Dear Troy,
Your timing sucks there homeboy. Yesterday your agent made public (Author’s Exclamatory Phrase: VIA TWITTER!!!) that you wanted the Ravens to trade you. During a period where there are no trades in the NFL, not because the big fish like the backup QB on a 8-7 team don’t generally demand it, but because there are no trades period. So I ask you (Author’s Concession: I guess this was more your agent than you, but still), what in the hell did you think you were going to accomplish by making this public you pompous horse’s ass?
I’d like you to know that I was rooting for you when you came into the league. I don’t particularly care for THE Ohio Statue University or anything like that, in fact it was a big strike against you because I was dating a Floridian at the time and ya’ll were just the enemy in the National Championship (Author’s Note: Although it wasn’t actually a national championship because the BCS is a flawed, money-centric system (Author’s Sub-Note: If poor people are going to start getting health insurance, shouldn’t Boise State start getting a shot at the title?)
Anyways, I liked you Troy because you were short. I liked you because you won the Heisman yet people assumed you wouldn’t be any good as a professional. You were the black Jesus… Err… Excuse me, the black Tim Tebow. I began actively rooting for you when you fell out of the third round, I was sure you would drop to a team, get your shot, and then prove to people that you play football to win the game, not to be tall enough to look out over crowds, not to throw far enough overthrow a 4.2 40 receiver, it’s all about winning. All that you and Vince Young ever did was win football games.
Then, despite reports of you being a total pro in the locker room and to the organization, I began to have my doubts when you refused to sign autographs after your radio show for friends of www.thebaltimorons.com Becky and Kim. Ed Reed wanted to sign autographs for the people that showed up and you, the namesake of the radio show, actively persuaded him to leave. Ed Reed is a potential Hall of Fame player. You one time could have possibly started but then got tonsillitis. Do you see the difference in the legacy here?
While I don’t share their borderline aggression at the mention of your name (Author’s Note: Perhaps because I didn’t wait around for a few hours or go out and buy memorabilia), it still goes in the mental folder I have of “Tidbits I Never Forget”. If you’ve ever read my writing, you’ll understand that, judged simply by the sheer number of movie references I force in, this is a rather large, rather active database. Now this twitter nonsense gets filed and I didn’t have to create a new folder because “Troy Smith Might Be A Jackass” already exists. A convoluted metaphor but we can simplify by asking: Are you a jackass?
I think I understand why the announcement was made, and the logic comes from the wording itself. From the twitter post as quoted by the Baltimore Sun blog:
"Ravens QB Troy Smith, Ohio State alum, native + Heisman winner wants playing time." Ravens notified. Will seek trade after play offs, SB run."
The key to this whole stupid situation is almost assuredly the word “native” in reference to your home state of Ohio. Your agent wanted to request a trade on the heels of the Mike Holmgren press conference after his taking over as President of the Browns, a team without a clear quarterback situation but with too much money tied up to invest a high first round pick on a third QB. I mean it’s conceivable you could also be looking at the Rams (where I understand Boller got benched on Sunday), or the Seahawks (where Matty H seems to have lost it completely), but both of those franchises will potentially be looking to spend some draft picks on a QB.
I think I can understand why you did it, who wouldn’t want to play at home? But I just can’t understand the timing, when you would have had all of the Ravens fan base rooting for you should you get a chance elsewhere had you simply waited. Despite a vague understanding of how lucky we are to have a decent backup, we would have cheered for you on any Sunday you didn’t play Baltimore because we appreciate what little you’ve done for us. I guess we’re just loyal like that, and your actions confirm the growing suspicion that, maybe, you weren’t ever a true part of that “we”.
Ciao,
Dan
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