[milkman]

Originally Posted by shortbuskid

Lets set the record straight.....(I know, it's PFT)

POSTED 3:43 p.m. EST, January 2, 2006

CLEARING THE AIR ON PICKS FOR COACHES

After the Bucs acquired Raiders coach Jon Gruden by sending a pack of picks to the pirates of Piedmont, the NFL circulated a memo that supposedly prohibited this practice.

As explained in the January 17, 2003 St. Petersburg Times, the Competition Committee had concluded that the use of draft picks to secure coaches could be undermining the purposes of the draft.

Not long thereafter, then-Bucs G.M. Rich McKay told ESPN.com that the memo was not intended to apply to head coaches.

At a time when there will be plenty of head coaching vacancies and not enough high-end candidates, some teams could be interested in guys who already are gainfully employed with other NFL teams. Thus, the possibility of using draft picks has come up again, and plenty of our readers wanted to know whether the practice was still permitted.

League spokesman Greg Aiello told us on Monday that draft picks can be used to acquire a head coach or a high-ranking club executive (such as G.M. or the equivalent). Draft choices cannot be used, per Aiello, to acquire coordinators, position coaches, or executives below the level of president or G.M.

We've got a feeling that this rule will come into play for at least one of the current coaching and/or G.M. vacancies this year, possibly if the Chiefs come after coach Herm Edwards of the Jets.

Has anyone ever heard of a team giving up a pick for assistent coahes before?

Why the hell even make a rule for something that had never happened?