ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Jaguars WR Smith holds out for 'promised' deal
The Jacksonville Jaguars were hoping for a fresh start. Instead, they opened training
camp with a big problem. Five-time Pro Bowl selection Jimmy Smith was a holdout Thursday
when the Jaguars reported for camp. He feels he's underpaid and says the Jaguars haven't
made good on past promises to compensate him for what he is — the most productive
receiver in the NFL over the past five years. The promises Smith refers to are those he
says the Jaguars made when he repeatedly agreed to restructure his contract to help the
team deal with its salary-cap problems. In 1999, Smith signed a five-year contract
extension worth $19 million. Since then, he has extended his deal through 2006 in order to
help the Jaguars deal with the cap. He has gotten slight raises in those renegotiations
but still isn't among the 10 highest-paid receivers in the league. Smith has more catches
(479) and receiving yards (6,728) than any receiver in the league over the last five
seasons.
Buchsbaum: Jimmy Smith is holding out on the Jaguars and said the team promised him a
new deal after last year and didn’t deliver. I’m starting to get sick and tired
of every athlete who wants his contract redone when he doesn’t feel he is making fair
market value, always saying, when they hold out, that the team promised them a new deal.
If the team promised them a new deal, it would be put in writing somewhere. Why do all
these players, who always say they never trust a team, always accept their word and go
with it if they don’t trust the team? It just doesn’t make sense.
When is the last time an NFL team announced that a player said he would give back part
of his bonus if he wasn’t worth the money he was getting? I’ve never heard that
and have never seen a player give anything back to the team because of a failure to
produce. I just think this is a convenient excuse that most players use to try to
renegotiate without looking like the bad guy and to make the club look bad.
It would really help if the league created a rule that no promises could be made
verbally and that everything in a contract must be in writing. It also would help if
players were suspended by the league if they failed to honor their contracts. The team
always has to pay when the player falls flat on his face if the money is guaranteed. On
the other hand, why should the team have to pay more if the player exceeds expectations
before his contract is up? Most players want the big bonus money up front so it’s
guaranteed. And when they fail, and very often they do, the team is the one who has to eat
that bonus. So let’s make it a two-way street.
Negotiations heat up for first-round picks
Two first-round draft picks struck deals Thursday. Bengals first-round pick Levi Jones,
who was selected 10th overall, agreed to a five-year contract, and Raiders
first-round draft pick Phillip Buchanon agreed on a five-year contract worth as much as
$12.2 million if incentives are reached.
Buchsbaum: Starting to sign first-round picks who came in the middle of the round is
going to be a tremendous help setting parameters for the other first-round picks. Up until
recently, what you had were the first three picks and then basically almost nothing was
done until you got into the late teens and early 20s. Now at least there will be
parameters for picks No. 13 through the late teens, and players like Giants TE Jeremy
Shockey should be signed within a day or two. Most agents just won’t make deals until
a round starts to fall into place because their biggest concern is not what’s best
for the player but rather what’s best for themselves. What’s best for themselves
generally entails making sure no player selected after their player gets a deal that
could, in any way, be construed as being financially better than the deal they got for
their player.
Redskins lose third-round pick Russell for season
Redskins WR Cliff Russell, the team’s third-round draft selection, will miss his
entire rookie season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during
a Thursday morning practice. Russell injured the knee while running a pass pattern, when
his knee buckled under him. The 87the overall selection is expected to have surgery in
about two weeks before being placed on injured reserve.
Buchsbaum: The Redskins suffered a blow when Cliff Russell, a third-round pick that
they were counting on to contribute as either a third or fourth wide receiver, tore his
ACL in practice in a non-contact drill. Russell had rare, rare speed, and Spurrier loved
the idea of using him with Jacquez Green to spread the field. Russell also had tremendous
workout numbers. It’s very interesting to note that a number of athletes who put up
incredible workout numbers wind up tearing muscles while performing non-contact drills.
Bucs add veteran OT Brown
The Buccaneers added a wealth of experience to their offensive line late Thursday when
they agreed to terms with OT Lomas Brown on a one-year contract. A 17-year veteran and
seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Brown spent the last two seasons with the New York Giants.
The 1985 first-round draft pick out of the University of Florida played his first 11
seasons with the Detroit Lions before three years with the Arizona Cardinals and one with
the Cleveland Browns. He has started 251 of 252 NFL games.
Buchsbaum: Picking up Lomas Brown at basically the veteran’s minimum was a very
smart move by the Bucs. Yes, Brown is close to 40 and looked almost washed up at the end
of last year with the Giants, but he is a superb technician with an excellent work ethic
who could be a very positive influence on the Bucs’ young tackle, Kenyatta Walker
from Florida, who really needs some guidance. He also can serve as basically a second
offensive line coach for the young blockers the Bucs will be using more and more of this
year and may also help one of their free-agent acquisitions, Roman Oben, who never really
has matured although he is about 30 years old. However, the bottom line is, to make the
team, Brown must show he can contribute to some degree as an offensive lineman because he
is not going to be of any use on special teams. And he must contribute in two ways,
meaning in the clubhouse and, if needed, on the field. And I think, although he played
poorly at the end of last year, he can still be a pretty good third or fourth tackle in
the NFL if he doesn’t have to play for long stretches of time.
Falcons lose DE Dronett to shoulder injury
The Falcons lost a seasoned veteran before even stepping on the field for a
training-camp practice. Ten-year veteran DE Shane Dronett, who had surgery on his shoulder
earlier this spring, aggravated the injury while lifting weights and is expected to
undergo surgery. With the recovery time for the surgery expected to be at least four
months, Dronett will likely be placed on injured reserve and subsequently miss the entire
season.
Buchsbaum: Dronett has had a number of injuries and is over 30, but he would have been
a good fit in Wade Phillips’ new 3-4 defense because he can two-gap and is a widebody
with good strength. |
