As he signed the trade deal to send Matthew Peterson to the San Jose Saber Cats for a 2nd and 7th rounder, General Manager Tyler Varga simply said “it begins.” He didn’t say what was beginning, and to be honest, I’m not sure if anything really is.
First, I’ll talk about the trade itself. Matthew Peterson is a perfectly acceptable CB2, and a clear upgrade over San Jose’s current CB2, Xavier Newman. As Newman’s work ethic seems to be lacking, the Cats had to feel concerned that he would be more of a liability against teams later in the season. I would agree with that assessment. They also had no one worth putting on the field as a nickel CB, something that will be desperately needed this week against the Yellowknife Wraiths, who have been using #3 WR Damien West with devastating effectiveness. By upgrading two positions, San Jose’s defense is improving, which, given the deadly efficiency of their #1 offense, is a scary premise. I’m sure the already decent odds of the Cats beating the Wraiths have increased considerably. For San Jose, the deal makes sense…IF you think they are an Ultimus contender. More on that later.
For the Legion, it’s a refreshing awareness of long term benefit. Peterson may have been an acceptable CB2, but there will be better ones in the draft, and with the second round pick in Season Four, they’ll eventually be able to get one. Sure, they’ll need a couple of seasons to develop, but Vegas shouldn’t be in any hurry. They won’t be contenders for a long time.
All in all, I’d say this was a good trade for the Legion. While it will take a long time to reap the rewards, they will be the team more improved from the trade. It would have been a good trade for the Cats, but I don’t think it will really help them. The Cats are, despite current records, still the third best team in the AFSC. It is very possible that they make the playoffs, as they are only one upset away from doing so, but I expect that by the end of the season, the Otters will end up taking the #2 spot from them. However, even if San Jose sneaks into the playoffs, would anyone pick them over the Outlaws? Long term, I think San Jose might regret this, but I also think that just feeling like a contender may be important enough to them, so maybe this deal doesn’t really hurt them at all.
In truth, though, this isn’t a major trade. By Season Four, rookies will not be the impact players they are now, though they likely will be starters in Las Vegas. Additionally, nothing major changes for Las Vegas. Nothing really “begins.” What this really is for the Legion is an end. It’s an end to the front office’s hope that their initial strategy could still pay off. It’s an end to their entire philosophy for team-building. Maybe the hope isn’t all over, though. In a couple of seasons, they can recover from this. The Legion have a few inactive players on sizable deals. Once they go inactive, the Legion will have a LOT of cap space to work with as all of those deals revert to the vet minimum. As they did with Bercovici, the Legion could continue to grow in free agency, paying premium prices for play makers. After all, with just a bit more blocking, Bercovici could still be one of the best QBs in the league.
A lot has ended for the Legion, but one thing certainly hasn’t: the losing. That, if nothing else, is only beginning.
((612 words))
First, I’ll talk about the trade itself. Matthew Peterson is a perfectly acceptable CB2, and a clear upgrade over San Jose’s current CB2, Xavier Newman. As Newman’s work ethic seems to be lacking, the Cats had to feel concerned that he would be more of a liability against teams later in the season. I would agree with that assessment. They also had no one worth putting on the field as a nickel CB, something that will be desperately needed this week against the Yellowknife Wraiths, who have been using #3 WR Damien West with devastating effectiveness. By upgrading two positions, San Jose’s defense is improving, which, given the deadly efficiency of their #1 offense, is a scary premise. I’m sure the already decent odds of the Cats beating the Wraiths have increased considerably. For San Jose, the deal makes sense…IF you think they are an Ultimus contender. More on that later.
For the Legion, it’s a refreshing awareness of long term benefit. Peterson may have been an acceptable CB2, but there will be better ones in the draft, and with the second round pick in Season Four, they’ll eventually be able to get one. Sure, they’ll need a couple of seasons to develop, but Vegas shouldn’t be in any hurry. They won’t be contenders for a long time.
All in all, I’d say this was a good trade for the Legion. While it will take a long time to reap the rewards, they will be the team more improved from the trade. It would have been a good trade for the Cats, but I don’t think it will really help them. The Cats are, despite current records, still the third best team in the AFSC. It is very possible that they make the playoffs, as they are only one upset away from doing so, but I expect that by the end of the season, the Otters will end up taking the #2 spot from them. However, even if San Jose sneaks into the playoffs, would anyone pick them over the Outlaws? Long term, I think San Jose might regret this, but I also think that just feeling like a contender may be important enough to them, so maybe this deal doesn’t really hurt them at all.
In truth, though, this isn’t a major trade. By Season Four, rookies will not be the impact players they are now, though they likely will be starters in Las Vegas. Additionally, nothing major changes for Las Vegas. Nothing really “begins.” What this really is for the Legion is an end. It’s an end to the front office’s hope that their initial strategy could still pay off. It’s an end to their entire philosophy for team-building. Maybe the hope isn’t all over, though. In a couple of seasons, they can recover from this. The Legion have a few inactive players on sizable deals. Once they go inactive, the Legion will have a LOT of cap space to work with as all of those deals revert to the vet minimum. As they did with Bercovici, the Legion could continue to grow in free agency, paying premium prices for play makers. After all, with just a bit more blocking, Bercovici could still be one of the best QBs in the league.
A lot has ended for the Legion, but one thing certainly hasn’t: the losing. That, if nothing else, is only beginning.
((612 words))