Do you think the Patriots are even in talks with Asante's agent at this point? - Page 2 - New England Patriots Forums

***MoLewisrocks*** · 02-20-2008, 10:27 PM

Sometimes reaching agreement not to franchise can build goodwill. Did with Shaun Alexander, although the Seahawks may now wish it hadn't. I had hoped down the stretch as his INTS dried up, Asantee might be formulating a reality based value system. He looked almost forelorn at times. But by the time he got to Hawaii and the mediots all started stroking him he was looking like Deion Branch redux. He appeared to be back to believing that Clemens was a starting point. Some other team for whom he will do as little good as Clemens did in SF will likely step up and get him rich to this.

I doubt the Patriots have bothered to make a new offer, why insult him... They likely told his agent they would be interested in talking to him before he signs anywhere else, probably just to say goodbye though.

captain stone · 02-20-2008, 10:58 PM

I realize that the following questions are of the horse-has-already-left-the-barn variety, but:

Why would the FO, or any team's FO, promise someone not to use the Franchise tag on him?

As long as the club does not exceed the number of times it can apply the designation on a particular player, then why would it willfully relinquish its ability to take advantage of that which was in good faith collectively-bargained?

Just as well, anyway. According to Reiss, the Franchise salary for CB is $9.46M. I really wish that something long-term can be arranged, but not at almost 9 1/2 M per annum.

When the doors of free agency open on the 29th, the Pats need to find at least 2 reasonably-priced, starting-calibre CBs, esp. if Gay and - to a lesser extent - Wilson follow Samuel out those doors. And 2 more on draft weekend, too.

jbb9s · 02-21-2008, 12:53 AM

(A) This dude has a tat that say "get paid." I don't know of Bruschi, Harrison or Faulk having the same one. Asante is gone.

(B) Nate Clements signed a funny money contract where 17M is in the last year. He will never see a penny of that. (if someone can explain the reasoning behind him agreeing to this contract, please explain).

nashvillepatsfan · 02-21-2008, 01:10 AM

they'll talk before he signs with anyone, but i doubt they'll even come close to matching what someone will offer. he's gone, say bye to him, and his tattoo

dhamz · 02-21-2008, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captain stone

Why would the FO, or any team's FO, promise someone not to use the Franchise tag on him?

As long as the club does not exceed the number of times it can apply the designation on a particular player, then why would it willfully relinquish its ability to take advantage of that which was in good faith collectively-bargained?

To get him into camp last year.

And why wouldn't they? The Pats negotiating stance with Asante made it pretty clear that while they franchised him, they weren't prepared to pay him elite CB $. That means it is highly unlikely they would have franchised him again anyway so what did they really give up?

chrisfx811 · 02-21-2008, 08:15 AM

After today @ 4, What's Asante's FA competition at the position?
As someone else said, he's probably the best available and there are teams that have $$$ and CB is a big need for them.
I'm looking at Jax in terms of good teams. There are plenty of bad teams out there.

***PittPatriot*** · 02-21-2008, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cstjohn17

If they are it must be like that scene from Jerry Maguire with Samuel shouting "Show me the money!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaiSHcHM0PA

The kid is going to absolutely rake, both Trufant and Asomugha were franchised so Samuel is far and away the best CB, and he is young and he is good.

The Pats got 5 very productive years out of him, pretty good score for a 4th round pick. It would have been nice if they had drafted his replacement in 06 or 07 but lets hope they hit the jackpot again this year.

Nicely put. I wish we'd draft more Samuels that would not become Chris Cantys. Remember when we drafted him under Pete Caroll? His best asset was his 'swagger'...clearly the most important attribute of the CB position. I mean, who needs speed, intelligence, athleticism, and instincts?
Thank you for setting us back another 3 years by drafting a guy who couldn't stick with a single NFL team and had too much swagger to play special teams...
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/d...7/b01sp070.htm

Quote:

Canty, a 5-foot-91/2, 195-pound All-American described by the team as "a sensational athlete with superb instincts and blazing speed," was chosen five hours deep into the annual ritual, while a number of defensive linemen that would have likely appealed to Parcells remained on the board.
One of them, Rick Terry of North Carolina, was chosen by Parcells for the New York Jets at the top of the second round, just minutes after the Patriots selected Canty with the 29th pick.
But Canty was clearly the player Carroll and the Patriots' scouts had in mind from the start.
"He has a little bit of a swagger about him; he has a great deal of confidence that is a necessary ingredient for a great corner," Carroll said. "We think we got just what we wanted."
Carroll discounted Canty's arrest last December on a drunken driving charge.
"We've researched the situation thoroughly," he said, "and feel like we understand the circumstances. It is something that was regrettable and he stated that himself. It was an issue we needed to address and find out all the circumstances of it so we knew exactly what happened."
Carroll said Canty was the corner they hoped would be available to them late in the first round to reinforce a secondary shredded by the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl.
"Bobby Grier (chief of personnel) had his eye on this guy from the start. We are getting a first class cover corner with a strong reputation for this throughout his career."
Although the Patriots said Canty had blazing speed, his time for the 40-yard dash was listed at 4.5 seconds, which is average for NFL cornerbacks. Canty said his best time was actually 4.4 seconds.
In a telephone hookup with the New England media, Canty said his drunken-driving arrest, which occurred after Kansas State learned it would be going to a bowl game, was a mistake. "I learned from my mistake," he said. "I'm trying to put it behind me right now and play for the Patriots."
He said he didn't believe he was ****y. "It's playing with confidence," he said.
He said his style was to play "with great energy and excitement." "I play with great emotion," he said.
He said he followed the Patriots last season and hoped he would be able to contribute in his rookie season.
Carroll said he hoped Canty would fit in to next year's plans. "We expect Chris will have an opportunity to play a great deal for us this year," he said. "It is up to him. He has to do the work, get himself prepared and fit in. But we think he can play and contribute right away."
Carroll said Canty's confidence should be an asset, although pre-draft experts noted in their reports that Canty at times got himself into trouble as a college player, baiting opponents and taking risks that backfired.
"We've seen him match up and take the toughest receiver and do it time and again," Carroll said, noting that Kansas State played against top-flight competition that included great skill players.
Here's how the Patriots described him in their press release:
'Shows explosive acceleration as he comes out low from his back pedal ... positions himself firmly before delivering the tackle ... has a confident demeanor and is very disciplined, staying with receivers on deep routes ... turns smoothly toward the ball ... has large soft hands with outstanding leaping ability going for the interception and has a very sharp break toward the play.'
Unlike the draft a year ago, yesterday at Foxboro was uneventful as the Patriots waited for the 28 teams drafting ahead of them to make their selections. A team spokesman said the Patriots' war room was united on the first pick.

***Rob0729*** · 02-21-2008, 09:49 AM

My guess is that Samuel has no desire to negotiate with the Pats until he is free to get offers from other teams. He is so close to free agency, he won't want to sell himself short by taking a deal from the Pats before finding out what else he gets. Granted his agent will fielding offers illegally this weekend at the combines just like every agent with a pending free agent will be.

I also assume the Pats made an arrangement with Samuel to allow them to match any offer he gets.

Lastly, I assume that Samuel will be playing for another team next year. With all the franchise tags out there, Samuel is the Holy Grail of free agents.

captain stone · 02-21-2008, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PittPatriot

Nicely put. I wish we'd draft more Samuels that would not become Chris Cantys. Remember when we drafted him under Pete Caroll? His best asset was his 'swagger'...clearly the most important attribute of the CB position. I mean, who needs speed, intelligence, athleticism, and instincts?
Thank you for setting us back another 3 years by drafting a guy who couldn't stick with a single NFL team and had too much swagger to play special teams...
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/d...7/b01sp070.htm

Thanks for the trip down (bad)memory lane. What an F'd Up FO we had back then.

Before he became Wrong Bogus, Ron Borges - who had called Sam Madison a much better CB prospect - described Chris Can'tHe as "a slow dwarf". It made for good reading whenever he ripped Booby Grier in '97, '98 and '99.

Sean Pa Patriot · 02-21-2008, 10:59 PM

Id say that there is a take it or leave it offer of 5yrs 35 mill or something like that for him.. But I think they reserve the right that they are moving on..