Monday, May 6, 2002

ProFootballWeekly.com asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in football. 

What might have been in Indy

Prior to the 1999 NFL draft, Colts general manager Bill Polian traded franchise RB Marshall Faulk to the Rams for two draft choices, none better than a second-rounder. Knowing he was going to get a running back — Edgerrin James — with his own pick as a replacement for Faulk, Polian pulled the trigger on the deal. Now, however, he may be wondering how things would be different if he had kept Faulk and taken advantage of then-Saints head coach Mike Ditka’s generosity when he offered the Colts a boatload of draft choices in an effort to move up in the first round to draft Ricky Williams.

Buchsbaum: In 1999, the Colts traded RB Marshall Faulk to the Rams for second- and fourth-round draft picks. After trading Faulk, they used the No. 4 overall pick to take Miami (Fla.) RB Edgerrin James. At the time, Saints head coach Mike Ditka had a standing offer, offering his first-round pick and the rest of his available picks to the first team that would give him a No. 1 pick so he could take RB Ricky Williams. Colts general manager Bill Polian was in position to make the deal but didn’t take it. If Polian would have kept Faulk and made the deal, he could have taken DE Jevon Kearse with the Saints’ first-round pick that year, added depth with the other picks, and then the following year, when the Saints' pick was No. 2 overall, Polian could have taken LB LaVar Arrington or LB Brian Urlacher, where the Redskins picked. Now, picture the Colts with QB Peyton Manning, RB Marshall Faulk, WR Marvin Harrison, DE Jevon Kearse and either LB LaVar Arrington or Brian Urlacher on defense. Interesting thought, isn’t it?

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