Re: Samuel: FG AFC Awards
I think the Pats need to do everything in their power to keep him, even if that means signing him instead of Moss.
However, he is going to command more than Nate Clemens money and will probably get it and I am not sure if the Pats will be able to beat some of the offers that he will receive. He isn't going to sign anything with the Pats until he tests FA and the Dolphins are going to have something like 40 mill in cap space this coming year, now that sucks.
I couldn't disagree more. I think this year we are seeing with Brady and elite weapons that the best defense can be a great offense. Not that you'd want to invest in it to the point you became the pre 2005 Colts, but a better offensively equipped version of the 2003-2006 Patriots who can outscore opponents even in a shootout and help keep their defense off the field for nice stretches thereby allowing it to have plenty left in the tank in the 4th quarter.
Asante is a good corner who is a very good corner and playmaker in this system. I don't believe he is the elite corner some have come to see him as. He was abyssmal in 2005-2006 when the defense needed a playmaker to step up. Sure he began to amass those picks, mostly later in the season, but they were against really terrible QB's even by today's league standards. 6 came courtesy of Grossman and Culpepper in 2 games we were gonna win either way because of their incompetence.
I've seen him make some special plays on PD's and picks, but I've also seen him burned. His two picks turned out to be crucial the other night, but lets face it - they came on two horrendous throws by a backup QB. One right to him and one into an EZ where he was the lone NFL player within 20 yards so he guessed right. If he hadn't, or if Feeley hadn't paniced and threw instead to his wide open WR Asante abandoned, 'Sante or someone would have had to stop that reception around the 2.
The best deal they offered him to date had a $6M average, which I thought was on the high side of his value. But the key is it only included around $8 to maybe $12M in signing bonus which means they really see him as that $4-5M corner. They had a similar read and therefore problem with Branch, and they were right. Nice player, did some special things at times, but not the kind of consistent, bankable, truly elite player that warrants in excess of $20M up front.
People here are crying about a deal for Stallworth that would essentially keep him here for 5 years with a guaranteed investment of $9.6M in option/roster bonuses which when converted have the same impact as signing bonus. They are concerned that Randy may want upwards of $9M per, while they kvetch that we might not give Asante his $9-10M. LOL We had Asante last season performing like a pro bowler down the stretch. Yet with sub par receivers and a beat up/injury plagued front 7 he couldn't make a play down the stretch on D to salvage the season either. If we had Randy or Stallworth not to mention Welker on that team I think we clearly would have made enough plays on offense in the second half to mitigate a defensive collapse Asante couldn't.
Absent a consistently good pass rush and some less than HOF caliber QB opposition, Asante is pretty pedestrian. He's a ballhawk, which is a great thing to be and have on your team. But Ty Law was that and more. Asante is no Ty Law in his prime. And if we wouldn't overpay for Ty, we're not gonna for Asante. I think the hope was once he banked his tag money his bonus demands for the long term deal would come down. But just watching his body language after his picks, and his recent bumbling attempts at post game media availability, I don't think that will be the case. I think he will still want more than the $22M the 49'ers blew on their phony $80M impact CB deal. Speaking of which, how's that worked out for them absent an offense and a viable QB?
Tom Brady averages $10M per. He settled for $26.5M in split bonus and option money over two years. He will be due for an extension after 2008. Why should he remain reasonable, why should any of them, if all the money they leave on the table goes to Asante...
With the exception of Starks, who was an unmitigated disaster even Asante couldn't compensate for, Bill has done pretty well both in drafting and locating veteran DB's, and there are some incredibly no name defenders who have multiple SB rings stored somewhere as a result. I think Bill will continue to focus the big money deals on his guys in the trenches and the QB, thanks. And after seeing the impact elite receivers can have when paired with that QB, he will spend a few dollars more than we ever imagined on maintaining them.
