ESPN's Pasquarelli on Zach, Mare, & T. Bowens

[KeyHawk]

Posted today at ESPN.com:

Scratching for salary cap room, the Dolphins will almost certainly complete a deal to rework the contract of middle linebacker Zach Thomas, converting a $4.5 million roster bonus into guaranteed money, which allows them to prorate it. Less certain is if kicker Olindo Mare's and defensive tackle Tim Bowens's accede to Dolphins wishes for reworked deals. …

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1734320

 

[Dolphins17-0]

i thought bowens pretty much said he would play for almost nothing to stay in miami? could be mistaken but im pretty sure i read that a while back

 

[Lukin]

I think they all should play for almost nothing. They're already rich as hell, why not try to stay here and win a championship? To bad most football players don't think like that...

 

[Mindwarp]

cause at the end of the day most players now a days want the chedder. Not everone wins the big dance. so why not make sure you and your fam is taken care of.

 

[Disgustipate]

Yeah, I was under the impression that Timbo has already volunteered.

 

[finsfan4life]

I think the Tim Bowens deal will get done. If Mare doesn't want to re-structure cut him.

 

[Muck]

Originally posted by Lukin
I think they all should play for almost nothing. They're already rich as hell, why not try to stay here and win a championship? To bad most football players don't think like that...

They deserve to be lucratively compensated. Most of those guys will have not-so-nice problems with their bodies after football.

There's money to be made. And you can't blame them for not trying to get it while they can, because one freak play and it's all over for them.

 

[Prime Time]

Originally posted by Muck


They deserve to be lucratively compensated. Most of those guys will have not-so-nice problems with their bodies after football.

There's money to be made. And you can't blame them for not trying to get it while they can, because one freak play and it's all over for them.

The best post I have every seen on this topic. Everyone always saysplayers are rich, have them play for little...but noone ever takes the players sides...well besides Drew Rosenhaus :D

 

[Brad528]

They wouldnt play for nothing cause what happens if they do and still dont win. THen they are screwed completely. As for Mare if he doesnt want to take a pay cut then he should be cut. He has played bad for two years in a row now, two years that could have put us in a winning situation. I know it isnt his fault but he hasnt seemed to be as clutch as he was in the past. At one time if we had a kick to win the game i knew without a doubt he would hit it. **** has changed though, now i am nervous if he is kicking.

 

[Dajesus]

Tim's salary isn't that big of a concern to me. Zgonia can fill in if they do cut him, but he did rework his contract last year, so it isn't that bad this year. If we want to save we should just cut Mare, rework Sam's deal or trade him, rework Ruddy's, cut Dixon, rework JT's deal, and cut the 2 qbs.

 

[Danny]

Originally posted by Muck


They deserve to be lucratively compensated. Most of those guys will have not-so-nice problems with their bodies after football.

There's money to be made. And you can't blame them for not trying to get it while they can, because one freak play and it's all over for them.

One freak play and is all over for them? awwwww, my heart bleeds for them. Let them get a real job like the rest of us. I love football and I love my team, but I will not feel sorry for any player that can't make 5 million bucks a year for playing football.After all, they went to college for FREE so if football doesn't work they can get a good job.I know what you're saying and if I was them, I'd want as much money as I can get too. Is human nature, but I won't feel sorry if they have to take a pay cut and "only" make a million bucks a year.

Ozzy rules!!

 

[relive1972]

Timbo's agent is the one saying that he doesn't see a new deal being worked out. Of course, less money to the player means less money to the agent so those money-hungry ba$tards will always be against reworking new deals.

 

[ckparrothead]

The problem I have with people claiming players are paid too much is the notion that they are not performing a "real job" cuz chances are they work a heck of a lot harder and do a heck of a lot more than most people who have all this ***** envy would be willing to do.

Yeah, they play a "game" But when they aren't playing that game they are working out EVERY day for hours on end, they can never eat what they want to eat or drink what they want to drink. They get injuries we can't imagine simply because we don't go through the equivalent of a car wreck every sunday in order to get those injuries. One gruesome example is the post that Mark Dixon's ex-wife came and posted when she talked about Dixon's groin injury...a typical NFL injury that most of us fans don't think twice about, right? Yeah well the bottom line was his entire genitals were black and blue, and swollen to the size of florida oranges, and the pain wasn't going to stop until the "muscle detaches from the bone" This doesn't go on for weeks, it goes on for months.

Not a real job? What do you guys all do thats so valuable to the world, or to your country? I'll tell you what I do. I update request for proposal material and database information for search engines used by potential clients who are seeking a multi-billion dollar asset management company to manage a piece of their very large union retirement funds or something along those lines. I'm a cog in the machine. And not a very big one either. Will I be doing this forever? Heck I won't be doing this a year from now, but right now if I disappeared, someone could replace me...probably a little too easily for my tastes.

NFL players provide a service. A service to millions of fans around the globe who live and die every day with what happens to their "team" They provide enjoyment for a guy who cleans toilets to feed his kids when his team goes to the playoffs and loses a close one but "we'll be back next year!" The NFL is raking down billions of dollars because of the enjoyment these players give us, and the unbelievable pain and suffering they put themselves through.

I for one would much rather have the largest share of that billion dollar industry go to the players who put their futures on the line every day in every play, than some fat greedy owner who sits in the owners box with a cigar in his mouth screamin how he's payin "a bunch of bums" to go out there and "play like a bunch of pansies"

 

[Pigskin Pimp]

Nice post CK, I agree 100%. Still, I would do what they do for what they get paid in a heartbeat. I'm sure most of us here would, but I really mean it.

I played pee-wee football, Jr. High football (not all states have it, but Texas does) High School Ball, and now, every other Sunday for the past 8 months I and a group of about 15 others play tackle football on an abandoned field in Tampa. I truly love the game and would play at the NFL level if I was athletically inclined to do so. Hell, I'm suffering from a groin injury now that I haven't been able to shake in 2 months, and it doesn't look like it's going away any time soon.

I'm in no way comparing what I do to that of an NFL player, what I am saying is that I have put in numerous hrs of stretching, mega time at the gym and days of pain simply because I have a passion for the game. I do it for free.......

Would I take it to the next level for a million dollar signing bonus and four hundred grand a year, and a chance to play in front of seventy thousand people - you bet your A$$ I would.

As far as I'm concerned, football players are paid accordingly.

 

[ckparrothead]

Your allegiance to the game is admirable but ya gotta remember these guys put in the time when they were youngsters and had about a 1 in a million chance of becoming something special too. Back then in high school they did it just cuz they loved the game and team and stuff. They go to college and put in the work hoping that they'll have a shot at the NFL. I know because I have a friend who played high school ball and ended up a top recruit at WR for the Gators along with Taylor Jacobs and Jabbar Gaffney...and he was considered the most promising of the three. Then real life happened to him. He has a kid, and transferred to USF to be closer to that kid...and he's struggled there with injuries, and now is playing second fiddle to Huey Whittaker in draft scouting reports even though he caught 7 TDs to Huey's 2 TDs and was much more of a big play guy while Huey was just the bigger guy who the QB (who wasn't very good) trusted more.

Still its one thing to say you'd make the effort these guys do but the ability to make that effort itself is something I consider a talent because when it comes down to it not everyone has that level of committment.