Arrington Sounds Off

LaVar Arrington inserted himself in the news this week.  Arrington sounded off against a couple of his former bosses from the Redskins -- coach Joe Gibbs and owner Dan Snyder -- complaining that Gibbs just was making some money for his NASCAR team and that Snyder was a coward that would not look or talk directly to Arrington following their parting of ways.

Arrington was a name that literally and figuratively came through my career at the Packers a couple of times.  I started with the team in February 1999, a couple of months before Arrington was to be the 2nd pick in the NFL Draft.  He -- along with his teammate at Penn State, Courtney Brown -- was at the top of every conversation and ranking board for that Draft, a true blue chip prospect that was destined to be a Pro Bowl player.  Although we were picking 14th, a pick by which Arrington would be long gone, I remember Ron Wolf deciding one day to throw on some tape of Arrington, just for grins.  After about three minutes of watching Arrington run down every running back and quarterback he was playing, Wolf shouted out to stop the tape; it was too hard to watch knowing there was no shot at getting him.  He didn't want to tease himself any more.

A few years later, in a game at Lambeau against the Redskins in October 2002, Arrington sacked Brett Favre, bringing him down with Favre's knee planted awkwardly.  The knee buckled, Favre stayed on the ground, and you could hear a pin drop at Lambeau.  It was as if the President was shot; looks of wonder and horror filled the stands as the iron man quarterback was being carted off.  As it turned out, Brett had an LCL sprain that did not keep him from starting the next game, conveniently placed after a bye week.

Then, in 2006, Arrington actually became a potential player for the Packers.  As noted above, Arrington parted ways with the Redskins, foregoing bonus money for his freedom from what had become a fractured relationship.  Arrington, thus, was a free agent, and we at the Packers were interested.  Ironically, at the same time I was negotiating with Arrington and his agent, Kevin Poston, I was negotiating with Charles Woodson and his agent, Carl Poston.  The Poston brothers were holding the keys to the two parts we wanted for our defense that year.  And despite the fact that there was a limited marketplace for both players, the Postons did their best to create the impression that was not the case and demanded top-of-the-market prices for both.

As for LaVar, his visit to our offices did not help in our negotiations.  LaVar is a dynamic presence with great people skills and a full-of-life personality.  Our defensive coaches, who were initially skeptical about LaVar and his freelancing ways in a defensive scheme, were now sold; they had become smitten with this burst of energy that had come through our doors.  Coaches and management wanted LaVar, Brett Favre called him and I worked to make that happen.

In deciding between the Packers and the Giants, we were led to believe that it was even and LaVar would decide based on the economics of the offers presented.  As I later found out, our economics were far more substantial than that of the Giants (as was the offer from the Eagles) yet he signed with New York.  The lure of staying on the East coast and playing the Redskins twice a year was a pull that overcame our better offer, despite our being told that it would not.  Thus, we lost LaVar to the Giants, who then lost LaVar to injury in October 2006, half a season into a five-year deal.  We did, of course, make the deal with Charles Woodson and the other Poston brother.

The Arrington story again proves the adage that resonates time and time again in sports and beyond, although it is hard to take comfort in at the time a deal is unraveling: some of the best deals are the ones that aren't made!

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