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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Look, we're running a business and in a business you have to prioritize. We have a budget.
Looking collectively on an aggregate basis, we spend to be competitive.
I know we've committed enough capital to make us competitive and we want to spend it wisely. We went what, 10 years, four Super Bowls.
Atleast we know he will NOT be traded.
A couple of interesting, as well as somewhat misleading, comments:
It's interesting, because he's giving both the "cheap" AND "not cheap" sides ammunition. It's somewhat misleading because, by using the entire decade, he covers for the reality of 2005-2009, which has been less successful than the previous portion of those 10 years, and which has seen the Patriots being less successful than the Colts and Steelers (albeit in different ways).
A couple of interesting, as well as somewhat misleading, comments:
It's interesting, because he's giving both the "cheap" AND "not cheap" sides ammunition. It's somewhat misleading because, by using the entire decade, he covers for the reality of 2005-2009, which has been less successful than the previous portion of those 10 years, and which has seen the Patriots being less successful than the Colts and Steelers (albeit in different ways).
I'm sure most of you have already seen it, but for those that haven't, Wilfork's Twitter has some comments from him about the whole situation:
Vince Wilfork (wilfork75) on Twitter
Specifically, he has the following exchange with some random guy from Boston:
Ravi: Don't think it's a good idea to go around saying $8mm+ is a slap in the face with all of those that are struggling right now.
===
Vince: thanks for the input... first off its not 8mill and 2nd off no matter what a person does in life they want to get paid for
Vince: no matter school teacher garbageman ect... everyone wants to be paid what they deserve
Vince: it is all relative to the job you have and the salaries within that job. 7 mil is great but for my job any my work it is diferent.
==
Ravi: Hey man, I'm on your side... fans won't be if they think players are greedy. We like guys like Brady who appear to take less...
Ravi: You've done all the right things, played out your deal, played hard, played hurt, all that. You deserve every penny.
My family is mostly teachers, and frankly I think it's a little insulting to claim that everyone does essentially the same as what he's doing. No, Vince, school teachers overwhelmingly did not get into it for the paycheck, I can promise you that. But then, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like he had the right sentiment, but he just worded it incredibly poorly (a recurring tendency when athletes are quoted directly). Either that or he doesn't quite seem to get that getting paid $7M per year to play a game doesn't directly translate to other walks of life.
Just once, I wish an athlete would outright come out and say "there are a couple of ways to define 'deserve'. In the civic, ethical sense of the word, no, I don't deserve $7M. There are plenty of people that contribute more to society than I do and work just as hard as I do. Economically, I'm the on-the-field presence of a billion-dollar organization. I 'deserve' every cent of my salary, and I work damn hard for it. I am an incredibly valuable asset to my team--which is why I deserve the money that I'm asking for--and I owe it to the fans who watch the games, buy tickets, and spend their money on the sport." I thought that Vince hit on some of those points, though not nearly as well as he should have, and that was where his explanation was strongest. But the rest of the time, he was doing dumb crap like saying that his situation is analogous different to a school teacher's.
We live in a capitalist society. Why on Earth should anyone say what you're asking these players to say?
And the situation is analogous to school teachers, and to any other profession covered under a CBA with defined 'values' for people at different stages of their careers.
A couple of interesting, as well as somewhat misleading, comments:
It's interesting, because he's giving both the "cheap" AND "not cheap" sides ammunition. It's somewhat misleading because, by using the entire decade, he covers for the reality of 2005-2009, which has been less successful than the previous portion of those 10 years, and which has seen the Patriots being less successful than the Colts and Steelers (albeit in different ways).
How have 2005-2009 been anything other than successful? 4 playoff appearances, 2 AFCCGs, 1 SB, the only 16-0 season in history, highest scoring offense in history. I understand that, as fans, we expect more, and that at the end of the day championships are the trump card, so granted, you can argue that the Colts, Steelers, Saints, and Giants have all been more successful over that span.
Still, in terms of success, that still gives the Pats pretty much a slam dunk as the 5th most successful team out of 32 in that time span. I absolutely want more, but to imply that his business model is broken because the Pats haven't won a SB since 2004 is to outright state that at least 28 teams are broken.
I didn't say that the team lousy in the second half of those 10 years or anything. If you don't see a difference between 2001-2004 and 2005-2009, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I, personally, see a clear difference.
His comments aren't the least bit misleading if you take them in context. But then you don't appreciate the context...All well run businesses run on a budget and prioritize. This one has performed better over time than any of the other 31 in it's industry. Those who have outspent them significantly in the aggregate in that time frame have nothing to show for it. Some have had more limited success spending more or less than them periodically. Which the law of averages dicates would likely be the case regardless since no one wins all the time...and teambuilding wins championships, not rash spending - or Dan snyder would have the market cornered. 4 trips to the big dance and 3 wins in a decade competing in a 32 team league and absent a HOF caliber starting QB for 2 of those years. Yeah, you've done OK Bob. Just ignore the malcontents.