The Pre-Super Bowl Trade: A Hypothetical Discussion

I was watching the NFC Championship with my dad last night and we were flabbergasted that despite how badly the 49ers wide receivers were playing (1 catch total for 3 yards), they were two Kyle Williams gaffes away from reaching the Super Bowl. With that defense, Frank Gore, and the suddenly-competent Alex Smith, the Niners would be unstoppable if they had just one decent receiver to complement Vernon Davis. That's when we got this idea.

We all know the first week of the two-week Super Bowl run-up is the worst of the two, and the 30 other fan bases that are sitting on the outside are all a little bitter and bored. So I introduce to you the Pre-Super Bowl Trade. Here are the rules, after the jump:

• During the week following the Championship games, the two Super Bowl teams are allowed one trade with another team in the league (except the other Super Bowl team) to improve their roster
• The trade must be players only, up to 3 players from the Super Bowl team for one player on the trade partner team, and the new player must fit inside the team's salary cap for that year
• If a team makes a trade with another team, that team also surrenders their first round pick in the following draft as a 'Trade Tax' (the first round pick does not count as value in the trade)
• The player on the trade partner team being traded has a right to refuse and kill the deal.

Can you imagine how much fun this would be? What if the Niners had won the NFC Championship, and then offered to trade OT Joe Staley, DB Carlos Rogers, and their 31/32 1st round pick to the Falcons for Roddy White? Would Atlanta do it? Would Roddy go? Would that help them win the Super Bowl?

So because we've got nothing to do this week but feel a little down while listening to press on the Pro Bowl and fluff pieces on New England and New York players, let's pretend we're all GMs in this hypothetical world where the Pre-Super Bowl Trade exists. What trades should the Giants and Patriots make, with whom, and why? Would you want them to trade with the Falcons, and what would that trade be (remember that these trades have to benefit the Super Bowl team)? Also, imagine that the Falcons were in the Super Bowl in place of the Giants. What trade should the Falcons make, if any?