The Butterfly Effect of Rams-Skins Trade

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Robocop

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http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page...des-had-widespread-impact-adam-schefter-blitz

Notable trades had sweeping impact


It's almost as if the NFL's king schedule-maker, Howard Katz, remembered two of the biggest trades from the past few seasons and decided to match those teams together in Week 14.

St. Louis versus Washington, Cleveland versus Indianapolis.

Hello, Revisionist History Weekend.

St. Louis traded the rights to draft Robert Griffin III to Washington in 2012, and Cleveland traded running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis in 2013.

Those giant trades, which involved four teams initially, actually affected at least nine teams, and plenty more lives, in significant fashion. Here's how:

The Rams traded the first of the three first-round picks it acquired from Washington, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft, to Dallas so the Cowboys could select cornerback Morris Claiborne. St. Louis got Dallas' first- and second-round picks.



[+] Enlarge
Thomas B. Shea/Getty ImagesThe Skins gave up a lot to get
RG III, who has struggled since a promising rookie season.


St. Louis used that first-round pick on defensive linemanMichael Brockers and traded the second-round pick to Chicago so the Bears could draft wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. In return for the Jeffery pick, St. Louis got Chicago's second- and fifth-round picks, used on running back Isaiah Pead and offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins -- not so great. The Rams also used Washington's 2012 second-round draft pick on cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

The next year, the Rams traded Washington's first-round pick, the 22nd overall choice, and a 2015 seventh-round pick to the Falcons for Atlanta's first-round pick (30th overall) and 2013 third- and sixth-round picks. Atlanta drafted cornerback Desmond Trufant, while St. Louis used what was Atlanta's first-round pick on linebacker Alec Ogletree and its third-round pick on wide receiverStedman Bailey. St. Louis also traded Atlanta's sixth-round pick, along with its own sixth-round pick, to the Texans for a fifth-round pick and drafted running back Zac Stacy.

Then in May of this year, St. Louis used its last remaining pick in the Griffin haul (a first-rounder from Washington) on offensive lineman Greg Robinson. So all together, in exchange for Griffin, the Rams wound up receiving Brockers, Jenkins, Pead, Watkins, Ogletree, Bailey, Stacy and Robinson -- quite the haul.

Still, if Griffin had stayed on the same trajectory that produced the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and not regressed the way he has the past two seasons, Washington and any team would make that trade every year -- all those players for one franchise quarterback. But Griffin has not developed into the franchise quarterback he once looked like he would.

Just as Griffin has struggled to keep his starting job, so has Richardson, who cost the Colts a 2014 first-round pick. But as the Rams did, the Browns turned that pick into other picks that also affected other teams.

Cleveland traded the first-round pick it got from Indianapolis, along with a 2014 third-round pick, to the Eagles for the 22nd overall pick in 2014, which the Browns used on quarterback Johnny Manziel.





In return for their first-round pick, the Eagles got back the 26th overall pick, which they used onMarcus Smith, before trading Cleveland's third-round pick to Houston for the Texans' fourth- and fifth-round picks. The Texans used the Browns' pick that went through the Eagles in the Manziel trade on Louis Nix III, while the Eagles used the Texans' fourth-round pick on Jaylen Watkinsand their fifth-round pick on Taylor Hart.

So players from Cleveland to Indianapolis to Philadelphia to Houston in the Richardson trade, and players from St. Louis to Washington to Dallas to Chicago to Atlanta in the Griffin trade, all saw their livelihoods and landing spots affected by two deals that will come into sharp focus this weekend.

And as playoff spots are being decided this weekend, it's also a time for teams to look across the field and ponder what is and what could have been.


- Mind blown. And head really hurts...
 

Elmgrovegnome

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He is right, if RG III had turned into a franchise QB every team in the league needing a QB would make that trade. Just think what we would be willing to give up to get Aaron Rodgers. Without that piece the Rest of the team has to be damn near perfect to win a Superbowl. Us Rams fans are gonna have to be hoping he Rams D can be perfect in the next few years if Sam cannot stay healthy.

I so wish we had Martz back because he made very average QBs look like stars. Ditto for wide receivers.