Would you trade Boselli for McKinnie? I was reading this article about the stalemate between the Vikings & McKinnie, & just wondered if the Vikings would be interested in trading McKinnie for Boselli. I know that Boselli is considered one of the best, if not the best, left tackles in the game today. Also, I have no doubt that he'll completely recover from his shoulder injury. While there are no guarantees that McKinnie will be a star left tackle in the league, all indications are that he will be. Boselli would give the Vikings an experienced left tackle to protect Culpepper's blind side. The kicker to this idea is that Boselli is 30 years old, while McKinnie is 22 years old. With the Texans being an expansion team, we can afford to wait for McKinnie to develop & grow with the team. According to "The Redzone", Minnesota has about $6.64 million in cap space available. So, absorbing Boselli's salary wouldn't be a problem. http://www.theredzone.org/2002cap.asp I know that trading a 22 year old, potential stud for a 30 year old All-Pro stud coming off of an injury would almost certainly get shot down, but with Boselli being considered one of, if not the best, left tackles in the game today & the possibility (however remote) of McKinnie reentering the draft next year, it might make Minnesota stand up & take notice. As optimistic as the fans might be, we have to face the fact that we're not going to win many games this year & most likely next year as well. So, in my opinion, if we could trade Boselli for a much younger player that has a high potential, I'd do it. The question is, would either the Texans or Minnesota do it? Would you do it? http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/sports/football/nfl/minnesota_vikings/3790130.htm McKinnie: No deal BY SEAN JENSEN Pioneer Press One of the agents for first-round draft pick Bryant McKinnie said they rejected what the Vikings called their final offer, leaving the offensive tackle's future with the club in doubt. "They gave us their final offer (Thursday), and we rejected it, and they've decided to go to their contingency plan," agent Ben Dogra said. "It's not a market deal." "We don't comment on the status of our negotiations," Vikings vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski said. "But we have offered Bryant McKinnie a fair and substantial contract." Brzezinski did not elaborate. The two sides were trying to agree to terms on a five-year deal for McKinnie, the seventh pick overall in April's draft, but they are at odds over several other contracts completed this year and last. Dogra said McKinnie's deal is inferior to that of last year's No. 7 pick, defensive end Andre Carter, and this year's No. 8 pick, safety Roy Williams. The Vikings are using the deal signed by defensive tackle Richard Seymour, the No. 6 pick last year, as a model. Dogra and his colleague Jim Steiner asked Brzezinski to allow them to speak with team owner Red McCombs. But Dogra said Brzezinski declined. Last year, Carter signed a five-year deal with San Francisco worth $11.6 million that included a signing bonus of $3.2 million and a guaranteed option bonus of $4.5 million in 2002. The deal easily voids from six years to five, and included incentives and escalators — considered easy to reach —- that could push the total to $27 million. That deal was considerably better than the one Seymour signed with New England. His deal was for one more year, included only $300,000 more between the signing and option bonuses, and had more difficult incentive and escalator clauses. The eighth pick that year, receiver David Terrell, signed a deal with Chicago similar to Carter's. Meanwhile, Williams gets $9.3 million up front, a $4 million signing bonus and a $5.3 million option bonus in 2003. His deal voids from seven years to five rather easily, and his contract did not include many incentives and escalators. The total value: $13 million. According to one league source, the Vikings are offering McKinnie in excess of 12 percent less in guaranteed money than Williams got from the Cowboys. If McKinnie doesn't agree to terms with the Vikings, he will not be allowed to play for another NFL team. Then, he would be eligible to enter next year's NFL draft. Last year, Dogra and Steiner advised defensive end Justin Smith to hold out with the Cincinnati Bengals. Smith held out for 51 days, and joined the Bengals the second game of the regular season. But Steiner and Dogra got Smith, the fourth overall pick, a deal with a $7.5 million signing bonus and a handful of escalators based on performance and incentive bonuses. Cornerback Quentin Jammer (fifth overall pick), defensive tackle Ryan Sims (sixth) and defensive tackle Wendell Bryant (12th) are other top draft picks who remain unsigned.
No way. Maybe from a talent perspective, but I'd give Boselli a shot first. Not only that, we picked him as our leader on this team outside of Carr, it is horrible PR work to trade him the offseason after you acquired him to lead your new franchise. Think about all the backlash you will receive from future free agents, negating our impressive facilities. Answer: Maybe later, definitely not now.
Your points are all valid, but the opportunity may not be there later. McKinnie could be the anchor on the left side for the next 10 years or more. I don't think there would be any backlash from future free agents, because we didn't sign him as a free agent.
I think that Capers is trying to show people that it's possible for an expansion team to win NOW. I have confidence in him and he's done it before.
If the Vikings and McKinnie are at such an impasse, we don't need to give up Boselli for him, we could get him for far less, say Ryan Young and a conditional pick.
You may be right, but Young is a right tackle & he's only 26 years old. Minnesota already has a solid right tackle & it's my understanding, that switching from right to left tackle (or vice-versa) is very difficult to do. By the way, it looks like the Texans just signed a solid free safety in Eric Brown. This defense is going to be tough once they jel together. http://www.houstontexans.com/news/index.cfm?page_type=sub&cont_id=118470 Texans sign Brown August 3, 2002 HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have signed safety Eric Brown. Brown played the last four seasons with the Denver Broncos. In addition, the Texans have waived linebacker Kenny Harney. Brown, 6-0, 210, was a second round selection of the Denver Broncos in the 1998 NFL Draft (61st overall). He started all 16 games at free safety last season for the Broncos, recording 98 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. In 2000 he started all 16 games and had a career-best 102 tackles and three interceptions. In 1999 he started the Broncos’ first ten games and led the team with 80 tackles before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. As a rookie he was named to numerous all-rookie teams, starting 10 games at strong safety and recording 43 tackles. Brown, a native of San Antonio, was a two-year starter at Mississippi State after playing two seasons at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. He was a stand-out defensive back at Converse-Judson High School in San Antonio, where he also lettered in track.
I have a really hard time trading for a guy who is starting his career with a holdout. Sometimes sports does not build character...it reveals character. i think this is one of those times.
The big problem with trading Boselli is that Houston made him the first Texan - EVER. He was the first player in the franchise, he was made a team leader approximately 4 seconds after he was drafted. The PR backlash from trading him this early would be monumental.
Technically, Boselli is not the first Texan ever. He is the first expansion player drafted by the Texans (February 2002), but the Texans began signing players to their roster the last week of December 2001. - MD www.houstonprofootball.com
Yeah, but no one cares about those guys, to the vast majority of the football world, Tony Boselli is the first Texan.
Why would anyone trade for Boselli? I'm a Boselli fan, but honestly, what other team has the cap space to afford taking a risk on Boselli? I would venture to say that no other team in the NFL can afford Boselli under the cap right now. Even if they were able to afford him, we would be lucky to get a 4th round pick for him. It's best for everyone if Boselli stays. It's not worth it for the Texans to trade him for next to nothing (plus we'd get a cap hit for trading Boselli), nor is the risk worth it for other teams. In the NFL, waiving veterans who are injured is much more feasible than trading them.
I don't really think there would be too much PR backlash from trading Bocelli. I mean, no one here has even seen him play as a Texan yet. It is pretty hard to develop an attachment to a player that you haven't really even seen play for your city yet. And I doubt the average fan sees him as THE Texan, or even the first Texan. I really think of David Carr as THE Texan at this point. Now if HE were traded, there would be some serious PR backlash.
I don't think you fully read Hottodie's first post. He was suggesting the Vikings take on Bocelli, and that they trade us McKinnie for him. The Vikings have the cap room to take Bocelli on, and we would be getting more than a 4th round pick for him. I am not suggesting this is what we should do, but it is a possibility.
If Boselli were younger, then there would be a much higher chance of this happening. I really don't think ANY team would take Boselli, if he was given to them for free. The NFL cap pretty much has handcuffed teams into passing up on older, injury-prone vets. The Vikes just went through salary cap hell the last 2 years, and I doubt they'd want to go back to it, which is a possibility with Boselli. Besides, with the amount of player movement in the NFL, this isn't exactly a once in a lifetime opportunity for Min to get an OT. I predict McKinnie will re-sign with the Vikes. Both sides lose big time if McKinnie isn't signed. Vikes obviously waste their #7 pick or whatever from last year, while McKinnie most likely will not be a top 10 pick in the 2003 draft, by virtue of sitting out an entire year. The biggest knock on McKinnie was his inexperience, as he spent only 2 years at Miami, and played only like 1 or 2 years of football in high school. Sitting out 1 year does not help this at all. And if he is drafted past the #7 pick, then there goes his contract negotiation leverage. Another thing is that how many teams would want to draft a guy who appears to be unsignable? McKinnie needs to wake up and just sign a contract. Even if he does sign tommorow, he's behind the curve with this holdout, which basically means his rookie year is a lost cause. The only rookie I can think of who excelled even after a contract dispute was Edgerrin James.
If I'm the Texans, I do this trade in a heartbeat. IMO, McKinnie was the best overall prospect, regardless of position.
FYI- CANTON, Ohio -- Texans owner Bob McNair said Sunday what others have suspected all along. "It's doubtful Tony Boselli will be ready for the first game," McNair said. Well, somebody had to say it. Boselli, 30, and the Texans have avoided putting a timetable on his return from multiple surgeries on his left shoulder. Considering the five-time Pro Bowl left tackle hasn't practiced since the Texans acquired him in the expansion draft, the assumption was he would not be ready Sept. 8 when the Texans open the regular season against Dallas. "Tony is making a lot of progress, but it remains to be seen when he's going to be ready," McNair said. "He hasn't even had the pads on. I've told them not to push him. We'll just have to see. Who knows? He might give us a pleasant surprise and be ready for the first game. Who knows?"
Hell, trade him for Ray Lewis. Houston teams always get their way. Cato, Boselli, and Biggio for Lewis and a bag of chips!
