From yesterday's Peter King column in Sports Illustrated:
I think Lance Briggs should not be mad at the Chicago Bears. He should be mad at Gene Upshaw and the players' union. One of the big reasons management made this deal on free agency in '93 with the players is because they got the ability to franchise-tag an important player once a year and pay him the average of the top five players at his position.
Every year, two or three players go nuts about being franchised. This year it's Briggs. It's like I say every year when this happens: If players are mad about the franchise tag (and Briggs is, because he sees stiffs like Leonard Davis getting huge signing bonuses when he gets zero to sign and a salary of $7.8 million), then he should get active in the union and try to repeal it. Or he should take the six-year, $35-million deal he was offered by the Bears, with lots more guaranteed money, and just deal with it.
This system isn't perfect. It still pays the high first-round picks a stupid, insulting amount of money. And when owners have money to spend under the cap, they're sure to make lesser players than Briggs way too rich. But the system, in general, has been a good one for players and owners over the past 14 years.
NOTE: I don't agree with King but understand his point. The Briggs-disrespect argument would hold much more water if he said something before free agency opened. He was franchised and stayed quiet for a week until the big contracts all over the league started springing up. It is money and it has always been money. But I don't trade him for less than a first round pick. The guy is too good.
#2 jdawg said . . .I think everytime Lance opens his mouth, his trade value decreases. We can probably still get a mid to late first for him, but only if we act now before teams get too locked into their potential draft picks.
I don't think it does the Bears any good to call his bluff and let him sit out the entire year (or next year as someone suggested), because we need him or the talent we get in return for him on the field to continue our run.
I stated in my previous post that Lance is the 4th to 6th most valuable player on our defense...not exactly worth all this trouble. For what its worth, Brendon Ayen"dawalrus"bedejo would get 100+ tackles in this system next to Urlacher. Let's not get carried away and fall into the trap of overpaying a former 3rd rounder.
Who knows, that Jamaar Williams kid might already have the talent to move in and be a playmaker.
March 13, 2007
#3 Pissed off said . . .I'm a little surprised that Briggs would do something as retarded as turning the fans against him. I know Rosenhaus has a history of this, and maybe the fact that TO got a juicy contract from Dallas justifies this stuff (in terms of getting his clients the money). But the Bears aren't Philly and the McCaskeys arent exactly Jerry Jones when it comes to dead presidents.
BTW, how does the contract the Bears offered Briggs last year compare to Peterson's with the Seahawks?
March 13, 2007
#4 craig said . . .Im not sold on Ayenbadejo being a good linebacker, he's good in special teams, thats what we got him for, he's filled in before and he's not that great as a linebacker. I want to see Jamaar Willams, possibly Rod Wilson, maybe Leon Joe or lets draft a LB. I also think, if its possible, the Bears should come out and say they will franchise Briggs again next year, meaning Briggs wont play again next year, lets back him into a corner and see what he does next. Piss him off real good.
I also liked your post Jeff, the facts anyway, not so much your comments in brackets in the second paragraph about Briggs/Leonard Davis. The system was set up for this and now Briggs is all pissy about it. Do something then, it was the PLAYERS UNION who did it, not the OWNERS UNION or whatever.
March 13, 2007
#5 JB said . . .More from Peter King today:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/03/13/mmqbte/index.html?eref=si_nflMarch 13, 2007
#6 Pissed off said . . .PO, let me clarify my point so that it doesn't look like I'm advocating for Ayenbadejo to start...the system the Bears run and playing next to Urlacher would produce good stats for an average linebacker (my point for Ayenbadejo), and great stats for a good linebacker (like we have with Lance now).
If we trade Lance now, we can go TE, LB, OL in the draft with the 1st 3 picks and get instant contribution out of our need spots.
March 13, 2007
#7 Dave said . . .I kinda figured you werent advocating for BA (much easier to abbreviate) but next to Urlarcher I could appear to be a decent LB. Still I dont really want him on the field except for special teams unless we need him and the coaches think he'll be fine. That said I think we have some linbackers like Jamaar Williams (in particular, Rod Wilson and Leon Joe not in particular...) who could step up. Did I mention Briggs is a douche?
March 13, 2007
#8 Max said . . .I f Briggs were smart he'd sit out the year and slam the hell out of the Bears front office.
Nobody should be surprised the Mccaskeys have taken this route.
Hell, Halas himself would have treated his players like slaves and ran his team like a plantation if he could have gotten away with it.
March 14, 2007
#9 jdawg said . . .Ok, i realize this isnt going to happen, but I would sit his ass.
To hell with it, if he doesn't want to get paid, then let him sit on his ass for a year and let him go. Or let him sit and trade him before the deadline to someone who needs him.
It wont happen cause its not a good business mood, but everything he is saying just keeps pissing me off.
RASHIED
March 14, 2007
#10 Phil from SATX said . . .Yeah, it was interesting to see Lance assume the lotus position on SportCenter as he was rotating his feet in his mouth. I think I saw the same thing in Karate Kid 2.
March 14, 2007
#11 Pissed off said . . .Dave, you're totally wrong - if anything Briggs has done more positive for the Bears front office than they could have ever hoped for. Especially useful after the bad press generated by the Lovie negotiations. Bears fans are now 100% united against this guy - he's verbally trashing the franchise itself right now, and that's obviously unacceptable. You're right about Halas, you're wrong about that having anything to do with this.
The straw that will break his back was the unfortunate uttering of his true selfish heart: I don't want to play in the shadow of #54. It's okay for TJ to say these things, because running backs are used one at a time - when Benson played, TJ sat. But linebacking is a group position, and to want to get out of a group because there's someone who is more celebrated than you (because he's better, Lance, because he's better) is just selfish.
So talk your trash talk, Lance, reveal your bitter selfish soul, accomplish the unthinkable (aligning Bears fans with Bears management), sit out or don't sit out, you've effectively ended your reign as an unknown but beloved player here. Now that we know ye, we don't like ye!
March 14, 2007
#12 Midway Monster said . . .ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!
March 14, 2007
#13 Max said . . ....Briggs and the Bears are locked in a staredown...Angelo has said he has no plans to trade Briggs...
... Can I suit up? I'll play for $1M!
--Midway--
(rehab)
March 14, 2007
#14 WindyCityPackerFan said . . .Hell, I would pay to play for the Bears at this point. . .
March 14, 2007
#15 Max said . . .I'd like to take this opportunity to comment on all players who use the tactics that Lance Briggs is using now (see Javon Walker in 2006)
If you have a disagreement with management and money, I, as most other fans would say, have no problem with it. I've stated it before, if you were getting paid less than you thought you were worth at work, you would talk to the boss or find a new place of employment. BUT......
When you go public essentially saying that '7 million dollars for a one year contract is disrespectful,' SHUT THE F*CK UP! DO NOT, I EMPHASIZE, DO NOT TURN TO THE PUBLIC WITH THE DOLLAR FIGURES OF YOUR CONTRACT. WHO THE HELL CAN RELATE TO WHAT IT IS LIKE TO MAKE 7 MILLION DOLLARS FOR 16 SUNDAYS OF ACTION? IF YOU GET HURT....YOU STILL MAKE THE MONEY! MOST OF US WILL STRUGGLE TO COME CLOSE TO 7 MILLION IN A LIFETIME, LET ALONE IN THE TIME SPAN OF 6 MONTHS!
HEY LANCE, DON'T CRY TO ME THAT 7 MILLION DOLLARS IS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO PLAY A KIDS GAME (LET'S CALL IT WHAT IT IS).
Dude, sit out the entire season. Without the other 10 guys on the field, you are nothing. The Bears will still suit 11, with or without you. I have a feeling they will still be pretty good without you, Lance (don't tell the other Packer fans I just said that).
March 14, 2007
#16 Dave said . . .WindyCityPackerFan: Amen.
March 15, 2007
#17 Megan said . . .How Halas managed the finances of his team has alot to do with this. His philosophy was handed down to his offspring.
You really think Angelo has any say in this?What he can pay a player comes from Ole Virginia herself, and she ain't about to pay any player money they think they're worth.
March 15, 2007
#18 Max said . . .Mike McCaskey was not able to manage his way out of a paper bag, that is why we have a Jerry Angelo. We shall see how well he continues to do here pretty soon. I have to agree with WCPack re: Briggs. *sigh* Got any other goodies to share, Midway?
March 15, 2007
#19 Pissed off said . . .Kinda changing the subject but has anyone else noticed that the Packers are trying to get Randy Moss from the Raiders. . . is this is good or bad?? Like will having Favre throwing him the ball return him to his old glory days????
I gotta say this kinda makes me nervous almost. I just dont wanna see Randy Moss twice a year again. . . it brings back bad memories (and a couple good ones. . . Yeah Peanut)
RASHIED
March 15, 2007
#20 Al in WI said . . .Are you kidding me Max, Randy Moss doesnt scare anyone. He is so washed up and old, and just a shell of what he used to be. He hasnt been productive for 2 years so I'm not too worried, let the Pack pick up that cancer, he'll just bring them down. We have other recievers we should worry about seeing twice a year that are far superior to Moss at this point (Roy Williams, Donald Driver).
March 15, 2007
#21 Pissed off said . . .I agree with Po'd about Moss. The only thing about him that is still the same is that he is trash. He represents everything that is wrong with sports today, laziness, greed, thugishness, and a lack of loyalty. If the pack signs him, they will sell out a proud legacy.
If you pop in a tape or DVD of a Bears game from the 80's the thing that jumps off the screen at you in addition the fact that the games were better, and the tv crews were better, is that the game meant something to those players. It meant something to Mike Singletary, and Dan Hampton to be Chicago Bears.
While I won't put Briggs in the Moss catagory for a number of reasons, he's just another player more concerned with money than winning games.March 15, 2007
Thats just the way things are now, sports players are all young guys (and gals) who have lots of money and arent totally mature yet, they want to flaunt their shit, be thugs, and think they are better than everyone because they are loaded at such a young age. Sure there are some older guys like that in life but most 50+ year old millionaires or whatever worked hard their whole life to get where they're at. They're not thugs like the kids in sports and flaunt it all the time. They think they are invincible. Back when, players used to care about their teams and the games. I dont know if its society, how these kids are raised nowsdays or what it is but my gut tells me its the insane money that players make nowadays. Yeah Yeah, I understand inflation and whatnot but if you compare todays pro sports salaries to those of yesteryear, factoring in inflation and what money could buy then its still a ridiculously higher amount than before.
March 15, 2007
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