Duke Johnson Requests Trade

Ibleedbrown

@clevfan4life said:

Did someone just say Duke oughta be at FB......sigh

Nope, no one said that. I said “FB/H-back hybrid type”. If it eases your mind to call it an H-back then go for it. I’m just acknowledging that Duke is an above average blocker for a halfback, and probably better at it than our tight ends.

I get that asking him to lead block at the rate of a typical FB is gonna get him killed, but maybe 5 times a game?

1) Kitchens doesn’t really utilize a FB that much anyway, but he does use one. Towards the end of the season we all saw DeValve awkwardly fill in for the role previously occupied by Orson Charles, plowing into a defender and then falling down. Duke could do a better job than that.

2) Kitchens has also shown that he can do some fun creative things with multiple backs. The guy has a knack for manipulating misdirection. Duke is an ideal candidate to do such things with due to his varied skill set.

3) I read something last year where Duke said he took a degree of pride in his blocking. He works at it, he’s good at it, and it shows.

4) It nets more playing time for Duke. Right now he feels like the underappreciated odd man out, but he could be a lynchpin in a lot of cool formations and plays. Kitchens has shown he can go out of the box to utilize his players’ skill sets (Landry throwing bombs, wishbone formations, etc) so it’s not that far out of left field.

nickers

@canton-mike said:

Reactions to signing other top players at their positions (as we did Hunt).....

Baker....."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Landry..."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

OBJ......."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Chubb..."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Duke....."WAAA, I'm takin' my ball & going home."

We want & need COMPETITORS, not QUITTERS!

Bye Duke.

Mike

Exactly.. This is a Man's game.. Snowflakes need not apply...

darren15

Some rumor on twitter ( and poster said it is a rumor so could be bullshit ) today say we are in talks with the Jets to swap Duke for Darron Lee.

jrb12711

@canton-mike said:

Reactions to signing other top players at their positions (as we did Hunt).....

Baker....."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Landry..."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

OBJ......."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Chubb..."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Duke....."WAAA, I'm takin' my ball & going home."

We want & need COMPETITORS, not QUITTERS!

Bye Duke.

Mike

Eh, to be honest I never have gotten that vibe from this situation. I may as well be the conductor on the Dorsey train, but this Duke saga I think he has whiffed on. My opinion? When Dorsey signed Hunt to the team Duke rightfully behind the scenes had some conversations with Dorsey about his role, future with the team. I'm getting the vibe strongly Dorsey strung him a long a bit and finally made it clear he was not in the future plans of the organization, which led to this "request" (if true). If all that is the case, it's a bit dramatic to take your point of view. Duke is a damn fine football player we're pushing aside, and he knows that.

Nero

@canton-mike said:

Reactions to signing other top players at their positions (as we did Hunt).....

Baker....."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Landry..."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

OBJ......."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Chubb..."Bring 'em on & I'll TAKE 'em on!"

Duke....."WAAA, I'm takin' my ball & going home."

We want & need COMPETITORS, not QUITTERS!

Bye Duke.

Mike

These players compete in every training and every game. You can see how Duke has been a team player even when he wasn't receiving as many touches as many of us thought he should.

In a sport so brutal and which such short careers (and we are talking about a running back here), I don't blame him or consider him a quitter for trying to find the best option for his career. He is not so old so we still can get an interesting trade with him, so he prefers making the move himself instead of a forced trade 8 games in or after something worse happens.

Clevfan4life

Darron Lee on that def would be amazing. That guy would plug the hole left by Jamie nicely.

Tour2ma

@canton-mike said:

Duke....."WAAA, I'm takin' my ball & going home."

We want & need COMPETITORS, not QUITTERS!

Bye Duke.

What part of Dorsey shopping Duke around the league long before any hint of Duke wanting to be traded do you fail to understand?

The Gipper

@tour2ma said:

What part of Dorsey shopping Duke around the league long before any hint of Duke wanting to be traded do you fail to understand?

The part of why would he be shopping him around when he is going to be a guy we will need for the first eight games if not much longer. Injuries etc.

Orion

Duke Johnson Requests Trade

It's too bad that this had to be 'in the media"..... It's like, there's almost no going back once the cat is out of the bag. You pretty much HAVE TO trade the player at this point.

TexasAg1969

@orion said:

It's too bad that this had to be 'in the media"..... It's like, there's almost no going back once the cat is out of the bag. You pretty much HAVE TO trade the player at this point.

He's a pro under contract, so they don't "have to". He can chose to not report and go unpaid for a year if he wishes, but that's not being a pro.

Tour2ma

@orion said:

It's too bad that this had to be 'in the media"..... It's like, there's almost no going back once the cat is out of the bag. You pretty much HAVE TO trade the player at this point.

So question becomes: who leaked the request?

darren15

@tour2ma said:

So question becomes: who leaked the request?

James Comey

calfoxwc

...I will not comment....lol....nope. I will not comment. lol

The Gipper

@tour2ma said:

So question becomes: who leaked the request?

G Gordon Liddy

CLEVELANDwantsPLAYOFFS

I’m sure he was informed that he was being shopped so he didn’t show up.

My predictions is a 4th or a 5th for Duke. Great value for wherever he ends up.

Dutch Oven

@calfoxwc said:

...I will not comment....lol....nope. I will not comment. lol

Why limit your moronic takes on just football cal?

Orion

@tour2ma said:

So question becomes: who leaked the request?

It's just 'the way' it's done these days.

.....and there's all of these little talking heads clawing for stuff to tweet like a bird. (if it's not the player himself)

Tour2ma

@dutch-oven said:

Why limit your moronic takes on just football cal?

cal does a better job than most to keep his "takes" confined to the netherworld that is his Political section...

... and given the size and... ummm... uniqueness of them it's actually kinda admirable.

@orion said:

It's just 'the way' it's done these days.

.....and there's all of these little talking heads clawing for stuff to tweet like a bird. (if it's not the player himself)

Not sure anyone grasped my "take" on this...

What if it was Dorsey and/or his FO that was the source of the leak?

Look at how opinion turned here after the "leak". It went from, "Oh no, we can't lose Duke," to, "Don't let the door hit ya..." in a heartbeat.

Orion

@tour2ma said:

What if it was Dorsey and/or his FO that was the source of the leak?

It could be him but I don't think it was. I think with Hunt on the shelf for half the season John really doesn't want to trade him. Not just for the sake of trading him anyway. I'd be more inclined to believe the leak was from the player's side of things.....like his agent. I personally don't want him traded. I think we need him, for at least half the year.

Tour2ma

Agree with the half season need...which, barring Duke getting hurt, also likely increases his trade value due to RB injuries around the league.

Remember tho... someone leaked that we were shopping Duke in the first place. Possibly a team, or teams, we contacted, but also could be our own FO to "get the word out". Fan backlash was quick and strong, and the subsequent "trade me" leak quelled everything.