Glad I Was Wrong

[ctpatsfan1]

No one is happier than myself that Seymour signed an extension. I honestly thought he was a goner, and based upon what has transpired over the past two to three years, it was a good, educated guess.

I will reserve further judgment until I see exactly how much money he will be getting. If indeed the Patriots did pay him top dollar, then why is Adam V a Colt? I am still of the opinion that Vinatieri never intended to return to the Patriots no matter what.

OBTW if my article acted as a positive "jinx", then I feel even better.

Bob G

first kudos to you for admitting being wrong.

that said, you connected dots that only a true NE pessimist could see.

Is it not reported that AV was offered 2.5 mill by the Pats which would have made him the highest paid K in the game (contrary to your statement in the article)?

Btw I am glad you were wrong too. Keep up the good work in general though, and I am sure most if not all will let this one faux pas slide in time.

 

[Miguel]

I will never get why Bob was SO blasted for writing ONE opinion piece when his other articles get so little praise.

But the reaction to Bob's piece helps explain why the numbers of lurkers greatly exceeds the number of few posters.

 

[dhamz]

The only reason I bring this up is mostly financial. Most everyone who knows the salary cap and how it works has to be puzzled as to why the Patriots couldn't fit the little extra money it would have taken to make AV the highest paid kicker into their cap plans for 2006. It just doesn't add up, no pun intended.

Bob G

It is probably very simple. They probably just don't think he is that good anymore.

The Pats don't pay for sentiment, they don't pay for past performance, and they don't believe in spending a dime more than they think a guy is worth.

In the past they had no problem keeping Adam as the highest paid kicker. This year they did. The reason probably has a lot to do with those internal scouting ratings one of the papers reported on which placed him as the 17th best kicker in the NFL.

 

[bobgeorge]

Bob G.........

Felgie on his radio show today said: "It's like this......Richard is 26 and Adam is 31."

Except that 31 is not old for a kicker.

Bob G

 

[spacecrime]

I don't think you can draw any comparison between a top (maybe the top) DL who probably is just reaching his prime and a kicker, any kicker, ever.

I almost posted this exact thing, but decided to read the replies and sure enough, someone already mentioned the non-connection between the two.

If we gave Seymour a lot of money, then why is AV a Colt?

I'm still trying to figure that one out.

 

[14thDragon]

Bob, I agree with you. AV wanted to leave, go to a dome and work on his HOF stats. The fact that he never asked the Patriots if they wanted to match speaks volumes.

I just disagree with your supposition that Sey was mad at anyone. He just wanted the big check with the big numbers on it. He was very quiet and proffesional in his hold out, and then came back and played big when he got his new deal.

It was not a bad thought that the Pats would not pay him what he wanted, but I guess they worked the math right and they are all happy.

Now write an article on the terrible draft they are about to have.

 

[ctpatsfan1]

I will never get why Bob was SO blasted for writing ONE opinion piece when his other articles get so little praise.

But the reaction to Bob's piece helps explain why the numbers of lurkers greatly exceeds the number of few posters.

That one article is all over the internet and has been thrown up in Pats fans faces by fans of other teams on one other site that I frequent. There were many Pats fans that disagreed with that one on a Borgeseque level.

 

[PATSNUTme]

It takes a big man to admit he was wrong. Bob, you are a stand up guy.

Now, don't even think about writing anything negitive about Rodney, as my friend T-shirt suggested.

Rodney will be just fine, thank you.

 

[jczxohn1]

Many, myself included have spent hours wondering what we would do if Sey wasn't extended. From 2-yr franchises, to trades before the draft,various franchise tiers with trades in mind, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that this is the best possible outcome. Even though details aren't known, no doubt, Miguel is right around the magic numbers.

Bob's concerns about Seymour's treatment after the death of his grandfather were no doubt justified on some level, but the organization rallied after the loss of his father. There was more to the incident than unfeeling adherence to company policy however, in that BB was adamant about not letting a superstar receive special treatment as Parcells did with LT. Often these unspoken priveleges start out innocently, and over time morph into what can only be described as a destuctive relationship to the individual or the team.
Bob wasn't wrong, but BB was right.

That said, IMO, it speaks highly of Richard that he has been able to set these concerns of the past aside and extend with the Pats. I, for one, was afraid it would work out otherwise. Leaders go through trials and loyalty can't be bought. Richard could make just as much elsewhere, when it's all said and done. We may have ourselves a leader.

 

[fgssand]

No one is happier than myself that Seymour signed an extension. I honestly thought he was a goner, and based upon what has transpired over the past two to three years, it was a good, educated guess.

I will reserve further judgment until I see exactly how much money he will be getting. If indeed the Patriots did pay him top dollar, then why is Adam V a Colt? I am still of the opinion that Vinatieri never intended to return to the Patriots no matter what.

OBTW if my article acted as a positive "jinx", then I feel even better.

Bob G

No need for any apologies from you BG - we all appreciate your contributions here quite a bit, besides, it's all good now.

Please do pen that next negative branch column at once

My take on your AV question is quite simpply, Patriots model says lock up and spend your dollars for young an upcoming quality players such as Brady, Seymour, Neal, Light etc etc. Locking up the young core group will pay dividends for years to come, rather than spending on players whose best years are certainly behind them. They have said it is better to part with a player, perhaps a year too soon as opposed to a year too late.

 

[Amnorix]

If indeed the Patriots did pay him top dollar, then why is Adam V a Colt?

Your mea culpa is admirable. I want to state that up front, as it's important (and far better than the likes of Borges would ever do).

There are several answers to your question:

1. You can't pay EVERYONE top dollar. You need to pick your spots, and the ones you do pick MUST BE can't miss. In other words, if you're going to pick someone to pay TOP DOLLAR to, it should be a mid-20s multiple all-pro who is, essentially, irreplaceable at a key position on the field, and not a mid-30s kicker.

2. Ultimately, push comes to shove, kickers are low impact players. Their influence on winning or losing games is usually nominal.

 

[Amnorix]

The only reason I bring this up is mostly financial. Most everyone who knows the salary cap and how it works has to be puzzled as to why the Patriots couldn't fit the little extra money it would have taken to make AV the highest paid kicker into their cap plans for 2006. It just doesn't add up, no pun intended.

Bob G

It's not raw dollars. It's percentages and impact on the game.

Does it make sense to pay AV 100% more (i.e. double) than what you might pay an average kicker, when he's 34, has a history of back trouble, has average range at best on kickoffs, and seems to be losing some range on FGs? It's a risk either way, and usually where there's risk, the Pats will go for the risk that has the least affect on the cap.

Seymour is in his mid-20s, hasn't even hit his physical prime, is already dominant, and is a rare athlete for our system in that he can be dominant as a 3-4 DE or a 4-3 DT, and can play NG in an all-out pass defense situation.

Kickers are just kickers. It's the principle of the underlying philosophy rather than the raw dollars involved, which do seem minimal to us ordinary fans.

 

[Amnorix]

Bob G.........

Felgie on his radio show today said: "It's like this......Richard is 26 and Adam is 31."

AV turns 34 this December.

http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1392

Born: 12/28/1972

 

[BJ_McWild]

I like Bob because he is a Pats fan and I am a Pats fan too.

The intent here is not to be harsh or negative.

But I would take this as a big 'lesson learned'.

The article asserted the author's guesses as if they were facts.

Unless the author spoke with Seymour or people close to him, there's no way to know what the significance or relevance of the 1st quarter benching 2 or 3 years ago is to Seymour in his decision making.

To suggest that he is satisfied after earning three rings and would be happy to play for a loser team while making big $$ was very much off-putting to me, that's character assassination to a degree.

We don't know Seymour personally so we can't ascribe what his motivations are and say he wants money over rings or whatever. At least we can't without hearing it from him or someone close to him first.

So I would say, next time, get a first person account first....

"Seymour will not be a Patriot beyond 2006."

"He already has won three Super Bowls, and number four can merely wait."

I appreciate Bob's efforts as a Pats fan but I think we can all agree this article was a mistake.

 

[patsox23]

Bob kicks *****. I thought there were some leaps in the article, but it was certainly ARGUABLE. He's glad he was wrong, so are the rest of us, we like his articles, case closed.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Great re-signing . I of course was totally wrong, I thought 2006 would be the last year of Seymour. Also Ken Simms was 1982 draft and LT was drafted #2 in 1981.

http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/draft/1981.jsp

True dat! It was my first year as a Pats fan -- I wanted us to draft Marcus Allen. But I read that the guy had won the Heisman because he had a really dominant OL and what we needed was a great defensive lineman. Well, maybe we did -- but Ken surely wasn't it.

 

[JR4]

I like Bob because he is a Pats fan and I am a Pats fan too.

The intent here is not to be harsh or negative.

But I would take this as a big 'lesson learned'.

The article asserted the author's guesses as if they were facts.

Unless the author spoke with Seymour or people close to him, there's no way to know what the significance or relevance of the 1st quarter benching 2 or 3 years ago is to Seymour in his decision making.

To suggest that he is satisfied after earning three rings and would be happy to play for a loser team while making big $$ was very much off-putting to me, that's character assassination to a degree.

We don't know Seymour personally so we can't ascribe what his motivations are and say he wants money over rings or whatever. At least we can't without hearing it from him or someone close to him first.

So I would say, next time, get a first person account first....

"Seymour will not be a Patriot beyond 2006."

"He already has won three Super Bowls, and number four can merely wait."

I appreciate Bob's efforts as a Pats fan but I think we can all agree this article was a mistake.

You actually read that article and took for fact
"Seymour will not be a Patriot beyond 2006." ??

You actually read
"He already has won three Super Bowls, and number four can merely wait."
and believed Seymour didn't want to win another SuperBowl?

How could you have not read that article and realized Bob was giving
his opinion not a factual account? That's what sports writers do
most of the time. So his opinion was wrong that time ... you want to make a
big deal out of it? What about all his other great articles?

How would you have Bob write? Write only boring articles filled with many pharases like "in my opionion only" just so you don't
miss the fact he is writing and opinion based article?

Some people are being unjustly bit_chy over this and really need to look in a mirror if they can take it.
Come on man ... get real.

 

[smg93]

Bob, good on ya for admitting an error. If only Borges could have a little bit of the integrity you've shown here.

 

[jczxohn1]

No one is happier than myself that Seymour signed an extension. I honestly thought he was a goner, and based upon what has transpired over the past two to three years, it was a good, educated guess.

Amen to that. Many thought the same. The Pats philosophy of letting so little information leak into the public domain had everyone guessing but you are the only one who tried to put a human face on it. Richard's adherence to the "Code of Silence" may have been the only clue that all was not lost.

I will reserve further judgment until I see exactly how much money he will be getting. If indeed the Patriots did pay him top dollar, then why is Adam V a Colt? I am still of the opinion that Vinatieri never intended to return to the Patriots no matter what.

Right again.
OBTW if my article acted as a positive "jinx", then I feel even better.

Bob G

Richard still may not finish his career as a Pat, but he will play his most productive years here. His setting aside old concerns to remain here can't be just about the money, he could have gotten it anywhere. He had to want to stay and grow as a leader on this team. For that, true Pats fans can be thankful. It puts the lie to Tom Jackson ("his team hates him") and more local "nattering nabobs of negativity" re: Belicheck.

 

[marty]

I'm glad you were wrong too! As I've told you in the past, I've enjoyed your many articles and some of the really good info that you dig for. Especially in the off season when we're all looking for any Pat's info. Regarding your Sey article, I'll admit that some of your thoughts were mine as well. I really expected Sey to want to go to FA. I didn't agree with the neg emotional angle as much of that IMO was blown up by the media and long over, but I did think that Big Sey would want to play the market. I'm glad that I was wrong too!!!