The Pro Bowl Problem

Driver demanded a trade...? We all know what happened with the other three...

I hope Nick Collins doesn't start complaining his way out of town now.

Great stuff Andrew. Didn't Driver cash in big enough in 2004 with the "Donald Driver Chicken Selects" at McDonald's? Javon Walker: what a piece of garbage. You can always count on Al Davis to get his hands all over garbage like that.

Interesting stuff. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to have the Sr Bowl and Pro Bowl on the same weekend and half a globe apart.

The McKenzie mess brings back bad memories. Former Packer CEO Bob Harlan indicated that problems surrounding that contract or better yet Mike Sherman's preoccupation over the problem helped set the stage for the separation of the coach and GM in GB. Despite the recent drop to 6-10, I have to believe that a combination GM/Coach can add to these kind of problems.

It's the first time I am hearing that Driver wanted more. At the same time, it does show the class of DD that nothing ever got out, compared to McKenzie, Javon Walker (who is a head case in any way), and Green ended up with the Texans, but you already wrote why. Great stuff, Andrew!

as always, you are right on the money andrew! Good article!

Looks like Anquan Boldin, a Rosenhaus client, is not even waiting for next week to get in management's face with his new demands.

Hey Andrew, if Bowen or Fortenbaugh start making demands next week, I'm afraid you'll simply need to ante up. They're too valuable to let go...

As a rare Bronco fan willing to defend Walker, the dude changed considerably when Darrent Williams bled to death in his lap. He was already a bit of a diva, but that altered him a bit. They just don't make kids mentally tough these days, do they?

Drew:

I agree with you. Walker was lights out his first year, but something changed after that first year, and the most obvious explanation is the Williams situation. Now that you think about it, everything for the Bronco's kinda went down hill after that.

In retrospect, Walker may seem like a diva, but its also obvious that he is the living breathing example of what happens when a guy outplays his contract but doesn't get paid. Walker got screwed by Green Bay.

Andrew,

Is behavior like this going to continue? What happened to the time when players shut their mouths and played their contracts? Is this something that the owners or the league is going to have written into the new player contract? How about just sitting the current players down and say, "if you don't like it, there's the door. Go home, don't get paid and cry to your mom". Quite honestly, as a fan of this sport, it is truly getting harder to root for a bunch of greedy crybabies and be a true fan of this sport. If something isn't done this is going to turn into the MLB and the NHL; more sports no one cares about. Have you heard if the owners are going to regain control of the league they own and quit letting the inmates run the asylum?

I know it's a lot of questions, but Jesus, when is it going to stop?

Andrew - great article, this again points to the real problems with the players union. They're so worried about the select few who are affected by the salary cap that they don't even bother to address the obvious unfairness of guys who become full time starters and make Pro Bowl/All Pro on their rookie contracts. It's not a matter of "greedy crybabies" it's a matter of lining up alongside a guy making $4,000,000 per year when you are only getting $400,000 for the same job and according to your peers, the same performance level.

No human being, regardless of field, is going to willingly work for 10% of what his/her contemporaries make, nor should they be expected to. But rookie contracts are determined by draft position, not by ability or performance.

"Walker got screwed by Green Bay"

Scot, I don't think you really paid attention to the Walker situation. He came on in the second half of he 3rd(?) season I believe and still had time left. Then he, from afar, used Rosenhaus and his father(after TO got in his ear in Hawaii) in an effort to dictate his worth. The team was reluctant because he only had about 1/2-2/3 of a season in which her performed up to his contract.

Do the first 2 years of little production not count for something?

I think Javon made his own bed by taking the primadonna route when looking for a contract upgrade.

Does everybody remember Javon walking with Rosenhaus to the practice field during spring training that year?

It was just bad luck that he blew his ACL in week one against Detroit. In the end management was correct. (and I believe Mr. Brandt was a big part of that process.)