden":3bfa31uo said:

Seahawk Sailor":3bfa31uo said:

Graham was quiet, as expected last night. He had a great catch, but didn't play much, as one might assume for a player of his caliber during the preseason. I don't think we'll see the same results for the trade you guys will until the regular season starts for that reason. Still, we're pretty stoked to have such an awesome weapon for Wilson.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't really expect to see much from Jimmy since he's a starter. But man, Unger was mauling LB's like crazy against the Ravens' starters.

Click to expand...

That should work out good for you in the 5 or 6 games he plays because he is injured. He is awesome but seldom on the field!

BlackandGolden":2cv7c8ks said:

Seahawk Sailor":2cv7c8ks said:

Graham was quiet, as expected last night. He had a great catch, but didn't play much, as one might assume for a player of his caliber during the preseason. I don't think we'll see the same results for the trade you guys will until the regular season starts for that reason. Still, we're pretty stoked to have such an awesome weapon for Wilson.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't really expect to see much from Jimmy since he's a starter. But man, Unger was mauling LB's like crazy against the Ravens' starters.

Click to expand...

Yeah, he's really good... when he plays.

Its harder finding elite TEs than it is finding compent OC.

Unger isnt going to change the fact that LG, RG, and RT need to be more consistent. He would help mask issues but these guys will learn one way or another. And he was becoming a liability to continuty which is why he was expendable.

Get your best 5 to play together, build chemistry, band together as one and theyll get better. Two months from now with a little injury luck, we'll see better results. Two weeks after TC in the first game together is not the time to throw in the towel.

Alexander":3u9pxves said:

ctrcat":3u9pxves said:

The most puzzling thing to me however was not that JS viewed a late first as equal value to a 2nd rounder (understandable), but that he will have never have taken advantage of the new-CBA 5th year option for first rounders that can be such an advantageous tool in future years.

Click to expand...

There is some speculation that GM John Schneider dislikes the 5th-year option because it makes it more difficult to structure contract extensions the way he likes. If you look at the the way the Seahawks have done extensions the last couple of offseasons, it's clear the priority is future cap flexibility rather than minimizing APY or maximizing the number of years of club control. It's possible the 5th-year option just doesn't appeal to them for non-QBs.

Click to expand...

That all makes sense to me.

However there is another angle I think we might be missing here, exactly who have our first rounders been since the new CBA came along? Irvin, & Carpenter.....

Dougula":3dfiz6op said:

Alexander":3dfiz6op said:

ctrcat":3dfiz6op said:

The most puzzling thing to me however was not that JS viewed a late first as equal value to a 2nd rounder (understandable), but that he will have never have taken advantage of the new-CBA 5th year option for first rounders that can be such an advantageous tool in future years.

Click to expand...

There is some speculation that GM John Schneider dislikes the 5th-year option because it makes it more difficult to structure contract extensions the way he likes. If you look at the the way the Seahawks have done extensions the last couple of offseasons, it's clear the priority is future cap flexibility rather than minimizing APY or maximizing the number of years of club control. It's possible the 5th-year option just doesn't appeal to them for non-QBs.

Click to expand...

That all makes sense to me.

However there is another angle I think we might be missing here, exactly who have our first rounders been since the new CBA came along? Irvin, & Carpenter.....

Click to expand...

Yeah and?