I called this press conference to address the concerns surrounding our recent trade of wide receiver Deion Branch.
To begin, I would like to say that in understand the concern that has been proclaimed by our fans and the press. I fully realize the caliber of play Branch can bring to any team who’s uniform he wears. Unfortunately, he is simply not a player that this team can afford, considering our current roster.
In trading Branch, we have gained a few options that I feel are necessary to ensure the solidity of this team. One of the problems I have foreseen after studying the structure of this team is the lack of depth. In the case of injuries, the question would come down to whether we have players I hope could fill in, or that I know could fill in. In a management sense, I prefer the later.
Now that you know why I made this trade, I imagine the next question would be… so what now? As many of you know, we do have an amazing amount of talent in the secondary, and with this trade we have gained even more.
In the 6-2 218lb Lamont Thompson, I feel we have the ideal free safety for this team. Aside from his coverage skills, he will also add a presence in run support, which was a concern I had with Trufant, who is truly a corner. Last year Thompson registered 3 forced fumbles in the few games he played, and we are hoping he will show the same production for us as a starter. With Thompson at the safety position, that will allow us to bring Trufant back to corner, where he belongs.
With Trufant coming back to corner, this leaves an abundance of corners, with still a receiver position to fill. To rectify this, we will be moving Phillip Buchanon to the #2 wide receiver position. He has good hands and amazing speed, acceleration, and agility. He also has the leaping ability to go up after the ball.
All of this has been done with purpose. With the cap room left by the absence of Branch, we will be able to sign a few players in key positions that require a bit of fortitude. The signings will be announced when they have been completed.
This is a try and see deal, but I think he will adapt very well to the role. He is a very talented athlete all around. A lot of the talents he posesses as a corner will be able to be used as a receiver.
Of coarse we are hoping Shaun will do a good job in middle. We do have a solid linebacking core though, and plenty of talent surrounding him on the line, so not all the pressure will be on him, which is a good position for the rookie to be in.
Last year Thompson registered 3 forced fumbles in the few games he played, and we are hoping he will show the same production for us as a starter.
Wasn't Thompson on special teams last year? And if he was, are you going to keep him on special teams? Or just rest him on special teams and see if he can perform on the same level as a pure Defensive player.
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Extremists are like slinkys... Ultimately useless in the grand scheme of things... But still brings a smile to the face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
He did play on the special teams last year, but he also played some nickel back. This year he will primarily be a starting FS, so we will probably keep him rested, as opposed to having him run down kickoffs and punts.
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