One news story that interested me a while ago, which I promptly forgot, was shedding light on the Javon Walker situation just before he was traded. Before I begin, I should warn you that my opinion on this completely contradicts what you may be led to believe by the other posts in my blog. The story was about how Javon Walker was supposed to visit the Patriots either just before or during the draft, but Mike Shanahan kept him late and he missed his flight. Because of this, the Patriots didn't get a chance to inspect his knee and meet with him, considered a good move by Denver. However, with Chad Jackson falling in the draft, the Patriots moved up one spot ahead of the Broncos and selected him, forcing Denver's hand. Whether they might have picked him I do not know, but immediately following the selection Denver sent their pick, the very next one, to Green Bay to get Javon Walker. Some point to the fact that Walker never ended up in New England-he was traded while on his way-as a great move by Shanahan and a bad one by New England. I disagree with this assessment, however, as I see the Patriots fleeting interest in Walker more of a showing of interest than any real interest. I think the Patriots wanted to check out their options, which they did, but more importantly they wanted to show their fans they were trying to get something done while also pressuring other teams and lowering other teams leverage by bidding up the price of the talented receiver. If the Patriots had wanted him, their package that landed them the 4th overall pick in the 2nd round should have been enough to land the receiver instead. Denver sent the 5th overall pick for Walker, after the Patriots had selected, so up until their pick the Patriots would have been the winning bidder. The Patriots didn't do so, and I congratulate them for it. As much talent as Javon has, he also has a bit of an ego; everyone who followed the bitter negotiations with Green Bay knows this and has seen it. His behavior is in keeping with his position, however, and I think that confidence in a receiver is a necessary evil. The problem in this case is how he would fit in with the Patriots; an organization that has proven itself a winner even while throwing the ball to several different outlets, not racking up amazing individual statistics but winning as a team. Maybe he would buy into it, maybe he wouldn't; I would wager that had he played for New England, if Deion Branch consistently got more touches than he did, there would be a problem. This isn't the only problem; with the amount of money Javon wanted, there would be almost no way that the Patriots could resign Deion Branch unless he took a cheaper contract than what he is worth. He has not had an amazing season yet, he hasn't even stayed healthy for an entire year, but he is being mentioned in the same breath as Javon contract-wise, and having two receivers with that type of money would make the Patriots suddenly look like the Colts. Play-wise, it wouldn't hurt us. Javon would be the #1 receiver, surgically repaired knee and all; able to completely dominate a game just by doing what he does so well. Deion Branch would benefit as well; suddenly being the #2 receiver, not seeing double coverage or defensive shifts, he would be open all the time and put up some pretty big numbers as well. While this arrangement would be great, and I would love to see it, I don't think it would last longer than this year. The balancing of the egos, the balancing of the salary cap; everything would conspire to ruin it. Even if both were kept on the payroll, the defense would suffer. With that much money tied up in the offense, something would have to give. And that's why I am happy Denver assumed the burden. They now have disgruntled Ashley Lelie, considered a better talent out of college, being replaced with the man drafted immediately after him four years ago. They have a large salary, with large question marks, adding to what they owe to their offense. But at the same time, I know it won't bury them; they don't have the large contracts that the Patriots and Colts and other teams have on their offense. This is due to not having a franchise quarterback-Jake Plummer is good, but his salary is not even close to the salaries of Manning or Brady. Even how good he is can be debated; Denver used a first round pick on his replacement this year. Denver also has little committed financially to their running game due to their ability to develop running backs. They should never again have to pay big money for a back; instead they can just make one. Both of these reasons are why Denver made a good decision in trading for Javon Walker; they have the financial flexibility to pay top dollar for an elite receiver. They also have a very strong defense, while it is their offense that needs to pick it up a bit. Jake Plummer was efficient last year, but with his track record, you can't always count on that. An efficient offense wins a lot of games, provided your defense keeps you in them, while a high powered offense can win games even when your defense doesn't. Combining the two will give Denver a better chance to repeat as division champions, considered a difficult challenge in the AFC West. They also get to reap the benefits of winning last year, facing the Colts and the Patriots instead of the lesser teams in each division. They should notice results, however, and Javon Walker won't be the reason they lose; he might not always be the reason they win, either.