Speculative AJ thread

[nero THE zero]

Let me preface this by saying that I love Andre Johnson. I feel he is truly justified in his recent media comments, deserving of all his probowl trips, over-ridiculed by fans, and the true face of the franchise. Above all else, I love his demeanor. He is the consummate professional playing a diva's position, and I love that. He has suffered through a joke of a coaching staff, quarterback, and offensive scheme for several years, only to miss half of the team's best season under the new coaching staff. Now that he's back and healthy, the team can't win a game. This is obviously the source of a great ammount of frustration that we are seeing, for the first time, manifesting itself in comments to the media. 'Dre is sick of losing, and that's all we've been doing. So, it is with my great admiration for Andre Johnson that I suggest we look at moving him before the trade deadline.

I know that he is signed for several more years which complicates things with the bonus acceleration rules. But, if we could move Andre to a contender for a player and pick(s), I think we would be doing all parties a favor. The contender gets an elite playmaker; the Texans add talent; and Andre goes to a winning team and, presumably, the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career.

Assuming that Kevin Walter and Andre Davis would suffice at WR like they did in AJ's absence last season, you have to start looking at possible partners. I think the most glaring opportunity is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have sorely been missing a playmaking WR since TO left, and all offseason there were rumors about them looking to move CB Lito Sheppard for WR such as Roy Williams, Chad Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald. The Eagles also have two first round draft picks in the 2009 due to a trade with the Carolina Panthers. And, while it is true that the Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson in April, the fact that he is a smaller reciever and a rookie seems to enforce the fact that a big, dynamic reciever would put the Eagles over the top. So, you have a team who is an Andre Johnson away from a Super Bowl with a talented CB they're willing to trade and two first round picks in the 2009 draft.

Also, another team to consider is the Dallas Cowboys. They were another team entertaining trade offers for WR in the offseason. Those rumored to the Cowboys were Chad Johnson, Anquan Boldin, and Roy Williams. This is mostly fueled by Terry Glenn's injury situation and Terrell Owen's age. On top of that, they are division rivals with the Eagles, which is another motivating factor for them to stay in the trade talks. So, if you could get talks going with the Eagles you have leverage in Dallas with Cowboys.

So, given Andre's recent media comments, would you be OK with shipping him to Philly for either (a) their two 2009 first round draft picks or (b) Lito Sheppard and one of their 2009 first round picks?