RashanGary
11-02-2007, 10:13 PM
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=681978
Team, agent start talks on contract
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 2, 2007
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers have begun contract negotiations with representatives for tight end Donald Lee that they hope will lock him up for years to come.
Donald Lee ranks 11th among tight ends in receptions with 25. At that pace, he would break the team record by a tight end of 56 set by Paul Coffman in 1979.
Lee, one of the most improved players on the roster, is the only starter among the seven players due to become unrestricted free agents in March.
"They contacted my agent," Lee said Friday. "I told them just get me a fair deal and I'll be happy. I'm not big on material things. I told them I don't want to know numbers and what's going on. I don't want to focus on that."
Agents Cary Fabrikant and Brian Levy have been talking with club negotiator Andrew Brandt for about two weeks. A deal isn't in sight but the Packers would like to get one by the end of December in order to use some of the $7.39 million that they have available beneath the salary cap.
"We like Donald," general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'd like to have him on our team. He's an effective blocker, a good receiver. How old is he? 27? To me, that's pretty young."
A year ago, Lee ran third string behind Bubba Franks and David Martin and had a forgettable season. Frustrated by his diminished role, he had little alternative but to re-sign for one year at $701,240, a deal that contained a $50,000 signing bonus.
After losing Martin to Miami in free agency, the Packers decided to find out if Lee could handle the starting job. Little did they know that Lee would perform better than ever before and maintain primacy over Franks throughout the off-season, training camp and the first seven weeks of the regular season.
An understated country kind of guy from tiny Pheba, Miss., Lee remains relatively anonymous at a position under transformation with the recent influx of talented players. Nonetheless, the Packers have come to admire Lee's consistency, work ethic and durability.
"My high school health teacher said, 'I don't care what your name is,' " said Ben McAdoo, the second-year tight ends coach. "I'm the same with him. Doesn't matter what the name is on the back of the jersey. It matters how he's playing, and he's playing well right now."
When Lee was told that he ranked 10th among tight ends in receiving yards with 304, he said in his deep, raspy voice, "No. 10? Really? I don't keep up with stats. That's nice, though."
Lee also ranks 11th in receptions with 25. At that pace, he would finish with 57 and break the team record by a tight end of 56 set by Paul Coffman in 1979.
"He's a legitimate starter," McAdoo said. "He's a threat in the pass game, he can get it done in the run game and in pass protection. Everything you ask of a guy, he's capable of doing."
Another reason the Packers have decided to extend Lee's contract is that Franks, who turns 30 in January, might not be back. His cap salary of $2.406 million will swell to $4.5 million in 2008, which might be untenable for the team barring a hefty pay cut.
The agents for Lee will be trying to determine their client's worth on the market in March compared to taking the bonus money now.
"When I came here everybody, the coaching staff, were real nice to me," said Lee, who backed up Randy McMichael for two seasons after being drafted in the fifth round by the Dolphins out of Mississippi State in 2003.
"I really like Green Bay. It's a lot like Mississippi. It's laid back. Good quality people. Only thing I really don't like is the weather. It gets cold. Other than that, I wouldn't want to trade it for the world. I wish I could retire here."
If Lee keeps putting up numbers, it's possible the Packers might have to pay him more than they anticipate. Lee can't expect to get a deal like Daniel Graham got in March from Denver ($15 million guaranteed) but Visanthe Shiancoe's deal in March with Minnesota ($8.2 million guaranteed) might be possible.
Lee is one of six starting tight ends headed for the unrestricted market. Indianapolis' Dallas Clark is No. 1, followed by Philadelphia's L.J. Smith, Tennessee's Bo Scaife, New Orleans' Eric Johnson and Seattle's Marcus Pollard.
The Packers signed Lee as a free agent shortly before the 2005 opener. Afforded an opportunity that year when Franks and Martin were injured, Lee played 35% of the downs and caught 33 passes.
Last year, Lee's playing time dipped to 21%. He dropped five of 22 passes and blocked poorly.
"I was just a special-teams guy," said Lee, who hasn't dropped any of the 32 thrown to him this season. "I never complained, but when there's something bothering you, you're just not yourself.
"You're standing on the sideline and all of a sudden your number is called, you really ain't got no rhythm. You feel fresh but you're out there moving at a different speed than everybody else.
"Being out there now and getting reps, the game is so much slower. I can read defenses so good, even when I go in motion. I remember last year, when they threw me in there, I was seeing a lot of people and I really didn't know what they were doing.
"It was kind of tough, but you know what? I'm very fortunate to be here. I ain't one to complain. Whatever you ask me to do, I'm just going to do it."
If and when the humble Lee gets the new deal, he intends first to thank the Lord and then buy uniforms for a pee-wee football league back home. He's also thinking about getting married to Shayne, his high school sweetheart and the mother of their two children back home in Pheba.
"I try to live by the three F's," he said. "There's faith, family and football. You can't do anything without God. Family's more important than football. If you've got your family taken care of, then you can concentrate on football.
"One thing you can't do is forget about where you came from. And definitely don't forget where you're trying to go. I just try to give it my all and have a positive attitude, no matter what happens."
Team, agent start talks on contract
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 2, 2007
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers have begun contract negotiations with representatives for tight end Donald Lee that they hope will lock him up for years to come.
Donald Lee ranks 11th among tight ends in receptions with 25. At that pace, he would break the team record by a tight end of 56 set by Paul Coffman in 1979.
Lee, one of the most improved players on the roster, is the only starter among the seven players due to become unrestricted free agents in March.
"They contacted my agent," Lee said Friday. "I told them just get me a fair deal and I'll be happy. I'm not big on material things. I told them I don't want to know numbers and what's going on. I don't want to focus on that."
Agents Cary Fabrikant and Brian Levy have been talking with club negotiator Andrew Brandt for about two weeks. A deal isn't in sight but the Packers would like to get one by the end of December in order to use some of the $7.39 million that they have available beneath the salary cap.
"We like Donald," general manager Ted Thompson said. "We'd like to have him on our team. He's an effective blocker, a good receiver. How old is he? 27? To me, that's pretty young."
A year ago, Lee ran third string behind Bubba Franks and David Martin and had a forgettable season. Frustrated by his diminished role, he had little alternative but to re-sign for one year at $701,240, a deal that contained a $50,000 signing bonus.
After losing Martin to Miami in free agency, the Packers decided to find out if Lee could handle the starting job. Little did they know that Lee would perform better than ever before and maintain primacy over Franks throughout the off-season, training camp and the first seven weeks of the regular season.
An understated country kind of guy from tiny Pheba, Miss., Lee remains relatively anonymous at a position under transformation with the recent influx of talented players. Nonetheless, the Packers have come to admire Lee's consistency, work ethic and durability.
"My high school health teacher said, 'I don't care what your name is,' " said Ben McAdoo, the second-year tight ends coach. "I'm the same with him. Doesn't matter what the name is on the back of the jersey. It matters how he's playing, and he's playing well right now."
When Lee was told that he ranked 10th among tight ends in receiving yards with 304, he said in his deep, raspy voice, "No. 10? Really? I don't keep up with stats. That's nice, though."
Lee also ranks 11th in receptions with 25. At that pace, he would finish with 57 and break the team record by a tight end of 56 set by Paul Coffman in 1979.
"He's a legitimate starter," McAdoo said. "He's a threat in the pass game, he can get it done in the run game and in pass protection. Everything you ask of a guy, he's capable of doing."
Another reason the Packers have decided to extend Lee's contract is that Franks, who turns 30 in January, might not be back. His cap salary of $2.406 million will swell to $4.5 million in 2008, which might be untenable for the team barring a hefty pay cut.
The agents for Lee will be trying to determine their client's worth on the market in March compared to taking the bonus money now.
"When I came here everybody, the coaching staff, were real nice to me," said Lee, who backed up Randy McMichael for two seasons after being drafted in the fifth round by the Dolphins out of Mississippi State in 2003.
"I really like Green Bay. It's a lot like Mississippi. It's laid back. Good quality people. Only thing I really don't like is the weather. It gets cold. Other than that, I wouldn't want to trade it for the world. I wish I could retire here."
If Lee keeps putting up numbers, it's possible the Packers might have to pay him more than they anticipate. Lee can't expect to get a deal like Daniel Graham got in March from Denver ($15 million guaranteed) but Visanthe Shiancoe's deal in March with Minnesota ($8.2 million guaranteed) might be possible.
Lee is one of six starting tight ends headed for the unrestricted market. Indianapolis' Dallas Clark is No. 1, followed by Philadelphia's L.J. Smith, Tennessee's Bo Scaife, New Orleans' Eric Johnson and Seattle's Marcus Pollard.
The Packers signed Lee as a free agent shortly before the 2005 opener. Afforded an opportunity that year when Franks and Martin were injured, Lee played 35% of the downs and caught 33 passes.
Last year, Lee's playing time dipped to 21%. He dropped five of 22 passes and blocked poorly.
"I was just a special-teams guy," said Lee, who hasn't dropped any of the 32 thrown to him this season. "I never complained, but when there's something bothering you, you're just not yourself.
"You're standing on the sideline and all of a sudden your number is called, you really ain't got no rhythm. You feel fresh but you're out there moving at a different speed than everybody else.
"Being out there now and getting reps, the game is so much slower. I can read defenses so good, even when I go in motion. I remember last year, when they threw me in there, I was seeing a lot of people and I really didn't know what they were doing.
"It was kind of tough, but you know what? I'm very fortunate to be here. I ain't one to complain. Whatever you ask me to do, I'm just going to do it."
If and when the humble Lee gets the new deal, he intends first to thank the Lord and then buy uniforms for a pee-wee football league back home. He's also thinking about getting married to Shayne, his high school sweetheart and the mother of their two children back home in Pheba.
"I try to live by the three F's," he said. "There's faith, family and football. You can't do anything without God. Family's more important than football. If you've got your family taken care of, then you can concentrate on football.
"One thing you can't do is forget about where you came from. And definitely don't forget where you're trying to go. I just try to give it my all and have a positive attitude, no matter what happens."