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Yes, I’m beginning to believe that San Diego Chargers general manager, A.J. Smith is actually Leonardo DiCaprio is disguise. If you have seen the latest hit movie, “Inception”, you may know what I mean. Follow my logic and tell me if you think that Leo is filling in for A.J.
As you know, the Chargers have several key players who haven’t signed their tender this season. Not just some third string tight end, but rather a starting left tackle (Marcus McNeil), a starting linebacker (Shawne Merriman), and a number one receiver (Vincent Jackson). Yep, that is three potential pro bowl players who are currently missing camp and have talk about lengthy hold outs.
Just in case you missed it, here are the players complaints, in a nut shell. Let’s begin with McNeil, the Chargers Pro Bowl left tackle. It seems that he would like a long term deal for an amount worthy of a person who is paid to protect the $92 million investment at quarterback. The Chargers want him to sign his one year tender of about $3.5 million and get his large butt into camp. At this point, McNeil is talking about sitting all of camp and the first 10 games of the season. OUCH! That being said, I do believe there is hope in McNeil’s case. I’ll get back to that later.
Vincent Jackson would also like top dollar and several years, much like teammate Antonio Gates recently received. Smith is telling him the same thing that he told McNeil. Sign your tender and come into camp! Jackson is also holding out and my not be back until after Week 10. The reason Jackson doesn’t have as much hope as McNeil is that he is not the professional that McNeil seems to be.
Jackson has had two D.U.I. arrest and was actually cuffed and sited for driving on a suspended licence and blaring his car stereo, the morning of the Chargers/Jets playoff game last season. Not to mention that during the game, Jackson was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and cost the Chargers critical yards. When asked about his behavior during the game, his response was, “I think it’s comedical.” Yes, I think that says it all.
Then there is Merriman who, in my humble opinion, should just sign and get into camp to prove that he is healthy and is able to return to his old form. He needs to become the player from before the three major injuries and the suspension for PED’s. As Steve Martin, or John Belushi would say…”But noooooo!” Merriman says he wants to be assured that he will not have to worry about being traded during the season. Apparently, he forgot that he is a professional football player, not a short order cook somewhere.
Merriman claims to have abandonment issues that stem from when he was a child. Personally, I feel badly for Merriman, but I think he needs to sign and get into camp. He can use his millions to get some help for his problems. Okay, I don’t feel that bad.
Now, why is A.J. Smith actually DiCaprio is disguise? The way he is using the media is much like DiCaprio attempts inception during the movie. “Inception” is planting a thought in someone else’s mind is hopes that they will do what you want them to do. You want it to seem like their idea, so they don’t resent you. Smith is trying hard to achieve inception with his prodigal players.
Here is Smith’s work in a nut shell:
1. Now that camp is open, the media has been reporting on how individuals look for the upcoming season. Much has been made about the Chargers moving offensive lineman, Brandon Dombrowski to left tackle (McNeil’s position). The Chargers brass was talking him up and sharing how he is a natural on the left side of the line, and they really don’t think he is much of a step back from McNeil.
2. Boy, has Buster Davis looked great in camp!!! Wow, you would think this is the second coming of John Jefferson or Charlie Joiner, the way they have been pumping him up. The fact is that he has never made it through a season healthy and I find it hard to believe that the Chargers are counting on him now.
And 3. Larry English is a beast this year! By all accounts, English is reeking havoc this preseason and spending most of his time in Philip River’s space.
Well, there is the evidence. Three messages going out of one reason and one reason alone…to make McNeil, Jackson, and Merriman feel like they have no leverage and that they are in danger of losing their positions and a lot of money. With Smith’s reputation of being a hard head, they have to already be worried that he would rather lose games on the field than lose them in negotiations.
Now, as I stated earlier, McNeil has hope. For one, he is an upstanding citizen. For two, he is a fine left tackle and keeps Rivers on his feet. Most importantly, if English is prospering, then Dombrowski is struggling and there is really no one else to play the position. Let’s face it, if English is blowing away Dombrowski, imagine what other top pass rushers will do to him. It’s not a pretty picture.
So with all the facts in, I believe that Merriman will sign after sitting out at least half of camp, because he has no leverage. Jackson will sit out and try to make up more words like comedical, because he is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Finally, McNeil will get a new contract and get to play football in 2010, because even A.J. Smith will have to admit that his back is against the wall and he needs a stud at left tackle.
Enjoy the season!
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It’s that time of year, where football fans are frequently reading up on training camp, and their teams’ strengths and weaknesses.
One of the Redskins main weaknesses is the WR position. The Redskins have only one proven WR on the team that has played for the past couple seasons regularly. Santana Moss has been rather inconsistent in his past seasons, and this year faces a possible suspension in light of his HGH connection with Dr. Galea.
Devin Thomas has shown flashes of ability, but nothing to warrant a starting job, and Malcolm Kelly has squandered all of his opportunities. Roydell Williams and Joey Galloway are proven vets, but who knows what they have left in the tank.
As the season approaches, teams are finishing up their acquisitions and looking for the final pieces to polish their team going into the preseason.
Rumors say the Redskins are very interested in the Chargers’ disgruntled receiver Vincent Jackson, who posted 1,167 yards receiving, 68 receptions, and 9 TD’s. Pairing Jackson with McNabb would be lethal, considering how well McNabb played with T.O.However, Chargers’ GM A.J Smith has continued to shoot down reports of a possible trade of Jackson, but as the season approaches you never know if he would be willing to change his mind.
As the Redskins realize how thin they are at the position, one must be sure that owner Dan Snyder would be willing to send some draft picks, and write up a nice contract for Jackson.
In the event that Jackson wouldn’t be able to join the ‘Skins, Plaxico Burress is finishing up his jail sentence and will be looking for work soon enough. If you believe commissioner Goodell won’t suspend Burress further after his jail sentence, he could land with the Redskins.
Many must be thinking, “not another distracting player,” but looking at how Shanahan has been walking Haynesworth on a leash, he should also be able to take care of Burress. The former first-round pick posted 1025 yards receiving on 70 receptions, including 12 TD’s in his last full season with the Giants. His ability to stretch the field with his length and height would give Cooley, Davis, and Moss more room to create plays.
These two players are the only proven players that could be on the market, and if not Burress or Jackson, the 2011 draft is one of the deeper WR drafts in recent years. The high profiled receivers out of college include A.J Green, Julio Jones, Jonathan Baldwin, Michael Floyd, DeVier Posey, Terrence Toliver, and Austin Pettis.
Although they seem like long shots, a good WR would do wonders for the Redskins.
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The San Diego Chargers signed their first-round draft pick, running back Ryan Mathews to a five-year deal worth $25.65 million with slightly more than $15 million being in guaranteed money.
Early reports had stated that Mathews may not be available for the Chargers first full pad practice, however that report would be dispelled as he was an instant contributor during San Diego’s afternoon workout at Chargers Park on Sunday.
Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, wearing a festive Hawaiian shirt and black dress slacks was on hand to watch his newly signed running back participate in rushing drills and full team scrimages.
While practicing with the first-team offense, Mathews made some really impressive runs up the middle for some large gains.
He looked incredibly explosive out of the backfield, and it was very noticeable that he was amped to be out on the field practicing with his new teammates.
Mathews, did make himself available for autographs to some of the 3,500 eager Chargers fans (including myself) waiting to get a glimpse of their teams new running back who attended Sunday’s afternoon practice. He was then whisked away while still wearing his pads to start what would probably be endless media interviews.
The 12th pick overall in the 2010 NFL Draft does have some mighty big shoes to fill.
San Diego moved up 16 spots to draft Mathews, to replace the aging LaDainian Tomlinson at running back.
Tomlinson who was released by the Chargers in the offseason has found a revivial of sorts with the high-powered offense of the New York Jets.
Mathews does have strong expecetations to live up to. He will be looked at to help jump start a Chargers running game that was last in rushing yards in 2009.
In three seasons at Fresno State, Mathews rushed for 3,280 yards and averaging 6.1 yards per carry, He also set a school record with 39 touchdowns.
He will be looking to continue the run production he endured last season as a junior where he rushed for 100 yards against three Top 25 teams, Cincinnati, Wisconsin and Boise State where he ran for 234 yards, scoring on runs of 69, 60 and 68 yards.
Now with the Mathews under contract, it will be interesting to see how fast he develops into an NFL running back.
However, this might be something that a holdout could have completely derailed.
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221 of the 240 2010 draft class have been signed, and yet still no Ryan Mathews. Okay, wev’e all waited patiently enough.
15 of the first rounders have already signed. including:
4. Washington Redskins —Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma—Signed (6 years, $60M max; $36.75M guaranteed)
5. Kansas City Chiefs—Eric Berry, S, Tennessee—Agreed to Terms (6 years, $60M; $34M guaranteed)
8. Oakland Raiders—Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama—Signed (5 years, $30M/$40M max; $23M guaranteed)
11. San Francisco 49ers—Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers—Signed (5 years, $26.5M; $15.954M guaranteed)
13. Philadelphia Eagles—Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan—Signed (5 years, financial terms undisclosed)
17. San Francisco 49ers—Mike Iupati, G/T, Idaho—Signed (5 years, $18.25M max; $10.8M guaranteed)
19. Atlanta Falcons—Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri—Signed (5 years, $17.54M max; $10.4M guaranteed)
20. Houston Texans—Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama—Signed (5 years, $13.1M; $10.35M guaranteed)
23. Green Bay Packers—Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa—Signed (5-years, $14.75M max; $8.76M guaranteed)
24. Dallas Cowboys—Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State—Signed (5-years, $11.8M; $8.375M guaranteed)
25. Denver Broncos—Tim Tebow, QB, Florida—Signed (5 years, $11.25M/$33M max; $8.7M guaranteed)
27. New England Patriots—Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers—Signed (5 years, $10M/$13.2 max; $7.825M guaranteed)
28. Miami Dolphins—Jared Odrick, DE, Penn State—Signed (5 years, $13.07M max; $7.133M guaranteed)
32. New Orleans Saints—Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State —Agreed to Terms (5 years, financial terms undisclosed)
So what is Mathews waiting for training camp? Nah, already missed its opening day. Pre-season? Could be, its just two weeks away, certainly he wont need any time learning the playbook before then.
Oh , I know, he’s waiting for C.J Spiller the number 9 pick of the Buffalo Bills to sign. Just three different slots in the draft separate the two , and same position. Oh, and guess what, A.J Smith is loving it!
Wanna know why?
1. Primarily because the Bills are cheaper than he is.
Their total annual salary last year was just $ 111,956,000 , and that was with Terrell Owens Drawing $6,250,000 off that.
A guy in similar position to Spiller is RB Marshawn Lynch. He is a first round pick of the Bills 2007 draft class. He was contracted for $632,000 total salary in 2009. Traditionally a very poor rate for a first round running back.
So when the Bills drafted CJ Spiller, Smith must have turned cartwheels. Had a big spender such as the Dolphins or Redskins selected him, Smith would have backed way off, so the price would drop.
Now it makes perfect sense to me why Smith went totally berserk in his pursuit of Mathews. It also makes perfect sense as to why Mathews has not signed yet—because Spiller hasn’t.
When should these signings happen? Interestingly enough, both the Bills and the Chargers started their training camps this week. Same for the Detroit Lions, who signed the other first round running back Jahvid Best.
Obviously all three remain unsigned, just waiting to play follow the leader.
It will definately be a domino effect when the first guy signs. However, never underestimate the greed of an agent when millions of dollars are on the line.
Do we have a measuring stick for Mathews? The closest we can get would be Knowshon Moreno. Moreno was drafted last year by the Broncos in the 14th overall pick of the draft. His contract was 5 years, 23 million.
The best estimate I could predict for Mathews would be a 5 year/25 million dollar contract. However, If Spiller signs for less, The number drops.
Sadly, this bargaining ground has become par for the course, and has overridden rookies getting to training camp, which used to be considered a vital component. Now its secondary.
The other rounds go much smoother. Here is a breakdown for you of the 2nd-7th draft picks this year.
Round 2 30 of 32 signed
Round 3 32 of 34 signed
Round 4 33 of 33 signed
Round 5 38 of 38 signed
Round 6 38 of 38 signed
round 7 50 of 50 signed
So, who’s the first to jump? My guess would be Detroit. They also have to sign another first rounder Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is a much bigger fish to fry. He was the number 2 overall selection of the draft.
Spiller will sign with Buffalo quickly after, because the Bills don’t have any contract disputes.
The Chargers are in contract disputes with three high profile players. So, they will have a real clear cut outline of Mathews contract price right after Spiller signs. Is it worth waiting for? At this point, absolutely!
If Spiller reaches pre-season in two weeks unsigned, Smith will have to cave in and be first to sign. But right now, he’s looking at saving some bucks. We all know A.J!
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Interestingly enough, Chargers GM A.J Smith said the uncertainty of the 2011 Collective bargaining agreement is why he did not sign Shawne Merriman, Vincent Jackson, and Marcus McNeill to multiple year contracts.
I almost believed him until I saw an avalanche of multi-year contracts come out of San Diego shortly after. In fact, the whole draft class has received multi-year contracts before the start of training camp.
Ryan Matthews is the one exception. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, we’re just as sure Matthews will sign a multi-year contract.
Yes, sir. Everyone from third round linebacker Donald Butler to seventh round tight end Dedrick Epps’ services have been locked down for years to come.
Much like everything Smith does, this strategy will be met with both criticism and praise. Playing devils advocate and supporter here, I will try to examine the strategy and look at both sides.
The glass half full.
Getting Cam Thomas in the fifth round was a steal. We all agree to that, so having him under contract for four years at a low rate makes a ton of sense.
If Vincent Jackson signed a big contract after 2008, then Brandon Marshall’s 2010 contract, worth $47 million, would matter NADA.
Jackson would be tied up for probably three more years at a rate of $4 million a year.
If Marcus McNeill was given a multi-year contract last season, the Chargers wouldn’t have any care in the world if the Jets signed D’Brickshaw Ferguson for 60 million dollars.
I’m sure if Smith had a time machine, he would have traveled back by now and got those guys signed to multi-year deals a long time ago.
He would have also signed Philip Rivers before Eli Manning inked his $93 million deal.
With the uncertainty of uncapped seasons, it is pretty apparent Smith has no other choice than to get his draft picks signed before he can’t afford to.
Glass half empty
Now that I have said that, I may have satisfied half the audience. I know that leaves out the people who will say, “you put your stock into proven veterans, not untested rookies.”
I feel for this side of the argument as well.
Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill, and Shawne Merriman are proven veterans. They have all been to the Pro Bowl and are leaders on the field. They are all vital components in the Chargers success.
Would I rather have them signed to multi-year contracts over a bunch of new and unproven players.
Absolutely.
Is it possible to keep all of them? I optimistically think so.
I knew quite a while back how the contract signings would work out, and I reported on it in several articles. The cheaper the price tag, the quicker the signings.
With all the uncertainty and surprise in San Diego this offseason, one thing that has not surprised me is the order of the signings in relation to dollars.
Jonathon Crompton, Dedrick Epps, Darrel Stuckey, Donald Butler, and Cam Thomas have all been signed to multi year contracts. These are critical components in filling the roster depth needs and, more improtantly, they are the least expensive.
Okay, so now we’re on to something. Here’s where I get more optimistic.
Smith refused trade offers involving Jackson. The plot thickens.
If Smith had any indication that he could not afford Jackson, or was unable to keep him, Jackson would be in Seattle or DC right now. However, Smith is playing the only card he can play at the moment: the waiting game.
Something everyone can be happy with.
To his credit, Smith has moved extremely fast and aggressive in getting all of his draftees signed. The final hurdle is Ryan Mathews, which I’m sure we will read about really soon.
Then Smith can know exactly what he has in salary cap space to entertain the requests of McNeill, Jackson, and Merriman. If he acted on their signings before his draftees, he might break the bank before filling the roster holes.
It’s no mystery that Chris Chambers, Ladainian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie, and Jamal Williams, amongst others, have opened up huge salary space this past year, nearly 30 million dollars actually.
With that said, I am certain there’s enough chips in the pot to make all concerned parties very happy. Can Smith pull it off? Yes. he can.
If he couldn’t do it, all three would be gone by now, don’t ya think? With six more (cheap) draft picks in Smith’s pocket.
Did Smith expect either to sign their tender? Highly doubtful. But I guarantee you this, he has a pretty penny saved up for a rainy day. And after Mathews signs, look for Merriman, McNeill, and Jackson to follow.
Bold Prediction here:
Ryan Mathews signs three-year contract Aug 1
Shawne Merriman signs three-year contract Aug 15
Marcus McNeill signs three-year contract Sep 1
Vincent Jackson signs three-year contract Sep 20
Ridicule it if you want. However, player salary information, NFL salary caps by team, and team salary space info is all available to the public. Does anyone think for a second that A.J Smith will come into the season 23 million dollars under budget?
I don’t. Nor do I think he would come in with a roster that only boasted two running backs, two quarterbacks, and that’s short a safety or a tight end.
Believe me when I say this. Whoever Smith didn’t want on his team was released before July.
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