Curran/Jason Cole: Pats had almost no chance with Revis.

[n6249c]

I thought since we cut him, we wouldn't get a pick??

Reiss answered a question about that in his column, explaining that technically he was never released, because the Pats did not exercise their option for the next year the contract expired making Revis a free agent. Thus he should qualify for a compensatory pick.

Impressive that the same is true for Browner. So our FO brain trust set us up to get compensatory picks for losing two top CBs, after winning the Lombardi with them. Pretty genius, seems to me.

 

[supafly]

It's too bad our cap situation wasn't good enough to force Revis to stay by picking up the option. Then maybe next year the Jets wouldn't have had the cap space to make a competitive offer.

Even if we had 40m dollars in available cap room, I highly doubt that Bill Belichick would've paid the option at a 25m dollar cap hit this year.

 

[ViperGTS]

I love this argument. Yes, most work for the money and there is no championship. But most don't have one chance at the age of 25-28 to set up future generations for life with one stroke of the pen. I am assuming at that moment winning isn't at the top of the list. The flip side is do you want to put in all that effort and play on a **** team in a true competitive environment earning 5-10 percent more. Or make 5-10 percent less to win those games. Its each to their own IMO.

I guess the best analogy I can come up with would be: would you take $85,000 a year "guaranteed" for 4 years from a company that is constantly losing revenue and has no reason to think they will be in business in 4 years without overspending for you, you are they're savior? Or Take $82,500 guaranteed for 4 years from a company that has been in business for 15-20 years with a constant growth, and you are a key addition to future growth?

I can see this for lower level guys who may make smaller money etc. Hell I saw a practice squad guy for the Pats makes 10k a week. That's not exactly a ton. Your telling me at 27 if you got a 15 million dollar check, that wouldn't set you and your kids and kids' kids up? It should.

Take the 82,500. Easy. Basically the same as 39 vs say 33 f/g.

 

[supafly]

So our FO brain trust set us up to get compensatory picks for losing two top CBs, after winning the Lombardi with them. Pretty genius, seems to me.

The bottom line is that the Patriots stick to their financial model very well, which is why they're usually always very competitive. Only time will tell as to how much they end up missing their top 2 CBs, but I wouldn't go jumping for joy just yet about the 50 percent (or less) chance on getting anything at all out of two mid-round comp picks.

If it works out, then yes--it's "genius."

If it doesn't and the team drafts the next Wilhite or Brace, then it's not really as genius as it initially seemed.

 

[raduray]

. Once woody says "Holy **** we could have had him for 12, why didn't we sign him, ill back up the brinks truck for him" that pretty much ended revis patriots career.

I don't think that the Jets could have gotten Revis for $12 mil in 2014. Revis wanted the ring, accepted a discount to get it, checked off that box, and moved on. Worked out well for the Pats and worked out well for Revis - the essence of a good deal.

 

[Gumby]

While Gilbert does seem like a "shark," his first order of business if/when elected is stopping football through another strike, so I'm not personally rooting for that to happen.

“Over the weekend, Gilbert will try to convince the NFL Players Association player reps that he can do for players what he did for his nephew.

"On Tuesday evening, as Revis ate a late dinner of Cuban food from a local restaurant, he looked across the table at Gilbert. In the backdrop was the sea and sky blending into vast darkness.

" 'Just think what's going to happen if you can do for the rest of the players what you did for me,' " Revis said.

Nfl nightmares: the future of the league is continued GoToHell tenure coupled with this razor-sharp toothed shark running the nflpa. While unions have a legitimate role to look out for their members, US unions traditionally give a hoot for ensuring the parasite-host stays healthy, let alone that the customer gets a good product.

While his election could be good in short term for players, it could be steps on road to a greater fall.

 

[IndianPat]

If woody johnson never says he wanted revis back, does it change anything? Say revis is under the impression that the jets don't want him after last off season when the jets could have had revis but didn't even try. Once woody says "Holy **** we could have had him for 12, why didn't we sign him, ill back up the brinks truck for him" that pretty much ended revis patriots career.

I do not think anything would have changed. Revis was in play. The owner wanted to make a splash and it worked well for Revis who wanted to go back home. There is a sucker born every minute. Jets did not need a 16 million dollar cornerback. Their defense is already very good. But, they do not have the pieces together to make a run at Superbowl. Not with a first year coach and and two QB's who haven't even won their division in 10 quarterback years. It was an owner's call. Woody needed his hood ornament, handicapping the coach before he began his job.

 

[IndianPat]

If someone is breathing in my ear to take more money to go to a team that while improving will not win the Super Bowl vs staying and being an integral part of one that may, I'd tell you to go find a new client. Touching the championship trophy is the ultimate goal. If it isn't I sure as hell wouldn't want that person playing beside me.

Thanks
-BB (Not really of course)

Players chose their agents based to their ability to procure the maximum worth for their services. It is their job to whisper into the ear to take more money! However, there are times when a player may intervene to take less in return for attaining another goal.

 

[patfanken]

First, if Gilbert becomes NFLPA director, he'll be negotiating with owners for the players' slice of the revenue pie. Gilbert would be expanding the cap.

Second, taking your point as gospel, it is also true that the amount of winning players can do is fixed. For every win a team like the Pats gets, there are that many fewer wins for every other team. Add all the wins and losses up league wide at the end of the year, the league as a whole is .500. So if players shouldn't try to get as much money as they can, why should they try to win as much as they can?

I have no problem with the players trying to get as much as they can. HOWEVER the players have to know that when that happens there are consequences. A guy getting a huge contract makes it harder to pay someone else. The need to pay McCourty made it impossible pay Vince. The Pats are a good team and good teams have good players

It also ignores the fact that continuity has a great effect on winning. Don't underestimate the effect of good coaching and systems. They add to a players stats and value on the open market. Ninko is a perfect example. He had 4 completely non-descript years in the league before coming to the Pats to compete for the long snappers job. Do you think it was a mere coincidence that after one solid year as a special teamer, Ninko has had 4 years as perhaps the most consistently productive DE in the league, entirely under the radar. Forget about the sacks. Think about the tackles, forced fumbles, recoveries, picks, etc. Think about how many snaps he's been on the field. Think about the dependability.

And lets not try and diminish the effect of WINNING. Guys like Ayers, Browner, and Cassillas all benefited greatly by being associated with a winning team.

Your point has merit, but its only half the story. The players get just over half the revenue to start with. Usually that's not a great business plan to have half your gross going to labor, especially when you think about the extremely high costs to operate these teams. Every year the Packer are forced to open their books to the public, and while every year they make millions of dollars, I'm always surprise how big the gross is and how small a percentage the net turns out to be.

The day the players start to invest something back into the team's capital operations, will be the day I'd think about expanding their percentage of the pie.

 

[Sicilian]

I'm confused by the idea that what Gilbert did for Revis is good for the players... It's good for Revis, that's absolutely true. But not only is there a salary cap, but there's a cash spending FLOOR, negotiated by the CBA. That means that teams, for the most part, HAVE to spend a certain amount of money, but can't go over a certain amount. So by Revis getting his guaranteed money, everyone else takes a little bit less on average. Again, good for Revis, but the cap and floor numbers are set by the CBA. Revis getting every dollar of the contract he signs doesn't raise those numbers for the playerbase as a whole.

 

[primetime]

Can't believe this is my first post after lurking for a while. Anyways, Sean Gilbert is a CANCER to football. I repeat CANCER. Money over winning. See, sports are ALL about winning from youth to professional. Period. Money is an ancillary benefit. It's one thing to advise a player to get as much money from a winning organization to a) get the most you can from them and b) have the best chance to be a champion or champion(s).

Gilbert will direct his players to money over winning. That would hurt most players, as well as the fans of good winning organizations. He is everything that's wrong. In this instance if he had said take 28 f/g instead of 39 f/g he'd be fine in my book. Or he drove the Pats up to 32 or so.

lol ok man hope you live this and your job is highly fulfilling and unfairly poorly paid

 

[primetime]

I'm confused by the idea that what Gilbert did for Revis is good for the players... It's good for Revis, that's absolutely true. But not only is there a salary cap, but there's a cash spending FLOOR, negotiated by the CBA. That means that teams, for the most part, HAVE to spend a certain amount of money, but can't go over a certain amount. So by Revis getting his guaranteed money, everyone else takes a little bit less on average. Again, good for Revis, but the cap and floor numbers are set by the CBA. Revis getting every dollar of the contract he signs doesn't raise those numbers for the playerbase as a whole.

Generally, getting more guaranteed money is generally a good thing for all players, because it sets the market value higher and the cap hit gets pushed into future years where the cap is expected to rise while the player is guaranteed to see that money. Guaranteed money is worth a lot more than non-guaranteed salary, especially salary in the last few years of the contract.

 

[Sicilian]

Generally, getting more guaranteed money is generally a good thing for all players, because it sets the market value higher and the cap hit gets pushed into future years where the cap is expected to rise while the player is guaranteed to see that money. Guaranteed money is worth a lot more than non-guaranteed salary, especially salary in the last few years of the contract.

But isn't that what the cash floor is supposed to protect the players from? The team has to spend 89% of the cap over every four year stretch, so that money is going to be paid to someone. What Gilbert did is guarantee it's going to Revis rather than being spread out among other players. It's not like if Revis didn't get that money it would just go back to the owners.

 

[Triumph]

Oh please.

It's a job. Just like any other job there are going to be some people (like, it appears, Brady) who are "all in". And there are others (probably outnumber the all-in'ers) who are just doing a job. They'll be professional, they'll work hard, but it's a job and they're there to be paid.

And most of the internet tough guys who criticize that kind of player are raging hypocrites because they'd never make the analogous sacrifices and lower pay to be a "true winner" in their own work lives.

The job is to go out and win a World Championship because youre part of a Team. Not be as greedy as possible.

Revis = Peyton Manning.

 

[primetime]

But isn't that what the cash floor is supposed to protect the players from? The team has to spend 89% of the cap over every four year stretch, so that money is going to be paid to someone. What Gilbert did is guarantee it's going to Revis rather than being spread out among other players. It's not like if Revis didn't get that money it would just go back to the owners.

To be fair, I think Gilbert's stumping to end the cap or at least raise it by several magnitudes. The cap is generally bad for the players for this reason - it's an artificial limit on what you're paying players across the league. Frankly, noting how much profit the owners make, I'd be okay with either raising the cap significantly or an NBA style cap which puts severe penalties on the owners (MLEs, escalating luxury tax) for stepping over the cap and pretty much stops your ability to after awhile but does allow it.

 

[Triumph]

First, if Gilbert becomes NFLPA director, he'll be negotiating with owners for the players' slice of the revenue pie. Gilbert would be expanding the cap.

Second, taking your point as gospel, it is also true that the amount of winning players can do is fixed. For every win a team like the Pats gets, there are that many fewer wins for every other team. Add all the wins and losses up league wide at the end of the year, the league as a whole is .500. So if players shouldn't try to get as much money as they can, why should they try to win as much as they can?

If Gilbert gets in as NFLPA President the NFL will be on a collision course for a lock out.

 

[everlong]

It's a great power play by Gilbert. If he becomes director of the NFLPA I think everybody better get ready for a lengthy strike some time in the future. I know the CBA goes through 2021 (I believe) but Revis had several years left on his first deal with the Jets too. I can see them walking out up to three year's early. I think Smith screwed up and got the players a lot less than they could have bargained for so don't get me wrong I'm not pro players or owners. I'm about Pro Football and sadly I see a prolonged walkout in all of our futures if Gilbert gets the nod.

 

[grux]

Generally, getting more guaranteed money is generally a good thing for all players, because it sets the market value higher and the cap hit gets pushed into future years where the cap is expected to rise while the player is guaranteed to see that money. Guaranteed money is worth a lot more than non-guaranteed salary, especially salary in the last few years of the contract.

The question I have is, are owners only going to offer more guaranteed money to elite players? What about average players?

 

[BradyManny]

The job is to go out and win a World Championship because youre part of a Team. Not be as greedy as possible.

Revis = Peyton Manning.

It's amazing just how silly it all is. So this Gilbert guy get to beat his chest over him getting 16M instead of 14M? Big whoop. Real estate, food, restaurants, clubs, everything costs 20% more in NYC. There goes 20% right off the top off that. Already you're under the equivalent to $12 mill elsewhere, even somewhere as expensive as Boston. There's a 40% tax rate on that extra $2 million, so .8 million of it is gone. State taxes (for the wealthy) in Jersey are 3.5% higher than in Massachusetts. And so on.

People say it's about money, or wanting more money. It's not really, it's more about the status that comes with being the highest paid at your position.

And again, don't get me wrong, for the vast majority of NFL players, the average guy who is in the league 3-5 years, destroying his body in the process - yes, go get paid as much as you can. Revis, he can do what he wants - which in this case was to go to New York City. I'm happy for him. All the chest beating over money is rather ironic and silly though.

 

[grux]

It's a great power play by Gilbert. If he becomes director of the NFLPA I think everybody better get ready for a lengthy strike some time in the future. I know the CBA goes through 2021 (I believe) but Revis had several years left on his first deal with the Jets too. I can see them walking out up to three year's early. I think Smith screwed up and got the players a lot less than they could have bargained for so don't get me wrong I'm not pro players or owners. I'm about Pro Football and sadly I see a prolonged walkout in all of our futures if Gilbert gets the nod.

I agree. Gilbert needs to understand that players like Revis are the exception not the rule. I don't see owners giving big guaranteed money to the average nfl player.