The tweets happen to coincide with the rift between feature RB Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jags’ owner, Shahid Khan. First, Khan made a comment about how “the train is leaving the station. [MJD] needs to run or be left behind.”

The 27 year old running back didn’t take too kindly to it to say the least and lashed out, saying he wanted a trade. Today, cooler heads seem to be prevailing as Jones-Drew backed off and said he’d prefer to stay in Jacksonville.

Usually, you can trust the things Irsay tweets. Over time, he’s been one of the few straight-shooters about such things, but notice not what his tweets said, but more what they did NOT say.

“Trade winds are blowing!”

“We’re talking of giving up a high pick for a SERIOUS vet/starter”

“Colts Fans..Your GM Mr Grigson isn’t afraid to roll the dice n aggressively improve YOUR Indianapolis Colts..n my check book stands ready”

“9 times out of 10 these deals fizzle out like a faulty Roman Candle;any other info at this time is proprietary,must move behind the curtain!”

Get the drift yet?

Not once did he mention MJD, the Jags, or even a position. He gave broad, vague statements…which would be prudent if in trade talks, but then again if in trade talks it’s best to shut up in the first place.

Secondly, the Colts have multiple holes that need to be filled and RB is only one of them. MLB Pat Angerer will miss a lot of time due to injury. The Colts have one starting-quality cornerback and a bunch of nickel or dime backs. And then poor WR Austin Collie is suffering yet another concussion. They could use some help on the interior DL.

I really don’t understand what Irsay is trying to do here. If he’s NOT seeking MJD, why get the fans’ hopes up for no reason? Same thing if he is, and no deal is forthcoming?

More importantly, why trade a high draft pick for a running back that has a lot of mileage on him already? The Colts aren’t going to the Super Bowl for at least two or three years as they’re right at the beginning of the biggest off-season roster overhaul of any NFL team. By the time they get to be playoff contenders again, they’ll probably be replacing Reggie Wayne, and MJD will be pushing 30 (whether or not they trade for him).

I don’t see a young team giving up what is likely to be a top-12 pick for any running back in the league. If he really wants a franchise-type back, wait until 2013 and draft a Marcus Lattimore from South Carolina perhaps. Otherwise, trading for MJD would net them a running back that’s 5 or 6 years older with much more wear on his body in return for a year’s worth of production on a mediocre team.

Bad move in the long run.

Khan said today that “the train is leaving the station. Run, get on it,” alluding to the holdout running back. He has 2 years left on a deal that pays him $4.5 million this year and $5 million the next. “Pocket Hercules” knows that running backs are generally considered washed-up at age 30, and he’s already 27 with a lot of tread-wear on him. He may never get a chance at a more lucrative deal and everyone knows it.

It’s generally thought that he will have little choice but to report to camp eventually since he’s got two years remaining on it. With another great season under his belt, he’ll have more leverage next offseason.

While it’s questionable to think that Khan would be open to a trade, it might be possible that some team out there may believe a running back of his caliber may be what they need to put them into the playoffs and/or into the Super Bowl. The Jags are rebuilding and still need talent at a lot of positions, and pride being what it is, a trade might not be such an impossibility.

A few come to mind immediately.

With Ryan Matthews being an injury risk and losing FB Mike Tolbert to the Carolina Panthers, the San Diego Chargers might be willing to make a deal if the price is right, but that price would be pretty steep…a first-rounder in the 2013 draft at the very least.

The Atlanta Falcons were willing to jump up and grab Julio Jones a couple of years ago and that appears to be paying off. With RB Michael Turner having a lot of wear himself, they could conceivably make such a trade. Turner and MJD are interchangeable and Jones-Drew has a broader skill-set. They’d have to give up probably a first, a third, and probably a fifth-round pick straight up or trade Turner plus a 3rd for MJD.

The New Orleans Saints will have their full complement of picks for 2013 after Bountygate. Depending on their perception of Mark Ingram’s durability, the could package Ingram, sell him as a much younger back with fresh legs, and bundle a 3rd or 4th round pick with him in exchange for an outstandingly consistent runner that won’t be called upon to carry the already high-octane Saints offense.

The Denver Broncos running game has struggled, and with a small window in Peyton Manning’s waning years, Johns Elway and Fox are probably secretly salivating at the idea of adding a guy like Pocket Hercules. Imagine he and Manning in the same offense! John Fox does love the running game and adding him would give them balance.

With the animosity between Khan and Maurice Jones-Drew, I suspect there are some “secret” phone calls outbound from Jacksonville as I type this…just to put the feelers out and let the brass do some due diligence.

1) Last year’s studs rarely are this year’s studs – Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing. This season, he’s holding out…possibly even into the season. Hardly first-round material unless it’s resolved fast. Adrian Peterson is coming off an ACL tear in week 17. While he’s vastly ahead of schedule in his recovery, will he be the same player in week one as he was last season’s week one?

2) Even the best QBs rarely repeat a particularly good year – but the elite ones will always deliver. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, even Cam Newton should all be high-scoring fantasy players worthy of round one picks. What I’m talking about is don’t expect Matt Stafford to repeat his breakout year, although he should still be a top-ten fantasy QB. Just don’t expect quite the same big numbers in consecutive seasons from anyone…there always seems to be some variance.

3) Don’t even BOTHER drafting a kicker…from one season to another, kickers’ FP output seems random. Last year’s top kicker is rarely this year’s one, and with kickers the swings are even wilder than other positions. Instead, use that last spot to draft a sleeper. You can ALWAYS pick up a kicker off waivers just before the first game and you’ll have that last guy on the bench. Someone will eventually need to go but more often than not, it’s someone OTHER THAN the last guy you drafted. Unless there are 2 active kicker spots, in which case it’s a good idea to grab both – just do the math for your league. If there are more kicker spots open than teams in the NFL, you’ll have an advantage over those that didn’t get two. Depends on your league’s setup and rules

4) Don’t bother drafting Mike Shanahan-coached running backs. Nothing against Mike, but he uses running backs like paper towels…uses them, throws them aside when a cleaner one is ready. After Terrell Davis, he’s gone through lots and throw a dart to figure out who winds up the better fantasy player. Best just to avoid them all.

5) If you don’t get a top-6 or so QB, wait a few rounds and draft a second-tier guy. He’ll do better than you might think – after Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Rodgers, Newton, and possibly Phillip Rivers and the Manning brothers and Stafford, lots of teams have second-tier QBs that often score nearly as many FP as the big guys, or the difference isn’t worth picking them 4 or 5 picks higher. I’d take a Big Ben in round 6 or a Matt Ryan in round 5. Don’t neglect sleeper QBs either, like Chad Henne due to circumstance or a T.J. Yates in case Matt Schaub gets injured again, you just hit the jackpot. Trade bait if nothing else…but don’t count on trading to improve your team because guess what: ALL FANTASY OWNERS ALWAYS OVERVALUE ALL THEIR PLAYERS.

5a) Same for Tight Ends. The Elite ones will go in rounds 2-4, then there’s generally a bit of a lull before the “others” go – simply because of the perceived difference in numbers. Sure, it might be a good idea to get a Gronk in round 2, but again, he’s got a very high bar to reach again, and are a difference of 500 yards and 5 TDs really worth a 2nd round pick, where a 7th round pick could get you a Brandon Pettigrew? Maybe, maybe not.

6) This may be the most overlooked AND most important thing of all – READ THE LEAGUE RULES. Compare what QBs, RBs, WRs get for the same yardage gained, and how many FP for a TD. Usually it’s 4 for QBs, 6 for RBs and WRs. I won two leagues in two different seasons because I had noticed they had 2 QB spots and a hybrid QB/WR/RB spot. So my first 5 picks were QB, QB, WR, QB, RB. I picked up DeMarco Murray midway through the year and his big second half carried me to a championship, so you’ve gotta stay alert for the waiver wire. Sometimes others will waive players they have, not knowing they’re about to see a huge uptick in action. Keep an eye on that.

7) Keep in mind some players 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart that may be playing behind injury-prone guys – see the Schaub example above. Trent Richardson’s main backups may fall into this category, depending on his knee. Ryan Matthews of the Chargers, Jahvid Best of the Lions…injury-prone. So it’s a good idea sometimes to go ahead and draft a durable backup late rather than getting a fragile producer (Dez Bryant) early.

This is by no means all-inclusive, but it’s a general guide. Know your positions, know the scoring rules for your league. Draft with those rules in mind and consider the entire team as well. Offensive players on a team with a poor rush defense won’t see as many snaps as those on a team with a good defense.