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trutexan02
07-01-2008, 02:12 AM
Did anyone else hear the Gene Upshaw interview on Sirius radio this weekend?

He actually said that NFL owners have the edge in rookie signings citing " All a club has to do is not sign the player and he'll sit out a year then he can re-enter the NFL draft the following year, In turn he'll hurt his own draft status."

^^^not a word for word quote but very close.

I didn't have my phone on hand or I would have called in on that one.

Does anyone else think that sounds absurd.

My take on his statement was (under today's salaries) if a club refuses to drop 60 million on a kid. He sits out, no one gets him this year, the club that drafted him loses out on a "possible" impact player that they need, gets nothing for him (that year), the next year they more than likely do not improve ,draft # one AGAIN, while the player (still a top talent) falls to 7th round obscurity, the pats or cowboys get him for league minimum (Bo Jackson is my example), and the club that refused to drop 60 million for the same player one year earlier is in the same boat as last year, and a perrenial playoff team got top 3 talent, and goes on to dominate the league, because "The team has the power to drive down rookie signings" (per Upshaw).

He's right. The Teams have the hammer not the rookies.

Whatever! Upshaw is an **!#** *#!@ ! That man is going to cause a lock out. I can see it already!

What are your opinions?

trutexan02
07-01-2008, 02:25 AM
Don't know where stuff belongs. I just want to hear others opinions. If the mods move it I hope the tell me cuz I'm very intersted in this topic as well as everyone else take on it.

headsplint
07-01-2008, 07:19 AM
Well IMO if a team has a rookie holdout like that they are usually one of the worst teams from the previous year, and they are going to want to sign him to better their team, and appease the powers that be so I don't see that being a trend. What I do see happening is the possibility of Goodell implementing some sort of rookie salary cap. That would make the most sense. There could be a cap with the allowance of bonuses for perfomance etc..

When this thread gets moved it will go to the NFL section. FYI.

truckin texan
07-01-2008, 08:13 PM
But you didn't say that gene upshaw did agree if the owners want to grant free agency sooner he would be in favor of shorter contracts for rookies...that was later in the interview these negotiations will drag on for a while