If Kurt Warner's potential ascension to the starting role in Arizona is set to be the shock of the pre-season, then the revelation that the Falcons are about ready to thrust Matt Ryan into the mix should surprise nobody.
When the Falcons drafted Ryan, we liked it. He has the arm, he has the physical talent, and most of all, he's an intelligent guy who just does not feel pressure. It would be easy to hold Ryan out while the team inevitably loses this season, but we doubt that's what Ryan actually wants. The guy is ready to lead his franchise, in the same way the Peyton Manning knew he was ready to lead the Colts.
The baptism will be harsh, but 'Matty Ice' is ready for it. He does not 'want' to win per sé, but the advantage to having a guy with Ryan's temperament on the field is that when the chips are down, he will not change his demeanour, nor will he get frustrated to the point where he lets it affect his game.
All in all, we meant to write this gushing praise earlier in the day, but the various injuries got in the way. Now that he has been named starter, it seems an appropriate time to say 'we would have told you so, if only you'd asked'.
Showing posts with label Matt Ryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Ryan. Show all posts
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Upshaw opposed to Rookie pay reforms
When we wrote last week regarding Roger Goodell's criticism of Rookie contracts, we mentioned Gene Upshaw being the only potential problem in getting a deal done that - on paper - would suit everyone.
And, right on cue, Upshaw has thrown his proverbial spanner into the works:
Upshaw goes on to point out that "...You would think it was every rookie that ever played got huge contracts. That's just not true", and that it's only the top ten picks in the draft that are the issue. Of course, the fact that even Upshaw recognises that those top ten are being paid obscene money for their unproven talents, slightly undercuts his position.
The problem with Rookie contracts is that of those top ten picks, roughly 4-5 of them will turn out to be major busts, going by historical patterns. Jerry Jones chose to pay $63m to Tony Romo this year, based on nearly two years of play at the top level. Do you hear people up in arms about that? No, and that's because Romo arguably deserved that, and Jones knows that this is not a gamble.
Compare that with Matt Ryan, a guy who has played precisely zero snaps in the NFL, and his $70m contract that he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Nobody is saying that Ryan shouldn't get paid. He's earned that right as a top draft pick. It's his reward for playing well in college, but it's an NFL team that will carry the can if he proves unable to make it at the pro level. In fact, a top draft prospect going wrong can financially cripple a franchise in the long run, and even when they go right (a la Larry Fitzgerald), can severely impair that team's ability to re-sign veterans. Hell - even Ryan himself can see the point.
To put it bluntly, the NFLPA would be ten times better off without Gene Upshaw. Unfortunately some of the players seem to believe that Upshaw did a good job negotiating the previous CBA, despite the fact that the owners have taken the first available avenue out of it. Until players like Walt Harris work out that their own interests are better served with a more moderate stance than Upshaw will give, we are going to face the prospect of a work stoppage every 3-4 years.
This could be the issue that turns opinion against him though. Sooner or later the NFLPA will wake up and realise that the main obstacle between the two sides can be removed...
And, right on cue, Upshaw has thrown his proverbial spanner into the works:
"If the owners want to stop paying the rookies, all they have to do is stop, nobody puts a gun to their head and forces them to pay what they pay."-NFLPA Head Gene Upshaw on Bloomberg Radio
Upshaw goes on to point out that "...You would think it was every rookie that ever played got huge contracts. That's just not true", and that it's only the top ten picks in the draft that are the issue. Of course, the fact that even Upshaw recognises that those top ten are being paid obscene money for their unproven talents, slightly undercuts his position.
The problem with Rookie contracts is that of those top ten picks, roughly 4-5 of them will turn out to be major busts, going by historical patterns. Jerry Jones chose to pay $63m to Tony Romo this year, based on nearly two years of play at the top level. Do you hear people up in arms about that? No, and that's because Romo arguably deserved that, and Jones knows that this is not a gamble.
Compare that with Matt Ryan, a guy who has played precisely zero snaps in the NFL, and his $70m contract that he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Nobody is saying that Ryan shouldn't get paid. He's earned that right as a top draft pick. It's his reward for playing well in college, but it's an NFL team that will carry the can if he proves unable to make it at the pro level. In fact, a top draft prospect going wrong can financially cripple a franchise in the long run, and even when they go right (a la Larry Fitzgerald), can severely impair that team's ability to re-sign veterans. Hell - even Ryan himself can see the point.
To put it bluntly, the NFLPA would be ten times better off without Gene Upshaw. Unfortunately some of the players seem to believe that Upshaw did a good job negotiating the previous CBA, despite the fact that the owners have taken the first available avenue out of it. Until players like Walt Harris work out that their own interests are better served with a more moderate stance than Upshaw will give, we are going to face the prospect of a work stoppage every 3-4 years.
This could be the issue that turns opinion against him though. Sooner or later the NFLPA will wake up and realise that the main obstacle between the two sides can be removed...
Friday, 27 June 2008
Commissioner has his say on Rookie contracts
With the NFL on collision course with the NFL Players Association over... well over pretty much everything, Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken out on a few issues during a symposium at the Chautauqua Institution, N.Y.
Goodell calls the current C.B.A "financially unworkable", and says that he hopes a new deal will be reached by next March. One group of young men who should follow the negotiations closely, are those College students intending to declare for next year's draft in April. Today Goodell spoke at length on the spiralling contracts being handed out to high draft picks:
- Commissioner Roger Goodell
Goodell's words echo that of NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, who called rookie deals such as the $72m deal Matt Ryan signed with Atlanta 'disheartening'. Dolphins kicker Jay Feely concurred, and said that '90% of current players' are against the current system. With this in mind, surely this is one issue that will be easily resolved when the CBA talks start? Well, no actually.
You see, the NFLPA Union is represented by Gene Upshaw, who (providing Matt Stover hasn't had him replaced) will be the man in charge of negotiations with the owners. Unfortunately, Upshaw is dead against a rookie wage scale, and made this clear during the furore over Ryan's deal:
- NFLPA Chief Gene Upshaw
Upshaw seems to want to drive a hard bargain, securing not only rookie deals, but also veteran contracts at the current inflation-busting momentum. This makes no sense, as despite the 'rookie pool' that Upshaw uses to support his argument (Each team has a limited amount of the salary cap to spend on rookies per year), veterans are still being short changed compared to the top 10 guys coming into the league each year, many of whom will prove to be completely unworthy of such money.
We think that this could be a big issue when the NFLPA decides what it is doing with Upshaw. 49ers representative Walt Harris declares that he thinks Upshaw "...has done an exceptional job", and cites the current C.B.A as proof. Hold on a second Walt, you're suggesting that Upshaw did a good job on that? The league opted out of the agreement at the earliest possible opportunity, less than two years after the agreement was signed. All Upshaw did was give the owners every reason to hold out for a better deal this time around. The fact that when Matt Stover made public his desire to see Upshaw replaced, the idea was not completely rejected, suggests that there may be those within the NFLPA who are open to the idea of having Upshaw replaced before negotiations start.
And if you were a veteran who's union boss seemed intent on keeping your salary down at the expense of untested Rookies, wouldn't you feel the same?
Goodell calls the current C.B.A "financially unworkable", and says that he hopes a new deal will be reached by next March. One group of young men who should follow the negotiations closely, are those College students intending to declare for next year's draft in April. Today Goodell spoke at length on the spiralling contracts being handed out to high draft picks:
"There's something wrong about the system... The money should go to people who perform. (A First Round pick) doesn't have to play a down in the NFL and he already has his money, now, with the economics where they are, the consequences if you don't evaluate that player, you can lose a significant amount of money.
- Commissioner Roger Goodell
Goodell's words echo that of NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, who called rookie deals such as the $72m deal Matt Ryan signed with Atlanta 'disheartening'. Dolphins kicker Jay Feely concurred, and said that '90% of current players' are against the current system. With this in mind, surely this is one issue that will be easily resolved when the CBA talks start? Well, no actually.
You see, the NFLPA Union is represented by Gene Upshaw, who (providing Matt Stover hasn't had him replaced) will be the man in charge of negotiations with the owners. Unfortunately, Upshaw is dead against a rookie wage scale, and made this clear during the furore over Ryan's deal:
"we're dealing with such short careers with our rookies and with our players that if you entered into some type of scale or some type of structure for a rookie, it wouldn't make any sense in our business."
- NFLPA Chief Gene Upshaw
Upshaw seems to want to drive a hard bargain, securing not only rookie deals, but also veteran contracts at the current inflation-busting momentum. This makes no sense, as despite the 'rookie pool' that Upshaw uses to support his argument (Each team has a limited amount of the salary cap to spend on rookies per year), veterans are still being short changed compared to the top 10 guys coming into the league each year, many of whom will prove to be completely unworthy of such money.
We think that this could be a big issue when the NFLPA decides what it is doing with Upshaw. 49ers representative Walt Harris declares that he thinks Upshaw "...has done an exceptional job", and cites the current C.B.A as proof. Hold on a second Walt, you're suggesting that Upshaw did a good job on that? The league opted out of the agreement at the earliest possible opportunity, less than two years after the agreement was signed. All Upshaw did was give the owners every reason to hold out for a better deal this time around. The fact that when Matt Stover made public his desire to see Upshaw replaced, the idea was not completely rejected, suggests that there may be those within the NFLPA who are open to the idea of having Upshaw replaced before negotiations start.
And if you were a veteran who's union boss seemed intent on keeping your salary down at the expense of untested Rookies, wouldn't you feel the same?
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