Suggs Files Grievance Against Ravens

[Bullrush]

A great article written by former NFL Scout Bucky Brooks. It shows that Suggs is not just "whining" about not getting the additional 800.000 bucks. It's about way more than that.

The value on a long-term contract is ultimately where the decision will have the biggest impact. Dwight Freeney's six-year, $72 million contract is the highest deal received by a defensive end, and it contains over $30 million in guaranteed money. Meanwhile, the top contracts for outside linebackers average a shade over $7 million per year and fall in the range of $38-42 million over the life of the deal.

Obviously, Suggs wants to be compensated as a defensive end because his pass-rushing skills will command top dollar on the open market. With teams splurging on less established pass rushers such as Antwan Odom, Travis LaBoy and Calvin Pace, Suggs could easily command over $9 million annually as a defensive end when he hits the open market in 2009.

Read the full article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...ction=si_latest

[neepo13]

A great article written by former NFL Scout Bucky Brooks. It shows that Suggs is not just "whining" about not getting the additional 800.000 bucks. It's about way more than that.

The value on a long-term contract is ultimately where the decision will have the biggest impact. Dwight Freeney's six-year, $72 million contract is the highest deal received by a defensive end, and it contains over $30 million in guaranteed money. Meanwhile, the top contracts for outside linebackers average a shade over $7 million per year and fall in the range of $38-42 million over the life of the deal.

Obviously, Suggs wants to be compensated as a defensive end because his pass-rushing skills will command top dollar on the open market. With teams splurging on less established pass rushers such as Antwan Odom, Travis LaBoy and Calvin Pace, Suggs could easily command over $9 million annually as a defensive end when he hits the open market in 2009.

Read the full article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...ction=si_latest

Thats been established.

I think your wrong. Look at the bigger picture, this is about the money. To hell with the extra 815K, he would get from the franchise tag. If he gets classified as a DE, then he has the leverage to ask for a long term deal close to the 72 million, 30 million guareenteed deal that Freeney got instead of the one closer to what Thomas got last year. If the league classify's him as a DE, he is going to demand that kind of paycheck. A player that just wants to get the deal done so he can play football wouldnt go through all this. We can blame his agent but ultimately the player has the final say and if he isnt getting the representation he wants, he is free to fire his agent, ala A-Rod, and get a new one. The fact that he hasnt done it, speaks volumes.

[BMoreBirdMan]

FACT: IN EVERY SINGLE PRACTICE, IN EVERY SINGLE GAME A PLAYER CAN SUFFER A CAREER ENDING INJURY. MORE REALISTICALLY, ANY INJURY OR AN OFF YEAR COULD DRASTICALLY AFFECT HIS LONG TERM EARNING POTENTIAL. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. LIKE IT OR NOT, THE ONLY MONEY AN NFL PLAYER CAN COUNT ON IS THE MONEY HE RECIEVES IN SIGNING BONUS. THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE DESIGNATION CLAUSE IS ENTIRELY IN THE FAVOR OF OWNERSHIP. IT IS NOT FAIR TO THE PLAYERS IN ANY SENSE. IT REMOVES A BASIC RIGHT THAT ALL AMERICANS SHOULD BE AFFORDED: THE RIGHT TO MAXIMIZE ONE'S COMPENSATION AND ENSURE ONE'S LONG TERM FINANCIAL SECURITY AS A RESULT OF ONE'S PERFORMANCE. In short, effort=results is a basic tenant of our society. Wanting to sell one's product on the open market doesn't make one greedy, it makes them American.

The NFL needs to update this archaic rule which was a knee jerk reaction by the owners after getting upset over the original enanctment of a salary cap and free agency. They lost the ability to control the salary of players when free agency became a fact of life in the NFL and needed something given to them to make them feel as if they were still in charge...the franchise tag was that concession.

Free agency in sports in general was a hard fought battle to ensure that a player was compensated in a free market forum for his ability. Tell me that you honestly wouldn't rather do your job for more money and I will shut up. I mean, seriously, if you sold widgets, wouldn't you want to maximize your profit per widget...or would you gladly sell your widgets for less than fair market value? What makes an NFL player's time and effort any different? They are selling a product to thier team. The difference is that with every widget you might sell, you are not risking the ability to sell widgets in the future as an NFL player does every time he puts on the jersey.

Haven't you payed attention to congressional hearings on the poor state of affairs in regards to the way that the NFL ignores the very serious mediacl problems of retired palyers? At the end of a palyer's career, the NFL will drop him like a hot rock. The player will live the rest of his life with the physical damage to his body...bad knees, shoulders, long term damage from the concusions, mangled fingers, etc... with nobody to foot the bill except the player himself. Given the fact that even good players usually retire by 35-36 yrs old and the fact that average male life expectancy in America is 76.5 years old....that leaves 40 years of medical care and living expenses on the shoulders of the player. There is no retirement plan. Add to this the fact that whatever money a player does receive will have 10-15% taken by the agent and another 20% by Uncle Sam and you see that one third of whatever he has to cover these expenses is gone before the player has a chance to see it.

I say, go for it T-Sizzle, get your's. An NFL career is too short to settle for less than you are worth in both dollars and long term security. If the Ravens cannot afford him, then let him go. Maybe the franchise should spend thier money more wisely and cut JO or McNair, at least force them into a position where they have to restructure thier contracts to free up cap space to re-sign Suggs. The franchise made a choice to not garner the bad publicity and ire of the fans in keeping JO and McNair thereby ignoring Suggs' long term security. Suggs deserves the oportunity that we all cherish: the chance to have the results of our efforts maximized.

[Bullrush]

Yeah, i can't believe they haven't "touched" Steve's contract yet. This is ridiculous.

McNair is expected to make $4 million this season and $6 million each of the next two seasons. Pryce is expected to make $3 million this season, $4 million in 2009 and $4.5 million in 2010.

Both were injured last season and missed extensive time.

Newsome, though, said there have been no negotiations with Pryce or McNair.

"I have not touched their contracts. Nothing," Newsome said.

What is this? Either they're guaranteeing him a starting job or he'll be cut within the next weeks/months. There are times when Newsome just makes no sense at all.

[Raven07]

McNair i can assure...will not be cut, nor will he be released....the Ravens see how he is progressing right now at this stage and coming along and i think they really see some potential with McNair as our starter. we know what he can do, we've seen what he can do both with and against us WITH a healthy team on his side. and besides i will re-itterate this......releasing McNair and J.O. would hardly even benefit us because if we do release them....then its referred to as "Dead money" in the fact that there was no great increase in CAP space and room to move, so we wouldnt really be able re-sign or Sign a new player on the roster even if we wanted to. Plus by releasing them (like i said before in previous posts) we'd be deeper in the hole because we'd be down players, no big room to move with Cap Space and the Draft is coming up. so all in all...it wouldnt help nor would it hinder us.

[neepo13]

FACT: IN EVERY SINGLE PRACTICE, IN EVERY SINGLE GAME A PLAYER CAN SUFFER A CAREER ENDING INJURY. MORE REALISTICALLY, ANY INJURY OR AN OFF YEAR COULD DRASTICALLY AFFECT HIS LONG TERM EARNING POTENTIAL. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. LIKE IT OR NOT, THE ONLY MONEY AN NFL PLAYER CAN COUNT ON IS THE MONEY HE RECIEVES IN SIGNING BONUS. THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE DESIGNATION CLAUSE IS ENTIRELY IN THE FAVOR OF OWNERSHIP. IT IS NOT FAIR TO THE PLAYERS IN ANY SENSE. IT REMOVES A BASIC RIGHT THAT ALL AMERICANS SHOULD BE AFFORDED: THE RIGHT TO MAXIMIZE ONE'S COMPENSATION AND ENSURE ONE'S LONG TERM FINANCIAL SECURITY AS A RESULT OF ONE'S PERFORMANCE. In short, effort=results is a basic tenant of our society. Wanting to sell one's product on the open market doesn't make one greedy, it makes them American.

The NFL needs to update this archaic rule which was a knee jerk reaction by the owners after getting upset over the original enanctment of a salary cap and free agency. They lost the ability to control the salary of players when free agency became a fact of life in the NFL and needed something given to them to make them feel as if they were still in charge...the franchise tag was that concession.

Free agency in sports in general was a hard fought battle to ensure that a player was compensated in a free market forum for his ability. Tell me that you honestly wouldn't rather do your job for more money and I will shut up. I mean, seriously, if you sold widgets, wouldn't you want to maximize your profit per widget...or would you gladly sell your widgets for less than fair market value? What makes an NFL player's time and effort any different? They are selling a product to thier team. The difference is that with every widget you might sell, you are not risking the ability to sell widgets in the future as an NFL player does every time he puts on the jersey.

Haven't you payed attention to congressional hearings on the poor state of affairs in regards to the way that the NFL ignores the very serious mediacl problems of retired palyers? At the end of a palyer's career, the NFL will drop him like a hot rock. The player will live the rest of his life with the physical damage to his body...bad knees, shoulders, long term damage from the concusions, mangled fingers, etc... with nobody to foot the bill except the player himself. Given the fact that even good players usually retire by 35-36 yrs old and the fact that average male life expectancy in America is 76.5 years old....that leaves 40 years of medical care and living expenses on the shoulders of the player. There is no retirement plan. Add to this the fact that whatever money a player does receive will have 10-15% taken by the agent and another 20% by Uncle Sam and you see that one third of whatever he has to cover these expenses is gone before the player has a chance to see it.

I say, go for it T-Sizzle, get your's. An NFL career is too short to settle for less than you are worth in both dollars and long term security. If the Ravens cannot afford him, then let him go. Maybe the franchise should spend thier money more wisely and cut JO or McNair, at least force them into a position where they have to restructure thier contracts to free up cap space to re-sign Suggs. The franchise made a choice to not garner the bad publicity and ire of the fans in keeping JO and McNair thereby ignoring Suggs' long term security. Suggs deserves the oportunity that we all cherish: the chance to have the results of our efforts maximized.

Hate the franchise tag or love it, the bottomline is the players AGREED to it. Free agency works soley in the favor of players, why shouldnt an owner have some reassurance that every offseason they are not going to lose their best players just because someone else offers more money. Yes, career ending injuries do happen and its a sad fact but out of thousands of players who play in the NFL every year and hundreds who start every year, how often does it happen? Given the amount of players and the frequency of career ending injuries, the chances that a player will actually suffer a career ending injury is VERY slim, and thats being nice. As far as the money goes, football is a TEAM sport. One player does not make the team. 20 million dollars is alot of money and its a fair amount of money. Thats the amount of guareenteed money that Thomas got from the Patriots last year. Suggs would likely be able to draw more from the Ravens as a LINEBACKER simply due to his age and his upside. Holding out to be classified as a DE to try to get even more even though you are not primarly a defensive end, is greed in my book. Sorry. Maybe I cant appreciate it because I dont already make millions of dollars a year.

[Raven07]

i think that most players dont agree to it, its just the Teams choice to do so...but the fact that Suggs Actually did agree to it, adds that much more onto it all....and the fact that he wants to stay a Raven until he retires. sure i would do my job well if not even better than i would have if i hadnt of gotten more money....but there are alot of players out there that choose TEAM over the whole money issue of the deal. because to them Team work values higher than the money to them and so you see them turning down big contracts or new opportunities.

[neepo13]

i think that most players dont agree to it, its just the Teams choice to do so...but the fact that Suggs Actually did agree to it, adds that much more onto it all....and the fact that he wants to stay a Raven until he retires. sure i would do my job well if not even better than i would have if i hadnt of gotten more money....but there are alot of players out there that choose TEAM over the whole money issue of the deal. because to them Team work values higher than the money to them and so you see them turning down big contracts or new opportunities.

What I was saying is that it is apart of the collective bargaining agreement. For players to continue to be able to cash in on free agency, the owners had to be given the franchise tag. The players agree to free agency so they agreed to the franchise tag.

[BMoreBirdMan]

"MORE REALISTICALLY, ANY INJURY OR AN OFF YEAR COULD DRASTICALLY AFFECT HIS LONG TERM EARNING POTENTIAL."

Once again, tell me that you you are GREEDY because you would like to earn as much as possible from whatever line of work you have chosen and I will shut up. Let's say you flip burgers at McD's. They are paying you $8/hr and only guaruntee you 30 hours/week. Wendy's opens up across the street and starts offering burger flippers $10/hr and will give you a guarunteed 40 hour/week. Are you being greedy to walk across the street and take the job at Wendy's?

No. You are being SMART. You are attempting to maximize you earnings potential and build a better future for yourself and your family.

What makes an NFL player different?

Nothing. This is thier job, their chosen profession. We, the fans, just add an unrealistic emotional attachment to the fray. But in the end, Suggs' must stand up, be a man, and provide the most for his family. An NFL career is 1/4 that of what a normal working man will log before he retires. He must strike while the iron is hot. In one or two years, the economics for any given football position could change. It is the simple law of supply and demand.

I am an electrician. I can make anywhere from $15/hr to $38/hr. I sell my family short and my career short if I do not try to work for a company that offers the upper end of that salary range. Granted, you must add a few zeroes to the equation (on Suggs' end) to compare this, and remove the 30 years I will have past the 10-12 Suggs will play, but it is simply a desire to strike while the iron is hot.

Most of us here do not make millions and that sure looks great from our standpoint. However, I am sure that to a burger-flipper, the lower end ($15/hr) of the electrician's salary range probably looks pretty good. To tell you the truth, I will not get out of bed for less than $20/hr. It is not because I am greedy. It is because anything less is an insult in my chosen profession. To someone that makes $10/hr, I am sure that sounds pretentious. To my peers, it sounds completely reasonable.

The point is that just because we are enamoured (sp?) by all of the zeroes, doesn't change the fact that in judging Suggs, we must take into account that he is a professional in his chosen occupation. To make professional decisions based on emotion is foolish. He should be afforded the right to do what we all take for granted: MAXIMIZE HIS EARNINGS POTENTIAL AND LONG TERM FINANCIAL/PROFESSIONAL SECURITY.

Ignore the zeroes and the emotion for a cool minute and you will realize that this is a job to him. Now act like this was your job.

Now, with all of that said, Suggs is taking a shot at the proverbial brass ring. He is not bad mouthing the organization or spreading dissent. He has been completely stand up and respectable in his actions. He is simply using the same rules and regulations of the CBA to maximize his earnings potential. I do not see anyone crying foul because the oraganization used those same CBA constraints to fanchise Suggs thereby limiting his ability to maximize his long term earnings potential. To call Suggs GREEDY and or SELFISH is wrong. Are you going to ensure that his granchildren get a college education? Would you be GREEDY or SELFISH if you tried to secure you grandchildren's financial future? No. You would be a great great guy/gal who was trying to do the right thing for his/her family.

[RavenFan]

Can anyone name a defensive player that left the Ravens with their big money and did something special? Hartwell, Starks, Baxter and no one wanted Boulware. Ravens defense made these players a star, or maybe Ray Lewis, so shouldn't T-Sizzle give them the respect to stay here? The track record isn't good. Ya he might be able to sign huge money somewhere else, suck, and get released after 3 years. Or sign great money here and probably have a job for the duration of his contract.

[neepo13]

"MORE REALISTICALLY, ANY INJURY OR AN OFF YEAR COULD DRASTICALLY AFFECT HIS LONG TERM EARNING POTENTIAL."

Once again, tell me that you you are GREEDY because you would like to earn as much as possible from whatever line of work you have chosen and I will shut up. Let's say you flip burgers at McD's. They are paying you $8/hr and only guaruntee you 30 hours/week. Wendy's opens up across the street and starts offering burger flippers $10/hr and will give you a guarunteed 40 hour/week. Are you being greedy to walk across the street and take the job at Wendy's?

No. You are being SMART. You are attempting to maximize you earnings potential and build a better future for yourself and your family.

What makes an NFL player different?

Nothing. This is thier job, their chosen profession. We, the fans, just add an unrealistic emotional attachment to the fray. But in the end, Suggs' must stand up, be a man, and provide the most for his family. An NFL career is 1/4 that of what a normal working man will log before he retires. He must strike while the iron is hot. In one or two years, the economics for any given football position could change. It is the simple law of supply and demand.

I am an electrician. I can make anywhere from $15/hr to $38/hr. I sell my family short and my career short if I do not try to work for a company that offers the upper end of that salary range. Granted, you must add a few zeroes to the equation (on Suggs' end) to compare this, and remove the 30 years I will have past the 10-12 Suggs will play, but it is simply a desire to strike while the iron is hot.

Most of us here do not make millions and that sure looks great from our standpoint. However, I am sure that to a burger-flipper, the lower end ($15/hr) of the electrician's salary range probably looks pretty good. To tell you the truth, I will not get out of bed for less than $20/hr. It is not because I am greedy. It is because anything less is an insult in my chosen profession. To someone that makes $10/hr, I am sure that sounds pretentious. To my peers, it sounds completely reasonable.

The point is that just because we are enamoured (sp?) by all of the zeroes, doesn't change the fact that in judging Suggs, we must take into account that he is a professional in his chosen occupation. To make professional decisions based on emotion is foolish. He should be afforded the right to do what we all take for granted: MAXIMIZE HIS EARNINGS POTENTIAL AND LONG TERM FINANCIAL/PROFESSIONAL SECURITY.

Ignore the zeroes and the emotion for a cool minute and you will realize that this is a job to him. Now act like this was your job.

Now, with all of that said, Suggs is taking a shot at the proverbial brass ring. He is not bad mouthing the organization or spreading dissent. He has been completely stand up and respectable in his actions. He is simply using the same rules and regulations of the CBA to maximize his earnings potential. I do not see anyone crying foul because the oraganization used those same CBA constraints to fanchise Suggs thereby limiting his ability to maximize his long term earnings potential. To call Suggs GREEDY and or SELFISH is wrong. Are you going to ensure that his granchildren get a college education? Would you be GREEDY or SELFISH if you tried to secure you grandchildren's financial future? No. You would be a great great guy/gal who was trying to do the right thing for his/her family.

There is a BIG difference between $10 an hour and 20 MILLION DOLLARS. NFL players deserve to be compensated for what they do I dont disagree but to go to this extent is greed in my opinion. He is a linebacker that wants defensive end type money. Dont make it like Suggs is the victim here, he is not. He stands to gain substantially no matter what postion he is classified as. Right now he is putting himself above the team. We've already discussed this but I will say it again just to say it again. This is not about the extra 815k he would get from the franchise tag. If it wasnt for this hold up he wouldnt even go into the season under the franchise tag. This is so that he can demand a DE long term contract that he doesnt deserve. Ozzie has a good track record of dishing out top dollar to his best players. Suggs will be one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL, when this is all said and done, but instead he wants to be the highest paid defensive end in the NFL and he isnt a defensive end. In MY OPINION, that is greed and if you cant understand that then I dont know what to tell you.

[neepo13]

Can anyone name a defensive player that left the Ravens with their big money and did something special? Hartwell, Starks, Baxter and no one wanted Boulware. Ravens defense made these players a star, or maybe Ray Lewis, so shouldn't T-Sizzle give them the respect to stay here? The track record isn't good. Ya he might be able to sign huge money somewhere else, suck, and get released after 3 years. Or sign great money here and probably have a job for the duration of his contract.

Well, its not about the game anymore. Its all about money now. Thats basically what's being said.

[Raven07]

to a certain extent....but there are always those players out there both in and around the league that, play the game because they Love the game...and that the money comes second to playing time. and besides i think alot of players careers take a turn for the better almost everytime they sign with us....its like if your career seems to be on the slide..come to baltimore...we'll get it on track...and our track record serves as reference to that point.

[neepo13]

to a certain extent....but there are always those players out there both in and around the league that, play the game because they Love the game...and that the money comes second to playing time. and besides i think alot of players careers take a turn for the better almost everytime they sign with us....its like if your career seems to be on the slide..come to baltimore...we'll get it on track...and our track record serves as reference to that point.

Well, I prefer players that are playing for the love of the game.

[Raven07]

as do i and im sure everyone else out there. thus is why i said money comes as Second nature and not First. and im sure that our Role Models and key players on this team like Ray Ray and Heap and Reed, have made it a sense to make money second and your performance first.

[neepo13]

as do i and im sure everyone else out there. thus is why i said money comes as Second nature and not First. and im sure that our Role Models and key players on this team like Ray Ray and Heap and Reed, have made it a sense to make money second and your performance first.

Well, based on Suggs actions or the actions he is allowing his agent to take part in money is first.

[Raven07]

its the actions in which his agent is taking part in/having the greatest influence on. Suggs said time and time again...he's just here to play Raven Football...."i'll let the other stuff work itself out" i think were his words "come on man...im a Raven!"........as suggs agent is doing his job lol i mean because arent all players agents around the league trying to get more money for their clients? haha so his agent is doing what he has to do keep his job, while Suggs main Priority is Playing Football...thats his main focus and thats what it should be.