[CBFF] ESPN - Briggs to Bears: Rescind the tag or trade me

Mon Mar 5 22:01:28 MST 2007

Being realistic here, it's all about 'getting theirs'.  The *vast* majority
of the players have this attitude.  And tell me, do you think the college
players out there, most, if not all of them, wouldn't love to be drafted in
the first round just to be able to sign a lucrative contract?  It's the
American way.  About the only guys who really don't chase the money *that*
hard are the guys who have come from it (ie: Manning's, etc)...  then, it's
am matter of the amount of money being relative to the amount of respect the
athlete says he deserves.  Even then, IMO, it still about the money.

I'm not so naive not to understand that.  I guess a lot of my reaction was
somewhat knee jerking.  But I do agree with those who have stated that it's
not the Bears fault because the players union has bargained for and
implemented such a faulty mechanism for these guys.  Maybe they should
implement something like they do in the draft (I think they can sit out a
year and re-enter the draft?) Maybe if they're tagged, a guy can sit out
a year and then come back into the league with less compensation to the
team.

Bottom line:

1) Teams should get to keep the players they rolled the dice on and won.
1a) Players should get paid what they're worth relative to the rest of the
players in the league.
1aa) Life's not fair.  That's just the way it works. That goes for athletes
vs regular folk, too.

-Behr

On 3/5/07, E. George Mucher III <fishydude at mchsi.com> wrote:
>
> OK- do you really think that if I go and stop buying Bears
> merchandise, and stop watching the games (I will already have my
> cable for all the other shows either way), that the outrageous
> salaries of professional sports players will stop and become more
> reasonable again? And anyway- what my main gripe was that these guys
> DO NOT APPRECIATE what they have. When you are arguing because $7
> million dollars is not enough for one years pay, something is just
> plain wrong. I am down here in Southern Illinois where if you ask for
> anything over $7 an hour you are often pricing yourself out of a job,
> and I was lucky to get my job making $12 an hour (and I needed a 4
> year degree to get that!!!). So nothing you can possibly tell me is
> going to change my mind about how ridiculous it is that they are
> unhappy with that much money. Bring in one of the old timers that
> really and truly loved the game, who played their asses off, and had
> to have jobs in the off-season just to make ends meet. And now these
> guys who if they invested correctly could make a nice bundle off of
> their rookie contracts alone, come and complain that they are "not
> being respected" when they only get $7 million. THAT is what I am
> saying- they DO NOT appreciate how well they have it. Period...
>
> -Geo
>
> 'Oi kau ka lâ, e hana i ola honua'
>
> "While the sun yet shines do all you can"
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mar 5, 2007, at 8:57 PM, mactbone wrote:
>
> > "In a 30-minute conversation by phone, Briggs -- distressed by the
> > restrictions of the NFL franchise tag, by his inability to shop
> > himself in the free agent market, and by the recent departure of
> > defensive coordinator Ron Rivera -- offered his first insights into
> > his current situation."
> >
> > Now, do you think that Briggs would call Len P?
> >
> > I don't think it was a bright thing to do, but I'm not going to
> > castigate him and act like I've been betrayed. Briggs has no beef
> > with me or any fan, his problem is with JA, Ted Phillips and Mike
> > McCaskey.
> >
> > I said that if you want to complain about the money these athletes
> > are making, why don't you think for a second about where that money
> > comes from. It comes from you! Now you complain that they make too
> > much money. Well guess what, you can solve that! I never said you
> > couldn't complain, I just don't know why it bothers you so much,
> > but since it does I'm offering a solution.
> > -Chris
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: E. George Mucher III <fishydude at mchsi.com>
> > To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com
> > Sent: Monday, March 5, 2007 9:02:25 PM
> > Subject: Re: [CBFF] ESPN - Briggs to Bears: Rescind the tag or
> > trade me
> >
> >
> > Exactly, and while the Bears were using the things available to them,
> > they never went to the media and started talking about benching
> > Briggs if he didn't do what they wanted, or making comments about
> > him. But he had to drag the media into it, and take a back door
> > approach. Very classless, and I am disappointed in him.
> >
> > And Macbone, I DO pay for things like tickets and cable and
> > merchandise, so I have every right to complain about things because
> > of that very fact. Furthermore I fought and continue to fight for
> > freedom in this country, which gives me the right to make all of the
> > comments I want, and is also what gives YOU the rights that you have.
> > So don't try to tell me or anyone else what they should do, or I will
> > give you options, left or right- for which buttcheek you want to
> > plant one on...
> >
> > -Geo
> >
> > 'Oi kau ka lâ, e hana i ola honua'
> >
> > "While the sun yet shines do all you can"
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mar 5, 2007, at 5:26 PM, Westmalle Dubbel van't Vat wrote:
> >
> >> On 05.03.07 5:14 PM, "mactbone" <mactbone0 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Why do you even follow sports if this is how you feel? Same with
> >>> Geo. If it
> >>> upsets you so much that people make a lot of money and then
> >>> complain that they
> >>> could make even more money, then why do you pay attention?
> >>
> >> Uh, Chris, this is a total, utter non-sequitor.  Do think football
> >> is about
> >> the money when they step on the field and play?  Do you think the
> >> pleasure
> >> derived from watching football is because they get paid X-millions of
> >> dollars?  That is the logic you are using and it does not work.
> >>
> >> To object to the absurd economics of sports is not to object to
> >> sports as
> >> such.
> >>
> >> What I do hate is free agency and the business of sports that goes
> >> along
> >> with it because, in part, of its injustice.  It perpetuates an
> >> elite class
> >> of super rich people who think primarily of themselves and their
> >> ability to
> >> acquire gobs and gobs of money.  That is bad for our society.
> >>
> >>> You guys are acting like he went to your job and said, "I want you
> >>> to garnish
> >>> their wages to pay mine." If I was making 10 times less than the
> >>> other person
> >>> doing my SAME JOB, I'd be pretty pissed because I know I'm at
> >>> least as good as
> >>> him, and my "upside" is greater.
> >>
> >> Uh, wrong again.  Please.  Can't you see the flaw in this logic?
> >> Briggs is
> >> not taking any money from me.  I've never said that, or arguing
> >> anything
> >> that presumes that.
> >>
> >> That being said, you are CORRECT that it is a bargaining position.
> >> And
> >> that, in the end, Lance Briggs may sign a long term deal with the
> >> Bears.
> >> Mouthing off may get the Bears to come back to the bargaining
> >> table.  Etc.
> >> But as a strategy, I still think it is a low-class move and shows
> >> just how
> >> greedy he is.  Bargaining can and does get ugly in the NFL because
> >> the
> >> stakes are so high.  But it does not imply in the least that I have
> >> to like
> >> it, or agree with the tactics of players like Briggs or agents like
> >> Rosenhaus.
> >>
> >> Steve
> >>
> >> --
> >> http://drlake.blogspot.com
> >>
> >>
> >>
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