Branching off on my last post.
Trading away Young and Sweat clearly didn’t shatter the Commanders resolve today. I think people just don’t understand the league. The large majority of these guys would love to win a championship. And they’d love to win. But they’re also going to be in the league a very limited time. They’re going to replaced quickly, they’ll look for another team, maybe they’ll get another contract, and before long they’re out. Almost all of these guys are playing for their livelihood, to impress, to prove themselves each week. Everything they do on the field is being evaluated by not just one, but thirty two, potential employers.
In other words, the overwhelming majority of the Commanders roster doesn’t give a **** if Chase Young got traded. They’re not going to fall into an existential crisis. Do you think Sam Howell is thinking about things like this? He’s fighting for his life as an NFL starter. He knows the odds, the opportunity, the reward, etc.
This idea that teams “tank” or lose the ability to compete hard if the team is looking towards the future…largely a myth. Sure there are exceptions (veterans who took less to try to win) but those are very rare.
The Patriots shouldn’t “tank” inasmuch as tanking really exists, given that players aren’t going to stop playing their hardest so some team (maybe not where they’ll be next season) can move up three slots in the draft. But the Patriots should be doing everything possible to position themselves better for the future.