Miasmatic Review

Are you ready for some Football?

There are three things in my life that I am truly passionate about my family, re-enacting and football. I have not done many posts regarding football on the off-season, mainly because I let my passion rest so I can focus on other things. However, Training camps have started and preseason is coming upon us quickly. That and something big happened yesterday, at least something I feel that is big. Javon Walker and Grady Jackson reported to Packer training camp. So did Cletidus Hunt, but that guy is a waste of space, depriving other players of valuable oxygen when he is around.

Why is this big? Both of them have that sleaze ball Drew Rosenhaus as an agent. This guy is the biggest, greediest agent I’ve heard of in the NFL. He is like something straight out of Hollywood. I only thought sleaze balls like him existed in movies and TV. He is the agent that represents many big name players and has convinced them that if they don’t like their contracts they should hold out for more. Such as Terrell Owens; Terrell received the contract he wanted last year, he ended up being injured and not playing as well as they hoped. Now he was going to hold out for a bigger and better contract this year. Now TO holding out on the Eagles just irritates me because he is a primadonna with an ego that is out of control. After half of the stunts he has pulled over the years, I have no respect for the man. He is an “About Me” player, not a team player.

We’ve all heard the saying, “there is no I in team.” (But there is an “M” and an “E”, and that spells me. Sorry little joke) Football is a team sport. There is no one hero. Every position is dependant upon every other position. No one player makes a team; I don’t care what anyone might think. A great QB is not going to do anything with out a decent line, receivers and backs. You can have the best offense, but if your defense can’t stop the other team from scoring, you are not going to win the Super Bowl. I think you get my point.

Walker, Jackson and Hunt all decided they were going to hold out for a bigger contract this season. Obviously, I have no appreciation for Hunt as a player. He’s lazy and seems to put only effort behind his play when he feels like it. Walker and Jackson happen to be two players I had a lot of respect. Yes, that is past tense. I lose respect for someone who, with multiple years on their contract left decides they are under paid and want to milk the team for more money.

Now I know some reader is going spout off the typical, “Look how much money these teams make, why shouldn’t the player get a bigger slice of the pie.” Two words: Salary Cap. If you pay player A more money, then you have to take that money from somewhere else, probably players B, C and D. Its basic economics; if you can spend only 80 million a year on player salaries, then that’s all you have. It doesn’t matter if the team brought in an impossibly low 80 million the previous year or 10 billion, all teams can only spend so much a year.

Walker is scheduled to make $515,000.00 this year. That is not a lot of money for the NFL and he did have a Pro Bowl season last year. Based on last season he wants more money. Okay, I’ll tell you what, the Packers then should get a refund on his first couple of seasons when he severely underperformed. That’s fair right? He wants more money for playing one good season, I figure he’s owes the Packers for two sub-standard seasons. You won’t see that happening however. Why? It’s part of his contract, which the Packers are upholding. When Walker first started with the Pack, he signed a contract he wanted. He didn’t complain the first couple of years, he has one good season and now it’s not good enough. Lets see how he does this year and next year when it is his last year on his contract talk about a new one.

Jackson we picked up off the scrap heap a couple of seasons ago after being let go by the Saints because he couldn’t stay in shape. He was about out of the NFL when Green Bay signed him. Jackson came to Green Bay and not only made many personal improvements; he drastically helped our inept defense. Green Bay gave him a second chance that he was grateful to receive. Now two years later he wants more money. When he came to the Packers he signed a contract he wanted, he thought it was a good contract. I just don’t get it.

I think I’m underpaid at my place of employment. My performance is superior to that of others that, because they have been with the company longer, make more money then I. Do you know what would happen if I told my boss, “I’m not going to come to work until we talk about a raise.”? My arse would be on the unemployment line faster then Bret Favre can throw a football. I make nowhere near as much money as these guys do, and my company pulls down more then any of these football teams a year.

With Walker and Jackson returning to the team with only missing some voluntary practices, I only lost a little respect for them. If they had held out the whole practice like Rosenhaus had Mike McKenzie do last year; there would be no way for me to restore any amount of respect to either of them. What I really hope is that with all these holdouts failing, that maybe other teams will stop caving into tactics like these.