Keller is not a TE.

The drafting of Keller has no affect on the trade of Shocky for Baker. The trade depends on how bad the blood between Baker and the Jets actually is. Shocking would give the Jets a much needed threat as a receiver. But a Baker, that doesn’t have to be a 6th o-lineman, would also be a much needed receiving threat.

Shocky is a competetor – also something the Jets need. But I just don’t see the Hitler type tendencies of Mangini dealing with Shocky.

Shockey for Baker and a 4th rounder? Hell no.

Anything more than a 6th rounder is too much for Shockey’s cancerous theatrics. And that means it’s not happening, so no thanks.

Keller seems to have the skills to be a VERY useful receiver and cause nightmares for defenses.

Yes, Schott’s system might make the TE position (when there is a Gates, Keller or even Baker) more of a pass-catching weapon, but nonetheless, if you watch Chargers games, there is a very real role for traditional TE’s. In fact, on many of their plays, Gates is split out and there are 1 or 2 trad’l TE’s playing in the trad’l TE spot.

I really liked the Franks pickup because I thought “with Baker having pretty good skills in nearly every area, this is a supplemental weapon that our QB’s could use.” Now that Frankxxxx might be our top option at trad’l TE, I’m very worried because he is injury-prone, slowed by age, etc.

My whole problem with the “caving” thing is that Tangini seems to have the propoganda skills of Scott McLelland (i.e., they fumble around and can’t “spin” things very well). They could have, when Baker first approached them or at the beginning of this “saga”, spun it around and given him a SMALL raise and said “Chris Baker is a good player and an asset to the team, and similarly to how we like to ‘take care’ of our guys like Kerry Rhodes and Coles, because we treat our players well”.

Problem solved, and then it wouldn’t have been a huge distraction and wouldn’t cause other players to think they can run the GM over (an argument which I’ve always found dubious at best, because it’ll happen no matter what they do).

He will certainly line up there a fair amount; but he was drafted almost entirely for his pass-catching skills. He doesn’t have Gates’ size either, so thats another strike against the comparison between the two somewhat similar, but in key ways different, players.