McDaniel On the Block

According to Drew Edwards, Marquay McDaniel is being shopped around, and the front-runner seems to be the BC Lions.

The pertinent quote is:

A reliabe [sic] source tells me the Ticats are looking to deal import WR Marquay McDaniel and are looking for a non-import offensive lineman in return. One possible destination could be the B.C. Lions, who have eight Canadian hogs on the roster at the moment.

McDaniel has been a convenient scapegoat for the loss to Toronto in the East Division Semi-Final last season. He dropped more than a couple of key passes, but he was far from the only player to underperform in the playoffs last year. McDaniel is entering his third season, and he came within two yards of 1,000 in 2010. That's not the type of guy a team should be looking to rid itself of.

I think McDaniel deserves at least one more season to show what he can do. He is clearly talented, and perhaps his drops in the most important game of the year could be the kick in the butt he needs to take his game to the next level.

At this point, trading him for an O-Lineman is not a good move, in my opinion. After Bruce, Stala and Mann, the Cats don't have much at the Receiver position. I believe the Tabbies need McDaniel more than they need a Canadian Offensive Lineman.

I hope these rumours end up bearing no fruit, but where there is smoke there is fire. Maybe this is part of a series of moves that could see another import Receiver come to Hamilton (perhaps Kelly Campbell?), but even if that is the case, I think I would prefer to see the team retain McDaniel.

The Cats have been very busy; I just hope these changes produce the desired results in 2011.