NFL 2006 Offseason Thread

[Evil Vito]

Wooooooo, all Giants picks officially signed.

This is what Accorsi never gets credit for. Almost every year he gets all his picks signed before the start of training camp (an area a lot of teams struggle in)

[OssMan]

I'm ready for MATHIAS KIWANUKA to be an impact player this year and fill in at one of the positions that we struggled a lot with last year; Defensive End.

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by AssMan I'm ready for MATHIAS KIWANUKA to be an impact player this year and fill in at one of the positions that we struggled a lot with last year; Defensive End.

Admittedly, at first I disliked the pick because we are stacked at DE, but really it's a smart move. Strahan's confirmed he's probably gonna retire within 2 years, Osi had a huge year but who knows if he can keep it up, and Tuck can go either way. Kiwi will may even spell Strahan a few drives each game this year.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Kiwanukkkaaa

He can dunk from the free throw line

[DrA]

Browns lose center Bentley for season

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/CLE/9574072

Wow, what a kick in the teeth to the Browns.

[mrslackalack]

Young gets a bigger rookie contract than Williams. Reggie Bush will snap.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Originally Posted by mrslackalack Young gets a bigger rookie contract than Williams. Reggie Bush will snap.

I doubt he has...he probably has comparable up front payments but from what I read previous Williams has huge incentives that will take his deal way past Young's reported figures if he hits them.

[SammyG]

Wow, Browns are really getting jewed by their draft picks in the past years.

[mrslackalack]

Originally Posted by SammyG Wow, Browns are really getting jewed by their draft picks in the past years.

[DrA]

Nah, LeCharles Bentley wasn't drafted by the Browns, they signed him from New Orleans.

[Kris P Lettus]

Originally Posted by DrA Nah, LeCharles Bentley wasn't drafted by the Browns, they signed him from New Orleans.

He was good but now I'm kinda glad we don't have him anymore..

[SammyG]

D'Brickshaw is a god damn animal, holy shit.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

I heard if they both get their full contracts (like all the incentives etc which is doubtful) Vince Young's contract will be more money than Williams's

[Evil Vito]

Willie Roaf retires from the Chiefs

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9575606

Well, there goes the best O-Line in the league

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Originally Posted by Big Vito 22 Willie Roaf retires from the Chiefs http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9575606 Well, there goes the best O-Line in the league

Nice of him to make up his mind before free agency and the draft

[SammyG]

No Rams training camp coverage on NFL Network

[RP]

suicide watch on deisle cack.

[D Mac]

Originally Posted by Rectal Pertruder suicide watch on deisle cack.

:foc:

[Evil Vito]

Holy shit. Vernon Davis' deal makes him the highest paid TE in the league

[RP]

Originally Posted by Big Vito 22 Holy shit. Vernon Davis' deal makes him the highest paid TE in the league

rofl thats sad

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

There goes Larry Johnson's 2000 yard season - both tackles retired

[D Mac]

Originally Posted by sTiMa34 There goes Larry Johnson's 2000 yard season - both tackles retired

Nah we still got enough to get the job done like Will Shields. And Larry is awesome.

[DrA]

Originally Posted by Diesel Mac Nah we still got enough to get the job done like Will Shields. And Larry is awesome.

Whenever someone says the words "we still got enough" while talking about their team, you know that they're all but screwed for the season.

[Kris P Lettus]

BTW Willie Roaf has the coolest name ever..

[OssMan]

Wow this rookie contract thing is getting ridiculous. People need to shut up

[RP]

Rookie Contracts will end up putting the NFL on a strike in a couple of years.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Nah the percentage of the profits shared with the players will be what ends up causing a strike...why would rookie contracts cause a strike?

[RP]

I mean i could be wrong, but think about this. There is no way in hell any rookie period should be paid more at there position then an established all pro player. Vernon Davis has no business being paid more then Antonio Gates or atleast 10 other tight ends in the league. This type of thing will continue to happen. Reggie Bush will probably end up being paid better then most of the top running backs in the league today. What I think this will do is make players start holding out for bigger and bigger contract extension. Teams wont be able to afford there star players cause rookies at the same position are getting paid more and they think they deserve more then a rookie. The collective bargaining agreement that the NFL has in place will be in shambles. Contracts extension will be bigger and bigger. More players will be switching teams then ever before. The league will take a stand and say " Hey this is nuts. Rookies are getting paid to much and because of that are 3 and 4 year players are getting paid WAY to mush " and you know the players union will be deadset against the league stopping this, because the players are making alot of money and they dont want that to be taken away. Which is why i can see a strike in the future.

I could be wrong. I'm not sure how the CBA is set up now, but its possible.

[RP]

Refresh me on the profit sharing issue again. I've heard something about that, but not really sure what it means.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Basically the players want to make a cut of what the team makes, so whatever the team profits is divided among the players. I'm not sure on the exact percentage right now, I think its around 50%? I assume they take an average of what all the teams make or something, since some teams make more than others but they all have the same salary cap.

So when the next CBA comes up, the NFLPA is gonna be pushing for a larger percentage, while the owners obviously are not. So that is going to lead to a strike I think, the rookie contract thing really can't lead to a strike since there isn't a president for a rookies contract. It is not like a team HAS (like required by the CBA set by the owners/NFLPA) to pay huge money to guys and the rookie numbers are inflated anyways. Hardly any of these rookies will see the money which they signed for. What you need to look at is the signing bonus and the first year salary, since those are the only amounts which are guarented to go to the player. Rookies who aren't first rounders kinda get screwed tho, since they sign pretty low 5 year contracts, so if the rookie ends up being really good, the team has their rights for low money for those 5 years. If you end up sucking tho the team can just cut you with no problems, so you got guys like Deion Branch barely making 1 million dollars in his 5th year because of that.

The rookie contract thing isn't really that big of a deal, it happens every year, you got like 10 or so guys coming out and getting a huge signing bonus and thats that. Pretty sure with guys like Vernon Davis (or more likely their agents - I am sure every agent wants to be able to say they worked a rookie into getting the highest contract at their position) they just want to be called the highest paid tight end in the NFL, I highly doubt when the dust clears that he wil end up making more than somebody like Gates or Heap

[RP]

But in a sense they are beacause like you said. Gates contract dosnt guarantee him all that money. While a rookie like Davis is coming in with a quarter of Gates contract guaranteed and up front and alot of it guaranteed through the next 5 or so years. I say Gates, because he didnt get that huge Rookie contract like others have. He earned his money and he's the best TE in the league. So he should be mad when someone who hasnt played 1 year of football is making more money then him.

Teams are being forced to draft someone they can actually afford and not someone they really need but cant pay. See Houston. Reggie Bush wasnt drafted #1 cause Mario Williams was the better pick. Reggie bush wasnt drafted #1 because Mario Williams was a guy Houston could afford. Every year rookies salaries coming in are getting higher and higher. No team wants to pay a gu 50 mill and a 13 mil bonus up front when he hasnt done anything yet. Sooner or later these rookie salaries will need to be capped. Say for instance Reggie Bush gets a contract that makes him the highest paid RB in the league. And two years later he flops. Then you have lets say Tomlinson who his basically dominating his position and he says two years later " Hey my contract that i got like 3 years ago (?) isnt good enough. I should be paid more then this guy ( insert Reggie Bush's name and contract here ). How do owners argue against that? How does the owner of the Chargers say " Yah we know your the 3rd or 4th highest paid RB now behind a flopping Reggie Bush and two other rookie rbs that were recently drafted, but we arent going to give you that kind of money" They cant. They either have to pay or trade him or let him go in FA. Because Tomlinson has the best argument possible for being paid like the highest RB in the league. Its a trickle affect that i think only now is starting to be realised, but in a couple of years i think we could see 10-15 superstar all pro caliber players moving from team to team because of contract situations stemming from how big of contracts unproven players are being payed .

Maybe i'm looking to far into this.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Texans might not have drafted Reggie because atm he seems to be a bit of a jerk, also.

But yeah, rookie contracts definitely need some sort of cap. Sooner or later there will be another Tim Couch.

[Kris P Lettus]

Saints encouraged by QB Brees, RB McAllister Click here to find out more! NFL.com wire reports JACKSON, Miss. (July 28, 2006) -- Reggie Bush 's contract holdout not withstanding, the New Orleans Saints ' season could hinge most on the recoveries of marquee veterans Drew Brees and Deuce McAllister. The opening practice of training camp provided what head coach Sean Payton viewed as encouraging signs for the new starting quarterback and stalwart running back. Brees fired 25-yard passes over the middle -- accurately -- on several occasions, and showed finesse on a 30-yard fade along the sideline that was hauled in nicely by sure-handed rookie Mike Hass. McAllister, wearing a black sleeve on his surgically repaired right knee, took part in all first-team drills. But more telling for Payton was a set of timed 300-yard shuttle runs he put the team through earlier in the day during sweltering heat. "I was pleased with how he ran. I was pretty excited about it," Payton said. "I don't know if he's 100 percent yet, but he's progressing." Their performances enlivened a crowd of 1,720 in the stands at Millsaps College. Fans howled a prolonged "Deuce" on several occasions and shouted Brees' name as well. McAllister -- a Mississippi native -- boldly said he intended to give Saints fans every reason to keep calling his name come fall. "My goal is to make the Pro Bowl and put this team in the playoffs. It's going to take 1,400 or 1,500 yards to do it," he said. However, he later said he couldn't be certain that he's as healthy as he thinks he is "until you really get that first hit on it. That's when you really will know." "I feel good about it. ... The burst (of speed) is coming. I'm able to make the cuts that I want," he added. Payton, a former college quarterback who saw very brief stints playing pro, said he thought Brees looked good and "located the ball well." Brees said he could play immediately. "No doubt at all. I could go right now," Brees said. Brees said he intends to limit himself to about 80 throws per day during training camp solely for precautionary reasons. He has been throwing since April and there had been days during his rehabilitation on which he threw as many as 100 passes. He began with short passes and has worked his way up to about 55 yards, he said. While he feels strong enough to do more, he wants to follow a more cautious schedule with the regular season still more than a month away. "You don't throw more that 80 times in a game anyway," Brees said. "I am right where I want to be right now." There was little news concerning Bush's contract. Reached by phone in New York, Bush's agent, Joel Segal, said he wanted to stick to his policy of not discussing negotiations until the deal is done. Payton and several players said they weren't concerned about it -- yet. "I haven't set a point where you start worrying," Payton said. "You remain optimistic and you try to get better. ... There are so many other things on my plate right now." Other than Bush, there were two no-shows, one of whom was excused. Payton said he had spoken recently with reserve quarterback Jamie Martin and permitted him to report to camp late for "personal reasons." Eight-year veteran linebacker Anthony Simmons also did not show. Payton did not say if he knew why but called it an unexcused absence. Meanwhile, kick return specialist Michael Lewis pedaled a stationary bike on the sideline along with defensive tackle McKinley Boykin, a rookie out of Mississippi. Lewis, who had knee surgery last season, had participated in minicamp in June before having additional arthroscopic surgery in late June. Payton said Lewis' knee was enflamed recently and coaches decided it would be better for him to sit out practice.

WHO DAT?!?!?

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

So Gates doesn't get big money coming out because he was unknown rookie, so what does he do? He gets big in like 1 or 2 seasons then holds out demanding a bigger and better contract (Much like Deion Branch is doing right now) Pretty sure Gates held last year and got a new deal before the season.

But yeah true players love seeing other plays making tons of money because then they feel they can go out there and get the money as well. This has been happening forever though, while the salaries continue to get higher - the amount the teams make gets higher and the salary cap gets higher. So it is all balanced increases really. I am sure David Carr was making a lot more than a lot of other starting QBs in the NFL when he came too, samething with Peyton Manning or any first round top 10 pick. It is just the way the NFL has been working for years now (I'd guess around the time free agency came into play) Vernon Davis being the top paid TE is a bit ridiculous, I totally agree with that but things like Mario Williams' contract, Vince Young's contract really aren't to me since it happens every single year.

[SammyG]

Stima knows his shit.

[RP]

I think when Manning came out Bret Farve and Elway were the highest paid still. When Carr came out Farve was still the highest paid. I dont recall ever seeing a rookie get paid the most money at his position. I'm not completely sure though.

Gates had one great year, but that year was pretty much amazing. You could make an argument that he was one of the best players in football that year. The fact that he was undrafted and got hardly any money at all, yet he established himself as the best TE in the league, was cause for a better contract.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Originally Posted by Rectal Pertruder I think when Manning came out Bret Farve and Elway were the highest paid still. When Carr came out Farve was still the highest paid. I dont recall ever seeing a rookie get paid the most money at his position. I'm not completely sure though.

Well yeah they weren't the HIGHEST paid at QB but they were definetly up there.

an average QB makes a lot more than an average TE too, gotta take that into consideration.

How many TEs are like "big time" guys? Gates, Gonzo, Heap, Shockey (kinda over -hyped IMO) and uhh

[OssMan]

Remember that one AlphaBean post when he was making fun of Rectal Pertruder and he was all "Oh snap! That's the sound Peyton Manning's chinstrap makes when he puts his helmet on."

[RP]

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Trent Green will suck without Willie, check out his stats when Roaf has been out with an injury. Would be surprised if the Cheifs even made the playoffs now, people don't look at the OLine as a big or see them as "easy to replace" since they aren't big time stars and don't have people buying their jerseys but they are the most important players on the offense. Without them none of the Superstars are gonna get shit.