Blockbuster trade in retrospect?

Question

Champ Bailey for Clinton Portis trade 5 years later:

Who do you think got the better of this deal?

Champ has been an animal his entire career and is widely considered the best CB in the league. He has had a huge impact on the Denver D since joining the team in 2004. Most teams won't even consider throwing to his side of the field.

Clinton Portis was great in Denver and has enjoyed significant success in Washington but hasn't had the stats he put up with the Broncos.

I truly believe that had Portis stayed in Denver, he would have had the illustrious 2,000 yard season. What if Clinton had been on the 2005 Bronco team? Would they have gone to the Super Bowl instead of losing to Pittsburg in the AFC Championship game?

What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

I definitely agree that the deal has heavily favored the Broncos - a shut down CB is much harder to obtain than a solid RB nowadays, and as such, the Broncos are giggling wildly at the results of the trade.

However, as you pointed out, if Portis had stayed in Denver, theres no doubt in my mind that he would have been an 1500-2000+ yards a year back, which is very rare. However, you also have to point out the fact that seemingly anyone you throw into the Broncos system seems to be a 1200-1500 yards a year back, and I've seen p**n stars be more monogamous with their husbands than the Broncos have been to their runningbacks, so it's doubtful that he would have stayed there much longer anyway, especially when they could trade him so easily for the best cornerback of this generation of players.

Looking back to the 2005 team, I don't know that he would have been the difference maker... for one thing, you already had the 2nd rated rushing attack in the league, and a turnover conscious offense (Even with Plummer! haha), combined with a good, opportunistic defense. That recipe equals success. Would Portis have helped? Of course, he couldn't hurt, but would he have been worth giving up Champ Bailey for? Absolutely not.

Would it have changed the outcome of the 2005 Championship game? Doubtful. The score was 34-17. It's very tough to win when you give up 34 points. Without Champ, that could even have been higher. Would Portis have been a 17 point difference maker? Possibly, but I doubt it. The rushing game never really got going in that game, and Plummer was throwing much more than a coach would like him to. Realistically, his two INT's are what put you guys in the hole for that game.

If the Broncos somehow had Portis AND Champ, then I think theres a strong possibility that they would have been the SB champs in 05, but of course, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I think you gave up less than you received for the deal, and you'd be hard pressed to convince me otherwise.  

Answer 2

The Broncos got a complete steal.  

They traded away their personal specialty for a league-wide rarity.  Bailey is undeniably great; Portis could be argued as a system back.  Yeah, he's done pretty well in DC, but so has Ladell Betts when he's been given the shot.

It's like a chicken farmer trading one of his chickens for a prime dairy cow.  He's got other chickens, but now he's got a whole new angle to build on.

Answer 3

The Broncos got the better bargain. Not only did they receive Champ Bailey, but they also recieved a 2nd round draft pick that year (used to draft Tatum Bell, who performed decently for them). The Redskins did get a great player in portis and his numbers (when healthy) don't lie. The problem is, they sacrificed the player who is widely disputed to be the best CB in the NFL in Bailey, for a player who has missed some major time with injury in Portis (who despite injury, is still an elite NFL running back). In regard to the 2005 season, I don't believe the Broncos would have been as dominant without Bailey shutting down his side of the field. Portis surely would have had huge rushing numbers (1,516 yds/11 TD in2005), but Bailey's effect on the opposing team's passing game is truly game-changing (he had 8 picks and 2 TDs in 2005 BTW; most teams threw away from him).