Looking for Mr. Right (and Tall)
Posted: July 16th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 116 Comments »“Big people beat up little people.”
That might be Chip Kelly’s most famous line. Andy Reid liked some big players, but he was more interested in speed an athleticism. Kelly loves size, especially with his defensive linemen. Think about some of the guys he’s had come though Philly.
- Clifton Geathers – 6-7, 299 – 37 3/4 arms, 11 1/8 hands
- Joe Kruger – 6-6, 269 – 34 3/8 arms, 10-inch hands
- Isaac Remington – 6-6, 298
- David King – 6-5, 286
- Daryell Walker – 6-6, 285
- Brandon Bair – 6-6, 276, 33-inch arms, 10 3/8 hands
- Taylor Hart – 6-6, 281, 32 3/4 arms, 10 1/8 hands
- Alejandro Villanueva – 6-9, 277
- Frank Mays – 6-9, 291
- Brian Mihalik – 6-9, 302
- Travis Raciti – 6-5, 285
- BJ McBryde – 6-5, 304
Those are some big human beings.
Kelly isn’t being frivolous in his pursuit of big DEs. He wants them for a reason. That build helps the player be a successful 2-gap DE. Long arms are crucial to 2-gapping. Kelly likes to say that “long levers are strong levers”. When a DE extends his arms into the blocker, he keeps that guy off his body. Then the DE has to see the ball, shed the block and move in the direction of the ball. If the OL gets into the DE’s body, that changes everything.
The big frame helps the DE to keep from getting engulfed by the blocker. Jon Runyan is just going to overwhelm Brandon Graham if they go against each other (how’s that for Michigan on Michigan). If Runyan faces someone that is 6-6, 280, that is a very different battle.
You can tell by looking at the above list that finding big players that are good isn’t easy. The vast majority of high school and college teams aren’t going to use a 2-gap 3-4 scheme. Players just aren’t going to have a ton of experience with that when they get to the NFL. It takes time for them to learn how to 2-gap, let alone how to get good at it.
Think about a guy like Taylor Hart who did play in this scheme in college. He came to the Eagles at 281 pounds and struggled to handle NFL competition. Hart is now reportedly up to over 300 pounds and should be more physically ready for the NFL. This is a huge year for him. Joe Kruger was on a similar path, but didn’t show any real progress in his second season and was cut that summer. Hart is older and more mature so I tend to think he’ll pan out better than that, but whether he ever becomes a starting level player is anybody’s guess.
You can see Hart’s potential as an athletic playmaker in this video.
The key for him is to be able to effectively 2-gap and play the run consistently well.
Mihalik has the potential to be a good DE. I wrote a post on him with some gifs that show his physical ability. I think Travis Raciti has a chance to develop into at least a backup DE.
Kelly is going to keep bringing in big guys until he finds 2 or 3 that he likes. The starting DEs are set, but there is a need for backups and players to develop for the future. Hart, Mihalik and Raciti could be those guys. Maybe BJ McBryde shines in this scheme. He did flash at UConn when watching tape of him. I’m sure the Eagles would love Frank Mays to take a big step forward because of his size. He is massive.
Kelly now needs some of these young, talented players to turn that potential into reality this summer. If not, he’ll be looking at a new set of big guys next offseason.
* * * * *
Always entertaining.
Most overrated thing in sports: The Cowboys' offensive line.
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) July 15, 2015
Needless to say, Dallas fans don’t agree. And they let Jimmy know it. Funny stuff.
_
Don’t like the Dez contract, to be honest. A short term (~ 3 years) deal would have been fine (salary cap is going up), a long term deal (6-7 years) would have been fine because imo Dez is still somehow a time bomb that could explode some day.
Jerry got the best of two worlds. 3 years, huge guar. money, but he probably won’t cut him next year or the year after that any way. After that, the salary is unguar. Basically a team option for two years. That’s huge for a player like Dez and an increasing cap, imo. In year 4, Dez doesn’t have the leverage to holdout.
I get why Dez took the contract (25m to have on your bank account next week…), but imo, it’s a very team friendly structure. The second one in a row after Smith. I hate to say it, but Jerry is learning how to manage the cap, it seems. We can be glad the Romo contract is still there…
Now of course, in Dallas, there’s always the chance of a restructuring, which would put dead money at the end of the contract. I would applaud that. But as it stands right now, that’s a good contract for the Cowboys imo. And I don’t like that.
Why doesn’t he have leverage to hold out in year 4?
If salary cap really jumps up as much as people are projecting then he will quickly find himself being paid less than a lot of other guys. Is he going to have more at stake?
Because he’s actually under contract at that point, so rather than just missing possible game checks once the regular season starts he could be fined quite a bit of money under the new CBA.
If you’re under contract for two more years, you’re leverage isn’t very good. The team controls the contract at that point.
He can hold out, of course. But it’s not the same as this year with the tag. Year 5 is another story, with a FA coming up (or at least the tag…), there is more leverage.
I actually read this was a terrible year for him to hold out, b/c the franchise tag then I think next year’s would be based on this year’s salary. So if he sat out 2 games, he’d lose $$$ but also decrease his salary next year. The article asserted he should have done this last year.
so who knows. The article is on overthecap.com if anyone is interested.
Well put, and I agree. Starting to wonder if we’ve seen the last of that Cowboy’s front office of the past decade we all grew to love.
I agree this does scare me too. I was disappointed when I read the details. I really, really like Dez as a game breaker.
I do wonder though if Chip would pay any WR $14M or so. I don’t think that is his plan. Granted, elite talent is elite talent so watching what he did with Maclin is not necessarily controlling over what he would do with Dez. But I think his game plan (if elite WR does not fall into his lap) is to build the team with lots of 1a WR’s and kill you with optionality.
Ya know, I still want to see how much of a “game breaker” Dez remains now that the boys feel they can run as effectively with their new RB reality as they did last year. We will truly see how much of the run game was their “all world” OL and how much of it was our new RB. If the run game stalls and Romo and Dez are called upon – well, we’ll see.
Dee’s numbers will go back to being crazy and cowboys will go back to losing b/c they ask romo to do too much. dez is a beast.
Yeah, I have to agree with anon, in that Dez is a top tier receiver and will get his numbers regardless, however I also feel the cowboys will be more one dimensional this coming season without any semblance of a functional running game.
The boys will not be winning anything except games they are expected to win, and maybe they lose games they were supposed to win as well.
I feel they go 9-7 and finish second, behind the greatest team in the NFL.
Go Eagles !!!
right maybe with stiffs at RB we can now afford to give the CB on Dez a little help.
too soon?
Not too soon at all. Even if BMax is the next coming of Revis Christ I would still have a safety shadow Dez’s side of the field every play just in case. I feel whoever wins the #2 CB job can cover the vastly overrated Terrance Williams and Boykin, at least for this year, can cover Cole Beasley in the slot. That leaves Dallas either riding Romo’s back, which I hope they do so it exposes him to some hits, or try to run the ball with the always washed up DMC and Joseph Randle and I don’t see them getting the job done.
taking away Murray from Dallas and adding Kiko to our side, their running game against us should be putrid allowing us to not leave Dez on an island.
Yes sir my point exactly. The Kiko acquisition may turn out to be the best move of the offseason. If he comes back at full strength he will be the every down ILB/MLB and with the ground he can cover I think we will see many off those 3rd and longs that teams would just throw a short route across the middle against the Eagles that would always go for 1st be cut down substantially.
Dallas may be getting smart, but their franchise QB is on his last legs. Once he’s gone, they’ll be in a world of hurt like everyone else that doesn’t have one.
Very true, and I would take that a step further if Dez gets injured as well.
Can you just imagine Weedon trying to win games without Dez?
Your talking Street, Williams and Beasley.
Now that would be a fun game to watch.
It’s weird, I just heard a guy on talk radio say that Dallas was a Superbowl contender, both last year and this year. They really weren’t much better than us with a backup QB and bad O-line last year. I guess they had/have a puncher’s chance like Eli and his two runs.
Dallas had to cheat vs. Detroit to even win a playoff game last year, so I agree it’s weird to call Dallas a Superbowl contender.
“they’ll be in a world of hurt like everyone else that doesn’t have one.”
Not saying everything is great in Philly, but, well, it’s 20-12 for CK with Vick/Foles/Sanchez/Barkley.
I’d agree that Dallas will be in a world of hurts with no franchise QB and Jason Garrett as HC, but they could either draft well or they could find a special coach who can at least win in the reg season without a Franchise QB.
I sure hope not, though.
I don’t know how “set” the Eagles are at DE considering neither guy is signed long term. I won’t shed tears if Ced Thorton is gone after the year because Taylor Hart flat out won the job, but Fletcher Cox need his contractual situation settled for me to have any faith that he’ll be here long term. I know he’s not going to be able to leave for a few more year if we make him play 2016 under the option and a franchise tag in 2017, but I’d prefer an announcement in the next day or two that he’s been signed to a new deal covering 2016-2021.
Hart won’t flat out take the job from Ced. It would be more he sees 300-400 snaps and performs well, and the Eagles choose two more very cheap, cost controlled years of Hart vs paying Ced $5-7mil per year.
Also Cox isn’t going to get a new deal right until next offseason at the earliest. There is no reason for either party to do so right now. Any deal that made sense from a financial standpoint for the Eagles, would not make sense for Cox to sign. He’s essentially on a two year $11mil deal right now. That’s what you pay for a Ced Thorton type in FA.
So Cox has a relative amount of financial security, enough to make waiting until closer to actually becoming a FA to even consider taking an offer from the team.
I don’t disagree with any point you made, but until I see guys under long term deals (i.e. complete surety) I’m not going to say things are “set” long term.
well in the long run only one thing is certain.
2 if you quote Ben Franklin. We need to keep it Philly at all times man.
I’m not a huge fan of the “big people beat up small people” theme and the triumphal condemnations of Reid’s philosophy.
The thing is, _everyone_ wants good big guys. So you are thrusting yourself right into competing with everyone else. It’s kind of like going out to the freeway at rush hour. You’re going to get stuck in gridlock.
Andy’s idea, I feel, was exploiting a market inefficiency. The undersized guys that other teams shied away from because of size, but who were very talented. It stands to reason that you are going to have a better shot at getting gems that way because fewer people will accept them.
When it comes down to it, it’s not about size but ability. If Chip manages to build a team full of tall stiffs, is that really a good thing? Maybe they’ll look good coming off the plane but not so good when smaller, better players are kicking their a$$.
Hopefully, Chip will manage to acquire a lot of big–good–players.
That is where your money needs to be well spent on scouts and position group coaches who can teach. There is an unlimited amount of money the team is allowed to spend on getting the best guys in place to to those jobs; so beat that market by outspending it.
I think Chip loves Big guys as he has said so on many occasions, however he’s a smart coach and knows if your going to settle for a smaller player, said player should play like he is six inches taller and 30 pounds heavier.
Chip will make and has made concessions based on talent level IMO.
The problem with Reid was the frequency with which he made exceptions to size preferences.
On the flip side, I think the eventually knock on Kelly is the stubbornness with which he sticks to his size preferences. Especially if Kendricks or Boykin are dropped only because of that.
“when” Kendricks and Boykin are dropped. They’re both gone if you look at the roster moves made in those position groups (ILB / CB) over the past year.
Chip seem like a coach who will look to upgrade any and every position if a deal presents itself, as it did with Kiko.
I don’t think it’s a knock on Kendricks or Boykin for that matter as they are still Eagles.
We will see once the rosters are cut down to 53, but I think Chip meant what he said when he said he wanted quality depth at both LB’er positions and I feel more confident than most that those two players you mentioned will be Eagles after the roster is cut down.
Maybe the moves hurt Najee’s chances or perhaps Watkins and/or several other players at those two poisitions, just not Kendricks or Boykin.
I think knows they are studs, like most of us would agree.
“The vast majority of high school and college teams aren’t going to use a 2-gap 3-4 scheme. Players just aren’t going to have a ton of experience with that when they get to the NFL.”
Completely disagree with your market inefficiency theory, especially as it relates to 2-gap, 3-4 scheme and DEs. Unless a player played in that scheme, it’s pure projection regardless of size and ability, so if you have to project, why not project with players that have the measurables you covet?
There are always exceptions, and I don’t think Chip flippantly eliminates players purely for measurables, but they need to possess superlative traits should they fall out of the desired range. Didn’t keep Chip from acquiring Darren Sproles, Jason Kelce is small for his position, but intelligent, athletic, driven, and a leader – how many teams had Bennie Logan slotted as a NT? How many tall stiffs were on the Eagles 53 man roster last season?
Chip has a well-designed plan to win multiple SBs with Philadelphia.
Dayym Stang !!! And here I thought I was the only fan that felt this way. SUPERBOWL OR BUST !!!!! IN CHIP WE TRUST !!!
Speaking of big people beat up little people; the key data point from the Aaron Kromer case came out. The kid he punched in the face was 5’8″ – 140lbs. Kromer can be fired and shunned from the league for a good long while. I wouldn’t have been worked up if he decked some overly indulged 17 year old with some size to him, but punching a midget in his face is really unmanly.
Punching people in general is unmanly.
Depends on relative size.
Nope.
Depends on if you’re a professional fighter or not. If you’re not, punching a person is cowardly goonery.
So is stealing. If somebody is taking my property and of relatively old enough age / large enough size; good luck convicting me if I rough them up.
What Kromer did was wrong due to the size (and probably age) of the kid in question.
You wouldn’t get convinced for pilfering the nation’s 401k plans either, but that doesn’t make it “manly”.
If I were on a jury with one of those banking thieves on it; they’d be convicted.
And I’m not saying it is generally ok to go around punching people over nonsense like roadway disputes or cutting into a line at a store; I’m talking about dealing with thieves and/or people who show up in Philadelphia stadiums wearing visiting team gear.
There are probably a few hypothetical situations where grown men fighting is acceptable (fewer that don’t involve Cowboy fans).
Can’t say I’ve ever experienced one.
Can’t say that the use of “manly” regarding any form form of fighting is something that men should be proud of.
I thought Jason Peters was quite manly when he beat the balls off of that human piece of shit Chris Baker last year after the cheap shot on Foles.
Sure, he’s doing his job.
That’s admirable.
he was manly before that happened though
how old was Kromer’s son that was there? nice teaching moment for Kromer. Also, Kromer was drunk right? that’s going to come out, that he was drinking. Or he just normally goes back for his chairs at midnight.
His son is 21 I believe. I just can’t see any justification for a 6’4″ guy to punch a 140 lb kid, so I think Kromer needs to be gone. If the victim was bigger and/or an adult; I’d not have a problem with it.
how old was the kid? not that it matters much but if he is 14 it’s even more wrong.
I still predict he was drunk.
and I agree he’s going to get fired.
They haven’t released the age yet, so my guess is 16 or 17 because releasing the extremely small size of the victim is very damning of Kromer. If the victim was 13 or 14 they would have released it I’m sure.
Exactly, teachable moment. Kromer should have made his son punch the kid in the face…oh wait, no, not that.
ok but how old is he?
Even if 17, that’s a small dude. No age yet.
I agree with everything you said, but if the individual is a cowboys fan, does that count?
Yes, if still that small and not of age. You can’t be striking 5’8″ 140 people who are underage if you’re that much larger.
Now if they’re a mouthy New Yorker in an Eli jersey…………
Hahahaha…now your talking !!!
Good read Tommy. Always a pleasure to get your take on anything Eagles.
Also, I was surprised how fast Hart plays.
It forced me to check his ranking for DE’s coming out of College.
.According to nfldraftscout.com, he ranked 11 out of 162. and he ran a 4.85. 40.
That is lightning speed for 6’6 281lbs. Wow,
I hope he does get more earned playing time.
Would love to see him ragdolling romo.
I think Hart did the right things over the last year in terms of adding a functional level of bulk for his height. I’m really looking forward to seeing him on the field.
Funny that in construction that the longer the lever the weak it is
That comment seemed wrong to me, too. They’re probably referring more to leverage than pure force/strength, but I don’t really get it.
Think he kinda explained it by the use of the longer arms keeping the opposition farther from the body, so as to not be easily manipulated(thrown to one side or the other), in turn being able to then be at an advantage with whatever needs to be done.
Yeah, I was trying to wrap my head around that and then thought -“I guess I had bad information about levers”.
You did. 😉
Your confusing science with #sportsscience
Not science at all, actually.
So are you telling me that the length of a column or beam has no say what so ever in its strength?
There is strength of the lever and then how much leverage it can give.
Longer lever = more leverage. True in physics, goes back to Archimedes: “Give me a big enough lever and I can move the universe”.
Now in construction, a longer lever may break. But you can move things with a 2′ lever that you can’t with a 1′. If it breaks, you need a stronger one, not a shorter.
Unless that 1′ lever moving activates the hyperdrive, then you can move stuff in 12 parsecs.
I read Anders comment as referring to architecture and construction. The longer you extend a support out into space, as in a balcony, the weaker it becomes. In fact, you are saying the same thing, though. You are using the longer lever to increase your ability to move something, Anders is trying to resist the the forces the longer lever creates to prevent the balcony from moving.
Right, the reason a longer support is weaker is exactly because a longer lever exerts more force.
To respond to the first part, that longer lever = more leverage the further it gets from the fulcrum. In this case, the shoulder is the fulcrum, and there’s nothing on the other side that a longer one would give you an advantage at.
“But you can move things with a 2′ lever that you can’t with a 1′.”
I think you nailed it there, though.
My point was that if you have two equally strong levers, the longer one can carry less load.
It is true that a longer lever can move heavier things.
But here is Kelly’s quote: “long levers are strong levers”
That is factual wrong as the strength of a beam or column is a function of its length.
Fair enough, seems like we are on the same page. Is it time for football yet?
After the response Jimmy got from Cowboy fans from putting out his now annual dumpster-fire series about our NFCE brethren, he posted a stick figure on twitter of a front running Cowboy fan (pretty hilarious). It got me thinking though, IF Chip somehow ends up being the next Belicheck, and we end up winning multiple super bowls in the next few years, how would you feel about the bandwagon fans that would surely come along with it? Do you think it would be cool to have national Eagle fans, even if they’re front runners? Do you think Cowboy fans from Dallas are embarrassed about their bandwagon fans?
There’s a particular type of loathsome to the Cowboys bandwagon.
They pretend like they’re football fans when they just like to look at pictures of winners. Like some sad sack in a Springsteen song.
People who pick up a winning club are generally casual fans and don’t bother anyone.
I think the long term Cowboys fans are actually worse than the bandwagoners. One of my best friends is a Cowboys guy for life, and he still clings to those 90’s championships while lording the Eagles lack of super bowls over my head.
It’s pretty infuriating since I can never persuade him he’s living in the past and the Cowboys haven’t been shit in 20 years.
What’s so funny about this it that all Yankees, Cowboys, and Heat fans are truly insufferable.
I hate to keep beating the Mychal Kendricks drum but here’s another post by Sheil highlighting what he brings to the table:
http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2015/07/14/all-22-deploying-mychal-kendricks/#more-2983864
Dude really had an outstanding season last year, maybe not quite pro bowl yet but he’s on his way if he keeps it up. I just can’t fathom how his “injury history” could be a problem when we’ve got Meco coming off an achilles and Kiko Alonso missing a whole season to an ACL. There’s just cognitive dissonance there for me. Hopefully the injury thing or him being on the trading block is more of a media creation rather than what Chip really thinks, because I think Kendricks is blossoming into a legit star.
He’s not signed. Until he is, I’m not convinced he’s here beyond this year. Especially because of a trade for Kiko, additional money for Meco, and a draft pick of Hicks.
Yeah and that aggravates me. I’ve been a Kendricks fan since he got here. He had some growing pains but I always knew he had star potential in him, and last year he played better than people give him credit for.
And add in the whole business where Chip flamed him over taking too long with his injury recovery last year.
I’m really hoping it’s a 3-man rotation moving forward. Ryans is old and we don’t know how he’s going to look – but I see him as a player-coach. Kiko/Kendricks combo could be deadly.
That’s a lot of money in that possession potentially after the next few years.
Will Ryans really be in here 2 years, or after this year when…
they win the superbowl? 🙂
Kendricks has to get paid after this year. Meco still is getting paid too much this year and next year. Kiko can still be paid turd wages for 2016 and 2017 and Hicks can make it until 2018 under the same umbrella.
In theory they could sign Kendricks again after this season and slide Meco out the door, but it still seems far fetched that they’ll sign Kendricks for a huge long term team that another team would give him.
What extra money for Meco? Its only about 600k more if he actually makes the roster
http://overthecap.com/player/demeco-ryans/741/
It pushed guaranteed money into the mix and leaves us liable for some dead money vs. just cutting him in February as I would have preferred.
If you look at the first Washington GIF, it looks like the play was actually designed to get Graham one on one with the LG. Who gets stonewalled, while Kendricks beats one of the better LTs on his own. Innttteeerrressstttingg.
And is it just me, or does RG3 always take the maximum possible hit on every play? The dude is just a ragdoll out there.
He totally sucks! Nice trade Washington!
The anti Gretzky.
Am I on crack if I’m Seattle and I look at Wilson as worth (after I’m done stealing from him this year on that joke contract) 7 years / $161 million as the new offer? That would put him at $23 mil / season average, so I’d like to engineer that cap hits as follows if at all possible:
2016 – 14
2017 – 17
2018 -20
2019 -23
2020 -26
2021 – 29
2022 – 32
but what’s the guarantee says his agent.
$65 million of it. And paid a total of $79 million in the first 3 years of the deal.
wilson’s not that good.
I’ll disagree with you. I’m a fan.
Wilson is good but in no way is he worth that money at all. He is a borderline top 10 QB that doesn’t deserve to be paid like the #1 QB in the NFL
Here’s the issue with Wilson; terrible QB Scam Newton just got paid $20 million / year. Here’s the other issue; the cap is up $25 million from when Rodgers got $22 mil / year. And Wilson won’t stay #1 for long because Luck’s deal will come in at around $25.
The whole deal got jammed up once Newton got $20 mil / year. Wilson at $23 mil / year isn’t that bad when guys like Scam get $20.
Agreed on that point Mike. The Panthers really murdered the market with that deal. Luck’s contract will absolutely murder the Colts’ cap space and kill every other team that has or acquires a great up and coming QB.
maybe smart to screw a division rival.
Huh? What are you talking about friend?
Conference rival. Cam’s salary clearly put SEA in a bad place considering they have more talent generally to pay for than CAR and RW is going to want more than “SCAM”. Giving Scam a Dalton-like contract probably helps SEA.
If SEA can’t replace Lynch, how good can they be?
Turbin and Michael are stylistically very similar players to Lynch. Neither one is as good as him, but combined they could probably put up similar numbers.
But here is the thing with the cap; it isn’t slowing down in growth in any substantial way anytime soon. $121 became $133 became $143 for 2015.
What’s to stop it from going to $153 next year and $163 for 2017 and $175 possibly by 2018.
A QB making $25 mil / year is a lot easier to swallow in 2018.
So much for sharing running qbs. He really is helped by the run game and defense. He isn’t worth that much money.
Wilson isn’t a “running QB” in the vein of low IQ guys like Scam Newton, Kaepertrash, RGMe, and Johnny Streetball. Wilson brings a cerebral nature to his decision making that keeps him far outside of that classification in how I look at QBs.
I think he gets more.
I think there is no chance they agree 7 years for sure. Think he is looking for $25+mil and a 4-5 years so he can come around again for another contract.
Think he is going to play his deal out this year and then get tagged 2x times personally. His agent is a baseball guy and understands the value of getting to free agency in 2-3 years time when the cap will be where it is.
More guaranteed.
As an addition to the deal; I’d make the signing bonus $35 million and guarantee the left over $ 7 mil in 2016, $10 mil in 2017, and part of $13 mil in 2018 for a grand total of $65 mil guaranteed.
The leverage franchise QB’s have in contract negotiations these days is ridiculous.
You need one.
That’s the thing, it doesn’t even matter if you’re the best… you could be the 7th best QB in the league but when it’s contract time you can say pony up the biggest contract ever or I walk and what choice does the team have… And it’s getting more ridiculous. Compared to other QB contracts Wilson does not deserve that money… But Seattle has to pay or they end up with like Charlie Whitehurst or some shit.
You could be the 15th best and do the same. The risk of not finding a new competent QB is so great that you;ll over pay for Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, and Ryan Tannehill in a heart beat.
Yeah it’s pretty out of control. You’re locking yourself in to huge money with guys who are never gonna carry you to a championship.
I hope we don’t end up in the same situation with Bradford.
Agree. I think the true question however is Wilson really a franchise QB? Put Wilson on a team that isn’t stacked at D and doesn’t have Lynch and I think the results are totally different.
Make a list of franchise QBs and Wilson definitely ranks at the bottom. Some may say he doesn’t belong on that list.
Giving him a mega contract will really hurt that team. So much money is already invested in the secondary and Graham that they won’t be really able to hand out good contracts to other deserving players.
If you look at other championship caliber teams it’s due mostly because of the elite QB. Wilson is not elite. The reason Seattle is as successful as they are is due to great team play. Not Wilson.
I can say again what i said below; piece of human garbage terrible passer Scam Newton just signed a deal for $20 mil / year. That makes Wilson worth significantly more.
While I agree that Newton is not worth what he’s being paid and is highly overrated in general, I can’t agree that using his contract is a good way of setting values for your own team. I see it as akin to going to bankruptcy court, talking to a petitioner, asking them how much they paid for everything, and using that as a floor for how you should spend your money. I don’t think Newton will ever win a SB, and especially not for that team. Similarly, if you base Wilson’s contract on relative value to Newton’s, I think you’ve seen the last SB Wilson will appear in, barring some greater than NYG level luck. It’s one thing to acknowledge that markets set prices, but it’s another thing to say that price is the same thing as value (outside perhaps the collectibles market).
Wilson will probably (and probably is) making that argument. But I think it’s pretty clear Carroll isn’t falling for it. This is where “the rubber meets the road” in high stakes negotiations. Will be interesting to see how highly Carroll values Wilson in the context of the cap distribution for the whole team. And whether he values him correctly (which will only be known in hindsight).
So Cam Heyward, overcoming poor birth location in Pittsburgh and ever worse college living in Columbus, Ohio, has just signed a 6 year / $59 mil contract with the Steelers.
What does that make Fletcher Cox worth? I’d guess 6 years / $72 million, but as D3/Tyler pointed out on Twitter last night Mr. Wilkerson (from a college program from whom people can actually cheer!) is going to set the market for the non-JJ Watt type guys.
Should be interesting.
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