Should the Jets attempt to land Crabtree?

Discussion in 'New York Jets' started by gustoonarmy, Oct 2, 2009.

  1. IATA

    IATA Trolls

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    Wow. Which Micheal Crabtree are you fucking watching?
     
  2. 67Bndwagnfan

    67Bndwagnfan New Member

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    The connection of his Agent, Deon Sandes and your team has been established already. I say go for it and grab a Primadonna players who is more interested in money than playing and lose a few draft picks in the process.

    GO FOR IT!!!!!!
     
  3. Mambo9

    Mambo9 Well-Known Member

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    I really think he is a mediocre WR and a product of the system.
    I'm not saying he can't play football... but I think he has the skillset of being a possession reciever (on a scale from 1-10 I'd say 6.5) but lacks the mentality of to be a team-mate, being coachable (and not thinking he is the best WR from day 1), go through rough-times, be a PROFESSIONAL ecc ecc.

    Those 2 things together don't blend well...

    PS out of curiosity... how on earth did you choose your avatar:p
     
  4. JohnnySample

    JohnnySample New Member

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    If Crabtree goes back into the draft in 2010 he is not coming out in the top 5, and probably not the top 10 either. He is not going to get the money his is asking for by going back into the draft. Now if he is still on the board when the Jets pick at 32, then yeah, they should go get him. The 49ers can't trade him until March of next year anyway so nothing along those lines will happen this season.
     
  5. Killeri9590

    Killeri9590 Banned

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    I don't want that primadonna. Instead of honoring his draft spot he thinks he should get paid as a top 5 pick. Screw him
     
  6. xjets2002x

    xjets2002x Active Member

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    I would tend to agree. He strikes me as another Keyshawn type, which isn't a bad thing, but also not really what we need. Cotchery is a very nice possession receiver. We need a gamebreaker.

    -X-
     
  7. IATA

    IATA Trolls

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    It's a picture of me in the 70's.
     
  8. NDmick

    NDmick Revis Christ

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    enough with this faget... he will not make a good pro. Pussy Diva Cunt that he is... i'm tired of it.
     
  9. zoobooz

    zoobooz Member

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    That writer was definitely drinking the kool-aid, what an awful article.

    And Gore/Coffee are in the same league as Peterson/Taylor, really? Gore is really, really good, but that's just silly.
     
  10. IATA

    IATA Trolls

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    Coffee is a better back than Taylor.
     
  11. OrganizedKonfusion

    OrganizedKonfusion New Member

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    Not worth it at all, Crabtree is a major headache.
     
  12. donkey

    donkey Well-Known Member

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    Not gonna let that pass without comment. Good lad :up::jets:
     
  13. Jetfanmack

    Jetfanmack haz chilens?

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    Based on what, exactly?
     
  14. Don

    Don 2008 TGG Rich Kotite "Least Knowledgeable" Award W

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    lol..hardly.....not even close.
     
  15. Leicester Jet

    Leicester Jet Well-Known Member

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    No way do we want him - there are many better players in next years draft - the fool has burnt his boat big time! (What sort of advice was his agent giving him!!!)
     
  16. bucknasty

    bucknasty Member

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    does anybody remember a hold out like this before ?
     
  17. kbgreen

    kbgreen Well-Known Member

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    I guess since this writer does not think he needs to atually confirm facts when he rights - Last I checked The Jets are no longer on long island. and frankly the references that all people on Long Island and NJ are mobsters is offensive! I guess it is also ok in America to insult anyone from NY and NJ!
     
  18. ztiwomik

    ztiwomik New Member

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    was going to post a really good article about crabtree and the holdout but my post count is way under. sorry, im a ganggreen long time leach.
     
  19. ztiwomik

    ztiwomik New Member

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    heres some of it, including a part on holdouts.


    The Crabtree advisers

    So what is going on in Michael Crabtree's head these days, as he has become the second-longest NFL rookie holdout in two decades? The answer, some say, lies in his inner circle. Crabtree's posse isn't the typical one filled with high school chums, siblings and a sampling of hangers-on. His circle consists of at least three men over the age of 40: former NFL superstar Deion Sanders, Texas state Sen. Royce West and Crabtree's cousin, bail bondsman David Wells.

    Sanders' comments about Crabtree reportedly touched off tampering charges against the New York Jets, but we'll get to him later. Aside from Crabtree's father, Wells could possibly be the biggest influence in Crabtree's life. He trained the youngster from Dallas at a boxing gym with no air conditioning and surrounded him with powerful men by the time he hit high school.

    Wells says he's made millions in the bail-bonds business, and doesn't need to ride his cousin's coattails for money or access. He's gotten past the ropes and seen the NFL high life as a bodyguard for former Dallas Cowboys players Michael Irvin and Adam "Pacman" Jones, and is widely known in the Cowboys organization. Wells says it takes a village to raise a young African-American man, and that he always wanted to make sure the young Crabtree had someone strong to lean on.

    Crabtree plays dominoes with West, who now serves as one of his lawyers.

    "The Michael Crabtree that I know is a genuine person," West says. "Well-thought-of in the community."

    Back in Dallas, Wells has taken somewhat of a beating in recent days. In early August, he was quoted as saying Crabtree was willing to sit out the season and re-enter the draft in 2010, a statement that angered 49ers fans and drudged up media reports of Wells' legal problems from the past. Contacted this week, Wells said his comments were misconstrued, but wouldn't elaborate.

    "I have not told Michael Crabtree to hold out," Wells says. "Write that.

    [+] EnlargeLeach
    John Albright / Icon SMIMike Leach coached Crabtree at Texas Tech.

    "I care about my cousin. I love him very much. My business is to make sure my cousin makes the right decisions. I'm not talking about football. I'm talking about his life."

    Wells is quick to defend Sanders, whom he calls a "close friend and a mentor" to Crabtree. He is adamant in saying Sanders hasn't influenced the negotiations. A couple of weeks ago, Sanders became involved in the story when he said two teams were interested in a trade for Crabtree, and that they would pay him handsomely.

    Despite the rumblings, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach says he'd be surprised if anyone other than Crabtree's agent was advising him.

    "They say he's an entourage guy, but that's not true," Leach says. "Michael's kind of a loner who keeps to himself. He's just a nice, polite guy who goes about his business. I know that sounds a little Frank Capra, but it's true.

    "I know [Wells] a little bit. I think he's a good guy. I've always known him to have Michael's best interests at heart. That's his priority, really. I mean, heck, that guy could've made himself agent if he wanted to, but he didn't."

    Handling the holdout

    As the Crabtree story twists and churns on, his agent, Eugene Parker, has stayed mum. Parker, Crabtree and the 49ers all declined to comment. This isn't Parker's first major contract negotiation. He represents Hines Ward, Richard Seymour and Larry Fitzgerald. And he once helped Sanders get a $35 million deal with the Cowboys. Parker no doubt knows about the probability that rookies who hold out are far more likely to get injured and have inconsequential first seasons.

    [+] EnlargeMichael Crabtree
    AP Photo/Paul SakumaCrabtree holds up his jersey as he stands with coach Mike Singletary, center left, GM Scot McCloughan, left, and president Jed York, right, during a news conference in April. Crabtree now has the longest rookie holdout in 49ers franchise history.

    Six weeks ago, Parker helped Tyson Jackson, the No. 3 overall pick for the Chiefs, arrive at camp in River Falls, Wis., albeit a few days late.

    It's no secret that holdouts miss out. In 2007, Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick, skipped all of training camp and held out until Sept. 12. Russell completed just 36 passes for 373 yards as a rookie, and, two years later, is still struggling in his role as a starter. Two first-round quarterbacks in 2008 -- Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco -- were in camp on time and thrived on playoff teams as rookies.

    "It's just a situation that physically, as well as mentally, they have no idea what they're missing," says former Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson. "Now it's the regular season, and [Crabtree] has already missed two games. He's basically just taking his rookie year and throwing it away from a career standpoint and a financial standpoint.

    "I don't think there's any way he'll ever recover the experience he's losing this year in the National Football League, and I don't think he'll ever recover the financial loss."

    Peterson knows all about the perils of rookie holdouts. In 2002, he drafted defensive tackle Ryan Sims with the No. 6 overall pick, then watched Sims go through a long contract dispute. When he finally arrived on the team, out of shape, Sims lasted just a couple of weeks. He dislocated his elbow, was out for the season and spent the next year playing catch-up. By the time his five-year run was over in Kansas City, he had amassed just 54 tackles and five sacks.

    Though rookies are drafted in late April, the negotiations, Peterson says, don't start in earnest until about two weeks before training camp. Agents want to wait and see where the numbers and the market are. The NFL has a slotting system that, in most scenarios, decreases compensation according to draft order. So general managers put up a firm stand with rookie pools and slotting, and agents fight to get more guaranteed money.

    The phone calls increase as the days creep closer to camp. When a player holds out, Peterson says, front-office personnel go through various stages of emotions.

    "After the frustration and the maddening anger," he says, "then it goes to disappointment.

    "The one thing we know for sure, and that players eventually figure out, is that the National Football League moves on. Players … They're always replaced. The league goes on, players continue to play, coaches continue to coach, and the game goes on."

    Holdouts of the past

    No, the games didn't stop without Crabtree. In the opening week of the season, the 49ers shocked Arizona, the defending NFC champ, on the Cardinals' home field. Like most days, coach Mike Singletary steered the postgame commentary away from Crabtree, choosing to focus on the 53 guys who were there.

    But eventually, the 49ers will have to talk about Crabtree. They have until Nov. 17 to sign him if he's going to play this season. After Aug. 14, the club was no longer permitted to trade Crabtree's rights. The next point he can be traded is at the start of the 2010 trading period on March 5. If Crabtree is not signed and he is not traded, he would go back into the April draft.

    If Crabtree doesn't flinch and sits out the whole season, it won't be unprecedented. Kelly Stouffer was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the '87 draft, couldn't agree to a contract, and had his rights traded to the Seahawks the following year. Stouffer never became a franchise quarterback, and drifted away after his second stint in the league ended in 1996.

    [+] EnlargeTom Cousineau
    George Rose/Getty ImagesTom Cousineau, who wouldn't initially sign with the Buffalo Bills, instead went to the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. He later went to the NFL and ended up with the Cleveland Browns.

    And then there was Tom Cousineau, the No. 1 overall pick of the 1979 draft who never played a down for the Bills. Cousineau, initially miffed by what he perceived as shoddy treatment by Buffalo, was ultimately lured away by bigger money in the CFL. He played in Canada for three years, made twice as much as he would have in the NFL, and one day out of the blue received a six-figure bonus from a generous front-office person to help cure his homesickness.

    Cousineau eventually found his way back to the NFL, and had a good career. But to this day, he still has regrets. His heart told him to play in Buffalo, to take what the Bills offered. His head said to go where the money took him.

    "Negotiating protocol and all that goes with that … it was so foreign to me," Cousineau says. "You have to believe in people. I thought I'd made a good choice with [agent] Jimmy Walsh, and I believe that to this day. He was looking out for my best interests.

    "Who out there, all things being equal, would prefer to work for less money than more money? Who makes that choice?"

    One thing people close to Crabtree know is that he's stubborn. When an opposing defensive back would mouth off in the media and challenge him, Crabtree generally had his most productive games. He always believed, every Saturday, that he was the best receiver on the field. He was confident, going into the 2009 draft, that he was the best receiver in the rookie class. And when the Raiders stunned the Radio City Music Hall crowd by picking Darrius Heyward-Bey, not Crabtree, at No. 7, the trouble, apparently, began.

    "I know he has the inner confidence in him that he was the best receiver last year," Simmons says.

    "When he does get on the field, a lot of people are going to be eating their words. He's going to be a phenomenal player. That's his passion."
     
  20. ztiwomik

    ztiwomik New Member

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    On a late-summer day in the Bay Area recently, Crabtree resurfaced. He ran and jumped and caught roughly 70 footballs from former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. They talked for more than an hour about what Crabtree can expect when he finally gets into a league that he is seemingly so determined to impress, yet so adamantly avoids. A mutual acquaintance of Crabtree and Dilfer set up the workout, and the pair has met three times in the past month or so to talk about everything but contract negotiations.

    [+] EnlargeMichael Crabtree
    Brendan Maloney/US PresswireIt's Crabtree's iconic catch -- the game-winning touchdown came in the final seconds to beat then-No. 1 Texas last season.

    "I told him early on that I wouldn't go there," says Dilfer, who also serves as an ESPN analyst.

    "He's a very focused kid. Far more focused than kids his age," Dilfer says. "He compartmentalizes things. My impression is that in his mind, he's compartmentalized this as saying, 'Hey, my job is to be ready to play when my people put me in position to play.' He doesn't think he's part of that. He's just focused on getting himself physically and mentally ready for the NFL. And he thinks the business side of it -- of signing or not -- is a whole separate issue, and he's not concerning himself with it."

    How long can he go? Crabtree won't be hurting for money any time soon. He has endorsement deals with Subway, EA Sports and Nike Jordan Brand sneakers. Trading cards could possibly net him another six figures.

    Last weekend, a few folks from Texas Tech wondered if Crabtree might show up on the sideline for the annual rivalry game with Texas. Just a year ago, Crabtree delivered his iconic moment against the Longhorns, catching the game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds, doing it in double coverage. That night, he went home with his family and did push-ups during the commercials of a TV movie. He didn't need a party, or an entourage. Crabtree was just preparing for what was ahead.

    "The 49ers desperately need to sign their first pick," Leach says, "and Crabtree desperately needs to play football this season. Where the dust all settles, I don't know. But you wonder if both sides will feel like it was worth it, you know?"
     

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