Article from Inside Bay Area:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sports/ci_3082851
Time is right to trade Rattay
THE NFL TRADE deadline is two weeks from today.
It couldn't be more perfectly timed as far as the 49ers are concerned.
You see, Mike Nolan has one of the most marketable players in the league on his roster — quarterback Tim Rattay.
And he also has a bye coming up before the deadline, which would give Alex Smith an extra week to prepare himself for his new job.
It's going to happen eventually, right? So why not now when the 49ers can get something of decent value for Rattay?
I spent Sunday counting how many teams would be better off with Rattay behind center. The number was shockingly high.
Look at who's quarterbacking teams these days: Drew Bledsoe, Mark Brunell, Joey Harrington, Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, Josh McCown, J.P. Losman, Brooks Bollinger, Gus Frerotte, Trent Dilfer, Anthony Wright, David Carr and Steve McNair.
In a word: awful.
Rattay isn't better than all those guys. Neither is every team represented on that list ready to make a change.
But all it takes is one unhappy camper and you have a potential trade partner.
If I'm the 49ers general manager, I'm on the phone big-time with three teams today as soon as I've delivered Mr. Nolan's lunch:
-The Jets. This club is desperate. Bollinger's not going to get it done. Guess what? Neither is Vinny Testaverde. Rattay would save the Jets' season. And the Jets in turn could make the 49ers very happy on Draft Day 2006. -The Lions. The NFC Central is there to be won, but not when your quarterback already has made two of your three prize wide receivers disappear. Steve Mariucci has to know Rattay would give him a better chance of winning than Harrington. -The Texans. They've fired their offensive coordinator. The coach is next ... unless he can find another scapegoat. Carr would be a good choice. He's giving Jeff Tedford a bad name.