Hamilton trades Danny McManus, a first round draft pick and Tim Bakker for Maas. Edmonton then trades McManus to Calgary for a draft pick to lower salary.
Now, if the trade doesn't happen, the Ticats keep a solid offensive lineman, and a draft pick that I think they could have drafted Fantuz with. And they would have had Danny McManus. I think when you have a 4-14 team, it is difficult to argue that Danny McManus would have been much worse than Jason Maas. I think Maas even usurped the spot reserved for Ticat quarterbacks on the top of the interception charts. Now, does anyone think Hamilton would have had a better record if they had not made that trade?
They couldn't have been that much worse. It is undeniable that the 2006 team was more talented than the 2005 team, although the 2005 team won more games (five actually, but played at a .500 record the second half of the team.) There was a reason why last year before the season, people thought the Ticats as Grey Cup contenders (not me though). They just lacked cohesion. (Or maybe they really were no good, and just overrated. That's possible too.)
I wonder if Maas would have been traded to Calgary as well, if Hamilton had not got him. One of Jason Maas's undeniable talents this year was his ability to beat the Edmonton Eskimos. I don't know about too many other teams, but he had a thing for Edmonton. Calgary played them four times. Calgary could have designated him their specialized "Edmonton" quarterback, and gotten four wins out of him, and played Burris the rest of the games.
Or maybe, when Edmonton starts losing, they let Maas play more instead of Ray. Doubtful though. Ricky Ray was not the problem in Edmonton.
People say this was really two trades, but I guess it is just my opinion that the side each team was supposed to have one, they really didn't. Tay Cody was arguably the most valuable player on the Ticats, and Brock Ralph I think led the team in receiving touchdowns with two I believe (kind of pitiful). The Jason Maas part may not have been the best for Hamilton.
I don't know what purpose this thread serves, but, uh, those are just some random thoughts.