Pure bullshit.
Three-for-twenty-seven, huh? Nine mil per? For Tom Brady. THE Tom Brady?
That's easily HALF the going-rate for top-tier QB's in this league, and I don't give a shit if you say "but he'll be FORTY" by end of the contract.
So what? 40 is the new 30 in this NFL, where star players are tacitly permitted to gobble HGH under-the-radar in order to return to the field in medically impossible time frames.
Playing QB is getting easier in this league, and Tom Brady doesn't exactly take a pounding back there. Aside from a rebuilt knee (which doesn't seem to give him any problems) and a cranky shoulder at times, he's in near mint condition.
His "software" for playing the position, and the game, is in the top 1% of the 1% to ever play.
He'll be fucking GREAT at 40. Watch. Bet me.
And he won't be playing for a piddling $9 million, when by that time QB salaries could start tickling $30 million a year.
Of course he won't. This deal will be ripped up, re-worked or somehow "wink-winked" as part of a future "Personal Services" deal with the team.
To which you might be saying: "Yeah, so what, Czabe?'
So what? So fucking what?
My team, the Redskins, tried to do something SMART last off-season too, by bulldozing a bunch of awful free-agent salary cap money into the burial pit of the "un-capped" year. And we got HAMMERED for it by this lawless league, and the commish!!!
Where is the NFL now, to come in and say... "Whoa... hold on! We know Brady wants to retire a Patriot. We know his wife makes a lot of money too. We know he wants to give the team cap room to sign an elite deep threat WR like Greg Jennings. But... uh uh. No sir. You can't give the team a fake 50% discount on future years, JUST TO CIRCUMVENT THE SALARY CAP!"
Where are you, Goodell? Oh, that's right. Sitting in Bob Kraft's fucking lap. Never mind.
The NFL and the owners are amazing in how they now try to shame and leverage the BEST PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE, their star faces, the QUARTERBACKS, into taking LESS MONEY for the mythical "good of the team" or the salary cap.
If I were a QB I would simply say: "Hey, managing the cap is on you. I deserve prevailing rates for my talents. Period."
While it's true that in America, you can work for a jillion-dollars-a-year, or build outhouses for the poor for free if you want. And I would agree, Tom Brady is never ever ever going to be hard up for cash.
But this deal is nothing but shameless salary cap manipulation.
And if we're going to have a league of RULES, and if the salary cap is a significant part of managing your team, then by gum if I see Tom Brady playing football at age 39, his paycheck better not add up to one fucking penny more than $9 million even.
Great league.
/rant = over.
Preach it, Czabe!
ReplyDeleteMr. Czaban - you got one point wrong, the red haired devil isn't sitting on Mr. Kraft's lap...he is permanetly down on his knees playing hide the salami between his lips. Fucking asshat commish, this is complete bullshit. When I saw it on the crawl, I thought $9 for Brady? Something doesn't smell right...and the Redskins take it up the tailpipe because they outsmarted the league during their stupid no cap year.
ReplyDeletethe ONLY genius in that deal is that he will not ever play for another team. That's pay for what you have done over your career by not demanding more and leaving the Pats organization.
ReplyDeleteTerrific Post.
ReplyDeleteTypical East Coast whiney-assed babies. Sorry boys. Dont mean to be so harsh, but I call BS on you, especially you Czabe. (side note: czabe, you are a very good, very well thought out sports commentator, but when it comes to your teams youre whiney, just like your East Coast brethren . . . very disappointing.)
ReplyDeleteYes, I know your team/ownership has gotten the least return spending more than anyone . . . ever. And to your credit, you do from time to time make fun of that (hey, cant be too angry, every fan wants their owner to spend), but its clear it has made you SO transparently bitter.
How is the Brady deal ANYTHING like 2010? He can sign any deal he wants. Even if it was not entirely legit (though I believe we have no evidence it was not), the Patriots did nothing so “blatantly counter” to what every team in the league was strongly encouraged not to do. Every team was flat out told not to eff with (ie, take advantage of) the uncapped year, clearly knowing it would be easy to get creative with contracts to take advantage of the cap in subsequent years. There was nothing the NFL could do. The uncapped year was written in to the previous labor agreement to encourage owners and the players union to extend the agreement before the uncapped year was reached!! Didnt work . . . ugh, but they understood they were creating a scenario that might lead some to take advantage of a very obvious opportunity. So, after they explained why it was necessary for teams to not structure contracts to gain advantage, YOUR TEAM WENT AHEAD ANYWAY. Everyone played nice, except you (and the Cowboys, big surprise there). The arrogance of that move is beyond comprehension. Well, in the first instance anyway, but yes, not surprising in the end. So go ahead and trot out “but, but, its within the letter of the law, within the letter of the law . . . wah, wah, wah!” Seriously, do you listen to yourself. Ya know, sometimes even though you are legally ok to do something you don’t do it because it just is not right. Here your team had warning re why it was not right. The Redskins went ahead anyway and dared the NFL. While I appreciate the moxie, I find your still getting all indignant because you got smacked down in response to be loathesome.
And then trying to compare that whole thing to the Brady contract?? WTF.
In the end, I know what it is. Your team’s move was one of desperation. Why? One of the most storied franchises in the league was sick of being the 20 year red headed step child to the NFC, and especially to your division rivals. The Cowboys dominated the early 90s (much to my chagrin as a packer fan), and the Giants have won a couple super bowls (again, whacking the Packers in the process), so I even somewhat sympathize with you on the cowboys/giants hate.
Anyway, you defend the 2010 move because you feel the same way. The bitterness drips off of you when you talk. You figure, eff it, let the league try to sanction me/my team. Again, daring the NFL?!? Nope.
I always wondered why you bashed Favre so much, but now i get it. Your bitterness, coupled with your East Coast arrogance, makes you stomp your feet in the corner like a child when you don’t get what you think you deserve. And to see a guy like Favre, who is better than any player to ever suit up in the maroon and yellow (or whatever color you call it), on the po dunk small town team while you have suffered with the likes of Rex Grossman, Shane Matthews and Jason Campbell (this guy reminds of the giddy piece you wrote about him a few years ago, what a joke that was – your desperation for a top flight QB dripped off you even then) annoys you so much that when there is a chance to take a shot at him, you do. The lemmings here in Wisco? Sure, I understand that, they are sheep, I expect them to be dolts (including bob and brian), but you? Disappointing.
At one point, this game was about football -- not about money.
ReplyDelete