Did the Chargers make a mistake in letting Drew Brees go?

GiantRutgersFan · 01-16-2007, 12:03 AM

I think they definitely did. Rivers could have been traded for a 1st and 2nd rounder for sure.

Imagine the Chargers with 2 more impact rookies on there team... that would be a dynasty in the making.

Im not sold on the Rivers hype.... He completely collapsed in the last part of the season, whether the media and ESPN decide that they want to report it or not...

And Drew Brees is only 2.5 years older then Rivers

01-16-2007, 12:04 AM

I'm now convinced that you're 80Giants10.

RCAChainGang · 01-16-2007, 12:21 AM

Hell yes they should of kept Drew. Rivers, however is not incredibly bad. I mean cut him some slack, 14-2 his first year starting. He did have a great supporting cast, keep in mind.

Iamcanadian · 01-16-2007, 12:23 AM

There was an even chance that Brees could have turned out like Culpepper so they played the averages. Remember, Rivers was the 4th overall pick with a huge upside. People tend to forget, this was his 1st year as a starter. Carson Palmer's 1st year as a starter after riding the bench produced I beleive an 8-8 record. San Diego should be set at QB for the next decade and be an even better team next year.

01-16-2007, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersFan

I think they definitely did. Rivers could have been traded for a 1st and 2nd rounder for sure.

Imagine the Chargers with 2 more impact rookies on there team... that would be a dynasty in the making.

Im not sold on the Rivers hype.... He completely collapsed in the last part of the season, whether the media and ESPN decide that they want to report it or not...

And Drew Brees is only 2.5 years older then Rivers

....what?

That isn't even remotely possible, nevermind a "sure" thing.

GiantRutgersFan · 01-16-2007, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frogstomp

Quote:

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersFan

I think they definitely did. Rivers could have been traded for a 1st and 2nd rounder for sure.

Imagine the Chargers with 2 more impact rookies on there team... that would be a dynasty in the making.

Im not sold on the Rivers hype.... He completely collapsed in the last part of the season, whether the media and ESPN decide that they want to report it or not...

And Drew Brees is only 2.5 years older then Rivers

....what?

That isn't even remotely possible, nevermind a "sure" thing.

why? he was the #4 pick in a strong draft class and did nothing to make his stock decrease.

Someone would have given up a first and second round pick for him.

slightlyaraiderfan · 01-16-2007, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardsalltheway

I'm now convinced that you're 80Giants10.

hmm

TheChampIsHere · 01-16-2007, 02:12 AM

Its hard to say that a team that just went 14-2 made a wrong move. As good as Brees was, Rivers QB rating was only 4 points lower and he did as good as or better than Brees ever did as a Charger...we have to keep in mind Brees was better in NO than he ever was in SD. Yeah, maybe they shoulda franchised Drew and traded him for an extra pick but b/c of the injury they decided against it, so its understandable, the injury woulda made the market for him a lot weaker in terms of trades. Theyll surely get a 3rd as compensation for him...they wouldnt have gotten a whole lot better than that in a trade, probly a 2nd rounder is what they woulda got. Things worked out for the Chargers in general and Rivers looks good, he played pretty damn well in the game against NE, it was dropped passes and fumbles that lost them the game.

4pAc · 01-16-2007, 03:38 AM

They didnt make the wrong decision. You drafted a franchis QB with the 4th pick and you rather go with him than someone who is going under shoulder surgery. Brees already didnt have the strongest arm in the NFL so the team worried about his injury. However, I do feel they screwed Drew Brees, and in fact was happy about his injury because it made their predetermined decision an easier sell to their fans. They should not have put him out there in the last game like that and if Brees career would've been over because of that I would've been pissed. But it ended up working out for everybody.

01-16-2007, 03:42 AM

If you draft a QB with the #4 overall pick and pay him a lot of money, then you had better play him.

Staubach12 · 01-16-2007, 06:44 AM

I think it's very easy for some of us to critisize the organization for letting Drew Brees go, but you've got to remember, he was coming off a major shoulder injury. They didn't want Drew Brees to become the next Chad Pennington. Plus, they had a young talented guy on the bench. So, it was the most logical move at the time. Rivers still lead them to a 14-2 record. So, it's not that big a deal. Two talented QBs, they took their choice.

nyjetsguy27 · 01-16-2007, 07:09 AM

i dont think so. they had to let one of their QBs go for money reasons. from what ive seen of rivers so far, i think he is going to be a great QB (he already is pretty good). i think brees is great too, but either one could get the job done

TheChampIsHere · 01-16-2007, 10:25 AM

no way could Rivers get a 1st and 2nd rounder before this year. when you dont play, you depreciate in value. the Chargers tried to move him the year before, when they franchised Brees, and the market for him wasnt nearly that strong. they probly woulda gotten an early 2nd or late 1st rounder for Rivers and nothin more.

bigbluedefense · 01-16-2007, 10:41 AM

Long term, Rivers was the good choice. Short term, they shouldve kept Brees.

Because if they had Brees, they win the SB...easily imo. But unfortunately for them, Rivers was a first year starter, and it effected his postseason play.

But Rivers has a higher ceiling and will surely be a great qb in this league in due time.

They really couldn't go wrong either way. This question will have an answer 10 years down the road. What if they never win a SB with Rivers? Then you can make a strong argument that they shouldve kept Brees. But if Rivers gets them a SB or 2, then they made the right decision.

KRS1 · 01-16-2007, 11:55 AM

Okay this is coming from a Chargers fan that liked Brees a lot...

Hell no! Rivers in my mind is just as good as Brees today and has the potential to be GREAT. Drew will never be better than he is at this moment and sooner or later NFC defenses are going to learn his game. Drew was coming off of a shoulder surgery and moving Rivers would have cost the Bolts millions against the salary cap. Brees is having a great year and is easily one of the greatest guys in the NFL but watching Reggie Bush get rocked the other day because of a horrible set-up by Drew just reminded me that I would rather have a QB that can see over his offensive line and not float every freaking pass he throws.

sweetness34 · 01-16-2007, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCAChainGang

Hell yes they should of kept Drew. Rivers, however is not incredibly bad. I mean cut him some slack, 14-2 his first year starting. He did have a great supporting cast, keep in mind.

When you have LT, Antonio Gates, and that OL, I think almost any QB could do well in his first year, but yes he's still very young.

I do think he'll be a very good QB in a couple years though, but he needs time. And no I don't think they should have kept Brees. They drafted Rivers to be their QB of the future, so you've got to give the guy a chance to be your starting QB.

Plus Brees would have cost waaaaay too much IMO.

HawkeyeFan · 01-16-2007, 11:58 AM

No. Why keep him when you spent that high draft pick on Rivers? It was the right move and Rivers played very well this season.

eacantdraft · 01-16-2007, 12:45 PM

Brees had better receivers in New Orleans. He also had less wins than Rivers. 10-6=2nd seed in NFC, 5th or 6th seed in the AFC. They are both very similar QB's in style.

Marty Schottenheimer would loose if he was coaching the 1985 Bears against the 2006 NY Giants in the playoffs. Giving your MVP running only 9 carries in the 2nd half when you have a lead makes no sense.

Bradentonian · 01-16-2007, 12:53 PM

IMO, their mistake wasn't in keeping Rivers as the long-term solution. I think he has already shown that he can lead the team. Their mistake was playing Brees in a meaningless last game in which he was injured, ruining their ability to recover trade value for him.

yourfavestoner · 01-16-2007, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersFan

I think they definitely did. Rivers could have been traded for a 1st and 2nd rounder for sure.

Imagine the Chargers with 2 more impact rookies on there team... that would be a dynasty in the making.

Im not sold on the Rivers hype.... He completely collapsed in the last part of the season, whether the media and ESPN decide that they want to report it or not...

And Drew Brees is only 2.5 years older then Rivers

Do you realize the cap hit the Chargers would have had to absorb if they traded away a guy that was the fourth overall pick of the draft?

Brees was the trade bait all along. He had more trade value than Rivers, and was playing on a one year franchise tender, not a multi-year contract with over twenty million dollars in remaining amortization.

DMWSackMachine · 01-16-2007, 03:41 PM

The facts of this situation are this: they let a above-average, maybe even franchise caliber starting QB go without compensation. That alone is enough to qualify as a "mistake".

Now, does that mean that they should have given him a huge contract and let Rivers languish on the bench? No, of course not. They should have franchised Brees for this year, then tried their asses off to trade him. If nothing else, you could have gotten at least a 3rd for him. AT LEAST. Even if you have to franchise him, bench him for the year and start Rivers, you do it. Quality QBs are just too damn hard to find to let a young, in-his-prime one walk away for nothing. In that respect, yes they made a mistake.

Now, will it cost them big time? No. Would they be better off with Brees than Rivers? I doubt it. Still, they really dropped the ball on this one. I hope they enjoy all that money they saved.

alca1992 · 01-16-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardsalltheway

I'm now convinced that you're 80Giants10.

yea me too does anybody know when 80giants was banned

01-16-2007, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersFan

why? he was the #4 pick in a strong draft class and did nothing to make his stock decrease.

Someone would have given up a first and second round pick for him.

No. He had as much starting experience as a rookie would have, and had proven about the same amount. Why would a team trade away the chance to draft a franchise QB for someone that is 2-3 years older, and done the same amount in the Pros? They could have gotten as high as a mid first for him, if they were lucky. Definitely not a first and a second.

throwback54milkman · 01-16-2007, 04:51 PM

Rivers showed his inexperience in that 3 yrd. pass to Gates in the last 2 minutes of the game. However, he'll get better.

yourfavestoner · 01-16-2007, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMWSackMachine

The facts of this situation are this: they let a above-average, maybe even franchise caliber starting QB go without compensation. That alone is enough to qualify as a "mistake".

Now, does that mean that they should have given him a huge contract and let Rivers languish on the bench? No, of course not. They should have franchised Brees for this year, then tried their asses off to trade him. If nothing else, you could have gotten at least a 3rd for him. AT LEAST. Even if you have to franchise him, bench him for the year and start Rivers, you do it. Quality QBs are just too damn hard to find to let a young, in-his-prime one walk away for nothing. In that respect, yes they made a mistake.

Now, will it cost them big time? No. Would they be better off with Brees than Rivers? I doubt it. Still, they really dropped the ball on this one. I hope they enjoy all that money they saved.

See, I agree with this. I also agree with the other poster who said that the biggest mistake they made was playing Brees in a meaningless game, in which he ended up sustaining an injury that completely took away his value.