Anything possible with ‘Trader Tom’ Heckert – Canton Repository
“Trader Tom” Heckert is one of the NFL’s most proactive general managers.
There is little doubt he has been busy in talks as Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline nears. And, while it doesn’t appear Peyton Hillis will be part of any deal, Heckert did ship out a distracted running back at this time last year.
On Oct. 14, 2010, Heckert sent Jerome Harrison to the Eagles in exchange for another running back, Mike Bell. Ten months earlier, Harrison had broken Jim Brown’s single-game rushing record in a game at Kansas City.
In another deal last October, one that went completely unnoticed, Heckert sent Minnesota a late draft pick in 2012 in exchange for backup defensive end Jayme Mitchell. Mitchell now is a Browns starter.
Like Harrison in 2009, Hillis had a career year for the Browns in 2010. Like Harrison in 2010, Hillis has had a rocky 2011.
That includes a game at Oakland Sunday in which Hillis rushed six times for 14 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury.
Asked on the Monday after a loss at Oakland if Hillis might be swapped, Head Coach Pat Shurmur said:
“I don’t want to talk about trades, but … no, he’s not on the trading block.”
Heckert’s penchant for trading is underscored by his busy draft day on April 28. He sent a No. 6 overall pick to Atlanta in exchange for a No. 27 overall pick, second- and fourth-round picks in 2011, and first- and fourth-round picks in 2012.
What Heckert received in return might only embolden him as a trader.
He spent the second-round pick on wide receiver Greg Little, who was the team’s leading receiver Sunday with six catches for 72 yards. He packaged the No. 27 pick to trade up to No. 21 and take defensive tackle Phil Taylor, who leads Cleveland’s defensive linemen in tackles and has two sacks, including one at Oakland. He used this year’s extra fourth-round pick to draft fullback Owen Marecic.
Plus, that extra first-round pick is in his pocket, for possible use right now if need be.
Heckert’s boss, Mike Holmgren, also has a reputation as a busy trader. Holmgren built his coaching career on trades that brought him quarterbacks Brett Favre in Green Bay and Matt Hasselbeck in Seattle.
SHURMUR AND BOLLER
Pat Shurmur had a pretty good idea what he was getting into Sunday when Kyle Boller replaced injured Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell.
Shurmur was in his third game as offensive coordinator of the Rams in 2009 when Boller replaced injured Marc Bulger in the second quarter. Boller, familiar to Browns fans as the quarterback who wasted a lot of Baltimore’s time, threw an interception and lost a fumble in a 36-17 loss to Green Bay.
A week later, Shurmur called Boller’s plays at San Francisco. Boller threw a pick-six to Patrick Willis during a 35-0 loss.
Bulger needed one more week to heal. Shurmur sent Boller against the Vikings. Jared Allen returned a Boller fumble 52 yards for a touchdown in a 38-10 Vikings win.
Unfortunately for Shurmur on Sunday at Oakland, Boller wasn’t that bad. In slightly more than a half, he went 8-of-14 for 100 yards, with two sacks and no turnovers. He steered the Raiders to 181 yards of offense in the second half.
EXTRA POINTS
• Colt McCoy has struggled in two straight losses in which the Browns trailed by at least two touchdowns. Shurmur, though, is standing by his man. “He’s a young player working through what it takes to be an NFL quarterback,” Shurmur said. “His confidence level is high.”
• Linebacker Scott Fujita has a concussion and is doubtful for the Browns’ game against Seattle on Sunday.
• Shurmur is pushing rookie wideout Greg Little to get better. “I still think he can play a lot better than he did,” the head coach said after Little six-catch game at Oakland.
• Joshua Cribbs feels insignificant as a receiver, but his yardage is right there with the team leaders. Receiving yards through five games: Mohamed Massaquoi 224, Ben Watson 208, Little 203, Cribbs 183.
Cribbs has carried the ball 116 times for an average of 6.0 yards in his NFL career. He has one carry this year; it lost a yard.