The Eagles Offseason Thread(all aboard the Brian Finneran bandwagon)

[ice grillin you]

apples and oranges when talking about alexander and westbrook...alexander was a free agent which meant he could command much more money...theres no reason the eagles cant up westbrooks deal to match his output without giving him a monster of a new deal like alexander got

[Seabiscuit36]

Isnt westbrook already a top 5 paid RB? 

[SunMo]

his last extension was basically the eagles putting a contract on the table and saying take it or leave it and he wasn't a superstar yet so he took it.  imagine if he would've taken the risk and gone to FA and become the player he is for someone else?  it almost would've been worth it to make the FO look as bad as they would've looked for that.

[ice grillin you]

they just said on wip hes the 37th highest paid athlete in philadelphia....mike rathje among others makes more than him


in 2005 when he got extended i could see him not getting a monster deal because injuries were an issue...and he obviously agreed because he signed for only a six mil sb...he was fair then now its time for the eagles to be fair with him as since then hes proven to be one of the top three players (non qb's) in the nfl...re do his deal again...its a no brainer...maybe howie roseman can look at westbrook game film to determine his value then work out a deal with him

[Feva]

I just don't have much faith that the FO is gonna up his deal.  Situations like this with Westbrook is exactly why they re-up these guys as early as they do... to get these guys to sign decent deals while there's a certain amount of uncertainty with their careers... and then if they blow up, they have the leverage saying, "Well, you signed the deal..." It's great from the player's perspective while they're still trying to "make it"... but when they become a top flight player... they're underpaid.

Same thing that's going on with Lito.  He signed his deal early on before making the probowl and all that... and now he has a case about being underpaid.  I don't think he deserves a bump as much as Westbrook, but still...

[ice grillin you]

the unfair part is if the players performance is below his salary level the eagles just cut him...but if the players performance outweights the contract they dig their heels in the ground

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Same thing that's going on with Lito.

No.

Lito's contract is much larger and longer.  It's a textbook young player long-term deal that you mention.  Westbrook's contract was always just kind of a "patch" to his small rookie deal.

Plus, there's the whole disparity between their on-field performance.  Westbrook is constantly the best player on the team and a difference-maker in most games.  Lito is injured 1/3 of the time, average 1/3 of the time, and pretty damn good the other 1/3.

[ice grillin you]

lol @ lito being average 1/3 of the time he plays...

is that a new front office talking point?....the injury stuff is legit but now on top of that he also isnt a very good player half the time he does play?

[Father Demon]

the unfair part is if the players performance is below his salary level the eagles just cut him...but if the players performance outweights the contract they dig their heels in the ground

There's nothing unfair about that at all - it's playing within the rules that both sides agreed to.  Which is exactly why the young players sign the contract before hitting it big - get the bonus and guaranteed money upfront while the risk is still on the FO.

[ice grillin you]

the unfair part is if the players performance is below his salary level the eagles just cut him...but if the players performance outweights the contract they dig their heels in the ground

There's nothing unfair about that at all - it's playing within the rules that both sides agreed to.  Which is exactly why the young players sign the contract before hitting it big - get the bonus and guaranteed money upfront while the risk is still on the FO.

yes but everyone agrees the rules are incredibly slanted towards the teams...which by deafult makes it unfair towards players...why do you think so many players want gene upshaw out

sometimes you have to not go by the exact law of the land and extend palyers who are grossly out playing their current deal...and also its go business policy to quid pro quo with your best player who has been nothing short of spectacular on the field and fair and honest off the field with his deals...or you can be like the eagles and only spend big money on the occasional out of town player and in turn constantly alienating your entire locker room

[rjs246]

The rules are set up to heavily favor the teams right now. There is no questioning that. But both sides agreed to these rules, players included, and the amount of whining that goes on about it from the players is unbearable. Hopefully this next round of negotiating will level the playing field a little bit so the players can find something else to whine and cry about.

[ice grillin you]

id rather hear a player who puts his future health on the line everyday playing an incredibly violent game for much less money than other sports than to hear billionaires owners whine

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

lol @ lito being average 1/3 of the time he plays...

I agree.  It's not very funny.  But, it's true.  How many game-changing plays are made by Lito, especially in comparison to Westbrook?

the unfair part is if the players performance is below his salary level the eagles just cut him...but if the players performance outweights the contract they dig their heels in the ground

Blame the NFLPA.  Do you think it would be more fair to go to a basketball/baseball type system where all contracts are basically guaranteed?  The NFL at least gives the ability to denote guaranteed money separately from regular salary, so the good players can demand more of it.

[Seabiscuit36]

Lito owns the Cowboys, that in itself makes him worth more

[ice grillin you]

lol @ lito being average 1/3 of the time he plays...

I agree.  It's not very funny.  But, it's true.  How many game-changing plays are made by Lito, especially in comparison to Westbrook?

the unfair part is if the players performance is below his salary level the eagles just cut him...but if the players performance outweights the contract they dig their heels in the ground

Blame the NFLPA.  Do you think it would be more fair to go to a basketball/baseball type system where all contracts are basically guaranteed?  The NFL at least gives the ability to denote guaranteed money separately from regular salary, so the good players can demand more of it.

lito is a pro bowl caliber player when healthy and i wont even entertain the ridiculous notion of comparing the amount of big plays an all pro rb makes vs a corner back....and im not even sure why youre bringing up westbrook anyway...i never said anything about westbrook in comparison to lito...they are two totally different positions and situations


and as long as the nfl contracts are miniscule compared to other sports while the leagues revenue stay incredibly high then yes the contracts should be guaranteed....guaranteed contracts havent hurt the other sports and if any sport deserves them its football...what i would do is something similar to the nhl where the players are guaranteed to get their money but injured players wouldnt hurt your cap number