George R. R. Martin. Photo / Getty Images
George R.R. Martin is breathing fire like the dragons that rule Westeros.
A month out from the premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones, the author continues to double as a fanatical sports blogger.
And like many New York Giants fans he was stunned by the franchise's decision to trade star wide receiver Odell Beckham Junior to the Cleveland Browns, delivering a scorching assessment of a deal that netted his team first and third round draft picks and safety Jabrill Peppers.
In a post titled "Kill me now" on his personal blog page, Martin described his personal "nightmare".
"The Giants are GOING FOR IT ALL, clearly," Martin wrote.
"Yes, they are. During the season they traded their best run-stopper, Snacks Harrison. Come to off-season, they let Landon Collins, an All Pro safety and the heart of their defence, walk for nothing. Then they traded their best pass rusher, Olivier Vernon.
"And now they have traded OBJ. Their best wideout, and one of the very best in the NFL. I've been watching and rooting for the G-Men since The Greatest Game Ever Played in 1958.
"Beckham was not only the best receiver on today's Giants, but he was the best receiver this storied NFL franchise has EVER had in their long history, and probably the best receiver they will ever have. They are certainly not going to replace him with the 17th overall pick in the forthcoming draft.
.@bakermayfield ➡️ @obj
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 13, 2019
We got a preview last summer ... pic.twitter.com/utMMglQljv
"Some of the talking heads on ESPN are suggesting the Giants might package the 6th and 17th first round picks to move up a few slots and take a QB to replace Eli Manning. If they do, I feel sorry for that quarterback. He'll be playing for an awful team.
"I don't follow college football. Is there some amazing talent coming out next year for the 2020 draft? A new John Elway, a new Lawrence Taylor? Because, like I said, it sure looks like the Giants are going for it all … they are going for the first overall pick in 2020.
"No way that any team can replace its best wideout, its best pass rusher, its best safety, and its best run stuffer in one year, two years, three years.
"I thought the last two seasons were rough for Giants fans. Next year is going to make them look like the good old days. Someone pinch me. I am having a Big Blue nightmare."
Martin accompanied the post by listing his current mood as "sick".
Ex-Giants executive Marc Ross hinted there may be more to the trade than everyone — including Martin — is aware of.
"I think maybe they had just gotten to the breaking point," the Giants' former longtime director of college scouting, who had a hand in drafting Beckham, said on the NFL Network on Tuesday night.
.@obj is a Cleveland Brown ✊ pic.twitter.com/z1iSXhBtnV
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 13, 2019
"There may be things we don't know about that haven't been out there. They've said they wanted to avoid distractions. There's no one more distracting than Odell even on his best day."
Asked if the Giants could have gotten more, Ross said that might be the case, but the Giants must have felt they had to act fast.
"I just think they may have gotten to the breaking point where they said we can strike where the iron is hot," Ross said. "We can get a safety and a couple of picks for a guy, and we're going to move on."
— with New York Post