Today was supposed to be the NFL's trade deadline. Hurricane Sandy pushed that back 48 hours to Thursday. This deadline usually passes without much notice. In most everything he does, commissioner Roger Goodell has the best of the league in mind but he can get a little squirrely with some things. His quest for an 18-game season is pure idiocy. There's no reason for it. For someone supposedly so incredibly concerned with player safety adding two games seems like the last thing Goodell should pursue. The trade deadline is another of his pet projects. It used to be after the week six games. Goodell, and others, felt that was too early in the season. They felt that moving it back two weeks would ignite more trade interest among the teams. I believe that the NFL power people are envious all of the attention that the trade deadline gets in the other professional leagues. The midseason trading frenzy in baseball, basketball and hockey is sometimes more active than their offseason. The weeks leading up to those deadlines is filled with chatter. Rumors are everywhere. The NFL wants people thinking and talking NFL all of the time. Whether it's real or fantasy football, it seems that people are already talking about the NFL around the clock. The NFL always wants more. They want the attention around their trade deadline that the other leagues have. In moving the deadline back two weeks the thinking is that teams will be more inclined to deal. More players might be injured forcing teams to look for replacements better than those found on the streets. Later in the season, even just two weeks, teams might see that the season is lost or that they need something extra to chase the playoffs. Another two weeks might push teams into being buyers or sellers. At least that is the hope in the NFL's New York offices. Personally, I don't buy it. There might be more trades. Which isn't really saying too much seeing as there are rarely any trades at the deadline. I just don't think that it makes much difference when they set the deadline. In season football trades won't ever be a big deal. Certainly nothing like the other sports. It usually takes too long to incorporate a new player into a football team. Fairly big names like Marshawn Lynch, Braylon Edwards and Carson Palmer have moved at recent trade deadlines but it's fairly rare. This year, the Carolina Panthers might move running back DeAngelo Williams. Kansas City might trade receiver Dwayne Bowe due to ongoing contract issues. They can't keep using the franchise tag on him. There could be others. If even one of those players is traded to another team this deadline will be more active than most. Nothing like the other leagues but maybe Goodell will be smiling. We'll find out Thursday.
Take care everyone on the east coast.
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