2009 NFL Season Thread - Page 2

For whom, Oakland or Az.?

Boldin's value to Az declined slightly when Steve Breaston showed he can play.

AZ. It'd be a shame to break up an elite receiving tandem. That franchise has had so little success I'd hate to see them play cheap now and deal Boldin just to save money.

Boldin's contract is a bargain for Arizona. They would not be trading him to save money but to lose money (extra first rounder cost quite a bit). The only reason to trade him is get rid of the problem (he is likely to pull a Chad Johnson), so in that case the draft picks are not bad if they want to give in to the agents demands. With Breston it might not be a bad move though (if they can keep Warner from retiring). If Warner retires it might be better to make the trade, and move to a more balanced offense.

Yeah, I said it was about money because the dispute is over guaranteed money. If AZ would pony up the dough, I don't think Boldin would have a problem staying. He's not a distraction like Ocho Cinco, so I don't see the purpose in trading him to avoid a locker-room problem.

But you're right on the retirement issue. If Warner retires, AZ won't have the aerial assault it now has, so getting some first round draft picks to help out Leinart might be the best approach.

The problem is their agent. I am not saying Ocho Cinco's only problem is his agent, he is a super show boater. Their agent is going to push for a trade to get that new deal, and that is going to lead to lots of posturing and threats to sit out. Boldin could create drama for a franchise that really needs to build on its best season ever. They might want to avoid something like that, so they do not fall back to a 8-8 team.

What do you have a hidden transmitter in Al Davis' office? Not in a million years would he trade away his top two picks - which would be more then he gave away for Randy Moss, who was younger, healthier, faster, bigger and better - for Boldin. It's not like the Raiders are picking late in the 1st round, we're talking 7th overall. I'd bet Al would rather have Jeremy Maclin - who he probably see's as Tim Brown's doppelganger - who runs a 4.3 40 compared to Boldin's 4.7 40, at #7, save money, have his deep threat - compared to a possession receiver - grab an OL, or his absolute favorite, a CB with his second pick - this especially would be the case if Vontae Davis slips into the later part of round 1. Al can't resist those fucking corners. Nevermind re-upping Nnamdi, it's about the next big project corner.

How can you say that's a bad trade? Do you actually think the Cards could do better then that?

I say it's a bad trade because I don't want to see the Fitzgerald/Boldin tandem broken up.

Fred Taylor has been released by the Jags. Will he re-sign for less money, or try and find somewhere to go for the next 1-2 years?

According to the Times-Union (and Fred), he and Drew Rosenhaus offered a reduced-salary option and were told, 'No thanks.'

I think he can still be a productive back in the NFL, but there's no way he's starter material anymore. I feel sad that he won't be a Jaguar, but this team needs to do something to get kick-started in the right direction again. Getting rid of Porter and Florence, not keeping them and blindly hoping they'll turn productive, was a good move. For that reason, I have to say releasing Taylor is a good move - sure, we could hope that he'll have another renaissance year, but it's time to hand the keys over to MJD and move forward.

I think he'd be great in Tampa for a year or two. (Hi Dickson!)

The Jaguars are a great example of why free agency in the NFL is best only in limited spots. They signed those two players to big money (what was it ? close to 15 million last year combined for them ?), and they were total busts. Resigning your own players (ones you know well) is the best bet, and only signing mid range ones that fit your system.

That's fine and all, until you have need players at a position of need. Then you only have three options: trade, FA or the draft. The Jags needed a receiver and a corner, they didn't have anybody on their roster who fit the need, they were in a win now mode - remember this was the year they would really challenge the Colts - so they had to go elsewhere. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You get burned when there's a terrible FA group that is led by the likes of mediocre Bernard Berrian, a washed up Javon Walker, and the never lived up to the hype Jerry Porter.

They signed washed up bums to big deals. They would have been better playing young players who might at least contributed, cost less, and could have leveraged that experience to being useful this year. Now you are right that if you have had bad drafts (drafts over several years that leave you with giant holes in your roster) you can get yourself in a predicament. They went into a win now mode, and thought a couple of free agents would put them over the hump, but that almost never works. It usually costs the team a lot, both in cap room and in developmental time. The key to success in the NFL is to draft well.

They played the younger players at WR and they all sucked. There was huge pressure (still is, actually) to get a game-breaking receiver, which led to the Porter signing. They've tried replacing Jimmy Smith every way possible - first-round draft picks (R. Jay Soward, Reggie Williams, Matt Jones), low-round draft picks (Ernest Wilford), undrafted free agents (Charles Sharon), free agent signings (Dennis Northcutt, Jerry Porter) even trades (Troy Williamson). The ultimate victim in this was Shack Harris. Now a new GM will try to replace Jimmy Smith.

Ahh, Jimmy Smith. I drafted him many times in fantasy football.

I'm amazed at the number of supposedly knowledgeable sports people who are saying that Jeff Garcia is going to get signed and help someone win next year. Did they not watch any Bucs games last year? Hell, all you had to do was listen to Rich Gannon eviscerate him during the Bucs/Raiders game last year.

You know there's nothing to this "rumor" because Arizona would have taken that deal before Oakland had a chance to think about it. Boldin is all but gone. He was a real professional all year long even though he was upset about his contract (well, at least until the Philly playoff game) but he and his agent will start playing hardball soon. This is the problem with having 2 elite receivers. Boldin wasn't a first round pick originally, but performed like one. Then he had to deal with Fitzgerald getting drafted and making a lot more than him right away and he got his nose bent out of shape. Then the Cardinals (in a very un-Cardinal like gesture) redid his contract to keep him happy and show him how important he was. Then when they had to re-sign Fitzgerald it turned in to an ugly deal with Boldin who of course felt like he should get a new contract right away as well rather than be happy the team took care of him when they didn't need to and sit tight and wait.

We'll see what happens. I don't think Boldin is a gone as others would have you believe. Drew Rosenhaus plays hardball, but the Cardinals have two years left on Boldin's contract. Plus Warner wants him back and the Cards want Warner back bad. It'll be interesting, that's for sure.

Warner wanting him back is a non-issue. Warner spent half the season with Fitzgerald and Breaston only. The media playing the Anquan signing up like it will make up his mind has gotten ridiculous. Warner will be back unless Brenda somehow talks him out of it, and if that's the case whether or not Q is there isn't important.

The deal is, Boldin is either gone or he'll have a huge new deal. The Cardinals have some pretty important contracts they need to get done and the massive amount under the cap they are will get chewed up faster than anybody realizes. I don't believe Boldin's posturing that he has told Rosenhaus he absolutely won't play for the Cardinals again but that posturing is exactly what the Cardinals needed to get themselves out of the situation without looking like the traditional cheapasses they are.

Boldin only missed four games and only had 7 fewer catches, 400 fewer yards and one less touchdown than Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had those insane stats in the playoffs because teams had to respect Boldin, not Breaston. I know that Boldin wasn't really in that last drive vs Philly either. Fitzgerald is a great receiver but so is Boldin and I believe if Boldin leaves, neither of them might find the success they did when together. And I of course go into this assuming they'll keep the same offensive system in place for next year.

Warner has said that whether or not Boldin is there will affect his decision to come back or not.

Warner's ONLY statement was the day after the Super Bowl where he said something to the effect of "If Anquan is signed it will make my decision easier." I'm aware that he made a statement. It's a total non-issue. He's not pushing the team, he's just being a good teammate. He's a pro and his decision ultimately will have nothing to do with the Boldin signing.

Cardinals franchised Carlos Dansby who will now make $9.75 million next year. All that cap space just turned into a little less cap space.

I'm hoping for a year of injury-free Matt Schaub. If Texans fans get that, I think we will finally break free of mediocrity. But if he proves to be made of glass (like many suspect) then it could be back to the drawing board again for this team.

Looks like the Bucs will franchise Antonio Bryant if they can't get a deal done by Thursday. I'm not too bothered by this -- the cap hit will be about the same as if we'd signed him, $9.9 million or so. And frankly, if another team wants to sign him for more than that, I'd take the two first round picks in a heartbeat.

Mr. Graves? Is that you?? I mean, you must be the Cardinals GM if you know exactly what Warner is or isn't doing behind the scenes.

Shane Lechler is coming back to Oakland. Huge.

There's a few reports saying the Raiders are close to a deal with Nnamdi, and it could be done before tomorrow's deadline on applying the franchise tag. This better happen, and not only for keeping the best CB in football around for the long haul, but it'll clear up a lot of needed cap space, so they can sign a few solid role-players, to fill in a couple of holes.

That's ludicrous.

Warner's full of shit. Who does he think he is, Bret Favre? When the Cards offer him $20 mil to play two more season's, Jesus, Himself, will come down from the heavens with a golden pen.

You wouldn't be able to land a 1st rounder for him, let alone two.

The cap hit, if he signs, would be a lower cap hit for this season, then if he keeps the franchised number. The signing bonus would be spread over the life of the contract, and his salary for the upcoming season would in all likelihood be a fairly low figure. It's not really a problem for the Bucs anyways, seeing how they're something like $30 mil under the cap. This is the only reason why, if they sign Bryant to a long term deal, his new cap number could possibly be higher this year. They have so much money under the cap, they may want to take a bigger hit right now instead of future years. The Vikings did it when the signed Antonie Winfield a few years ago. He signed an initial roster bonus - which goes against the current years cap; instead of a signing bonus - which is prorated over the life of the contract. Winfield's contract fucked over the teams who franchised a CB that year. The average salary for the top 5 CB went from something like $6.7 mil to $8.1 mil. I will always hate him for it!

Hey, it's just my opinion and some people besides yourself are occasionally right. I just said they might not have the same stats apart as they did together, how is that not possible?

Well, being able to listen to the local media is an advantage in situations like this. Why you've decided to go the sarcastic smartass route just because you buy into anything that some horrible media are playing up is beyond me. Did you ever actually read the quote?

"If Anquan (Boldin) tells me he's coming back, that will make my decision easier."

Oh, wow. You're right. His entire career rests on whether or not they sign Boldin. There it is, set in stone. He certainly said in no uncertain terms that he's retiring unless they sign him, and will 100% be back if they do sign him. Right?

The local media laughed the quote off, the national media ran with it. I personally put more stock into the local media since they are the ones seeing Warner in the locker room week in and week out. The national media forgot Arizona had a team until the playoffs. They have no real read on who Warner is at this point in his career or how serious he is about retiring. Local media all know he's coming back regardless unless something dramatic (Brenda) happens.

Wow, someone else reads AzCentral.Com...Hoo-boy. This guy's an insider.

Anyway, this is a really stupid discussion. But I find it completely laughable that you think a QB would not be concerned about one of the better WRs in the league coming back.

As for the local media, it's not like Mike Jurecki and Dan Bickley have never been wrong before...

Edit:

Oh, and by the way, this is what I wrote:

"Warner has said that whether or not Boldin is there will affect his decision to come back or not."

Besides me messing up effect/affect, I think it's pretty clear what I wrote. It means that Boldin's return will be something Warner considers. Which is not invalidated by his statement. Reading is fundamental, kid....

Kurt Warner really seems like a guy who believes what he's saying, but I doubt his agents/managers/publicists are being so "upstanding" in their positions.

Yeah, Kurt strikes me as a really good guy -- one of those few that actually walk the walk. That being said, he aint stupid and I'm sure his people are playing hardball since this will be his last NFL sized payday.

Aso is staying in the Silver & Black! What a great three day stretch for the Raiders.

Boldin put up huge numbers, without Fitz, with a far inferior QB and team. And Fitz has been a stud receiver since he was in his diapers. Saying this kind of thing is like saying Jerry Rice needed John Taylor or TO needed Jerry Rice.

But aren't the Raiders pretty much capped out now?

Fair enough. But Boldin also only went a season before Fitz was drafted. And it might be moot at this point too since it's being said Boldin might be open to a new long term contract anyways.

Why do you think Asomugha signed with the Raiders though? I'm just curious, does he just like the team/area? I know the Raiders have a pretty solid D and a possibly decent offense this upcoming year but I'm sure Davis will find some way to screw that up.

Wow, you really love the internet and playing superior on it. Getting all your information (or any, usually) from azcentral is a really bad idea. Just like getting all of your information from any radio hosts would be. That's why I said local media, referring to the majority of media in the area. Multiple radio and tv folks as well as the writers in the area. I apologize for not escalating your pissing contest though, I'm just having a hard time getting worked up over something so trivial that you feel a strong need to be right about by trying to belittle others.

Jurecki and Bickley aren't the local media? AzCentral isn't the webportal for the state's biggest newspaper?

And don't play superior now. You acted like a condescending jerk and I returned fire. But you're right, it's a trivial issue. Which is exactly why you didn't need to be a dick about it.

Oh, by the way, did you read AzCentral today? Boldin says he's open to resigning with the team.

The only thing that's left is the inevitable "Go fuck yourself."

If you'll take the time to actually go back and read, you'll see that I was nothing but cordial until you came after me. But revise all the history you need.

Texans had to franchise tag Dunta Robinson. I wouldn't have had a problem with that if the negotiations had gone poorly...he is coming back from an injury still and it is up in the air, to a degree, if he will ever regain his previous form. I do have a problem that apparently our GM told Dunta and his agent that the franchise tag would NOT be an option in negotiations. On top of that being a piss poor negotiation tactic, now our best DB is pissed at the team and will probably leave the second he has a chance. Oh well, a season can last for a loooong time and if the team does well and does right by Robinson in the mean time, perhaps this sort of crap will be forgiven the next time they sit down at the negotiating table.

According to one source yesterday (I haven't heard it elsewhere yet) Kurt Warner is done asking God if he should play and God decided he should so he had his agent let the Cardinals know. His agent also let the Cardinals know that apparently God feels Kurt should be paid as a top 5 QB in the league which puts him in the $12-$15 million per year range. The Cardinals apparently thought they were going to pay him $8-$10 million.

He has all the leverage in the world right now. I don't see how they don't pay him but it's hard to see how that's going to help them to sign their own players back, much less make any sort of impact in free agency.

A-Pathetic, At that price, I would re-do Anquan Boldin's contract...and name Matt Leinart the starting QB.

He is the perfect fit for that team and he is a top 5 QB. The Cardinals for the first time (ever?) have momentum. They play in a weak division, and they have a relatively young team. They would be foolish not to bring him back. They will trade Boldin for a good draft pick and won't skip a beat with Breston.

This is madness. Boldin doesn't want to play there, it's beyond money at this point. Leinart has had plenty of opportunity to win that job and hasn't. It's probably because he's not very good.

Boldin has already backed off of that and is trying to mandate a new deadline for the Cardinals to re-do his deal. It's all posturing.

Warner is the perfect QB for the system, and like I said he has all the leverage in the world. The Cardinals desperately want to get people to stop saying "Same old Cardinals" and Kurt was incredibly important in the biggest (by far) thing the team did in this state ever. They don't seem to have any faith at all in Leinart.

My gut tells me that the sides meet in the middle and he signs for a couple of years for $10-$12 million, but it's hard to fault him too much for that when the Patriots are now apparently going to pay their backup more.

I love Boldin. He played with a broken face last year and still isn't afraid to go over the middle. But to pay 2 recievers around 10 mil/year each is kinda crazy. You have capable recievers behind him. Trade him to a team like Philly or the Giants for a high pick and draft some defensive help, while saving money in the long run.

As far as Warner goes, you gotta pay him. His numbers were crazy last year and he is the undisputed leader of that team. People worry that he is old, but he really doesn't have a ton of wear and tear. Right now, the only QBs I would take over Warner are P. Manning, Brady and Brees.

Im a Giants fan. It drives me crazy to watch Eli underthrow/overthrow his recievers. Warner is so damn accurate. Its really hard to find an accurate QB.

Edit: Apparently I'm crazy about the word crazy.

The usual "well-connected sources" have the Redskins ready to sign Albert Haynesworth to a deal that would pay him $16 million a year and be worth $100 million total as soon as free agency starts. For that much, they can have him.

God I hope this happens.

$100 mil for a guy who can't stay healthy and takes plays off. Love it. One less team in the NFC east that I have to worry about.

Yeah, there's all these Bucs fans who are demanding the team sign Haynesworth as a sign the new coaching regime intends to spend money. I'd like them to spend money, but not throw it away.

Bucs need:

1. A QB
2. A QB
3. A QB
4. A primary receiving threat younger than Joey Galloway (which may or may not be Antonio Bryant)

I think Haynesworth is a good player, just not the highest paid defensive player ever. What's he going to do once he gets all that money? Is he going to be the same player or will he turn into Dana Stubblefield?

I'd rather trade all our draft picks for Tom Brady than trade all our cap space for Haynesworth.