Dumb article. The lines been holding the fort while we try to play a 3-4 with one or two linebackers.
He'll be 34 at the end of a contract. Nose tackles get better with age. Strength endures, it's the legs of speedsters that go.
He even gives examples of older succesful NTs.
Since he makes no points well, I'd say we should sign Wilfork if we can.
Vince's situation is somewhat unique on a couple of levels. Paying him what he potentially wants precludes paying those who surround him. Vince and Bianca have acknowledged their own concerns related to the untimely death of BOTH of his parents when he was just 21 and they were barely 40. Dad died of kidney failure related to diabetes. Mother suffered a stroke. Perillo yesterday touched on this relating how every year Vince predicts he will arrive in camp in better condition carrying less weight. So far he hasn't. Paul thinks the team shares the concern about his ability to carry his weight long range. As well as a concern about paying top tier money for a DL who is essentially a 2 down lineman. And one who might really struggle to maintain weight and conditioning if there is a lockout in 2011.
I like Vince. As a player and a person. I sense the team and ownership feels the same way. Unfortunately it also sounds like Vince made up his mind some time ago that every last cent his career was worth was his ultimate goal. If that's the case he likely wouldn't have ever been extendable here, let alone facing a potential lockout. If he wants a 6 year deal with $30-40M in guarantees, he's not going to get it here and he may not get it anywhere because of the timing of an expiring CBA. I know players will point to some other guys getting big deals, but most of them were QB's. Franchise QB's are the single most difficult piece of the puzzle for any team to land or retain. Which is why if anyone gets the long term deal here before the CBA is settled, it will be Brady. He is the most irreplaceable piece of the puzzle here and the guy they are most inclined to count on making it to his late 30's while remaining highly productive.
And again, facing a potential lockout season in 2011, Vince has less leverage than any of the Fa in recent history - none of whom has held out on a season. If he holds out on camp it will only further damage his chances of landing somewhere with a big deal after the CBA finally gets hashed out, sometime in 2011 or perhaps not even until 2012 when he is 31.
The team has likely offered him the same kind of deal they have always offered their big ticket extensions or FA signings - one with split signing/option bonus language that protects them from drowning in guaranteed money in the event of a work stoppage impacting a players career, because to not do so now would be foolish. Brady's last deal, on the heels of Manning's $34.5M signing bonus deal, offered $14M in signing bonus and $12.5M in option bonus plus some minimal salary guarantees against loss of skill in the middle years of the deal and some small roster bonuses in the outlying years. Even AD took a split signing/option bonus.
Brady took substantially less on the heels of his first Superbowl on a rookie deal that was paying him $360K to sign an incremental deal for $30M going forward to secure his immediate future. He then again took substantially less 4 years later to sign his second big deal (6-$60M) two years early even after winning back to back superbowls to insure his family's future. Next deal he signs will cover the great, great grandchildren.
Vince's future was secure when he was signed in the first round. His family's future could be secured by signing a long term deal of almost any size and duration now. He apparently wants the deal for the generations. He may end up with a one year deal in the alternative. Given the labor landscape, that's not a smart money move. Ty Warren and Dan Koppen and Matt Light are guys who took early incremental deals to secure their family's future. Vince has had that option on the table since 2008. He opted not to. Asante had that option on the table in 2006 and he opted not to. Worked out for him because there were at least 3 years left to play before a lockout so his guaranteed money was something Philly could live with even though his AAV was something they now likely wish they had opted not to since it turns out he's not the difference maker they believed he would be, any more than he would have been here. More often than not teams find out that difference makers aren't the highest paid players on the field. Unless of course they're the QB.
