Falcons to trade QB Shaub to Houston, Carr out?

[Glenn]

Falcons agree to deal backup QB Schaub to Houston

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

ATLANTA -- In a move that figures to have significant ramifications for the incumbent starters from both teams, the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday agreed in principle to trade three-year veteran quarterback Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans.

When the trade is completed, Atlanta and Houston will flip-flop first-round picks in April's draft, and Atlanta will receive Houston's second-round picks in 2007 and 2008. The deal likely will be completed later Wednesday afternoon. Houston has the No. 8 pick in the first round of the draft, while Atlanta is slotted 10th.

Sources told ESPN.com that the trade is contingent upon the Texans reaching agreement with Schaub on a contract, and negotiations have already begun.

In acquiring Schaub, the Texans have ostensibly conceded that five-year veteran David Carr, the top overall player chosen in the 2002 draft and a quarterback in whom Houston has invested considerable time and money, is no longer their quarterback of the future. At the same time, the departure of Schaub indicates that new Falcons coach Bobby Petrino is sold on Michael Vick, who is said to have made a strong impression on the rookie sideline boss in their first few months working together.

Schaub, 25, has been the subject of trade rumors for each of the past two springs. ESPN.com reported last Friday in its "Tip Sheet" column that Falcons officials seemed prepared to begin listening to trade offers for him and had begun discussing possible replacements.

One of the strong candidates to replace Schaub as the backup to Vick, ESPN.com has learned, is Anthony Wright, who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006.

Despite starting only two games in three seasons and winning neither of them, Schaub is highly regarded around the NFL. The former Virginia standout, a third-round pick by Atlanta in 2004, has completed 84 of 161 passes for 1,033 yards, with six touchdown passes and six interceptions.

Schaub was a restricted free agent this spring and the Falcons made him the highest qualifying offer possible, at $2.3 million. That qualifying offer meant that, had another team signed Schaub to an offer sheet, and Atlanta not matched it, the Falcons would have received first- and third-round draft choices as compensation.

[Zip Goshboots]

Well, that means Atlanta STILL doesn't have a quarterback.

[BubblesTheLion]

Atlanta cleaned up.
Matt is worthless and I hope he starts so the rest of the country can finally figure this shit out.

[WTFchris]

Matt = Scott Mitchell part deux?

Houston is stupid. They gave up two high picks (and swapped picks), for an unproven backup QB? Why not just take Stanton in the second round, keep their picks and fill other needs too?

I think Atlanta is looking to move up in the draft more. They now have pick#8 and an extra second rounder. They need a stud WR badly, would they trade up for Johnson? In the #8 range we can get either Adams, Anderson or Landry. The extra 2nd could be used on a RT (Staley) a MLB (Harris or other) or a QB of the future (Stanton).

[Zip Goshboots]

Every NFL guy I've heard over the last two years loves Matt Schaub. Atlanta has had people beating at their door to get him.
Yet, according to the WTF, he's a scrub. And Drew Stanton, injury prone and accomplisher of exactly NOTHING at MSU is a "quarterback of the future".

[WTFchris]

I didn't say he's a scrub. I just said he's unproven and looked good in a few games. There are plenty of GREAT backups that did nothing when given a chance. Mitchell, Riech, Kramer come to mind here. There are also solid backups that do well like Trent Green. No way to know for sure. But, that is a lot to invest in a guy. Would Volek have been cheaper than that?

[Zip Goshboots]

Who's Volek? Exactly.
Stanton is uproven as hell. I've accomplished as much as he has in the NFL. I hear you on the point of draft picks, alot to give up. But, this is a team that drafted Mario Williams over Reggie Bush.
I think the problem here is systemic, and prevalent in the NFL, and over the last two days Valenti and Foster have talked about it:
NFL teams really don't like, or know what to do with high first round draft choices. Tons of money to invest on unproven college players. So, they think trade first.
Even guys on here have posted to that effect. It's kind of a no brainer. The eighth pick in the first round is probably not going to be a franchise savior type pick, so they move to ten, get a QB thought to be NFL ready, can draft tenth, and they now have Carr to dump for an extra draft pick.

[WTFchris]

Billy Volek. He was the Titans backup QB that shined when McNair was out all those years. Everyone talked about him the last couple of years too, but SD got him for a 6th round pick. I'm sure they'd take a 4th or 5th rounder for him with Rivers playing well last year, and they could have made the deal with the Titans last year (they already knew Carr wasn't living up to his hype).

Volek's Career: %60 passing, 89 rating
Schaubs Career: %52 passing, 69 rating

Both played well as fill ins, why not get the cheaper one?

[Zip Goshboots]

Well, it's quite possible that Matt Schaub is more respected by NFL scouts and GM's than Volek.
It probably boils down to this: the Texans have bought into Schaub, they feel they have some other talent, and he has paid some dues and is ready to go.
I will have to agree that the TWO second round picks look a little hefty, but the move from 8 to 10 isn't a big deal at all.
What they need to do is go after O linemen in a hurry, though, because no one will be good behind their O line.

[WTFchris]

They better grab Levi Brown with their 2nd rounder gone now. They could have used the 2nd rounder on Staley or Blaylock. Oh well. If Schaub works out like Green it will be worth it. But he'll get sacked as much as Carr does with no OL help.