This is safe, somewhat

Got to have a myspace account though

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endID=13842026

Sorry if I got you in trouble.
I will be a little more care ful with the links.

:D

I haven't seen any quotes from Smith??? I don't blame smith for trying to make a buck but when its all said and done he needs to play and show the numbers and then we should show him the numbers after the next couple of years. BUT who stands the chance at being cut as soon as his numbers drop off... GRANT.

Im all about honoring contracts but it needs to happen on both sides. You can't always blame a team for cutting a player because his salary is too high and he isn't playing to that level. Its a two way street and you can't blame a player for signing a rookie contract (that isnt much based on potential as much as is where you are drafted) and then looking to gain a higher salary when their worth is much much greater than the contract. I think it is handled incorrectly to complain to the media about it, but I dont see why a player shouldn't ask for more money if he really deserves it. I think he does deserve it. Look at what the other Pro Bowl DEs are making this year:

Will Smith: $695,000
Derrick Burgess: $1.5 mill
Aaron Kampman: $1.9 mill
Aaron Schobel: $2.5 mill
Julius Peppers: $5.535 mill
Jason Taylor: $7.5 mill

Heres what the other Dlineman on the Saints are making:

Will Smith: $695,000
Rodney Leisle: $850,000
Willie Whitehead: $1.1 mill
Hollis Thomas: $2 mill
Brian Young: $2.45 mill

I dont think theres much argument that the guy deserves more money than he is making just as to when he should get it. Sure it would be nice for him to play out his contract but when a team doesn't reward their players when appropriate, then if he plays out his contract and becomes a free agent, you better be looking for a replacement. IMO, the second they offered the deal to Grant, they should have had Smith and his agent on the phone offering something of the same. On earlier posts for Grant's deal, several people noted that this might really make Smith unhappy and also might make it very very expensive to keep him around.

This is just business, they will discuss it now and be ready to play during the season. Actually this is the best time to talk about it.

http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05...l-free-agency/

Here's the fan house post about this...more of the same really: Smith is better, paid less, wants more....

Oh, and Scott, no worries. I was joking around.

We aren't in the performance bases salary plan. Grant has lived up to his deal and now its pay day! Smith sure maybe a bum deal for him now but his day will come.

Thats why Im all about incentive laden contracts based on performance bonues and escalations. The problem with those is that they aren't as lucrative when it comes to guaranteed money which is certainly not favorable in the players and their agents eyes.

In most jobs though you get paid on experiance not so much production. Some of my guys are better than I ever was and I make more because I am the boss. Its part of life not everything is fair.

I don't think anybody is going to argue that Will Smith deserves to be paid as one of if not the highest defensive player in the game. He will get his money but you better believe that Loomis and Payton are going to be hard-a$$es when it comes to redoing his deal. The company line will be "C Grant played out his rookie deal and got paid and now you have to do the same."

I don't agree but that is the nature of the beast. They are setting themselves up for a nasty battle.

By the way, who is Smith's agent anyway?



( Its all good Whodat205)

I'd say gut him and get the chick in your avator signed!

Agreed as well. I feel that Grant got a bit overpaid. And if we dont restucture his contract this year and he gets another great season. And Grant is still stinking it up producing mediocre seasons hes gonna feel he deserves even more money

hey whodat if the team can say that to the player, you know, that they signed a contract than damn it the players should be able to say the same damn thing to the team. when the team goes to cut them the player should be able to say hey you signed a contract or gave me a contract now honor it. pay the rest of what you owe me in full. thanks and have a good night. that doesn't happen so a player who plays above what he is being paid should expect to be compensated accordingly. thats my feelings anyway. it goes both way.

We went through this discussion quite a while back, but the bottomline is: either the CBA or each player's contract allows the team to release a player from the contract without penalty (excepting salary cap). Thus, you can say that all players and owners agree that teams should have the right to terminate the contract whenever the team deems it necessary. So, you can't really argue that teams shouldn't be able to cut players if they expect the players to play out their contracts because the players agree to the temination from the start.

As far as Smith goes, I can see how he would want more money based on performance, but he doesn't have a performance based contract. Had he wanted one he should have negotiated one. Also, he signed a 6 year contract with a $5.5 to 6M bonus. That means on top of the almost $1 M he'll make in base salary this year he also earns another $1 M of his bonus. The article I got that info from also mentioned the possibility that he would have the last year voidable. Now, if that's true, then I fall back on my 'this is the last year of his contract and he ought to begin negotiating a new one' statement.

um scotty i didnt say at all that the team couldnt cut him. all i said was let them pay them the remainder of their contract. the logic is the same as saying that a player should have to finish his contract for the pay he got as a rook coming in. if you dont agree thats fine. trying to explain what the players have agreed to and what the current situation is really doesn't change my opinion. the player has every right in my opinion to ask for more money. the team has every right to cut them. whether the player gets his money or not is a whole nother story. i just feel they have the right to ask for it. you dont, fine, but i really don't care for the argument that he signed a contract now honor it. they gave him a contract now honor it. see how nicely that argument works both ways. you are more then welcome to feel however you do on the subject. if that was already covered earlier you can see how much that also matters as i brought it back up cause i felt like revisiting it. i appreciate the info though and will keep it in mind.

He just needs to have a solid upcoming season and everything will work out for Will...
As Papz said he'll just have to wait his turn..

yeah ltf and that is what my first post on the entire subject said. basically we should get him a new contract after this season. i agree fully on that. i think with one year left we should get him signed.

I hope you don't think I was trying to say that you shouldn't bring it back up. I was just pointing out that I've been through that discussion a little bit on this site and there was a conclusion I came to, which I provided. Your response to me seemed a bit snippy and I don't want that to be because you misunderstood what I meant.

As far as Smith goes, I don't have a problem so much with him asking for more money. I guess, what concerns me is that I perceive the article stating that he is unhappy as equivalent to him be disgruntled. Hopefully, that's not the case.

You would think smith would be out to kill his agent. I am sure the saints have talked with his agent and will continue doing so. I would not be surprised if he gets an extention. Rare for the saints I know.

As for Grant the lenght of the contract and the way it is all put together makes it a good deal. Win-Win

Next years FA class is big here. So the saints hands are tied for a while. They are still trying to work that out too. Tell yall now next season will be crazy with all the FA we are going to have. I am looking for some comp pick from that group. No way can we keep them all.

Hagan- Who else do we have next year?

it is all good scotty. i understand now.

New Orleans Saints

Pos Player Name FA Status
QB Jamie Martin UFA New Orleans Saints
RB Keith Joseph RFA New Orleans Saints
FB Nate Schurman RFA New Orleans Saints
WR Terrance Copper UFA New Orleans Saints
WR Lance Moore RFA New Orleans Saints
WR David Patten UFA New Orleans Saints
TE Eric Johnson UFA New Orleans Saints
TE Billy Miller UFA New Orleans Saints
SS Jay Bellamy UFA New Orleans Saints


This is a list from KFFL. But this list does not include contracts in which the last X years are voidable.