Simon to the Colts---13M SB

[PhillyGirl]

Right...not that crappy Kearse guy.

[mussa]

freeney > kearse

sorry folks, dats the truth

[Diomedes]

meh.  maybe it's true.  maybe not.  Freeney's a monster, but I don't know that he's clear and away greater than Kearse.  Certainly not going to argue about it.

[phillymic2000]

I cannot wait for the good laugh I will get when his fat butt shows up in Indy to play some ball.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Saying that Simon's stats will improve going from Kearse to Freeney is ridiculous, though.  I didn't notice Simon's stats improve when going from Kalu/Marco Coleman/whoever else was actually healthy in 2003 to Kearse... and he was in a contract year to boot.

I'm not saying his stats won't improve, because he might actually play hard to impress his new team... for a while.  But saying that it's a product of working with Freeney vs. working with Kearse is downright stupid.

[mussa]

Hey FAST FREDDIE...I think he will...so farg you.  I didn't say that with Freeney he'll do better than he did with Kearse.  I said his stats will go up from last year, meaning the 19 or so sacks Freeney had last year is a big deal, team will be doubling him, thus giving Simon great opps.  Now I think D. Freeney is the premeire pass rusher in the NFL.  I'm not saying Kearse sucks, believe me, I love the fargin guy.  I think Kearse had alot to learn in a year and will be even better this year.  So take your panites out of your slot while I state a fargin opinion. Jesus. 

[Drunkmasterflex]

If I were an AFC team I would be a little concerned to see the Colts get this guy.  True he will not be a factor early in the season but by the end of the season he could make a big difference.  Good signing for the Colts.

[Rome]

John Clayton Disagrees With The Eagles.  Says Simon Will Do Even BETTER In Indy.

Simon a great fit in Indyposted: Thursday, September 1, 2005 
filed under: Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks

The Colts' signing of Corey Simon to a five-year, $30 million deal may be the move that puts them over the top as a Super Bowl team in the AFC. He completes the transition to a Tony Dungy 4-3 defense. With Simon, the Colts get their Warren Sapp-type, three-technique defensive tackle. In Philadelphia, Simon wasn't as valuable because the defensive tackles' job was basically to free up the linebackers and the blitzing members of the secondary to make plays. In Indianapolis, he will be a disrupter. Simon can shoot the gaps on run plays. He is a good enough pass-rusher to have maybe a 10-sack season in the Colts' defense. He had 32 sacks in five seasons with the Eagles.
The Colts have most of the pieces for a good defense. Simon gives the Colts the ability to stuff teams into longer-yardage situations on second and third downs. Then they can bring in Robert Mathis to play on the other side of defensive end Dwight Freeney to disrupt passing plays. Simon is the biggest body on the Colts' defensive line.

David Thornton is a mobile, tackling linebacker. There is depth at cornerback. Bob Sanders has a chance to emerge as a John Lynch-type strong safety.

The Simon move may not be as good as the trade Bill Polian made in Buffalo for Cornelius Bennett, but it's close.    

• Simon not worth it to Eagles: It's understandable that the Eagles didn't want to pay the $6 million-a-year price tag for Simon. Their playmakers are mostly in the secondary, at defensive end and at linebacker. The Eagles figure they can get by with Mike Patterson and Darwin Walker stuffing the middle of the blocking schemes at defensive tackle. They have enough depth with Hollis Thomas, Sam Rayburn and Paul Grasmanis as backups.

The Eagles know the value of their players at certain positions. A $6 million defensive tackle wasn't in the cards. But if the Eagles suffer a bunch of injuries at defensive tackle, as they did a couple years ago, then there would be concern. By pulling the franchise tender on Simon, the Eagles have a league-high $12.6 million of salary-cap room. Expect them to get a contract extension for halfback Brian Westbrook in the next week. Those talks are heating up.

• Ravens pass on Simon: The Ravens were probably willing to go to $5 million a year to get Simon. Their strategy was to wait out the market, and the market went to $6 million a year. The Colts accepted the price. They gave him $13 million in guarantees and $6 million a year. Simon would have been a great addition to the already talented Ravens defense, but they could still rank in the top five with the talent that is already there. The Bengals didn't want to step up to those big numbers, either. Simon preferred not going to Miami, San Francisco and a few other teams that were interested because they are in a rebuilding mode.

Columns like this really make me question whether fargtards like John Clayton even watch the sport they're supposed to be experts in.  What an utter sack of horseshtein the Bennett comment is.

Good God Almighty.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I find it hilarious that Corey Simon is being looked at as the cure-all for that defense. Salisbury said he paves the road to DET for them.

I will say this...

Clayton could be right. Indy's "Tampa Two" defense could be good for him. He will have no gap responsibility there. Well, he will...but not like here in Philly. He's right about Corey being able to shoot the gaps.

[Geowhizzer]

The idiot on ESPN Radio in the afternoon drive time (Erik K.- Kuselius?) was saying:

1.  Corey Simon makes Indianapolis a favorite in the AFC- pretty much parroting what I've heard elsewhere on ESPN.  I've noticed this before, where if one person at ESPN says something, the rest line up to agree with that.  Much be some kind of marching orders in the ESPN empire.

2.  Said that the Eagles would "rather play hardball" than win, and losing Simon knocks them out of being the favorites, and in the future will prevent free agents from signing in Philadelphia.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

He's right about Corey being able to shoot the gaps.

Sure... when he feels like it.

[General_Failure]

2. Said that the Eagles would "rather play hardball" than win, and losing Simon knocks them out of being the favorites, and in the future will prevent free agents from signing in Philadelphia.

Somewhere at ESPN there's a little bald man in a wheelchair throwing darts at index cards taped to a wall.

[PhillyGirl]

SIMON DEAL NOT SO SWEET

The contract signed by defensive tackle Corey Simon with the Colts is, upon careful inspection, not nearly as great as reported.

The issue is the $13 million in bonus money, which has been characterized in some circles as a "signing" bonus and as "guaranteed" money.

It's neither.

The only presently guaranteed money for Simon is his $5 million signing bonus, which is $134,000 less than the guarantee he would have gotten if he'd signed his one-year franchise tender with the Eagles.

His $540,000 salary, of course, will be guaranteed as of Week One of the regular season, since he's a vested veteran.  So his net gain by not signing the tender is only $406,000. 

And beyond 2005, nothing is guaranteed. 

If the Colts walk away before paying the $8 million option bonus, Simon will be on the market, without restriction.  Thus, he's got no more long-term security in Indy than he would have had by playing under the one-year franchise tender.

If, in turn, Simon has a monster year and the Colts pay the option bonus, Simon picks up an $8 million option bonus.  And that's the same thing as playing under the one-year franchise tender and signing a free-agent contract in 2006 with an $8 million signing bonus. 

And an $8 million signing bonus following a monster year for a high-end defensive tackle would be well below the market rate.

So why not take the tender for 2005 and hit the market in 2006, when he would have gotten bonus money well in excess of $8 million?

The only risk arising from taking the tender and waiting a year would have been that the player could suffer an injury that won't make him attractive to teams in 2006.  But given the deal signed by Simon with the Colts, he has assumed that same risk.

That's why we firmly believe that Simon's agent, Roosevelt Barnes, sould have instructed Simon to sign the Eagles' tender by the Tuesday, September 6 deadline, report to the team, collect his $5.13 million this year, and hit the market in 2006.

Sure, the Eagles might have slapped him with the tag again.  But his tender in 2006 would have moved to $6.156 million.  So he could have taken the one-year deal and waited again.

In the past, Barnes played this game to perfection with the Seahawks and left tackle Walter Jones.  Jones pocketed three years of big-money franchise tenders before signing a long-term deal.

And the Eagles were smart enough to see it coming with Simon.  Sure, they lost the player by removing the tag, but Simon is in no better position now than he would have been if he'd just signed the tender.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

No skin off his nose, though.  He still gets his $5m+ this year (most of it up front instead of spread out over the season) and either gets a huge lump sum next year or goes back to the UFA market.

Plus, he got to save face by floating the faux $13m figure around.

[Diomedes]

So his net gain by not signing the tender is only $406,000.

Well, in the short run, he did get more money.  And let's be honest:  who wouldn't rather have 400k more?  In the long run, I don't see how his current situation is any better than it would have been at the Eagles.  But whatever.  I'm glad it's their money he's taking just the same.