| Nice Job, Tags |
Haven't heard much about the NFL deal. Say what you want about Tagliabue coming across as being arrogant at times, but the guy does a helluva job. He's a bulldog at getting a good agreement. This time around, that was anything but easy with some of these high revenue owners and their initial "looking out for No. 1" stance. Given the variables involved, getting 30 out of 32 guys to agree on something that was tearing them apart was a nice trick, and he did it in a matter of days. I usually end up hating the Bettman-Goodenow type relationships in other sports, but I always feel like Tagliabue and Upshaw are very smart guys. And genuine people too.
Posted by Tim Schuler at 3/10/2006 5:11:00 PM |
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| Eating Crow on Alexander |
| Well, after betting heavily against Alexander returning to the Seahawks, it looks like he re-signed for a lot less than I thought it would take. He's getting $15.125 million this year, (including an $11 million signing bonus and $2 million roster bonus), but that $13 million in bonus really is a lot smaller than that since his first year salary - the only guaranteed year - is so little. If you figure it would cost them $7 million or so if they were allowed to franchise him, the bonus really only amounts to $8 million more of guaranteed money.
Basically, he didn't get Hasselbeck or Walter Jones money, but he gets to stay on the team that drafted him with a great offensive line and for close to what I think the market would bear for a running back of his mileage, MVP award notwithstanding.
All in all, a good move for Alexander, and the Seahawks got him at a decent price.
Alexander doesn't carry inordinate risk for the next year or two, and even if he's not as important as Hasselbeck or Jones, he wouldn't be easy to replace.
As Thornbury indicated a rare win-win here that I didn't think they'd pull off.
Posted by Chris Liss at 3/7/2006 1:08:00 PM |
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| Adios 1836 |
| Since we don't have a soccer heading (though we have the best fantasy soccer coverage on the net), I'm posting this under NFL, which works anyway because soccer is football in the rest of the world. In any event, the Houston MLS team changed its nickname today to the "Dynamo" because its original nickname, "1836," was deemed offensive to some Mexican-Americans. 1836, you see, is the date Texas gained independence from Mexico.
Aside from being offended because using a year as a team nickname is lame in the first place, the only way one could find 1836 offensive is if your loyalties lie with the losing side. And if that's the case, isn't there a larger problem in Houston?
The irony here, though, is that the city is named after Sam Houston, the commander of the Texas army that won the battle for independence in 1836. Maybe they should ditch that, too.
Posted by Jason Thornbury at 3/6/2006 7:12:00 PM |
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| NFL Strikes Labor Deal |
| At least that's what the Washington Post is reporting. The key part of the settlement appears to be this:
The salary cap figure would fluctuate annually based not only on changes in revenues, the [source] said, but also on how much money the 32 NFL teams collectively spent above or below the flexible salary cap the previous season.
If the teams collectively spent less than the salary cap allotment in a season, the next season's cap would move upward in the players' favor. If the clubs collectively spent more than the salary cap allotment in a season, the cap would move lower the following season to guarantee the players less money.
Posted by Jason Thornbury at 3/6/2006 12:23:00 PM |
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| Alexander's New Contract |
| The stars seemed to have aligned for the Seahawks in their dealings with Alexander. First, the labor unrest meant less salary cap space for teams, leaving Alexander with fewer possible teams with which to sign. Second, Alexander either was true to his word that he didn't seek to break the bank or he realized it wouldn't be possible in the current market. Third, the Seahawks are $15 million under the cap and can handle the early years of his contract without killing its ability to re-sign other key guys.
He's guaranteed about $15 million in the first year, of which $11 million is a signing bonus. By the time he peters out as a running back, the Seahawks can cut him and rid themselves of most of his $62 million contract.
I am little a surprised Alexander didn't test the market. But the Seahawks followed my advice by offering a mid-range bonus and hoping for the best. They got the best all the way around.
UPDATE: Seahawks beat writer for the Tacoma News Tribune, Mike Sando, has a good breakdown of Alexander's deal in his Seahawks blog. Scroll down to the "Breaking down Alexander's contract" post.
Posted by Jason Thornbury at 3/6/2006 12:14:00 PM |
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