The trading deadline didn't bring a blockbuster deal, although there were some intriguing rumors heading up to it. With the Detroit Lions not really using their running game and Tatum Bell being resorted to a backup, the veteran running back was not dealt to a team in which he could be used in another role. The surprising non-move came when the San Francisco 49ers failed to add another quarterback to their roster. With Alex Smith not primed for a return and Trent Dilfer unable to provide any spark in the offense, the chances of the offense succeeding aren't very good.

Anderson's Success in Cleveland

In Cleveland, I didn't expect Derek Anderson to be traded. However, there were some fans they felt they had a golden opportunity to partially recover from the first-round draft choice they lost in next year's draft. The pick traded to the Dallas Cowboys back in April so the Browns could snag Brady Quinn in the first round. After Charlie Frye being traded away in Week 1, almost everybody in Cleveland thought that it would be a virtual lock that Quinn would take over for Derek Anderson following Week 7, which is the team's bye week. Instead, the unthinkable happened: Anderson has helped lead a Browns offense that may be the third best in the AFC, behind the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.

With that type of success, what if the Browns could have pulled the trigger and traded Anderson to a team in desperate need of an effective passing quarterback that makes his decisions very quickly? The 49ers, Carolina Panthers, and Arizona Cardinals all came up with emergency quarterback situations. So far, the only one of those three teams that may get by are the Panthers. Anderson wouldn't really fit the 49ers' system, but Carolina or Arizona would have been an acceptable fit. Maybe the Browns could have gotten a second-round draft pick for a quarterback that they would've been lucky to get a sixth-round draft pick for back in Week 1.

Or, maybe the right decision was to sit back and think about things for a minute. What guarantees that Quinn would come right in and succeed? The top quarterbacks taken in the past two years -- Alex Smith, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler -- have not been able to lead an explosive passing game. Even Vince Young, who has had the most success amongst the four quarterbacks, has not exactly been a passing guru. Anderson has sparked Cleveland's offense like no other quarterback has in decades, maybe even more so than Bernie Kosar in this little stretch. While the majority of Browns fans are providing their overwhelming appreciativeness towards Anderson, the fans who saw "opportunity" via a trade need to inhale a dose of reality. After suffering through so many painful quarterback situations and offensive gameplans since 1999, why in the world would you be so quick to throw it away rather than milking it for what it's worth?

Who knows: if Anderson continues at this pace, he may be Cleveland's starting quarterback next season.

Now, to the deals that were made Tuesday:

Michael Bennett to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Some trades are "give up" moves. In this case, both the Buccaneers and the Chiefs will benefit for a few reasons:

• The Buccaneers are leading the NFC South with the most efficient play at quarterback they've had since Brad Johnson's Super Bowl season behind Jeff Garcia. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers took two major hits in the running game: a season-ending injury to starter Cadillac Williams and an injury to veteran Michael Pittman that will keep him out for most of the season.

• Tampa Bay didn't need a pounder, they needed a runner. Garcia is running the Buccaneers offense just as well as he did in Philadelphia last year, where he had Brian Westbrook. Westbrook features a lot of qualities similar to what Bennett is capable of. Bennett can burst out of the backfield and is effective catching the football.

• The Chiefs didn't need Bennett. Clearly, Larry Johnson is the go-to-guy in Kansas City, and he's proven that he is durable enough to have 40 carries every week if necessary. So, what are the Chiefs going to do for a change-of-pace back if they want to go that route in a game? Priest Holmes. Holmes status has suddenly gone from never returning possibly to possibly seeing some action this week. In the end, the Chiefs traded Bennett, who would've had his playing time downsized with Holmes returning, and ended up receiving draft picks in 2008 and 2009 based on Bennett's performances.

Chris Chambers to the San Diego Chargers

You have to be disappointed if you're a Dolphins fan to see your top receiver get traded away for a second-round draft pick. Sure, the Dolphins received an "ok" value for him, but it's clearly another sign that the Dolphins are in rebuilding mode again after starting the season 0-6. It's hard to believe that when the Dolphins signed Trent Green in the offseason, there was a belief in my mind that he could lead Miami to a few extra wins than usual, perhaps seven victories.

All of a sudden, Chambers is in a tremendous situation, and Norv Turner and the Chargers front office made a great move to give Philip Rivers some help. The past few weeks, we've seen the Chargers utilize the running game well enough to proclaim that San Diego and LaDainian Tomlinson are "back". In the receiving game though, besides Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson, the Chargers still lacked a big-play receiver. Chambers, who once had "Pro Bowl" potential, has been under the radar the past several years because of the losing Miami teams he has played for. While I hope this trade doesn't encourage the Chargers to get more pass happy all of a sudden, Chambers provides the reliability and faith that Rivers may have lacked in other receivers to produce.

In Miami, I'd expect Ted Ginn Jr. to be inserted into the starting lineup within the next two to three weeks. It's about time they get him involved too; after all, they did pass up on Quinn for him.