The NFL Trade Deadline - NOT!

With an unbelievable number of bad teams in the NFL this season, extra attention is being paid to Tuesday's trade deadline. Everyone is talking trade. The most prominent names are Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn, Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, and Buffalo receivers Terrell Owens and Roscoe Parrish, not to mention a few others.

In season trades don't happen often in the NFL, and even more rarely at the deadline. Fewer than five in-season trades have been made every year dating to the 1980s. Teams will shop in August if they have an abundance of talent at a position or if they don't feel like they can keep a player who's going to be a free agent.

It's hard to bring a running back in at Week 7 and tell him, 'You've got to learn this, this and this, and we've got to win next week.’ Unless you're talking a kicker or a punter, the schemes and the learning required don't lend themselves to trades at the deadline. Guys who were in camp with you or are on the practice squad know your terminology and they can come in and at least operate.

Unlike baseball, basketball and hockey, the NFL's trade deadline usually passes quietly. The deadline, traditionally set to expire after six weeks of the season, often comes at a time when teams still aren't sure whether they are contenders or pretenders.

This year however the fact that there are four winless teams and four other 1-4 squads alters the possibilities of trades a bit. A quarter of the league knows it doesn't have a chance to compete for a playoff spot, and that makes things interesting.

Sure we’ve had two big trades already this year. But Braylon Edwards was running the same offense with the same terminology in Cleveland and only has to brush up on quirks and details and Richard Seymour was actually dealt before the year started, it just took a while to get done.

Despite what you may hear, don’t expect anything earth shattering to happen. - Keith A. Baker

Keith A. Baker is a sports agent in Stamford, Connecticut. His goal is to offer a unique insight to the world of sports and Major League Baseball in particular. Comments in his columns are for entertainment purposes only and do not reflect the views and opinions of his firm or his clients.

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