[MIJB#19]

Gossip News: Merchantmen talking trade already
The off-season is coming up and the masters of trade are back at it. Our sources claim that the Merchantmen already finalized a trade for the upcoming off-season. With the Merchantmen facing a cap hit of 15 million dollars, they have to find a way to create over 20 million of cap space. With the names mentioned of who are up for trade, it makes sense to expect that a couple of players will be dealt. The front runners are running back Jonathan Smith, defensive tackle John Bryant and the unhappy guard Lane Stedman.

As usual, the Merchantmen management was not willing to comment on the issue, but we have reason to believe that they are trading Ian Degrange. 'Deranged' Degrange's player agent Moe Wagner was spotted in Maassluis and we think it has to be with an upcoming trade. Degrange saw limited action in the three games he played for Maassluis, despite being traded in for a 2009 seventh round pick together with tight end Charles Burley, who played only 24 downs on offense.

The Merchantmen advertised Degrange as being worth a seventh rounder or potentially being part of a package deal. Degrange denied everything, but we can read between the lines. "The Merchantmen don't know how to use me. I'm a sack machine, but you got to play me. maybe some other team knows how to handle things." There is reason to believe that Degrange's conflict with veteran linebacker Carl Meier have had a key role in the decission to put him on the inactive list for most of the season. Degrange only returned to action recently due to injuries for both Scot Dick and Omar Gougeon.

Another potential candidate could be John Bryant. The defensive tackle has reportedly the same agent as Degrange and Bryant's role has been small the past season. In 2004 and 2005, Bryant started in all 32 games, in whichhe made 11.5 sacks and 118 tackles. In the 2006 season, Bryant had to play second fiddle behind seventh round pick Andy Weliczka as a pass rush specialist. Limited with some minor injuries, Bryant had just five starts and missed one game altogether. What his new home could be remains a question mark, but with nine teams listed as having a need for a defensive tackle, he could be a hot commodity. But why would they already finalize a deal for him then? It doesn't make sense and it should say enough that the team is trading Degrange and not Bryant.