Vilma had a season ending knee injury half way through the season. A season ending knee injury is a major factor in the players trade value at any position in the NFL, let alone the LB. The trade was based on performance, the way it should be. It is only fair to both teams. Atleast he didn't trade away a Moss for a 4th rounder straight up. Vilma would have been released in the off season incase you were wondering. Everybody in the whole NFL knew that when we started shopping him. Harris emerged as the starter and Vilma did not fit the 3-4 system. He was good enough to get this trade done. If Vilma was a 4 time pro bowler with 64 consecutive starts and all that, it would have been a different story. The trade included escalators to where if Vilma recovered from the injury and came back strong, we'd get a better pick, otherwise a mediocre 4th. You are giving no reasoning, just calling out on Mike.
Did he hire Mangini? If yes, did he know that Mangini had planned on installing the 3-4? If yes, did he know that Mangini planned on rigidly installing that system no matter what personnel was available? If yes, why didn't he move the 4-3 players out after year one? Why did Vilma and DRob stay with the team for yet another putrid, ineffective season in a scheme that they couldn't play? Why didn't he make the trades in 2007 when we could have actually gotten something reasonable for 2 first round picks? You can't put all of that on the HC, and the Vilma injury happened after he should have been traded anyway, so it is immaterial.
I thought we were talking about the trade value. Well if you wanna go back a yr or two, then the thing is, we didn't have anybody who could take over at the LB spot after Vilma. Vilma was exceptional the year before Mangini took over. You can't just release or trade away your best linebacker since you're changing the system. You can't let them go with actually trying them out in the new system. He was ok in 2006, the first yr of Tangini. We couldnt let him in 07 either since we had no reliable back up to take over. We drafted Harris in the second round. You can not expect him to become the starter from day one, although now that you look at it, he probably could have done it. We needed Vilma to keep the LB core intact in 07. Then he got injured in week 9 or 10, and Harris did a great job taking over Vilma. Vilma, his knee injury, and his salary became expendable. We managed to sneak in a third rounder for him which not that bad of a deal assuming he had a knee surgery.
And I don't wan't to talk about Drob...He makes me throw up. Gholston may be an even bigger blunder. Can't even make the active list. He's only a miracle away from starting, that too in the CFL.
We couldn't let him go in '07 because Schlegel busted. They wanted a guy that could hammer between the tackles and when their new guy showed no promise they stopped shopping Vilma. (And yes, they were shopping Vilma 2 offseasons ago) BTW, Vilma hadn't been such great shakes since his rookie season. But that year, he was very good.
He didnt do all that because we were a win now team at that point remember 10-6 playoffs... if it aint boke dont fix it
