It's come to my attention in recent weeks that most of my fellow TFFL owners just do not understand the concept of trading. Hence, the lack of activity in this league through the years.
So to try to further the art of the swap, I thought I'd put down some common-sense guidelines for all to understand.
1. Don't try to trade the players you're going to cut. Chances are if you don't want them, nobody else does. Remember, none of us -- with the possible exception of McPeters -- just fell off the turnip truck yesterday. Your own crap may not smell so bad to you, but it still stinks to everybody else.
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| Marshall Faulk, not available in stores. |
3. Don't quote a player's stats from previous years when trying to talk down his value. What a player did when he was on a different team in a different system playing a different role is irrelevant.
4. Be realistic in your expectations. If somebody wants one of your backup wide receivers to be used during his starters' bye weeks or in case of an injury, don't expect he's going to trade you Marshall Faulk to get him.
5. Don't be afraid to trade a good player. If you want to get a good player in return, you're going to have to give up something to get him.
6. Shop around. If you've got a player on your bench that some others might want and that you don't really need, send out an e-mail and let everybody know he's available and what you're looking for in return.
7. The counter play. If somebody makes you a trade offer and you don't want it, try to make him a counter offer. That will help get the lines of communication flowing and may result in another deal that is mutually beneficial.
8. If you make an insulting offer to somebody, don't be offended if they make an insulting offer back. A 68-year-old running back with two creaky knees on a crappy offensive team and a rookie wide receiver who's not even starting are not worth a whole lot.
9. If somebody makes you an offer, don't try to turn the trade into a megadeal by making a counter offer that involves trading half your team for half his team. Keep the deals nice and simple.
10. It's cheaper to trade than to claim a free agent. Sure, it's only a quarter, but why pay for something when you can get it for free with a little extra effort?
That's it. Learn to live by these simple rules, and the TFFL will be a much happier place for all involved.