Running your mouth and then demanding a trade happens regularly in the NFL. More running the mouth than demands. When a trade demand is made though, shouldn’t that athlete’s game excel like their mouths did? Case in point, with last years trade of Santana Moss and Lavernues Coles. One is showing that he gave one team the upper hand on the deal, while the other is dropping balls like a baseball outfielder blinded by the sun.

It has been a tale of two completely different seasons for Lavernues Coles and Santana Moss. Lavernues fantasy value heading into this season was way above Moss’s. All the fantasy checklists for success were in Coles favor, but conversely that has changed to Moss’s checks.

Coles was fully recovered from his foot injury and going back to a Jets team in which he had his best season in the NFL. The remarriage figured to elevate Pennington’s game and bring Coles back to his great level of play. Well, the blame early was on Pennington’s arm, but game footage would show Coles dropping numerous balls and a few touchdowns.

He has been under performing and that could end up down under in a moment. With a shaky quarterback in Brooks Bollinger, Coles value is out of the top twenty five. Indicating anything other than that will all rest on Bollinger’s arm, or should we say shoulder for Jets quarterbacks. One thing that can’t happen is Vinny Testaverde starting. If that happens Coles value drops another ten to fifteen spots. Testaverde showed last year that he should have retired a few years ago. Re-flushing is what the Jets need to do with Testaverde by cutting him again, and signing someone that can actually throw the football.

Over in Washington D.C, Santana Moss is making the Moss name even bigger. So far he has had the best stretch of any receiver, with his closing finish against Dallas on Monday Night football. His stats after only two games should make Coles and the Jets management want to hide. Moss is an electrifying receiver. He has Dante Hall speed but is an actual receiver. That combined is a deadly punch that has deathly attached to it. With Mark Brunell now the Redskins quarterback, airing it out will be easier. Brunell has a great deep ball, that we all saw back in his hey days with the Jaguars and Jimmy Smith.

The main reason why Moss was rated so low in preseason rankings, was because of the poor play of Patrick Ramsey and Brunell last season. Accordingly there was no reason to see a change in the future. Ramsey had no excuses, but for Brunell it could have been pointed on not having a receiver like Santana Moss. That’d make Lavernues Coles feel even worse, but in his favor, he was slowed up a bit by his foot.

Clinton Portis’s game should elevate more, while Curtis Martin’s seems to be on the down side. Another check to Moss, as opening the running game with Portis is going to mean more big scores for Moss.

Lavernues, Lavernues, this is going to be a year where you have a lot of to do’s and don’t on your New Year’s resolution list. The to don’t list, number one note will be to not run his mouth for reporters. He is a good quality receiver and young. Young athletes need to learn a little more on how to talk in performance on the field.