Felger on Asante Samuel

[tombonneau]

No one is going to give Samuel a Clements type contract. No one.

I disagree. Year-in-year-out teams pay CBs A+ money for B+ talent.

 

[cubedoggy]

Felger...gets too much of a bum wrap.

Hey, now...bum wrap...sounds perfect for Felcher, in my opinion.

 

[RayClay]

The difference between Law and Samuel though is that Law knew no one was going to give him the money for one year that the Pats were giving him. Samuel knows someone will stupidly give him Nate Clements type of money which is nowhere near what the Pats are offering or what the franchise tag money is.

Felger does get some things right. He gets too much of a bum wrap. His writing has gone down since he became more of a broadcast journalist, but people hate him because he gives the contraryian view. He does write some good stuff and get good scoops from time to time.

I liked the Moss to Green Bay one.

 

[Rob0729]

I liked the Moss to Green Bay one.

It was one bad source for a team he doesn't cover. If you listen to Brett Favre, Felger will be right in a week or so. He isn't right all the time, but a lot of writers get it wrong from time to time. I do admit his writing has gone down hill since he got his own radio and TV shows, but he isn't as bad as some people make it.

 

[Rob0729]

No one is going to give Samuel a Clements type contract. No one.

Daniel Snyder is a perfect example of someone who would. He made Adam Archuletta the highest paid safety in the game. He gave Antwoine Randel El $11 million in guarantees. The Seahawks gave Deion Branch ridiculous money to be their #2 WR which ended up becoming #3. The Vikes gave Steve Hutchinson top offensive tackle money as a guard. The Falcons gave Peerless Price $13 million signing bonus eventhough he had one good season with Eric Mould taking all the double teams away from him.

There are teams out there with $20 million of cap room and no one to spend it on. I could easily see someone giving Samuel close to Clements money.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

No one is going to give Samuel a Clements type contract. No one.

That really depends on what a Clements type contract really constitutes. It's not 8/$80 because the final $16M+ year voids after they pick up his option in 2008. And it has almost $20M in salary and workout bonuses in years 6 and 7. So it's really a 5 year $44M deal, although it's not necessarily even that. He got no signing bonus, but rather a $10M roster bonus this year that all counts on the 2007 cap. His fully guaranteed 2008 option bonus of $10M will count $1.67M per year against the cap. After 2010 his $5M dead cap could be $1.67M in 2011 and $3.3M in 2012. So Clement's deal could realistically be a 4-5 year $34-40M+ deal. Asante won't get that here, but he could certainly have a suitor or two willing to pay him $20M guaranteed on a 5 year $40M+ deal in this cap environment. 2006 would be a tough act to follow, and he knows it. By late 2007 he could be viewed as a $6M corner at best league wide, or worse, and that is his incentive to GET PAID this year - whatever it takes.

 

[RayClay]

The point is, we're in good shape if we sign him and we will compensate if we don't.

We've got picks and can pick up more vets if needed.

 

[aabtec]

Why all the hate on Asante?

I don't understand how people fail to see that the franchise tag, from the player's perspective, is not a good thing.

No guaranteed money. No long term committment. I'm not even sure what happens if there's an injury settlement situation.

Yes, I understand the franchise tag give Samuel a LOT of money for one year, but these players are legitimately thinking about their long-term careers. What if your boss offered you a 2000% raise for next year, but there was a chance that you may never work again? How good a deal is that for the long-term? Pretty risky, no? It could work out great, or you could end up losing money in the long term. Who wants to gamble their future more than they have to?

The frustration, name calling, "Belichick is a liar", etc. all stems from the fact that the player has no options here. If the team franchises him, he can either play one year and put his future at risk, or sit out and make no money. Those are his only two options. I would find that pretty frustrating too.

Full disclosure: I like Asante as a player, and trust the Patriots front office to make the best decision for the team, whether it includes Asante or not. But I do understand where Asante is coming from.

I am sorry but didn't the Players Union agree to this ? If Assante has a problem then take it up with Gene Upshaw...

The other question I have is why does every player assume that they will not work after football. Are they too stupid or lazy ?

 

[PATSNUTme]

He will not sit out. He will not lose $500,000 per game when last year he made $450,000 for the season. He may be pissed but he is not stupid.

And BTW, Friday is the last day that Gay can sign with someone else.

 

[upstater1]

I disagree. Year-in-year-out teams pay CBs A+ money for B+ talent.

The problem is that Clements got more than A+ money. No one is going to reach that far for Samuel. I have no doubt that Samuel will be overpaid, but he's not going to get $9 million a year.

 

[QuiGon]

I would take ANYTHING Felger says with a grain of salt. We know two things about Felger, he pimps any player's demand for money, and "his sources" are suspect.

I agree 100%. This "report" sounds more like 4th hand hearsay, deviating from the truth by magnitudes.

 

[QuiGon]

Why all the hate on Asante?

I don't understand how people fail to see that the franchise tag, from the player's perspective, is not a good thing.

I agree, but to paraphrase Hyman Roth, this is the business that they have chosen. The franchise tag designation was negotiated into the CBA by the union and the owners. Asante's beef should be with Gene Upshaw and not Bill Bellichick.

No guaranteed money. No long term committment. I'm not even sure what happens if there's an injury settlement situation.

There is guaranteed money, in this case about $8 million. It just isn't as much guaranteed as he would get if he were a UFA.

 

[QuiGon]

No one is going to give Samuel a Clements type contract. No one.

I think if he were a UFA, someone out there would. After all, it only takes one team... there's plenty of Washingtons and Oaklands out there.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The frustration, name calling, "Belichick is a liar", etc. all stems from the fact that the player has no options here. If the team franchises him, he can either play one year and put his future at risk, or sit out and make no money. Those are his only two options. I would find that pretty frustrating too.

There is a third option--work out a deal with the team that tagged you. But it's not clear that Samuel wants to go that route (or that any other 'white knights' <takes a moment to look towards Washington> will step in to trade for him).

 

[theONLYJerseypatsfan]

at least Asante has a smart agent.

Very true, its nice to see that not all agents come from the drew rosenhaus school of looking like an ass..........NEXT QUESTION!

 

[theONLYJerseypatsfan]

I love how these players say they need to hold out to do whats best for their familys when it really is nothing more than they need to do whats best for their egos. With almost 8 million I dont think anyone would be shedding a tear for the state of Asante's family

 

[Pats726]

I love how these players say they need to hold out to do whats best for their familys when it really is nothing more than they need to do whats best for their egos. With almost 8 million I dont think anyone would be shedding a tear for the state of Asante's family

I agree....ego ego GREED!!!

 

[Bostonian1962]

I would take ANYTHING Felger says with a grain of salt. We know two things about Felger, he pimps any player's demand for money, and "his sources" are suspect.

You are so correct! I swear, if Felger said it then it must be false. I really feel that way. I watch him time after time, and want to jump through the TV because he's WRONG! If I had the time, I'd make a list of all that he's said that is not true, didn't pan out, or otherwise made him look like a fool.

As for trading Samuel for picks. I'm on the fence. It depends on where in the round the picks are, but I could be convinced.

 

[vyrago]

I would take ANYTHING Felger says with a grain of salt. We know two things about Felger, he pimps any player's demand for money, and "his sources" are suspect.

In this case, I'd bet the source was the agent.

 

[frankiesfly]

Why all the hate on Asante?

I don't understand how people fail to see that the franchise tag, from the player's perspective, is not a good thing.

No guaranteed money. No long term committment. I'm not even sure what happens if there's an injury settlement situation.

Yes, I understand the franchise tag give Samuel a LOT of money for one year, but these players are legitimately thinking about their long-term careers. What if your boss offered you a 2000% raise for next year, but there was a chance that you may never work again? How good a deal is that for the long-term? Pretty risky, no? It could work out great, or you could end up losing money in the long term. Who wants to gamble their future more than they have to?

The frustration, name calling, "Belichick is a liar", etc. all stems from the fact that the player has no options here. If the team franchises him, he can either play one year and put his future at risk, or sit out and make no money. Those are his only two options. I would find that pretty frustrating too.

Full disclosure: I like Asante as a player, and trust the Patriots front office to make the best decision for the team, whether it includes Asante or not. But I do understand where Asante is coming from.

Is there really any future to worry about? Unless he is thinking about buying a new house once a week. 7 million dollars is a life time of money. I think its just an excuse to get more. Samuel would have to be stupid to think if he played under the tag and had another good season that the Pats wouldn't sign him to a long term deal. If he played under the tag this season and did well the Pats would pay him. Samuel is only worth the tag, nothing more. He is actually getting a raise with playing under the tag. If i was Samuel i would be happy to play under the tag. The reason why Asante wants a long term contract now is because he is not secure in himself as a player. He knows if he don't get that big contract now he will probably never get it. He doubts himself in having a season as last. If he plays under the tag, and don't have a good season, noone including the Pats is going to give him the money he wants. If he gets the big contract now, the pressure won't be on as much to perform, and knows he is still getting paid, whether he has a good season or not.