There are many reasons for teams to say goodbye but the top reasons are discontent and younger talent.
We have seen some ugly divorces in our days between players and teams. My favorite two as a Vikings fan are: Randy Moss, and Percy Harvin. These two players have unbelievable talent. Moss is one of the best to play the position but lack of motivation and a poor attitude are what held him back. The first time Moss was on the team he pushed his luck to far. The Vikings traded him to the Oakland Raiders in 2005 after having enough of his antics. The tipping point was when he left a game with two seconds left and when he "mooned" the Packers crowd earlier that year. Only imagine what would have happened if Moss was still in Minnesota when the Party Boat incident happened later that year. Moss returned in 2010 and lasted 4 weeks before he was waived by the team because of his attitude in the locker room. The other fabulous receiver the Vikings had and who caused "head aches" for the fans was Percy Harvin. Harvin must have caught the bad attitude Moss had during his four weeks with the team. It didn't take long for him to start his complaining. The Vikings had enough when Harvin expressed his dislike toward Ponder and criticized the team. The Vikings shipped in the Seahawks. Percy Harvin was just traded to the Jets but he had played all season which makes me wonder if he is still a problem in the locker room. The two of them had an amazing gift and incredible talent. However both were selfish and had an attitude that brought down the locker room. Now Vikings fan await to here if it is time to say goodbye to their best running back ever.
That was the ugly side of things but it doesn't get easier here. When younger talent comes along teams have to make the decision to play their veteran or their young lad. There are three big examples of this and all of them are the quarterback position. We had Brett Favre who was finally told if he un-retires he won't be in a Packers uniform. The Packers felt it was time to pass the torch on to Aaron Rodgers. The more recent example was when the Colts let Peyton Manning go because they were about to draft their next franchise quarterback, Andrew Luck. Lastly we go back to when Tom Brady took the reins in New England and the franchise left Drew Bledsoe in the dust. All three moves were great for the franchises but it wasn't an easy decision and can often cause unhappiness with the fans.
Now look at today. When do teams give up on their aging players or the guys they drafted but are not performing? The Texans should have trade Andre Johnson. Not because he is a washed up player but because they are rebuilding. They need young talent and picks. The more he plays the more his value drops. The Falcons need to move past Steven Jackson. The guy is a big name player but they have better running backs waiting behind him. He also isn't helping the team the way he should be. The Bills and the Jets should really consider their current QB situation before they waste more time on a player that won't be the face of their franchise.
This is also a very difficult thing to do in fantasy football. It is easy to get caught up in a players name or to get too attached to a guy you drafted but there is a time when you need to let go. When you draft high on a guy you start him every week because he is your best chance to win. Look at the running back position the last two years. It hasn't been easy for team owners to decide what to do. Weeks go by with the player putting up single digits but it's okay because he has to have a breakout game eventually. Weeks fly by as you realize that you will miss the playoffs because you playing a player based on his potential and his name. Right now is the point in the season when you need to move on. Unless the guy is hurt, if your star isn't preforming bench him, trade him or dump him. It is a very hard thing to do. Yes, they will have a big game eventually, and you don't want to miss it but you need the numbers every week. Going forward, look at the player's numbers and not their name. Winning a championship isn't easy and that includes making hard choices. That might include saying goodbye to your big name players. It won't be easy because goodbyes are tough.
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