12/21/24
July 14, 2007
Colts 72 million dollar man: After five years of chasing quarterbacks, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney will be paid like one.
Too bad Freeney couldn't have take less so that Polian could have kept some of those other players that made the Colt's defense so good. I really believe IF they could have kept June, Harper, and Doss, that they would have had a really good chance to repeat. They still have that chance with the best coach and GM, but would have liked to see those guys play for us not against us. On a lighter note, the Lions are a million to one to win the Super Bowl. Too bad I'm not a betting man. I would put $5 on them just in case. HA HA HA
posted by coach at 02:37 PM on July 15, 2007
The $72 Million figure is meaningless. The important number is the guaranteed $30 million. That's still a lot of cheese.
posted by BlueCarp at 04:39 PM on July 15, 2007
The important number is the guaranteed $30 million Plus 11.5 million salary for this year, that is pretty much guaranteed assuming the Colts don't cut him in the next few weeks. For those keeping count, that is 41.5 million out of pocket this year for a guy who had 5.5 sacks. 7.5mill per sack. Move over Javon Kearse(d), your replacement has arrived. In Other News: Jerry Richardson just suffered a *mild* heart attack when the words, "plus a new Gulfstream G550" came screeching from the recently invigorated Julius Peppers' negotiation room.
posted by r8rh8r27 at 02:43 PM on July 16, 2007
As a Colt fan I just hope my small market Colts can find some money these next 2 years to re-sign Bob "the Builder" Sanders (Cuz he loves to lay some wood!!!) I've always assumed with revenue-sharing and the salary cap, that market size really doesn't matter as much as it does in other sports when it comes to teams having the money to sign players. Is that correct?
posted by holden at 02:51 PM on July 16, 2007
Holden, that is correct. Obviously they don't make as much as the Cowboys, but even the worst run teams and those in the smallest cities do quite well for themselves. The NFL is the most powerful league, business-wise, of all the major sports. Coach, you do realize that June was HORRIBLE last year, one of the worst every down defensive players in football, right? The only reason he had so many tackles is because when they run it directly at you you're bound to make a few here and there in between all the misses. David and Harper were capable CBs but not worth the money they were sure to get elsewhere, as the Tampa 2 makes that position fairly easy to fill. Jackson and Hayden were drafted 2 years ago exactly for this purpose. Doss lost his job to Bethea and while he performed admirably when given the chance before the injury, he wasn't going to stick around to be a backup. So really, whether Freeney signed for a dollar or 30 million, the rest of the D would look the same. In the very same post you say that they have the best GM. If you believe that, then you should give him some credit for his decisions, his track record of repeatedly drafting solid starters in the 2nd day of the draft, and trust his actions this past winter. I am happy with the signing but it does seem a little bit spendy, given that I doubt that he could have fetched the same amount on the open market. But I don't know that. It also seems like the cap hit could be prohibitive, but as I advised Coach, I trust that the GM and the staff are thinking years ahead and know what they're doing. They usually do.
posted by Bernreuther at 10:53 PM on July 16, 2007
Well, they may have lost Cato June, Nick Harper, Mike Doss, Monty Reagor, and Jason David (you could say the Saints stole him...), but its good to see they found money for Freeney. Freeney stated before the beginning of last season that he wanted to be the highest paid defensive player in the league. Well he got his wish, but the price was high, but a talent like Freeney must not be allowed to walk. Sometimes I wonder if the Eagles ever kick themselves for not paying Reggie White. Obviously, fellow rivals the Giants learned from that mistake as Strahan was given his $$$. As a Colt fan I just hope my small market Colts can find some money these next 2 years to re-sign Bob "the Builder" Sanders (Cuz he loves to lay some wood!!!)