Brian Westbrook Is Not There And Not Expected To Show UP!!

[Eaglez]

Somebody beat you to the punch. You lose 

post of the week...got it in just in time too


is westbrook everyones favorite player now???

No. That means less reps for C-Buck. 

[BigEd76]

NBC10 caught Fletcher Smith at the airport.  He said Brian would not be a distraction at camp.  As for a new deal, he said they're using the deals of Davis, Jordan and Rudi Johnson as benchmarks...

[WEST is GOD]

Fletcher Smith man... is it just me or was that guy like 4 feet tall?

[General_Failure]

I kinda hope this new deal includes a swift kick in the ass.

[StevieLeftCollege]

IMO, Westbrook is getting alot of dough because he can be done in a second with his injury history.

? You mean he wants a lot of dough because he knows he could be done in one play? I think his injury history is exactly why Ried ain't budging on whatever deal he wants.

wow.  I wrote some jibberish there.

yes, your 2nd part about reid not budging.

[PhillyGirl]

This is from Saturday, but it has some salary stuff in it....

Westbrook knows he's taking big risk

By Bob Brookover and Shannon Ryan

Inquirer Staff Writers

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Brian Westbrook knows the deal: Be in camp Monday or lose the potential to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The running back has been holding out of the Eagles' training camp in hopes of reaching a long-term deal with the team. As of last night, Westbrook's agent, Fletcher Smith, and the Eagles had not reached a deal, a team source said.

"We're going to continue to look at all options," Smith said early yesterday morning. "The [collective-bargaining agreement] doesn't provide very many choices for someone in Brian's position. Someone asked me about our leverage, but that's tough to answer, especially when the team has most of the leverage."

For every day Westbrook misses camp, he is fined $6,000, bringing his total to $30,000 as of yesterday.

Westbrook, who hired Smith after firing agent Anthony Agnone, signed the Eagles' $1.43 million tender on June 1 and attended the team's voluntary minicamp in June after boycotting a similar camp the month before.

Yesterday, Smith sent a release from his Skokie, Ill., office that outlined the obstacles Westbrook has operated under as a restricted free agent this off-season.

"It is well-documented that Brian had until June 15 to sign the tender," Smith said. "If it remained unsigned beyond June 15, the Eagles could have exercised their right to reduce Brian's 2005 salary substantially."

That move triggered the start of negotiations between Smith and the Eagles, but when the sides hadn't come to an agreement by Monday's reporting date for training camp, Westbrook decided to stage a holdout that surprised and angered the Eagles.

The statement from Smith's CSMG Co. also laments Article XVIII, Section 1 (b) of the collective-bargaining agreement, which says that any player under contract who doesn't report 30 days before the first game of the regular season will lose a year of credited service.

That means that Westbrook would lose his right to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Despite the ramifications of that rule, "Brian and I remain unified with respect to all decisions made regarding the current state of affairs," Smith said in the statement. "We will continue to exhaust all options available to Brian until such time when we are able to secure a favorable long-term contract.

"We just have to try to explore all avenues to get something done," Smith said.

According to a team source, Westbrook is fixated on the deal the Oakland Raiders struck with Lamont Jordan, who signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal in the off-season. Jordan earned a $7 million signing bonus.

Jordan's deal is worth $17.8 million over the first three years of the contract. The Eagles have offered Westbrook $13 million over the first three years of a five-year deal and a $9 million signing bonus.

The Eagles, according to a source, feel that Jordan's deal was an aberration - not the standard - for running backs of Westbrook's caliber. About six to 10 other top backs in the NFL received deals that may be more reflective of where the Eagles would place Westbrook.

According to team sources, the deal the Eagles have offered Westbrook is worth $4 million more than those earned by running backs Ahman Green (Green Bay), Domanick Davis (Houston) and Stephen Davis (Carolina).

The bonus is $2 million more than Tiki Barber got from the New York Giants and $2.5 million more than Warrick Dunn received from Atlanta. It is $1 million more than Fred Taylor got from Jacksonville.

Barber will earn $13 million over the first three years of his contract, while Dunn, Stephen Davis and Domanick Davis all will make $12 million over their first three years. Green will earn $10.2 million in that span.

Clinton Portis of Washington received a signing bonus of close to $13 million, and LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers received $16 million in the first year of his contract last year.

Westbrook isn't looking for Portis and Tomlinson money, but Eagles president Joe Banner has conceded that the running back was seeking more than the team was willing to offer.

For many of the 15 players who reported to training camp after Aug. 1 last year, the year was not a success. Quarterback Philip Rivers didn't play at all in San Diego. Of the 14 other players, six landed on injured reserve and three missed at least nine games.

Smith said that Westbrook's main goal was to get a long-term extension from the Eagles.

"There is no question about that," Smith said. "The system has allowed him to flourish in very many ways. I'm not saying he couldn't do well in another system, but the Eagles' system has been great for him. He wants to be compensated, too. Regardless of the market, Brian is one of the most important players in that offense."

[PhillyGirl]

NBC10 caught Fletcher Smith at the airport.  He said Brian would not be a distraction at camp.  As for a new deal, he said they're using the deals of Davis, Jordan and Rudi Johnson as benchmarks...

This is what Davis got:

Davis received a reported 5-year, $21.1 million contract that includes a $5 million signing bonus.

So, isn't the deal the Eagles offered more than that? 

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

That LaMont Jordan deal is a retarded abberation.  Friggin' Westbrook.

[TexasEagle]

That LaMont Jordan deal is a retarded abberation. Friggin' Westbrook.

Hell yeah it is. That's why the Raiders have cap trouble almost every year. Westbrook's offer is damn good money for what he does. He's just being silly.

[Reidme]

This guy came from Villanova, and could be buried on someone like the Browns special teams squad. He's gotten a great chance here, proved himself, while making scratch. If he signs today, they hand him a check for $9 mill? And a competitive salary going forward? And if he gets run into by a kid on a skateboard at WaWa, or blows out a knee while jogging on his own, he has to live the rest of his life on the $1 mill he earned up til this point. I can see why he is not at camp without the longterm deal signed, I really can. I just can't see why he hasn't accepted it ....

[PhillyGirl]

Reid just said in his press conference...that they have re-opened negotiations with Smith and Westbrook.

[rjs246]

Cut Westbrook.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

If he didn't show up today, isn't he giving up his right to be a free agent after 2005?

Also, it should be noted that he didn't have any serious interest at the relatively small price of one 1st round pick, so that has to play into negotiations.

[BigEd76]

"D'oh!  What was I thinking?"

[JTrotter Fan]

This guy came from Villanova, and could be buried on someone like the Browns special teams squad. He's gotten a great chance here, proved himself, while making scratch. If he signs today, they hand him a check for $9 mill? And a competitive salary going forward? And if he gets run into by a kid on a skateboard at WaWa, or blows out a knee while jogging on his own, he has to live the rest of his life on the $1 mill he earned up til this point. I can see why he is not at camp without the longterm deal signed, I really can. I just can't see why he hasn't accepted it ....

Whether he is from Villanova or FSU...what is the difference?  None really.  What matters is that he's a star in the NFL and he's proven he is worth some money.  I agree, he should've signed the deal presented to him.  I mean honestly, did he think holding out would get him an extra $20k a year or something?