The Wright attitude.

[edgecy]

You're right, he does look like Matt Damon. And that definitely isn't a bad thing.

It is when it's Matt Damon + 100

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

The Pats are $10M+ under the cap, so showing Wright some love, so to speak, wouldn't require taking money away from someone else (at least not this year, and probably not next year, either).

The Patriots are already showing him love. He was chosen to be a member of their organization. The guy has 1.125 seasons under his belt (15 games played over that time). A raise from the Patriots he does not yet deserve. IF he plays solid, he will get a raise in the coming years. Listen, I think your heart is in the right place. However, Wright is a on a fairly long list of unheralded but good guys who have a big heart and a bigger desire. Should we take cap space and start handing out bonuses to all these lower tier good guys? No. The Patriots don't do business this way. For better or worse (prima facia better for wins) the Patriots do not let emotion get in the way of business. It seems this is without exception. Being a good guy just isn't enough to spend (or overspend) crucial cap dollars on prematurely.

 

[patchick]

The Patriots are already showing him love. He was chosen to be a member of their organization. The guy has 1.125 seasons under his belt (15 games played over that time). A raise from the Patriots he does not yet deserve. IF he plays solid, he will get a raise in the coming years. Listen, I think your heart is in the right place. However, Wright is a on a fairly long list of unheralded but good guys who have a big heart and a bigger desire. Should we take cap space and start handing out bonuses to all these lower tier good guys? No. The Patriots don't do business this way. For better or worse (prima facia better for wins) the Patriots do not let emotion get in the way of business. It seems this is without exception. Being a good guy just isn't enough to spend (or overspend) crucial cap dollars on prematurely.

We're not talking about handing out cash out of sheer warm-hearted generosity. If you think that Wright is a long-term NFL player who will continue to improve, there's a solid business case to be made for a moderate extension now.

Wright was a UDFA. No significant signing bonus, no cushion, just the NFL minimum salary. A couple million up front could be huge for him in terms of long-term security. Meanwhile, from the Pats perspective the guy is virtually free this year and next, but becomes an RFA after next year and a UFA the year after. Remember that we're assuming the IF above holds true, so they'd expect to give him the high RFA tender.

Now suppose the likes of Koppen and Graham are determined to test free agency after this season and you have several million dollars in unspent cap space. Why not take a major chunk of the money that you would have paid Wright in 2008 & 2009 and tack it on to this season, thus securing yourself an extra couple of years from the player with no long-term cap repercussions whatsoever?

 

[RayClay]

The Pats are $10M+ under the cap, so showing Wright some love, so to speak, wouldn't require taking money away from someone else (at least not this year, and probably not next year, either).

You don't love those other 58 players?

 

[alamo]

Way too soon be be doling out cap space... in the end I suspect there are so many hands about to be out that we'll be very tight anyway, as we have been in the past.

And I like his attitide but a great attitude only gets you so far... we need to see him over a longer period of time before he's locked up.

 

[RayClay]

We're not talking about handing out cash out of sheer warm-hearted generosity. If you think that Wright is a long-term NFL player who will continue to improve, there's a solid business case to be made for a moderate extension now.

Wright was a UDFA. No significant signing bonus, no cushion, just the NFL minimum salary. A couple million up front could be huge for him in terms of long-term security. Meanwhile, from the Pats perspective the guy is virtually free this year and next, but becomes an RFA after next year and a UFA the year after. Remember that we're assuming the IF above holds true, so they'd expect to give him the high RFA tender.

Now suppose the likes of Koppen and Graham are determined to test free agency after this season and you have several million dollars in unspent cap space. Why not take a major chunk of the money that you would have paid Wright in 2008 & 2009 and tack it on to this season, thus securing yourself an extra couple of years from the player with no long-term cap repercussions whatsoever?

If we're worried about these "unloved" backup player, take heart. It's been policy to wrap these guys up early.

Has Wright's agent been making contract demands that I'm unaware of?

I'm not worth a billion dollars, nor do I own a football team, but I would think offering players more than they might ask for isn't sound policy.

And for the record, if he came in demanding 2 Mil, I'd cut him immediately and sign Santonio in five minutes.

 

[zippo59]

It is when it's Matt Damon + 100

You know what they say, muscle weighs more than fat.

 

[patchick]

Has Wright's agent been making contract demands that I'm unaware of?

I'm not worth a billion dollars, nor do I own a football team, but I would think offering players more than they might ask for isn't sound policy.

And for the record, if he came in demanding 2 Mil, I'd cut him immediately and sign Santonio in five minutes.

Not sure where this is coming from...has anybody talked about Wright "demanding" anything? I just gave a hypothethical scenario where an extension to the player would be a business value proposition, not a "show the man some love" proposition. Obviously, I'd rather see an extension for a player like Koppen, but I don't think that a raise for a productive UDFA has to be seen as a mere handout.

 

[RayClay]

Not sure where this is coming from...has anybody talked about Wright "demanding" anything? I just gave a hypothethical scenario where an extension to the player would be a business value proposition, not a "show the man some love" proposition. Obviously, I'd rather see an extension for a player like Koppen, but I don't think that a raise for a productive UDFA has to be seen as a mere handout.

Another poster mentioned we should pay him as much as Wilfork and
Warren and mentioned the 2 million figure.

The "demand" part was hyperbole on my part.

You did mention "A couple million up front could be huge for him in terms of long-term security."

I'm not sure, but I don't believe that is necessary to secure the services of a "marginal" player which is what he is, good attitude and nice newspaper article notwithstanding.

 

[patchick]

Another poster mentioned we should pay him as much as Wilfork and
Warren and mentioned the 2 million figure.

The "demand" part was hyperbole on my part.

You did mention "A couple million up front could be huge for him in terms of long-term security."

I'm not sure, but I don't believe that is necessary to secure the services of a "marginal" player which is what he is, good attitude and nice newspaper article notwithstanding.

Fair enough. Just to clarify what I meant, $2 mil upfront for a contract extension that would overwrite two free agent years (RFA & UFA) is very different from $2 mil per year!

 

[jefmblrd]

I've like Mike Wright since pre-season last year, and this only makes me like him more. He's the type of guy that you can really root for his success.

 

[RayClay]

Fair enough. Just to clarify what I meant, $2 mil upfront for a contract extension that would overwrite two free agent years (RFA & UFA) is very different from $2 mil per year!

I just grabbed your quote because I don't like getting into a back and forth.

I'm sure the Pats take care of the lesser known players better than other teams.

That's our M.O. I do get a kickout of anyone playing junior G.M. though, I must admit.

In the first place, it's much more complicated than we can imagine, I'm sure. I'd never attempt to second guess the F.O. on contract terms.

In the second place, It's not my money!

It's a great day for some football!

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Another poster mentioned we should pay him as much as Wilfork and Warren and mentioned the 2 million figure.
. . .
I'm not sure, but I don't believe that is necessary to secure the services of a "marginal" player which is what he is, good attitude and nice newspaper article notwithstanding.

Again, I prefaced all my comments by saying that if he holds up, the Patriots should definitely think about locking him up long term. I also said I wouldn't have a problem with paying him on the order of $2M/year. Admittedly, I might be--in fact, probably am--overstating his value. I stand by Patchick's idea, though, that if the Pats think he's a valuable contributor, they'll probably want/need to sign him for more than the vet minimum in 2007.

Edit: Seeing your last post, I see that maybe I should have thought through my original post more clearly. In any case, I'm not the kind of person who's going to say the Pats *must* do anything . . . because I know they will do whatever seems the most logical way of achieving their goals (i.e., contending for an SB every year). I didn't intend to cross over into irrational exuberance (see the above paragraph).

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I've been skimming the Jest game this morning to kill time between washer loads. Wright made a nice block as part of the wall on the opening kickoff. He had great penetration into the backfield against Mangold on the first Jest offensive play and was one of the guys quick to sniff out the naked bootleg (Warren as always was the first and made Penny pay the piper). Wright is also drawing double-teams inside. Not bad. Let's give him another couple years before awarding a big contract, he has room to develop before he matches Jarvis - but like Jarvis, his contract renewal may be a bit of a surprise for folks.

 

[RayClay]

Again, I prefaced all my comments by saying that if he holds up, the Patriots should definitely think about locking him up long term. I also said I wouldn't have a problem with paying him on the order of $2M/year. Admittedly, I might be--in fact, probably am--overstating his value. I stand by Patchick's idea, though, that if the Pats think he's a valuable contributor, they'll probably want/need to sign him for more than the vet minimum in 2007.

Edit: Seeing your last post, I see that maybe I should have thought through my original post more clearly. In any case, I'm not the kind of person who's going to say the Pats *must* do anything . . . because I know they will do whatever seems the most logical way of achieving their goals (i.e., contending for an SB every year). I didn't intend to cross over into irrational exuberance (see the above paragraph).

You'll also notice I noted the Pats tie up their non star players a lot quicker than other teams.

A player with Wright's credentials is likely to make more here than elsewhere.

So they agree with you philosophically. They even gave bigger practice squad contracts to Gorin and Yates than they had to.

Like I said, I don't like to get into a back and forth and I certainly don't know anymore about pay scales then the next guy.

Wright's the feel good story of the last 2 years, but he's still just a special teamer and backup at a position they're loaded.

The front 3 and Jarvis eat up a lot of cash already.

I think he'll have to do more than "hold up" to get a big pay day. Nothing against him, they already pay an disproportionate amount in salaries for the DLine.

Sorry if I get a bit sarcastic on the subject, it's a pet peeve of mine.

I just don't see how any lay person can start throwing numbers around on such a complicated and secretive subject.

Again, I try to restrain myself. I might tell Lee Iacoca I don't like a car style,

but I don't think I'll try yo tell him how to depreciate old equipment or settle the latest wage/benefit package.

 

[mgteich]

I think Wright is exactly the type of player that bb locks up. We did this with Hochstein, Neal and Gorin. We did this with Green. We should lock up Wright, Banta-Cain and perhaps even Gay. It is not a matter of scarce cap space, it is a matter of value and planning. Most on this board were shocked by Green's contract numbers. Be prepared to be shocked by Wright's. The production of these second level players are at the heart of bb's success. And we might even pay MORE than the market for these players, since they may truly be more valuable to us than to others.

Sure I want Graham, Koppen and Samuel extended; but I don't expect it. I do indeed expect Wright to be extended at contract numbers attractive to Wright and to the patriots.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

We're not talking about handing out cash out of sheer warm-hearted generosity. If you think that Wright is a long-term NFL player who will continue to improve, there's a solid business case to be made for a moderate extension now.

Wright was a UDFA. No significant signing bonus, no cushion, just the NFL minimum salary. A couple million up front could be huge for him in terms of long-term security. Meanwhile, from the Pats perspective the guy is virtually free this year and next, but becomes an RFA after next year and a UFA the year after. Remember that we're assuming the IF above holds true, so they'd expect to give him the high RFA tender.

Now suppose the likes of Koppen and Graham are determined to test free agency after this season and you have several million dollars in unspent cap space. Why not take a major chunk of the money that you would have paid Wright in 2008 & 2009 and tack it on to this season, thus securing yourself an extra couple of years from the player with no long-term cap repercussions whatsoever?

I'm don't think Mike Wright has done enough over a long enough time to warrant an investment of that size (>1 mill SB). He definitely hasn't done it long enough for us to invest much above what he is currently paid. Further, I don't know what his contract status is, however, you say he will have RFA status soon. That puts us in a position to match anyone. And unless his play really stands out this year, I can't imagine an offer to him of 2 million in SB. We can likely keep Wright for lower dollars. And as far as cap space now? Don't you think it likely that the Patriot FO has a plan to use this year's free cap space wisely? I just don't think it will be for Mike Wright yet unless he is willing to take a discount on his play already. And his play already just doesn't warrant enough to even have much room for discount. Wright, IMHO, would be wise to keep learning and keep playing as is. He will reach a bigger salary in 08 if he continues his upward trend. I do reserve the right to change my mind at the end of the season if he proves week in and week out solid. Time will tell..........

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Anyone else here thinking a little more highly about the idea of signing Wright long-term? Certainly not Seymour money, but more than just bare minimum. . . .

 

[RayClay]

Anyone else here thinking a little more highly about the idea of signing Wright long-term? Certainly not Seymour money, but more than just bare minimum. . . .

Was wondering why this thread got bumped.

Absolutely, Mr. Wright has upped his value very solidly. He's still not Sey, Warren, Wilfork category as somebody said.
(check, that was you, you're still wrong LOL. They should pay him what they need to as a solid backup and give the rest to charity. Why pay as much for a backup as for potential all pros? Even Wrights agent won't ask that much.)

I think this is a win win, because he can be signed long term for money he'll be very happy with and the team can afford, since he doesn't have 1st round pick market value.

A solid year makes a difference.

 

[RayClay]

Anyone else here thinking a little more highly about the idea of signing Wright long-term? Certainly not Seymour money, but more than just bare minimum. . . .

They signed Green for excellent money for a backup. That' pretty likely, I'd say.

You'll find they pay role players better than most teams in the league. They believe in spreading it around and that's good for players like Wright.

I'm a big fan of the guy in fact i started a thread about it.