The Poison Pill Strategy: Should the Bears Use It?
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 7, 2010 1:04 PM CST
148 comments
Ever since the Bears decided to go "hog wild" in free agency there has been a lot of discussions on WCG about making a play for OJ Atogwe, free safety of the St. Louis Rams. Because the Rams have decided to place the lowest tender possible on Atogwe, many Bears fans, including myself, have become very interested in the prospect of the Bears making a play for the young and talented free safety. There has been a phrase that has been thrown around in discussions lately to help the Bears land Atogwe with little or no resistance from the St. Louis Rams, and that phrase is "poison pill."
According to wikipedia:
Poison pill is a term referring to any strategy, generally in business or politics, to increase the likelihood of negative results over positive ones for a party that attempts any kind of takeover. It derives from its original meaning of a literal poison pill carried by various spies throughout history, taken when discovered to eliminate the possibility of being interrogated for the enemy's gain.
This business strategy would give the Bears the upper hand in any contract negotiations with Atogwe over the Rams if used correctly. The Bears could basically use a poison pill clause or two in their offered contract that would make it impossible for the Rams to match the offer thus stealing him from right under their noses. A great example of poison pills used "properly" comes from dealings between the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks for players Steve Hutchinson and Nate Burleson.
In professional sports, a poison pill is a component of a contract, which one team offers a player, that makes it difficult or impossible for another team (which has the right of first refusal) to match. While it can often refer to a salary structure or clause that would affect all teams equally, it has taken on a new specific meaning of a clause that has unbalanced impact. For example, in March 2006, the Minnesota Vikings offered Steve Hutchinson, an offensive guard with the Seattle Seahawks, a seven-year, $49 million contract of which $16 million was guaranteed. This contract offer had two poison pills in it. One was the salary structure, which would require the team to pay $13 million in the first year of the contract. That salary structure would apply to both teams equally, as the Seahawks would also have to pay $13 million in the first contract year, were they to match the offer. The second was a clause that required Hutchinson to be the highest paid player on the offensive line, or else the entire contract would be guaranteed. Since the Seahawks had another offensive lineman, Walter Jones, with a higher salary and the Vikings did not, this clause would have required the Seahawks to guarantee $49 million, and it effectively eliminated the Seahawks' opportunity to match the contract offer.
In the wake of this contract offer, similar clauses have appeared in other contract offers, including a contract offered to Vikings wide receiver Nate Burleson by the Seahawks, which, with irony fully intended, was structured as a seven year, $49 million deal. The contract given to Burleson had two vengeful poison pill clauses in response to the contract offered to Hutchinson. Firstly, it stipulated that if Burleson were to play five or more games in the state of Minnesota during any single season over the life of the contract, the entire $49 million would become guaranteed. Secondly, if Burleson were to earn more per year on average than all of his team's running backs combined, the $49 million would be guaranteed. Since the Vikings play half of their games at home in Minnesota, and their running backs combined earned less per year than the $7 million in Burleson's contract, Minnesota was unable to match it.
As this example has shown, if used properly a poison pill can be a team's best friend in having the upper-hand in acquiring a highly regarded player but would the Bears use such a strategy? We do have one of the best contract negotiators in the league in Cliff Stein and I wouldn't put the possibility past them but does this strategy take on a set of morals beyond what Lovie and Angelo would regard as fair business? We know that Lovie has his ties with the St. Louis Rams organization and holds them in high regard so would he agree to such a move that would almost be taking a player away from them?
In my opinion, the Rams set themselves up for any sort of deviation from the norm with the lowest possible tender that they placed on Atogwe. I am for the Bears implimenting some sort of poison pill clause against the Rams if we have to in the hopes of landing Atogwe because I know how desperately this team needs stability in our secondary from the gaping hole that Mike Brown has left that has never been filled. I can see how this could be viewed as an unfair advantage swaying the way of the interested party but I cannot feel too much pity for a team that puts the lowest tender possible on one of their players. According to the Rams, they are doing this with the intent to sign Atogwe to a long term contract but he only has until June 1 to find an offer sheet elsewhere and if he doesn't, the Rams have to cut him or pay him nearly $7 million at that point. Whatever comes from their decision to put the lowest tender on Atogwe, they made their bed and now they have to lay in it.
So what terms do we throw at the Rams in regards to our posion pills if we choose to implement them? I am curious as to the ideas for the clauses that you all might have towards the Rams. Or maybe we don't throw any poison pills at them and instead offer picks for him in a trade format. Either way there will be other teams in the hunt for Atogwe that obviously haven't spent nearly the amount of money that we have already during this offseason so the Bears need to get ballsy and quick on this. Please share and let us take heed in hearty discussion.
Bear Down.
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I think
the poison pill would only take effect if he signs in which case it would only be the Rams who can counter.
I may be old but I... oh d*mn, I forgot what I was going to say.
by Cold_Old_Steelers_Fan on Mar 8, 2010 6:39 AM CST up reply actions
No Poison Pill Needed....
Mike Brown is available to go get… he know’s and thrives in the system… he’s a proven leader… and he played a whole season without injury! Just sayin… I love the guy!
GO BEARS!!!!
by ChiTownSounds on Mar 8, 2010 3:20 PM CST up reply actions
What about throwing players their way instead of picks?
Maybe some combination of Hillenmeyer/Vasher/Olsen would do the trick?
Why would we do that?
I don’t see what advantage we get out of doing that. We’ll have to end up paying the same amount, since we’re not only bidding against the Rams, we’re also bidding against other teams, in terms of salary. Basically it comes down to us spending more money than anybody else is willing to. Giving players to STL doesn’t help our cause in any way.
Brad Miller is god.
Bumped your post.
Great write up, especially with all of the back-and-forth on the subject as of late. Had to kill your poll though, sorry.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
That's ok, it was a last minute addition
I’m just happy to make the front page, it’s the first time!
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 7, 2010 2:11 PM CST up reply actions
congrats.
If I asn’t excludively on mobile this weekend, I’d post a gold star.
I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule. -Randal Graves
Writer at windycitygridiron.com -/-I http://www.twitter.com/kdoggers
by Kev H on Mar 7, 2010 3:20 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Hey whats up here guys ??
Give this dude his rec’s this is an outstanding article ! I got your back polish , already rec’d it my man .
by MidWayMonster54 on Mar 7, 2010 6:25 PM CST up reply actions
Congrats on the bump to the front page, well deserved.
Really informative article. You might be getting a job offer thrown your way, you hear that Dane?
Just call me Mr. 3000.
Another idea...
what about something where the player gets an incentive to make the pro bowl that becomes larger if he’s the only pro bowl player on the defense.
That would be a poison pill against us not them
The rams have no Pro-Bowl Caliber player other than Atogwe
Exatly...
so they’d have to pay him MORE than we would.
by shawndgoldman on Mar 7, 2010 2:17 PM CST up reply actions
I likey...
I likey very much. This is up there with the “If he plays 5 games in” the current team’s home city one. Its absolutely brilliant, because yeah, no harm for the Bears to make that offer. Might really be capable of hurting the Rams though!
Everyone dies. It is the only true and lasting justice in life.
Not likely, considering Peppers, Urlacher, Briggs and Harris are all capable of making the pro-bowl....
who do the Rams have that could make it?
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
Lauranitis probably could
"If I were a food critic being asked to write about the meal and experience at Waffle House, I would provide a drawing of two happy fat people giving each other a high five."
by BearNecessities on Mar 8, 2010 2:55 AM CST up reply actions
That has a chance of being disastrous for us though
It’s not likely that he ends up being our only defensive pro-bowler, but it’s far from impossible.
Brad Miller is god.
OR...
would it be possible to say if he plays less than 4 games in Chicago, the the entire contract is guaranteed?
Oooooooooh.
That gives me an idea:
“If Atogwe does not play X number of games in a city with a market/population of at least Y, the remainder of the contract is guaranteed.”
by shawndgoldman on Mar 7, 2010 5:46 PM CST up reply actions
... or something similar...
like an incentive for getting a certain number of interceptions that vests even if he doesn’t meet it and the team gets fewer than 30 sacks on the season.
Very informative, nice read.
I didn’t know exactly what the poison pill referance meant, a better understanding now. I don’t know if Lovie and company would go that route. Since Lovie has such a good relationship with the Rams organization, maybe something could be worked out where both teams come out better off. It still surprises me that the Rams would go this route with one of their best players especially given the talent of their team.
Walter Payton lives on!!!
Look,
Lovie is working for the Bears, not the Rams. This is the NFL. You either pay your good players well, or another team will.
It wouldn't be Lovie.
It would be JA and the guys who negotiate contracts. Lovie can say he likes and wants players but he doesn’t make it happen.
Exactly..
and by no means do I think Lovie works for the Rams in the NBA…lmao!!! I just think good relationships help out in business matters sometimes. JA has final say with personnel with a lot of influence from Lovie imo, and Stein is in charge of inking out the details if I’m not mistaken. I truly think it will be a bidding war of some kind, highest bidder wins the war. Do we have the money to do it, I guess that depends on how bad our organization wants Atogwe.
Walter Payton lives on!!!
I'm a firm supporter of a "bitter" pill over a "poison" pill...
Something tying compensation to the number of wins the team gets next year would effectively make the Rams either get good really quick, or pay tons of cash.
Some kind of competitive clause like that would likely serve our interests, and discourage the Rams from signing him.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Not sure
this works the way you want. I think you would want to structure it as “get good really quick AND pay tons of cash,” otherwise you structure the contract to incentivize losing. A contract that shrinks in size as the team wins more games is not the kind of contract I want a player at the safety position to have. Just imagine if Kevin Payne had a contract like that when he blew the coverage against Green Bay at the beginning of the season. We all know what we would be asking.
This works under the assumption...
That Atogwe isn’t a completely worthless person who would tank games on our team to try to get more pay.
So yeah. If that’s the case, that I wouldn’t want him anyway.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Personally...
I think that the poison pill is a great move in this particular instance. The connections to the Rams are not something that Lovie and company should place in such high regard at this point in time. Let’s face it, Safety is a seriously pressing need for the Bears. If we make a poison pill offer to Otogwe and we get him then maybe the relationship with the Rams is indeed strained, but Lovie and Company may get to keep their jobs as opposed to not getting Otogwe and all losing their jobs – in which case they may want to keep that relationship solid. As for proposing a trade, I don’t like the idea. Why give something away to get the guy when we’ll have to re-sign or restructure his contract either way? Why not keep what we’ve got (because we can’t afford to lose any more picks right now) and get the guy anyway? I think that the poison pill Seattle used for Burleson is brilliant! If Otogwe plays 6 games in St. Louis this year… Massive, instantaneous impact. Otogwe becomes a Bear, our Defense looks MUCH better, and we keep our picks, too!
Everyone dies. It is the only true and lasting justice in life.
Our D would be tops in the NFL
Urlacher, Briggs, Peppers, Harris, Tillman, Atogwe, Izzy and I have a feeling like Pisa is going to break out this year.
we have to resign Pisa first!
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 7, 2010 2:45 PM CST up reply actions
Just wanted to throw....
a “very nicely done post” your way. Well stated, and timely. Can’t ask for more than that.
Also, yes I agree that we need to get Pisa back under contract as well. The more research on Atogwe I do… The more I love the fit he’d be in our Cover-2.
If you’re the OC, how in the hell do you cover this: Peppers and Harris side by side, with Briggs blitzing behind them while the corners disrupt just enough to delay the rhythm of the play and Atogwe ball-hawking deep behind Urlacher?
Everyone dies. It is the only true and lasting justice in life.
Thank you for the props.
I appreciate it.
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 7, 2010 4:30 PM CST up reply actions
I originally thought
to just roll with the players we have because I read about a injury that OJ had last year. But after doing some research, I don’t think we can pass this guy up. OJ is rated the #1 free safety in FA this year by a couple of different sites. I think we have to make this move as there is no other starting free safety left on the market worth going after. Alfalfa and OJ, announcers would have a mouthful to call a Bears game. Poison Pill!
Well, we better do it
quickly then. If he’s rated that highly someone could beat us to the punch.
by Dewey LaMarr Hoyt on Mar 7, 2010 3:28 PM CST up reply actions
Well Rolle would've been no. 1
But he got released, so I’m guessing he wasn’t on a lot of those lists.
Brad Miller is god.
i agree with the majority of you
We should definately go aftr Atogwe he’s young and talented. I wasn’t sure what “The Poison Pill” was but now that I understand what it means I say do it! We would only benefit from this move and everyone is aware that safety is a need on defense. Oh by the way this is my first “mobile” comment! Awesome :)
by chigrl on Mar 7, 2010 3:52 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Thanks - Great Post
Just doing a google seach on OJ Atogwe shows that the 49’ers and the Eagles also are in the running. The Bears have gone this far with Free Agency they may as well go all the way and sign OJ Atogwe.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
HES THE BEST FS OUT THERE
WE NEED TO GET THIS DONE RITE AWAY LOVIE NEEDS TO GO FLY THERE AND GET HIM…GO BEARSSSSSS
NO forget about oj BRANDON MARSHALL should be are num 1 guy to target
then oj….. i want oj but if i had to choose BM no brainer
I think that
The Seahawks are i nthe front running for marshall, and the Bears have not even shown interest
Do or do not there is not try-Master Yoda
Can't agree with you here.
Our WR core was actually one of our strong suits last season and our secondary is pretty terrible. We really need that play maker at FS more than we need a stellar WR.
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 7, 2010 11:36 PM CST up reply actions
I can't agree with that logic.
We’re looking at making a TRADE of draft picks that we don’t really have, limiting our ability to address our other needs, to get a guy that has the potential to be the next TO – tremendous potential upside, but always with the drama and baggage.
As opposed to signing a Free Agent at a position that now, more than ever, becomes critical based upon the other upgrades made to the Defense already. Signing Peppers and not getting the FS to go with him is kind of like putting a top of the line stereo in your car, and getting some blue-light special speakers at K-Mart to go along with it. You aren’t going to get the final product that you were hoping for. It will have all sorts of pretty bells, lights, and whistles… But you’re going to find yourself going “Damn, I should have bought better speakers, and then this thing would really be awesome!”
Brandon Marshall is definitely a better WR than we have right now, but we have a group of young WRs that are learning and developing together with their QB. They have shown enough potential that I don’t feel WR is as pressing and dire a need as I did before last season. Right now, there are plenty of guys on the Offense that can catch the football. We NEED a dangerous, big-play potential, impact player at Free Safety. He’s there, without the risks, baggage, or necessary trades of otherwise valuable assets.
Everyone dies. It is the only true and lasting justice in life.
The word you're looking for is "our"
Brad Miller is god.
it may be risky for all parties,
but what do you think about waiting until he is an unrestricted free agent. its pretty clear that st louis doesnt want to pay him that $7 mill. then they wouldnt have the ability to match the offer sheet and we could sign him with whatever contract we agree on, assuming we have the money… the main problem would be the chance that we wait and dont get him, leaving us with steltz as our starting FS.
the main problem would be the chance that we wait and dont get him, leaving us with steltz as our starting FS.
Since you put it like that… for the love of Ditka, throw money at him now!
"F*** everybody outside of Halas Hall. BEARDOWN" - WavyGravy
"if we need it, we’re not drafting it. not high anyway. look for Angelo to go after a DL/DE – because that’s just the kind of asshat he is.." - junkhorse
"44 years of football history and nothing to show for it. I wish I wasn’t banned at the Norseman.." - tfrabotta
I agree.
We need to act fast before someone else makes an offer.
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 7, 2010 11:38 PM CST up reply actions
powrfwd37????
marshall was only an issue becuase they traded his qb away….. he would be a non- issue if he was playing for culter again
I would rather have Atogwe than Marshall
WR is not a need,
All we need is: FS in FA (Atogwe) and an OG in the draft (I don’t follow college football so I don’t really know, but the best guard or RT available should be taken)
Asomugha from the U of I
Is a solid G and could be available to us in the 3rd
Do or do not there is not try-Master Yoda
Nnamdi?
"If I were a food critic being asked to write about the meal and experience at Waffle House, I would provide a drawing of two happy fat people giving each other a high five."
by BearNecessities on Mar 9, 2010 4:02 AM CST up reply actions
he was an issue
Because he was the cause of death for one of his teammates. Marshall was the shooting target but a mistake in identity led to shooting the wrong guy in the limo. Try living with that on your conscious
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
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by SackMan on Mar 7, 2010 8:01 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
There's no way of knowing that...
Unless you happen to be Brandon Marshall. In which case, throw one of your tantrums and demand a trade. If you act up like last year, you can probably scare your value down a bit and make it easier for the Bears to pull the trigger.
Further, I don’t want a player that’s ONLY going to play with certain other players or for a certain coach on the roster. What happens (God forbid) if Cutler suffers a career ending injury? What happens with Marshall then? He seems perfectly happy with the idea of playing with Matt Hasselbeck, as he’s visiting Seattle. I don’t buy the notion that its only about playing with Cutler. There’s got to be more there, than that.
Everyone dies. It is the only true and lasting justice in life.
My soluiont...
after some considertation:
Bears structure a fair deal with Atogwe (4 years $30M/ $12M guaranteed).
We then go back to the Rams and offer them this: We sign Aotgwe, they don’t match. We give them Olsen and they also give us their 3rd rounder.
We get Atogwe and a third rounder (first pick of the round) the Rams get a hot-shot receiving tight end which they desperately need. The Rams mgmt can say they didn’t lose anything for the way they structred th Atogwe deal and the Bears mgmt can say they didn’t throw away Olsen for a risk draft pick.
Pointless
Why bother with all of that when you don’t have to? There is no point in giving up picks and players when there is away within the rules to get him and not give up those things.
Really?
How are we going to get him? There is no guarantee. Firstly, we know the likely magic number from the Rams pov is below $7M per season. Since the Rams paid him $6.4M last year we should expect it to be in that range.
A well designed long term contract could probably get us Atogwe at a cheaper price but that, obviously, will be matched by the Rams. So we just waste our time.
If you’re suggesting the “poison pill” is the legal way to go, well, forget about it. Jerry would never to that nor should he (see reasons in message below.)
There is a lot of discussion about moving Olsen for one of th three Pats picks (43,47,50) in round 2. But, if we can get a guranteed long term deal for Atogwe (at a reasonable price) still get pick number 65 from St. Louis and give up Olsen who will be under utilized this year, then it makes sense. Now we have a starting, high quality proven FS and we have two early 3rd round picks (65 and 75) which can be used independently or which can be bunded to trade up into if a guy we really want is there in Round 2.
Further more...
You can bet that St. Louis has an offer on the table for Atogwe. Atogwe doesn’t think it is high enough and so the Rams are using this unique FA period to let the market set the rates. Other teams will nego the best deal and in all likelihood, they will match. The only risk for th Rams is that some team will either 1.) completely over-pay which may be unlikely given that Atogwe does carry some injury risk, or 2.) Some team uses a poison pill, which I have to assume the Rams have considered but believe is not going to happen because of the leagues unwritten agreements on not doing that anymore. In essence, the Rams still are in the driver’s seat and so a deal makes sense if you really want this guy.
"The leagues unwritten agreement"...
is crazy this isn’t a pop warner football team. Any team in the nfl will do what it takes to get better. Why? Because it is a billion dollar industry. The reason you don’t see players that a team wants to keep tendered that low is because they know another team will sign them away. Also were did you “learn” about this “gentlemens agreement”? You probably just read an article by Bucky Brooks or some other pundit. Give me some examples of lowest tendered RFA’s that are as good of players in the last few years before you go around posting nonsense.
why not trade Olsen for a pick that is at least 15 players higher than the rams 3rd
And then offer OJ Atogwe more money than what the rams will. Does he not have a choice on what contract he wants? Can the rams even trade him? If the bears think he is better than any fs out there, pay him like it.
by Ryan21 on Mar 7, 2010 9:18 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
W/regards to using the Poison Pill
Until I learned of the general agreement in the NFL managment circles NOT to use poison pills, I was ok with this notion. But since it is something that is not being done anymore, I don’t agree that we should use it. If you break a gentleman’s agreement, not only will the other teams not trust you, they might even black ball you. I don’t think that is in Jerry’s best interest.
by The Kaiser on Mar 7, 2010 5:53 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Excellent point and I agree wholeheartedly.
If only we could peg the blame squarely on Angelo and not have it reflect poorly on the organization. We could do the dreaded poison pill and then fire Angelo in response and all my offseason dreams would come true. Except the one where I’m named VP in charge of Bears private party functions with the unlimited budget, of course…..
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
But consider that if Jerry doesn't acquire a legitimate FS, he might not be around to be blackballed.
His job’s on the line, so I could easily see him pulling out all the stops to get Atogwe.
Brad Miller is god.
I'd go for Atogwe
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
I just don't see the need...
to employ the poison pill. The Bears can offer Atogwe a 5 -year $30mil contract front loaded with an $8mil first 3 years (with some performance incentives), $4mil the fourth and $2mil the last. That is going to be hard to match for the Rams (they will have to free up some money to sign the #1 pick) and if the Bears do it now, then they can see what happens. If, for some reason they lose out, they can still go after Clark, Pool, or even a draftee, but at least they’d know where they stood. A poison pill strategy is tempting, but it just seems somehow misplaced in this situation. I see it as more of a “nuclear option” for a last desperate move when another team is simply being unreasonable in a trade/FA deal.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!
funny thing is...
Clark is hoping to finish a deal with the Dolphins and Pool is talking to teams as well, so looks like Atogwe is our only chance to get a solid Safety in Free agency!
THANK YOU DENVER!!!!!!!!!
i think the rams are letting the market
Negotiate the contract for them
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
by SackMan on Mar 7, 2010 7:50 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Exactly My Point
Which is why (if you believe as I do that we must find our starting FS through a vet currently on another roster) we should work a deal with the Rams. Olsen and #65 for letting us nego a fair value deal with Atogwe that they can’t match.
Everybody in the media and from what it seems around the league
are saying how desperate the Bears are. I would do the contract with a poison pill in it and just say “Hey we were desperate and didn’t have a choice”, can’t fault them for that. Right?
um
Yes, you CAN fault us for that. “We’re desperate” is a pretty lame excuse. Please. We have already landed 3 of the most sought-after free agents in all of free agency this year. Trying to claim we are desperate as an excuse will create more bad blood than if we had kept our mouths shut.
I don't think...
Manu was one of the most sought after FA’s this year. And saying that about Taylor is pushing it a little too.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
You could make a convincing argument that Taylor was the no. 1 RB in FA this year.
Brad Miller is god.
sure you could.
But I’m sure someone could turn around and do the same about Thomas Jones, Ladanian Tomlinson, Brian Wesbrook, etc. Yahoo did a list of their top 100 – and Taylor is #50. He’s the third RB on that list behind Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles. Manu isn’t even on the list (of 100).
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 11:18 PM CST up reply actions
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 11:18 PM CST up reply actions
Well those first two weren't going anywhere due to being restricted
I should’ve been clearer and specified UFA. The point is, he was as good as it got in terms of getting a complementary back through free agency, which was a need for a number of teams, including the Bears.
Brad Miller is god.
I don't disagree, at all.
I love the signing(s)… I just don’t know if this:
We have already landed 3 of the most sought-after free agents in all of free agency this year.
is really all that accurate. That’s all I’m saying.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 11:37 PM CST up reply actions
They were sought after by the Bears... and that's all that matters.
They got the 3 guys they wanted most… in less than 24 hours of Free Agency.
Although… Manu probably wasn’t going anywhere else to begin with.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
Oh,
and Jones, LT and Westbrook are all UFA’s. I’m assuming you were talking about Thomas and Sproles though. The yahoo list was posted prior to Jones getting cut, so he’s not up there. NFL’s list of top FA’s has Jones rated higher. It’s really all subjective, again… just sayin’.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 11:43 PM CST up reply actions
Except
LT is washed up, while Westbrook can’t stay healthy and is close to an early retirement. Thomas and Sproles were both RFAs, so can’t really compare those guys with CT.
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
I'm not trying to...
just pointing out what the list said, that’s all.
I’d probably tend to agree with you on LT and Westbrook. But like I said, “someone” could probably “make an argument” for them. And you left out Jones, he’s a pretty good measuring stick to compare Taylor, wouldn’t you say? Most people rate Jones higher. Not me, particularly, but most write-ups that I have seen.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 11:47 PM CST up reply actions
On just production, yes.
Although, he’s really getting up there in age and has 2,280 career carries versus Taylor’s 1,028. CT is definitely the lowest risk out of any the RBs that were available.
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
Again,
I don’t disagree.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
Lame or not.
if it were up to me i wouldn’t give an explanation for anything I did that improved my team. I’m just making light of the situation. Do the contract with or without a poison pill makes no difference to me. But ask yourself this, do you think the Patriots have been one of the most dominant teams of the decade because they gave a $HIT what the other owners and teams and fans of teams thought of them. Business is business and sometimes you have to do things people don’t always like or agree with. If the Rams didn’t want to get themselves in this situation all they had to do was up their tender offer.
and how many poison pill contracts did they use?
Zip.
Nor has any team in all the NFL except for Seattle (once) and Minnesota (once, the next year, in retaliation).
There’s a reason for that. Think about it.
Actually you are wrong.
Try google it would be alot easier than me trying to go into detail with you.
also
While its exciting that the bears went hog wild, super bowls aren’t won in march. Just ask the redskins. This was a desperate act to fix 3 years of mistakes. win or lose this act will come with consequences.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
by SackMan on Mar 7, 2010 7:55 PM CST via mobile reply actions
I agree.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
Can those consequences include
multiple championships, a bonus in my paycheck, a hot date with a super model and free ice cream for the kids?
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Are the kids eating ice cream while you're on your date? LOL
I fear this is what will happen: the Bears will have bought themselves a winning record and a playoff trip this year. But they’ve mortgaged the future to do so… will have a veteran team with a very small window.
So… they make the playoffs and get contract extensions… and then start losing again with an old team and more bad drafts.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
One more (possibly) off the list...
Jeff_Darlington (retweeted by Biggs)
Breaking News: S Ryan Clark just arrived for first free agent visit with the Dolphins. He told me he hopes to sign. http://bit.ly/a7sLbJ
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
how about...
If Atogwe plays for a team that rhymes with the Paint Boois Jams then he is owed 7 trillion dollars.
by Uncle Stanley McGoober on Mar 7, 2010 9:28 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
i thought it was funny
If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn't have given us arms.- Mike Ditka
by Hurricanes becoming Bears on Mar 8, 2010 1:11 AM CST up reply actions
Excellent write-up, Polish.....
Rec’d, and thanks…..
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
Players Ustreaming now...
Earl Bennett, Jason McKie, Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Anthony Adams – HERE >>
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
LOL
they can’t figure out the sound – so much for that Vandy education.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 10:08 PM CST up reply actions
Does anyone else think we need CB help?
Or do the Bears think Peanut and Vash are still good enough to hold it down for another year? Don’t get me wrong, Tillman is still somewhat reliable but anyone under him on the Depth Chart scares me a bit… Anyone know of any FA CB’s?
P.S.: Looks like Sharper or Atogwe. Just read Clark is visiting the Dolphins as they’re looking to replace Gibril Wilson. I’d rather Atogwe due to age.
JoeFlah
Our secondary got a lot better,
the second Peppers signed.
-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on Mar 7, 2010 10:21 PM CST up reply actions
Peanut and Bowman, not Vash.....
Bowman had a good year, considering that this was his first season starting. Vash might not even be on the roster…..
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
Especially
when Lovie had a really short leash on him. Seriously, he didn’t allow him to play very aggressively at all.
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
Ah
Good point there.
And am I dreaming or would Joey Porter look good in navy and orange?
JoeFlah
Sure he would....
But I don’t see it happening, nor do I want it to. Save some money for a safety…..
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
I don't think
Porter would fit as bear at all. He is a hand up rusher, for a “30” front not a hand down for a “40” forty front, type of guy.
Okay
Makes sense. I totally forgot about Pisa too, hopefully he’s healthy. Now we just wait on the O-Line and WR via draft I guess. Still want to see if Olsen gets moved… I don’t see him fitting in Martz system.
But yeah, back to what this post was origionally about, Atogwe is definatley an upgrade over what we have now, I would welcome him over Sharper. I think last year was his last hoorah.
JoeFlah
I guess the only question now is will it beat my record PSDB!!!!
Great Post!!
Cleared up alot of confusing stuff, I thought the Poison Pill was some on running joke in WCG, like the Dropapotomas or something!!
"How sad, another victim of the Night Nurses from Jersey."
http://www.windycitygridiron.com/2009/10/14/1085550/what-is-with-this-sudden-and
"How sad, another victim of the Night Nurses from Jersey."
But to be fair I got it on 12 recs with less comments!!!!!!!!!!!!
So in the end I WIN!!!!!!! As always hahaha, Im retarded.
"How sad, another victim of the Night Nurses from Jersey."
I shattered that today with less than half the comments....:p
lol
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
And with an intentions post.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a helluvan idea. I’m just suprised people are rec’ing a post about doing a post.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
Actually makes perfect sense to me, though I didn't expect it at first....
If it’s rec’d, people will notice, and then respond, making the post work as intended, giving a greater selection of players, and a greater number of responses to those players. So if people want to see good results off the intentions, rec’ing the post is a good idea. I guess i didn’t have that much foresight when I wrote it, but it makes sense now……
Only thing I can figure out. Well, that and people really like the idea of someone doing all the legwork on scouting possible draft choices that they have heard about.
Either way, it’s gotten three more rec’s since I went to bed. It’s got to be one or both of those things….
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
I get that...
And I could see rec’ing it to make sure it stays up top. I’m just surprised that it got more recognition than a post that actually contains information. And please don’t take what I’m saying the wrong way, I’m not trying to taking anything away from it. Like I said, I think it’s an outstanding idea for a post. Especially since I don’t watch college football and know very little about the people we draft.
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"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
Not getting you wrong at all, bro....
Was kinda confused by the way it got rec’d as well. I guess it just shows enthusiasm for the idea. But it took me off guard a bit, as well. Like I said, though. The only real explanation that makes sense to me is that people are voicing their enthusiasm for the idea presented, rather than the content itself.
in•san•i•ty \in-ˈsa-nə-tē\ noun
1 : The act of doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.
Hahaha I always screw up the link.
ALWAYS
"How sad, another victim of the Night Nurses from Jersey."
Excellent post
I never really knew what the “poison pills” were between Minny and Seattle.
I’m not really sure why teams haven’t offered Otagwe a contract yet. Does anyone know why he hasn’t attracted interest?
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
A little dyslexic tonight
''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou
nice read
rec’d it too…All is fair in the war for talent,if a poison pill is what we need to do in order to get our safety position filled by a young ball hawking safety then im all for it….I wonder if the Rams gave him the low tender in order to see his market worth with the full intention of matching any offer given to him…..Now that i think about it,I seriously doubt it or else they would have given him a high enough one to at least get draft picks in return…Who knows what the Rams are thinking? we need to make a move and get this taken care of before there’s no one else on the market worth the money
There has got be some changes made or we're gonna be in for a world of disappointment.......
Maybe the Bears
should look at Brodney Pool if the Rams don’t sign him…still an upgrade over the trifecta we have back there now
"If I were a food critic being asked to write about the meal and experience at Waffle House, I would provide a drawing of two happy fat people giving each other a high five."
He's a good player
but has had 4 concussions in the past 5 years. The Rams brought him in for a visit today.
by PolishSausage.Ditka.Bears. on Mar 8, 2010 12:33 PM CST up reply actions
Great, Great Post!
My buddy was trying to explain the “poison pill” to me, but he was drunk and I wasn’t… So, you know.
I now have a clear understanding of how it works.
I’d say go the “trade route” over the “poison pill”. If we get Atogwe, great! If not, then so it shall be. At least we didn’t burn a bridge to St. Louis (then LostinSTL would never make it home ;-)
Oddly enough...
I am moving…again. I’m off to CT. I’ll be all moved in by April 1st. So if there is any bridge burning, please wait a few weeks!
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!
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