Randall Gay to visit Jets

[mgteich]

I see no reason to move Wilson to corner in his last year. If we sign him to an extension, then I would be fine with him having a potential role at corner.

 

[Rob0729]

I see no reason to move Wilson to corner in his last year. If we sign him to an extension, then I would be fine with him having a potential role at corner.

Actually, I see it as the perfect time. We shouldn't give him an extension and then test to see if he will actually work out at CB. He will probably look for decent safety money in a new deal. If we move him to CB and replace him at safety with a first round draft pick and then he fails miserably at CB, then we have him with no apparent starting position on a long term deal.

We need to know if he can play CB at the Pro level before we sign him to a long term deal and switch his position. Either he takes a long term deal to be our free safety for the next few years or we gamble that he can play CB and then give him a deal after he proves it.

 

[captain stone]

Actually, I see it as the perfect time. .

So do I. Wilson can no longer stay healthy, or productive, at FS, esp. without Rodney. And I would not consider signing him to an extension for significant $$ until at least Halloween; he needs to prove himself, at CB, all over again.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I don't see the immediate need being addressed through the draft, at least not as a first choice. (Hence the Tory James visit... I'm sure it won't be the last FA cornerback visit.)

As I recall, if we turn to our handy cheat sheet stickied above, 4/20 is a significant RFA date... strikes me that Gay wants a little mo' money, not necessarily a change of scenery. Of course you have to be willing to change the scenery, if the hunt for mo' money is to bear any fruit...

Because, by the same token, if the Pats don't think it's quite time to elevate Gay to that famous $2-4M APY category, and the Jets do, wellll... you know what happens. (THat's right, we end up actually picking in the 2nd.)

It'll make draft weekend a somewhat more fluid experience, and take away another hour or two or so of our lives we'll never get back, for starters... but it'll also leave us hosting a few more Tory James types in Foxboro.

Then... get ready for FA II, the summer blockbuster, as everybody picks over the scraps left out there, after the draft doesn't work out exactly as planned, and 6/2 money becomes available leaguewide! (THanks for the 2.5M, Corey...) WOO HOO!

PFnV

 

[DW Toys]

What misstep did he make with Samuel? Franchising him? Should he have let Samuel walk? Or is this one of those "BB should have signed Branch/Samuel/everyone else for whatever they demand" kind of things?

I got this one.
I think the mis-step is knowing that even before 2006, Samuel was a player BB wanted for his system for now and the foreseen future. It's true, he might be a "system" CB, but he fits the Pats scheme. They should have extended him last year IMO and probably he accepts $4.5 to $5 range. They knew the ball was going to drop after the 2006 season with him and they also knew they had CAP space. It's going to cost Mr. Kraft at least $2 million for this "mis-step" to keep this kid. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we all hear last year that Assante was going to be one of the top available FA's in this years' market? ....i.e.The Mistep!

Now shame on you too, Mr. Samuel! If you think you are worth the same as Nate Clement when Nate has done this longer and at a high level for more than one single year, or you feel you are better than Blye who has played at a Pro-Bowl caliber in the past and is still a top CB, you Assante, and your agent Mr, Shaver are using bowling ball bags for jock straps!!!!!!!
DW Toys

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I got this one.
I think the mis-step is knowing that even before 2006, Samuel was a player BB wanted for his system for now and the foreseen future. It's true, he might be a "system" CB, but he fits the Pats scheme. They should have extended him last year IMO and probably he accepts $4.5 to $5 range. They knew the ball was going to drop after the 2006 season with him and they also knew they had CAP space. It's going to cost Mr. Kraft at least $2 million for this "mis-step" to keep this kid. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we all hear last year that Assante was going to be one of the top available FA's in this years' market? ....i.e.The Mistep!


DW Toys

Only that is exactly what they did try to do. They negotiated with Asante up until the middle of November to no avail when both sides decided to break off talks for the last 6 weeks of the season. The offer at that time was one Asante felt was far enough below what he and Shavers already anticipated from the market that he had no interest in talking further until the season was over. He has stated it included a $7.5M signing bonus, which the way the Pat's structure would have made it a $4-$5M offer (Deion's offer of $8M included what worked out to be just over $5M AAV while Koppen got $7.5M on a deal with a $4M AAV). They had spent the offseason sitting on an offer to Ty Law that averaged $4.5M plus incentives for 2 seasons.

This was not a mis-step, it was what they believed he is worth. They have since "come up" by at least a million in AAV (again to the $6M per they would have paid Branch as well as a FA) and probably to close to double digits in signing bonus, but the player has apparently also raised his sights by $2-3M AAV and tens of millions more in bonus/guarantees over their current best offer.

This isn't about mis-steps, it's about fiscal responsibility butting heads with flush market, pie in the sky greed. Which is why the two sides are now farther apart than they've likely been at any point in the last several months of negotiating.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

If we got the Jets' 2nd for Gay and the Redskins' 1st in 2008 for Samuel, I let them go with our thanks and find the veterans on the waiver wire who were looking for work. Then draft a handful of Day One talent into the secondary, and ride those guys to another couple of SBs.

We're talking about a smooth running UDFA and a slightly undersized 4th rounder with good hands. But let's not forget how these players got so good: they were coached up over the years, and played in a scheme that maximizes what they can bring.

This is so similar to Branch and Givens that I'm stunned the rest of the NFL hasn't figured it out. Branch and Givens only became household names because of the team they played on, and their willingness to be a part of it. Swapping them for Caldwell and Gaffney, a 1st, a 6th and pot load of capspace is one of the great coups of the modern era.

It's happening again, and I know BB/SP are prepared to let it happen, and adapt their offseason plans to take best advantage. Two first day picks, plus the cap space is gold to these guys. Better than most any other team, BB/SP will cash it in, and come away stronger.

Samuel and Gay have already more than paid off the investment that the team has put into them, simply based on their play on the field. If we get top quality residual value out of them too....! End of story.

Scott, Hobbs, Wilson, Harrison, Sanders, Hawkins... we have plenty of warm bodies to field a team, and the rest of the offseason to fill out the depth chart. And I'm sure SP will find a David Patton or a Stephen Neal sweeping out a Burger King somewhere, who can play CB in the NFL.

:agree:

Belioli relish going to battle with a hungry bunch of guys to whom football matters including a handful of wide-eyed youngsters under the influence of a supurb coaching staff and a smattering of veterans with something to prove or a score to settle or a chip on their shoulder. That's the kind of mix that allows you to shock the world when they perform as a unit after you've moulded them into a team whose only goal is to win football games and championships, even while most of them don't get a sniff of the pre or post season accolades and hype reserved for the overpaid collectable talent that most often sits home watching them play in the post season.

That's the challenge that keeps these two here and motivated. Teambuilding. Not just the ability to sign mega checks for guys who tatoo themselves with the primary goal to GET PAID. Rather it's the ability to remain competitive and be in contention with a likeminded group of football players they carefully assemble who, if required to tatoo their football goals on their person, would by and large select JUST WIN. Those are the guys they will actually extend themselves for financially at all levels, though even then only within reason, because those guys don't tend to demand they overextend to the detrement of the team - because what matters most to them is having the opportunity to play for this staff and with these teamates and winning.

 

[Krazy Koz]

:agree:

Belioli relish going to battle with a hungry bunch of guys to whom football matters including a handful of wide-eyed youngsters under the influence of a supurb coaching staff and a smattering of veterans with something to prove or a score to settle or a chip on their shoulder. That's the kind of mix that allows you to shock the world when they perform as a unit after you've moulded them into a team whose only goal is to win football games and championships, even while most of them don't get a sniff of the pre or post season accolades and hype reserved for the overpaid collectable talent that most often sits home watching them play in the post season.

That's the challenge that keeps these two here and motivated. Teambuilding. Not just the ability to sign mega checks for guys who tatoo themselves with the primary goal to GET PAID. Rather it's the ability to remain competitive and be in contention with a likeminded group of football players they carefully assemble who, if required to tatoo their football goals on their person, would by and large select JUST WIN. Those are the guys they will actually extend themselves for financially at all levels, though even then only within reason, because those guys don't tend to demand they overextend to the detrement of the team - because what matters most to them is having the opportunity to play for this staff and with these teamates and winning.

Amen to your two previous posts. Right on the money.

 

[fillylabinga]

How would it be a misstep if BB didnt think he would get a #1, then did?
I think he handled the Branch situation very well. He offered Branch fair value, Branch declined, and he got fair value in a trade.

Although I am very happy with the end result (we got a #1 pick, saved some money, and still made the AFCCG) I don't agree that BB handled the Branch situation well. It took some good coaching and some good luck for us to get as far as we did with the WRs we had at the beginning of the season.

I'm thinking maybe he's just bored to the point where he needs to add a degree of difficulty to our Super Bowl wins.

Its hard to play both sides of the fence on Samuel. If you say he had only one good year, and are one of those making the (IMO ridiculous) claim that he was a nickelback forced into a starting job (I guess we forced it 3 years) then how could you say BB not signing him to a long term deal prior to 2006 was a misstep?

My point is simply that had BB signed Samuel before the season he could have paid him at "serviceable starter CB" rates (I'm guessing $4-5M/yr) as opposed to "pro-bowl caliber CB" rates (I'm guessing $7-8M/yr).

I think he's a solid starter and would happily pay him at that rate. I'm just not sold that he's that he's pro-bowl caliber and I think BB feels the same (which is why he hasn't yet offered Samuel a $8M/yr type contract according to reports). Hopefully, he'll play a year under the franchise tag and we'll be able to find out for sure.

 

[spacecrime]

Although I am very happy with the end result ... I don't agree that BB handled the Branch situation well.

You are very happy with the result but think it was mishandled. Presumbly you would be unhappy with the result if it were well-handled?

I'm thinking maybe he's just bored to the point where he needs to add a degree of difficulty to our Super Bowl wins.

Just when I thought I'd heard it all ....

 

[Krazy Koz]

Restricted free agent CB Randall Gay left New York without receiving an offer sheet.
The same is true for Bengals T Stacy Andrews. Both players would cost a second-round pick to sign, so we suspect the Jets are just getting a head start on free agency next season.
Source: Newsday

 

[unoriginal]

Restricted free agent CB Randall Gay left New York without receiving an offer sheet.
The same is true for Bengals T Stacy Andrews. Both players would cost a second-round pick to sign, so we suspect the Jets are just getting a head start on free agency next season.
Source: Newsday

Finally this long regional nightmare is at an end.