As I indicated in my prior post, keeping this team stocked with potential (i.e., looking pretty) takes precedence over building a winner. What?!!!

Staying perfectly in line with that objective, just before the kickoff to the 2012 season, I traded away Ryan Mathews (a back capable of leading a team (in particular, mine) to a championship in 2012) for a combination of picks and players that looked to provide zero help in 2012 - to a top 3 team no less.

The trade:

Ryan Mathews, Jon Dwyer and a 2013 3rd rounder

for

Robert Griffin III, Daniel Thomas and 3(!) 2013 1st rounders.

Nothing says potential more than a future 1st rounder. Future 1sts certainly won’t help you win in the now, so potential is ALL they are. Throw into that mix a QB that hadn’t yet played a down in the NFL, and you have the makings of a trade for a whole CRAPLOAD of potential - hopefully with the focus on “load” rather than “crap”.

While the trade may NOW look like a slam dunk (after Griffin’s stellar debut that is), at the time of the trade, the risk was very real. Handing a player of Mathews’ caliber (and Cam Netwon previously) to one of the top 3 teams and quite possibly now my toughest competition was an iffy proposition. Fact is, even in hindsight, my team could really use Mathews’ elite scoring at RB, Griffin will still likely be on the bench for most of the year behind Ryan, and the picks aren’t going to do anything to help my chances in 2012.

My lineup without Mathews (or Cam) is now as follows:

Matt Ryan, RGIII

Richardson, CJ Spiller, Stewart, Wells, R. Brown, Mendenhall

Calvin, Julio, AJ Green, Demaryius, Stephen Hill

Vernon Davis