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Please note: this is rampant speculation. I know nothing that you don't know (understatement of the year?), but I have to feel like this Edgerrin James move is not the last move coming at this time. While it does potentially improve one position of mild need, it does not do anything to shore up the O-line, which we all know is the big issue as we prepare for the season. Further, the Seahawks have refused to comment on this signing, and said they would comment on the "speculation" tomorrow. Well, there ain't no speculation, everyone from Florio to Lombardi to Clayton announced the signing, everyone except the Seahawks. Might they be readying a more interesting, or at least, more complete story for tomorrow?
So what if this isn't the only move? What if this is intended not at ending TJ Duckett's Seahawks career, but at using him or, more likely, Julius Jones as trade bait to acquire some help on the offensive line? I have been saying for awhile that Deion Branch is potential trade bait; we aren't going to get a first round pick for him by any stretch, but he still has value especially to a team with WR issues. With Michael Bennett playing well, I've also suggested that Craig Terrill could potentially be used in a trade if someone needed depth at DT. Add in Mare or Coutu and you've got four solid potential trade pieces, plus next years draft picks. We have all but our third round pick next year.
A lot of people talk a lot of crap about Tim Ruskell. That's fine, you're entitled to do so. I, however, love the guy and think he's been great for the team on the whole. One thing he has proven, that few other GMs ever do, is that he has the guts to make bold moves when necessary. We saw this in the offseason when he traded away Julian Peterson for a guy few people knew by name any more (Cory Redding, who will start and has looked excellent thus far). We saw it when Ruskell dropped the franchise tag from Leroy Hill, a risk, yes, but a calculated risk that paid great dividends in the end. We might be seeing this pro-active, gutsy side of Ruskell again.
I don't know if there will be a trade or another signing announced tomorrow. The odds are probably against it, at least, against any sort of blockbuster trade. But then, I feel like something is coming. Call it a whim or a delusion, but this move only makes about half-sense in and of itself to me.
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