Sports Guy article

Bill Simmons: NFL training camp means holdouts - ESPN

Skip to #10 on Simmons list for his perspective on Brady contract talks. He paints the worst case scenario of the team screwing Brady, so I hope it doesn't come to that. But based on past Pats history that Simmons refers to, it totally isn't out of the picture.

This wasn't one of his finest hours. I stand by my earlier assessment that he should really stick to basketball.

Writers write. And Business People do business. And articles like this show the reason why.

Was just about to post this.

He goes into history like John Hannah and Koufax.

It entirely relates to Logan Mankin's situation, imo. The same issues of respect and feeling strongly wronged.

juny said:

Bill Simmons: NFL training camp means holdouts - ESPN

Skip to #10 on Simmons list for his perspective on Brady contract talks. He paints the worst case scenario of the team screwing Brady, so I hope it doesn't come to that. But based on past Pats history that Simmons refers to, it totally isn't out of the picture.

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I'll skip to 11[/NigelTufnel]

Another unreal hack job by Bill Simmons. The guy has really become unbearable over the last several years (really since becoming one of ESPN.com's main writers).

I was pretty sure (but can't be positive) that at the time, Brady's last deal was one of the richest deals for a QB in the league. I was also pretty sure that Brady just reworked his deal (not take a paycut for the betterment of the team as Simmons seems to think).

I agree with the sentiment that he should stick to basketball. It's the only thing he doesn't suck at.

Laurence Maroney's Dreads said:

Another unreal hack job by Bill Simmons. The guy has really become unbearable over the last several years (really since becoming one of ESPN.com's main writers).

I was pretty sure (but can't be positive) that at the time, Brady's last deal was one of the richest deals for a QB in the league. I was also pretty sure that Brady just reworked his deal (not take a paycut for the betterment of the team as Simmons seems to think).

I agree with the sentiment that he should stick to basketball. It's the only thing he doesn't suck at.

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I gotta agree with you. He's losing me as a fan more and more each year.

Completely disagree with those who say Simmons should stick to basketball. He doesn't know anything about that sport either except that he watches a lot of games unlike other sports where he watches none. This is his typical hey everyone look at me column which is the only thing he writes about anything.

You wonder what the young guy with the fresh perspective on Digital City Boston would have thought if you told him it would take him less than 10 years to become Dan Shaugnessy.

I wouldn't go that far as that comparison but it was a worse case senario his mail bags are the best much better then the columns

Laurence Maroney's Dreads said:

Another unreal hack job by Bill Simmons. The guy has really become unbearable over the last several years (really since becoming one of ESPN.com's main writers).

I was pretty sure (but can't be positive) that at the time, Brady's last deal was one of the richest deals for a QB in the league. I was also pretty sure that Brady just reworked his deal (not take a paycut for the betterment of the team as Simmons seems to think).

I agree with the sentiment that he should stick to basketball. It's the only thing he doesn't suck at.

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I like him less now than I used to, and every once in awhile he writes a truly WTF column (like today's), but for the most part I do still like him. I think part of him trying to appeal to a national audience is that he goes out of his way to downplay his enthusiasm about local teams (ie writing off the Celtics, Sox, and Pats in a calendar year where it's entirely possible that they'll all be playoff teams).

That can be kind of annoying, but it's easy enough to overlook. And all I know about his basketball knowledge is that he knows orders of magnitude more than I do, and that I found the Book of Basketball really entertaining and informative. If he knows nothing about basketball, then I know much less than nothing (which is definitely possible). As far as football goes, though, the only reason why I even read what he has to say about the Patriots is that he was the first person to publicly say that Brady's rips were cracked last year. Nobody else was reporting it, and most others were even denying it.

But off the top of my head, the major points that he's made in the last couple years re: the Patriots were that Belichick's too old (coaches can't coach after 57, apparently), the Patriots are too cheap (we've been over that 100 times), Bob Kraft is a miser (couldn't be less true), and Brady should be pissed (we've seen nothing to indicate that he is). The annoying part, though, is how he set it up in such a way that, even if an extension is signed tomorrow, he'd still probably use that as proof that he's right.

I don't see why everyone is turning on Simmons just because he's calling it like it is.

Look at what Tom Brady made since 2005, and compare that with a dozen other top paid QB's. Brady took a huge discount, everyone noted it as such at the time, and since then QB's have gone on to make even more dollars at bigger contracts.

Brady was operating under the assumption that by taking less, there would be more dollars to keep the core around, but that hasn't been the case.

I'm completely with Tom Brady and Logan Mankins on this one.

People are ripping him without even giving a thought to what if he is right?

DropKickFlutie said:

I don't see why everyone is turning on Simmons just because he's calling it like it is.

Look at what Tom Brady made since 2005, and compare that with a dozen other top paid QB's. Brady took a huge discount, everyone noted it as such at the time, and since then QB's have gone on to make even more dollars at bigger contracts.

Brady was operating under the assumption that by taking less, there would be more dollars to keep the core around, but that hasn't been the case.

I'm completely with Tom Brady and Logan Mankins on this one.

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I'm with Brady. Indifferent about Mankins. He's been offered a fair contract, HE went overboard, and now refuses to negotiate. This is a two way street here Mr. Flutie. Plus, I still have memories of Justin Tuck eating his lunch, and slapping his mother in the biggest game of the franchises history. He should concede some of his signing bonus just for that game.

I also disagree with you and Simmons point. Theres no perspective between either of you. Misinformation and hindsight.

Branch sank the 2006 season. He wanted to get paid top reciever money......He wasn't a top receiver. He was under contract. Wouldn't budge on his asking price, and got traded. Now he's a brittle at best slot receiver /afterthought in a floundering offense burning $8million a year off the Seahawks bottom line to be average. Thats just the truth.

No doubt we could have used him that year. He may not have even GOT to the AFC championship game, since he made a habit of missing games. The point is, the blame is, again, a 2 way street.

Adalius Thomas, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, I'm sure thiers plenty more to list. All bought by the team to improve the team. How did Brady do in 2007? Where's the beef?

Besides...

10-6 , 18-1, 11-5, 10-6.

Our records during these past seasons. They've missed a few draft picks, and screwed up some free agent pickups. Thats contributed to the lack of hardware. Although, the past couple drafts are encouraging. But overall I'd say the organization knows what they are doing. We SHOULD enjoy it while it lasts, because it won't last our whole lifetime.

And Simmons is losing me with his negative tone when it comes to our local teams. I feel like I'm reading all the know it all, doom and gloom Boston Globe writers I've grown tired of. And he was against that mindset at one time as well.....But not anymore. I used to feel a connection to his writing, now he just sounds like everyone else.

DEVIOUS 1 said:

Besides...

10-6 , 18-1, 11-5, 10-6.

Our records during these past seasons. T

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Actually you mean 10-7,18-1,11-5 and 10-7.


Pay Brady. He is the best damn player in the history of the franchise. And for that matter, pay everyone else so that Brady wins one more Superbowl.

They got all those guys in 2007 because Brady flipped out after 2006, remember reports of meetings between Brady and management after 2006?
Brady took a massive discount in 2005, and the following year the team let both of his starting receivers go, and replaced that with Reche Caldwell to be his #1 receiver.

Brady is probably the one everyone sympathizes with the most, but the Pats have been TOUGH negotiators with a ton of players now. Wilfork, Mankins, Seymour, Branch, etc etc.

The whole thing going on with Brady, is just part of a bigger general approach that they've applied to everybody.

Miguel just posted in another thread that if you actually do the math, the Pats basically offered Mankins about 6.4 per year, not close to the figures that have been floating around as part of the smear campaign on him.

DropKickFlutie said:

They got all those guys in 2007 because Brady flipped out after 2006, remember reports of meetings between Brady and management after 2006?
Brady took a massive discount in 2005, and the following year the team let both of his starting receivers go, and replaced that with Reche Caldwell to be his #1 receiver.

Brady is probably the one everyone sympathizes with the most, but the Pats have been TOUGH negotiators with a ton of players now. Wilfork, Mankins, Seymour, Branch, etc etc.

The whole thing going on with Brady, is just part of a bigger general approach that they've applied to everybody.

Miguel just posted in another thread that if you actually do the math, the Pats basically offered Mankins about 6.4 per year, not close to the figures that have been floating around as part of the smear campaign on him.

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Yup, they went and got Moss and Welker only because Brady was mad. That makes a ton of sense. You should publish a book.

ahmed said:

People are ripping him without even giving a thought to what if he is right?

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:welcome:

...............

ahmed said:

People are ripping him without even giving a thought to what if he is right?

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I'm not thinking about that because I've seen no evidence that Kraft is stupid. To do what Simmons is saying he's doing, he would have to be purely, objectively dumb. If Brady left in a contract dispute, Patriots fans would turn on him in historic fashion, and that would impact the bottom line a lot harder than Brady's contract will.

BradyFTW! said:

I'm not thinking about that because I've seen no evidence that Kraft is stupid. To do what Simmons is saying he's doing, he would have to be purely, objectively dumb. If Brady left in a contract dispute, Patriots fans would turn on him in historic fashion, and that would impact the bottom line a lot harder than Brady's contract will.

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You have a much higher opinion of Patriots fans than is deserved, imo. Just like with Seymour, Samuel, et al.... I'd say that the more likely response is that Patriots fans would have found a way to belittle Brady while staying in lockstep with the team.

"Brady's too old"
"He was asking too much"
etc...

BradyFTW! said:

I'm not thinking about that because I've seen no evidence that Kraft is stupid. To do what Simmons is saying he's doing, he would have to be purely, objectively dumb. If Brady left in a contract dispute, Patriots fans would turn on him in historic fashion, and that would impact the bottom line a lot harder than Brady's contract will.

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That just happened in Cleveland. I shudder to think of anything like that happening here.