NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

I know we just covered all the reasons why Albert Haynesworth probably isn't going to go anywhere before the draft — but stuff like this is fun to gab about.

Paul Graziano over at GmenHQ has several excellent points about Haynesworth — in that he would be a GREAT fit for the Giants and they have lots of money to spend after their defensive collapse last year. And not only that, they may be interested in dealing the (relatively) newly acquired Chris Canty who is Dallas' former DE that is a natural 3-4. Read what Paul has come up with:  [via]

The question of the day is does Jerry Reese have any interest in taking on big Albert Haynesworth from the Redskins? With rumors that the Redskins proposed including big Al in the deal for Donovan McNabb (and the Iggles politely declined the same), speculation is abound that the Skins are trying to not so subtly move the biggest fish from free agency 2009 as they make the switch to the 3-4 defense.

Reports indicate Haynesworth is not too excited to take on the nose tackle position for Mike Shanahan and big Al and Shanahan are not exactly on friendly terms at the moment. Better yet, the Skins just paid Al a huge sum of cash (to the tune of $21 million) and the remainder of Al's contract becomes extremely cap friendly (profootballtalk.com is reporting that the rest of big Al's deal is in the range of 3 years, $16 million, with $9 million guaranteed). Even if we acknowledge that Haynesworth didn't come close to living up to his big money deal, I would take him for $9 million guaranteed for the next three years. Is Jerry Reese interested?

A short year ago, the Giants tried to lure Haynesworth to the Meadowlands with an $80 million plus contract only to be outbid by Ritchie Rich who guaranteed big Al $42 million with a total contract value in excess of $100 million. I have to think that Jerry will make the call and inquire as to what Mike Shanahan wants to move a guy who is not a good fit for their defensive scheme but more importantly, is not buying into the Shanahan program. If Jerry was willing to add big Al last year, I would assume his interest remains, especially given the affordability of his contract.

It also begs the question, would it make sense to offer up some cash (so Ritchie Rich doesn't have to swallow the entire $21 million paid out last week) and perhaps Chris Canty, who is a natural 3-4 defensive end, and who also disappointed everyone last year after being unable to stay healthy or produce as expected? For my money, I give up Canty and some coin, bring in big Al, and still add another defensive tackle in Round 3 or 4 in the draft, thereby solidifying the Giants run defense and also adding a pocket pushing presence who commands double teams on every snap (somewhere, Justin Tuck and Osi are smiling at the notion of big Al occupying multiple offensive lineman).

I think if the Giants and Redskins could work out a deal here, not only would it be amazing in that 2010 really is the year of "Rival Gate", but both teams would perhaps be better off.  Canty is steeped in the 3-4 scheme and Haynesworth wants to continue playing in a 4-3 tackle spot… and both teams can afford this move. On paper it's perfect.

There probably wasn't a player more excited to see the end of 2009 than Marshawn Lynch.  It wasn't a year he's likely to look back and remember fondly.  Off the field, his frequent run-ins with the law led to an arrest, which as a result led to a three-game suspension by the NFL at the start of the 2009 season.

On the field, Lynch lost his starting job to Fred Jackson.  He failed to rush for 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, and saw his productivity take a steep decline.  Lynch rushed for just 450 yards while averaging 3.8 yards per carry with just two touchdowns and 148 total touches; all were career lows for the third-year back out of California.

So now the situation for Lynch and the Bills becomes both clear and cloudy.  Jackson took full advantage of the starting role vacated by Lynch early in the season and now enters 2010 penciled in as the starting running back.  Lynch, on the other hand, faces an uncertain role in the Bills backfield and the likelihood of missing significant playing time (say, half a season suspension next time) and ending his tenure with Buffalo should he be invovled in another off-the-field incident.

Lynch still has not made his prescence known for offseason conditioning workouts with the Bills, which leads me to believe a couple of things: he doesn't want to be here and he wants out, and he simply refuses to wake up, get on the boat and get with the program.  But does his no-show mean the Bills should outright decide to cut ties with Lynch and move in another direction?  At the very least, what does it say about Lynch's attitude and frame of mind about re-gaining his starting role one year removed from losing his spot as the team's starting running back?

My convictions about Lynch may be presumptuous, but I believe that actions, or no actions, speak louder than words.  If Lynch were seriously interested in being  a part of the Buffalo Bills going forward and making a positive impression on his teammates and the new regime in Buffalo, that would lead me to believe that he would show up for offseason conditioning stints with a new attitude and a new determination to win back his starting job.

Now maybe Lynch prefers to be off on his own doing his own conditioning and taking the proper steps to be ready for training camp. But you probably don't have to be smarter than a fifth-grader to realize Lynch probably wouldn't oppose moving on to another team considering the Bills are rebuilding, haven't made the playoffs in 10 years and he no longer has a distinct role.

Has he given the Bills any indication that he wants to be traded?  Has he walked into GM Buddy Nix's office and demanded to be traded?  Is he interested in still being in Buffalo?  I wish I had the answers to those questions.

This much I do know: between now and the coming weeks leading up to the draft on April 22nd, Lynch's name will be the most popular name on the roster among the fans when talking about trade possibilities for the Bills, even if something never actually comes to fruition.

So as the debate rages on, let's ponder some aspects of the possibility of trading Lynch.

What current value does Lynch have?

It's hard to believe that for a running back who had back-to-back 1,000 rushing seasons in his first two seasons along with a Pro Bowl selection now has damaged value at this point.  But that's life in the big city.  The Bills' hands are clean in this aspect.  Lynch has no one to blame but himself for his diminished value thanks to his three-game suspension last season caused by his problematic off-field issues.

Take into account he's a high character risk and his low-end production in 2009, there's absolutely zero chance the Bills could fleece multiple picks with any real value for Lynch.  You're probably looking at a singular pick, most likely a fourth-round pick from an interested team, and probably no higher than that.  Former Bills running back Willis McGahee fetched a decent package (two third-round picks and a seventh-round pick from Baltimore) before the 2007 season began, but remember McGahee was coming off a season just shy of 1,000 yards rushing (990)  while having significantly less baggage and a much shorter rap sheet than Lynch.

Risky business. Pardon me for insulting your intelligence, but yes keeping Lynch carries heavy risks.  The next time Lynch rubs elbows with the law, he'll be facing a suspension that could be as lengthy as half a season (eight games) or maybe more.  Also, his next encounter with trouble and the Bills could cut him loose.  So if you keep Lynch and he can't keep his nose clean and you're forced to cut ties with him, then you've got nothing to show for it and you got no value in return for your first-round pick in 2007.

Lynch's role in 2010. We know Fred Jackson's the starter.  He's coming off his first career 1,000 rushing season, not to mention he racked up over 1,000 return yards in 2009 as well.  He's worked tremendously hard to have the chance to play on Sundays.  Tough, hard-nosed worker who carries himself with class on and off the field.  He's the type of player the fans love and respect and get behind without conviction.

Despite all the value Jackson brings, his one shortcoming last season was he had only two rushing touchdowns on 237 rushing attempts; for his career, Jackson has just five rushing scores on 425 career attempts on the ground.  Lynch matched Jackson's rushing touchdown total in three fewer games and 117 less touches.  Lynch has found the end zone 17 times in his career, and even if he were to have a reduced role next season, he still serves a great purpose to the Bills, especially in the red zone and near the goal line for a team that has had trouble scoring touchdowns and points.

Nobody would be thrilled about having the former first-round pick in 2007 (12th overall) and 1,000 yard rusher now primarily used in goal line and backup roles.  But whatever your opinion of Lynch is at the very moment, and my guess is it's not real high, how ideal would it be for the Bills to exchange their 12th overall pick from 2007 for fourth-round pick in 2010?  Yes he's had problems, and yes he's down to his last strike if he remains with the Bills, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Lynch can still have a big impact and play a significant role in Buffalo this coming season.

Nix & Gailey express desire to keep Lynch. Both GM Buddy Nix and head coach Chan Gailey have had nothing but positive things to say about Lynch this offseason.  Both have expressed the need to have two good, productive backs with the Bills.  Nix has stated that everyone is starting out fresh and new, and he wants Lynch to be in Buffalo.  Whatever may be going on or said or debated behind the scenes, pubicly the new Bills regime has given zero indication that Lynch could, would or will be moved.

Fixing one perceived problem would cause another. Despite Chan Gailey stating he'd like to find a scat-type back in this year's draft, currently the Bills have only two running backs on the roster: Jackson and Lynch.  If you deal Lynch, not only does depth become a huge factor, but experience becomes a problem as well.  If the Bills were to trade Lynch, they would enter 2010 with Jackson as their only back with NFL experience while relying on a rookie or possibly two, to help Jackson share the rushing load.

Do the Bills have the luxury of trading Lynch?  My answer is no.  We already know the Bills have much larger issues to deal with.  They need an elite left tackle, along with depth on the offensive line.  They need a franchise quarterback, receiver help across from Lee Evans, outside linebacker help, and they're missing a nose tackle in their newly converted 3-4 defense.  I believe in decreasing problems, not increasing them.  Trading Lynch just opens up another area of need for the Bills on draft day and there's only so many picks to go around for the Bills to solve all their problems in one draft.

Buffalo doesn't have to do anything with Lynch. This seems to be the one aspect people are completely forgetting.  Lynch has three years remaining on his contract, which means the Bills don't need to be in any sort of hurry to make a deal and trade Lynch.  Lynch also has very little leverage on the Bills, considering his past troubles and the year he had last season, compared to the career best season Jackson put up in 2009.

Keeping Lynch as a 1-2 punch would most likely be the wise route to take, unless they get their socks completely blown off from a team that presents the Bills with a shiny package they just can't afford to pass up.  Chan Gailey is a run-first type of coach and he'll want to pound the rock heavily with multiple backs.

Lastly, of course we all wish Lynch would be at offseason conditioning programs, debuting a newfound work ethic and positive attitude, maybe even with a chip on his shoulder ready to reclaim his starting job.  Now I fully understand the odds of that type of scenario playing out are unrealistic.  In many cases malcontents don't get better, they only get worse, and there's a chance Lynch may not be with the Bills when the 2010 season starts.

If he is, however, there's no indication that a Jackson-Lynch backfield tandem can't be successful.  Jacksonville made it work with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew; ditto in Miami with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.  The New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys have employed three running back systems with success.  Most recently, the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints used a trio of Pierre Thomas-Reggie Bush-Mike Bell at various times this past season.

Having Lynch provides the Bills with insurance should Jackson struggle or suffer an injury.  All things considered, in 2010 Lynch would be much more valuable to the Bills than what they would get from a fourth or fifth round pick this year in the draft.

Chip Scoggins is continuing to uncover the names (without citing any sources) of prospects that are meeting at Winter Park on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

For the most part, these are names we've already been aware of for days or weeks, but there are a few more to add.

First up is cornerback Brandon Ghee out of Wake Forest.  Ghee is thought to be a first round talent that may fall into the second or third round based solely off of a very deep cornerback class.  He is a good sized corner with a knack for tackling.

Also listed is tight end Richard Dickson from LSU.  At 6 foot 3 inches and 245 pounds, Dickson has proven to be a useful weapon in the passing game.  He had over 30 catches, over 300 yards, and five scores in both 2007 and 2008.  He had a very down 2009 season (21 catches for 157 yards), however, and is expected to be available in the sixth round or later.

Greg Boone out of Virginia Tech is also joining the group at Winter Park.  The tight end (The Access Vikings link has him inaccurately listed as a guard as of this posting)  weighs in at 285 pounds on a 6 foot 3 inch frame.  Known for his blocking skills and not for his receiving skills, Boone gets the "extra tackle" label in a similar way that Jim Kleinsasser does.

Here is the full list of the 20 prospects being reported to visit the Vikings so far:

• R.J. Archer, QB, William & Mary
• Greg Boone, TE, Virginia Tech
• Duke Calhoun, WR, Memphis
• Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
• Chris Cook, CB, Virginia
• Richard Dickson, TE, LSU
• Ryan D'Imperio, ILB/FB, Rutgers
• Vladimir Ducasse, OT/G, Massachusetts
• Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest
• Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
• Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
• Myron Lewis, S/CB, Vanderbilt
• Kevin Matthews, C, Texas A&M
• Chris McCoy, OLB/DE, Middle Tennessee
• Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida
• Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB, Indiana of Pennsylvania
• Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
• Maurkice Pouncey, C/G/RT, Florida
• Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
• Torrell Troup, NT, Central Florida

The fact that three tight ends are included in this group is very interesting… or at least it should be to Jim Kleinsasser.

Although most of the serious holes on the Eagles fall on the defensive side of the ball, if there is one shaky aspect on offense, it is the offensive line. They looked great on paper last year before the season started but injuries and various issues kept them from every performing at a high level.

Nick Cole who served as a backup guard and center saw a lot more time last season then expected and played pretty well. He signed his one-year tender today meaning that he will be back on the team in 2010.

It will be interesting to see how the offensive line pans out in the 2010 season. I believe the Eagles will look to draft some lineman, but it is unsure at what point they will do so. The priority has to be defense, but if a talented lineman falls into their lap I wouldn't be suprised to see Big Red pull the trigger.

Kevin Kolb can definitely throw the football but he needs to have some time to sit back and find his receivers. I believe the play of the line will be the key to success for the Eagles offense in 2010.