You Knew This Was Coming...

Players like Crabtree being an arrogant SOB ruin a franchise. You may think you deserved to go higher, but the bottom line is you didn’t.

You want a bigger paycheck? Go out and earn it.

Plus…isn’t this guy a nutcake?

That’s exactly what I thought when I read the article. I don’t know anything about NFL salaries, though. Craziness.

That said, he is just asking to have some awful, career-ending injury in this next year.

It’s a ground-breaking, if intellectually bankrupt, concept.

I don’t understand where some of these guys come from. They say they are the next great player but want all the money up front. If you think you’re the next Jerry Rice and that you’ll be catching 1,500 yards a season for the next 10 years then take your absolutely rediculous rookie paycheck, get through the first couple years, then hold up your 30-TD stat sheet and ask for a raise.

I hate seeing how much power the agents have in situations like this. JaMarcus Russel screwed up a very important part of his career playing these games and his agent deserves the blame. It’s hard for me to imagine a 22 year old kid saying “What, only 22 million?! No way will I do my favorite thing in the world (play football) for such low pay!” Yet ever year some agent gets a kid to say exactly that.

Until they finally put a NBA-like scale in place I hope some teams just wave goodbye to these kids and let them swing in the wind for a while. Sure it would be great to have Crabtree there for the preseason but not if it hamstrings the team for the future. Let him sit at home and watch on TV while everyone else plays and if he still won’t sign when the real thing starts then wish him the best of luck in the next draft. If he can stay in shape without actually playing for anyone or working out for anyone during that year because they still own him via the draft, even without a contract in place…

I’m as big a fan as anyone but I have little sympathy for a greedy, egotistical kid and none for the agents who milk these things. I’d send Crabtree a DVD of Brandon Roy with a simple note: “Take the money, do your job, show that you deserve it, and you’ll get paid.”

how can a guy get picked in the draft then decide to withdraw for a year and enter next year’s draft? If that happens, are the 49ers screwed out of a draft pick? Seems absurd…

In their “Sign of the Apocolypse” box. You know, in the front of the magazine.

If there are rookie salary slots, then he should follow them. If he’s more like a free-agent, where you can sign at any amount, and the slots are only guidelines, then I guess he can make that threat if he wants.
But either way, this will give other teams pause in the future when he’s a free agent – do they want to deal with this headache? Do they want a guy who is only playing for a big contract later? That doesn’t indicate that he will embrace the team concept, as he will want to pad his stats. I mean, if you are willing to sit out a whole season, clearly your team will never be the top priority in your life.
I enjoy his chautzpah, but only because it’s entertaining. I can only hope for more outrageous arguments in the future.

Smart to get as much moolah as you can, even if you are a rookie. I say that as a 49er fan.

Now where’s my white wine and brie…?

 … Just because fans and media – very few of whom watch even a smidgen of tape, have access to team scouting reports or even comprehend the game of football all that well – were more excited about Crabtree means absolutely nothing.

A point I’ve tried to make on numerous occasions here at BE. Comprehending the game of basketball and watching games or pouring over stats does not an expert evaluator of talent make.