National reaction to Marcus Peters trade is all over the map
The Chiefs trade of cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams was a much-discussed topic over the weekend.
That should be of no surprise. But what is perhaps unexpected: the deal, which will officially happen on March 14, has led to a variety of responses.
Here is what people are saying (this is updated with reaction after the terms of the deal were announced on Monday):
Peter King of Sports Illustrated tweeted that the Chiefs' return was "light." According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chiefs will get a second-round pick next year and a fourth-round choice this year while also giving up sixth-round pick to the Rams in this year's draft.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Light return for Chiefs, IMO.<br>124th pick this yr, somewhere in 50s next yr if LA wins 10 or 11.<br>124+55 for great+difficult 25-yr-old CB. Not enough. <a href="https://t.co/eyegijpm2h">https://t.co/eyegijpm2h</a></p>— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/SI_PeterKing/status/968199158065704961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Steven Ruiz of USA Today graded the trade for both teams, and he gave the Chiefs a C-minus.
Ruiz wrote: "This trade does allow the Chiefs to go all-in with their defensive rebuild without having to worry about paying a ton of money to a player like Peters, who, while able to help a contender thanks to his play-making ability, is more of a luxury for a unit that appears to be starting over from scratch. You probably don’t want a malcontent mentoring young players either.
"Nobody in Kansas City is going to celebrate this haul, but if keeping Peters on the roster wasn’t an option, then this is really the best the Chiefs could have expected."
CONNOR Orr of Sports Illustrated wrote a story with the headline, "Marcus Peters now burdened with the question of what went wrong in Kansas City." Orr wrote:
"Peters will get what many in the NFL blindly label a “fresh start” as the Chiefs continue their roster overhaul with players about whom they will complain less, and this may end up benefiting both parties down the road. Relationships deteriorate at home, in business and on sports teams rapidly and sometimes the only answer is a new voice, a new location and new surroundings. It was time for something to happen and the mechanisms of the game took the proper course.
"The only difference is that in the NFL the player starting over faces a discriminatorily high burden on his end.
MIKE Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote a story with the headline, "Can Wade Phillips handle Marcus Peters?" He wrote:
"Regardless of why the Chiefs did it, the deal will become official on March 14 (unless it unexpectedly craters), and the Rams will have to figure out how to get the most out of Peters. Under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, they undoubtedly will.
"Phillips presided over a collection of strong personalities in Denver, keeping talkative and potentially disruptive players on the same page and pointed in the right direction, most of the time. Put simply, if Peters won’t submit to Phillips coaching, he’ll submit to no one’s.
"As noted by Bucky Brooks of NFL Media, a veteran defensive backs coach explained when Peters entered the draft that a 'strong-willed coach' will be needed to get the most out of Peters. 'It takes a wolf to coach a wolf,' the defensive backs coach told Brooks at the time.
"Phillips, a wolf in sheepdog’s clothing, has been around every shape, size, and type of player during a lifetime of coaching. He’s seen, and handled, plenty of guys like Marcus Peters, and Phillips will know exactly what to say and do to get Peters to perform the way that the Rams will need him to perform."
BROOKS spoke on the NFL Network and he said the trade shows the Chiefs are in a rebuilding mode.
<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What does the Marcus Peters trade mean for the Chiefs?<br><br>"You certainly are sending a message to your team that we are in rebuilding mode."<br><br>: <a href="https://twitter.com/BuckyBrooks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BuckyBrooks</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLTotalAccess?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLTotalAccess</a> <a href="https://t.co/cj344UGIpc">pic.twitter.com/cj344UGIpc</a></p>— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/967987737990258688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On NFL.com, Brooks wrote that the Chiefs are making a big mistake trading Peters.
"Sure, Peters has been a headache to deal with, on and off the field, as evidenced by his penalty issues (three unsportsmanlike fouls and two for unnecessary roughness in 2017) and reported run-ins with coaches, but he has been absolutely sensational as a pure cover man," Brooks wrote. "Peters leads all players with 19 interceptions since 2015, and his passer rating allowed has remained at an astonishingly low level during that span. (Peters' passer ratings allowed from 2015-17, according to Pro Football Focus: 67.1, 65.6 and 66.0.) Not to mention, he has discouraged quarterbacks from throwing the ball in his direction, due to his remarkable ball-hawking skills on the perimeter (targets have dropped from 151 to 91 to 72 each year). Considering how hard it is to find true shutdown corners in this league, Peters' feats as a playmaker are going to be nearly impossible for the Chiefs to replace."
PAUL KLEE of the Colorado Spring Gazette wrote a blog post titled "Chiefs trade star Marcus Peters as smart AFC West rivals steepen the climb for Denver Broncos. Klee believes the trade helps the Chiefs.
He wrote: "The Chiefs became a more severe long-term threat Friday when they traded star cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams. On the surface it looks like a blow to Kansas City: Peters is 25 and shows 21 interceptions in three seasons. The Chiefs will be better off in the long run without Marcus Peters. If Peters is that much of an asset, why did K.C.'s defense rank 30th (out of 32) in DVOA and why would a franchise move on from a 20-something All-Pro at a premium position?
"Easy. Peters isn't worth the trouble. As I wrote in August in a column on John Elway and the anthem protests, 'it's a business,' as players like to say.
"When guys hurt the bottom line — and you should've heard some of the fan vitriol aimed at Peters when the Broncos played at Kansas City — teams make a business decision to rid themselves of bad optics, whether you agree with their politics or not. Peters in conservative K.C. was bad for business."
VINNIE Iyer of The Sporting News wrote a story with the headline, "How Marcus Peters trade impacts Chiefs, Rams, NFL free agency."
For now, Stephen Nelson, who was on IR for the front half of 2017 with a knee injury and becomes a free agent in 2019, will remain the best No. 2 option," Iyer wrote. "Phillip Gaines and Terrance Mitchell were ineffective and shouldn't be retained as free agents. Kenneth Acker also is unsigned for 2018.
"Cornerback was a big need for the Chiefs in the draft, and with Fuller now replacing Peters instead of complementing him, the position remains a high priority. Elsewhere defensively, moving Peters should allow the Chiefs to keep edge-rushing outside linebacker Justin Houston."
DEION Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who works for the NFL Network tweeted that the trade was great for both teams.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Great trade for both teams. Peters is a premier corner in our game and this gives the <a href="https://twitter.com/RamsNFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RamsNFL</a> 1 of the best corner tandems in the <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a> on paper. The questions remains why would the <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chiefs</a> give up 1 if the games best corners? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Truth?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Truth</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/21st?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#21st</a>&Prime <a href="https://t.co/rP47Mtf6vh">https://t.co/rP47Mtf6vh</a></p>— Deion Sanders (@DeionSanders) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeionSanders/status/967107478239567872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
HARRY Lyles of Bleacher Report wrote a piece with the headline, "5 immediate winners from the Marcus Peters trade to the Rams." The Rams, Chiefs and AFC West teams were all winners. He wrote:
"Peters is a phenomenal talent, there’s no doubting that. But his personality appeared to be too much for Reid and the Chiefs. We’re not sure of what the compensation for the trade is yet, but you have to imagine that it was enough for the Chiefs to get rid of a player that they considered to be a pain."
ERIC D. Williams of ESPN noted that Alex Smith often had big games against the Chargers, and now should be happy that Peters has been traded by the Chiefs. He wrote:
"The Chargers have to be thanking the Chiefs for moving yet another player that has been a thorn in the Bolts’ side.
"Peters has 19 interceptions in his first three NFL seasons and was named first-team All-Pro in 2016, the second of back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances.
"Specifically, Peters had four interceptions in six games against the Chargers --- all wins.
"Quarterback Philip Rivers has struggled against the Chiefs during an eight-game losing streak against Kansas City, with just six touchdown passes and 13 interceptions."
This story was originally published February 26, 2018 at 9:23 AM with the headline "National reaction to Marcus Peters trade is all over the map."