Training Camp Battles

[red]

Raji got $4M for this year. If he had no other offers (which I'm certain he did), Thompson vastly overpaid.

and that was the basis of my rants a couple months ago, no whispers, no rumors, nothing linking raji to any other teams other then raji saying "there were other teams"

my argument was that raji was not worth much more then the vet minimum, i can't for the life of me believe that anyone would offer him more then 2 million a year.

so IMO, yes, TT overpaid for him.

but throwing away 2 or 3 million more then i think he's worth for one year isn't the end of the world, so the argument kind of just died

now if we had signed him for 8 million a year like we originally offered, i'd be cutting my ear off right now

[HarveyWallbangers]

and that was the basis of my rants a couple months ago, no whispers, no rumors, nothing linking raji to any other teams other then raji saying "there were other teams"

my argument was that raji was not worth much more then the vet minimum, i can't for the life of me believe that anyone would offer him more then 2 million a year.

so IMO, yes, TT overpaid for him.

but throwing away 2 or 3 million more then i think he's worth for one year isn't the end of the world, so the argument kind of just died

now if we had signed him for 8 million a year like we originally offered, i'd be cutting my ear off right now

You having an opinion that he isn't worth much over the vet minimum does not make it a fact that he had no other offers and might be out of the league next year. That's all I'm pointing out. I trust Thompson wouldn't pay somebody $4M/year who had zero interest from other teams. I'm sure Raji got offers. I'm guessing some were of the 3y/$9M variety. Considering he was projected to get a pretty good chunk of change before his miserable year, he decided to roll the dice on having a good year and making more next year.

For what it's worth, after Raji signed his contract he said he got offers from 3 or 4 other teams.

[mission]

Exactly, Harv. He probably got offered a 2yr, 5mil or 3/8 something and just decided he would take more money this year, play his butt off (this is relatively obv) and then go get a real contract. Makes more sense than "no one wanted the guy".

[Pugger]

Tolzien is not a better athlete than Flynn, they are both average. I see Flynn winning the backup job unless an injury occurs.

Maybe so but do you agree Scott has the better arm?

[bobblehead]

and that was the basis of my rants a couple months ago, no whispers, no rumors, nothing linking raji to any other teams other then raji saying "there were other teams"

my argument was that raji was not worth much more then the vet minimum, i can't for the life of me believe that anyone would offer him more then 2 million a year.

so IMO, yes, TT overpaid for him.

but throwing away 2 or 3 million more then i think he's worth for one year isn't the end of the world, so the argument kind of just died

now if we had signed him for 8 million a year like we originally offered, i'd be cutting my ear off right now

Honestly, I am shocked to find out you have any ears left.

[Patler]

Exactly, Harv. He probably got offered a 2yr, 5mil or 3/8 something and just decided he would take more money this year, play his butt off (this is relatively obv) and then go get a real contract. Makes more sense than "no one wanted the guy".

If he had real, actual offers that he could have signed on the line for, we would have heard about it from the team(s), officially or unofficially. Did we even hear of him visiting anywhere? I don't remember even any rumors that he did, but there may have been.

I suspect it was more that his agent talked to some teams, the teams said they might be interested in him at 2-3M per year, but no actual offer was ever made, and he never visited there. In agent/player speak, these become "deals" he could have had.

I suspect Raji was waiting for injuries, retirements and suspensions to open up the market for experienced, but young DTs with warts on their resumes. You never know when lightening, or the reincarnation of of Al Davis might strike, and a team in panic offers a better deal than expected. GB needed to offer enough to out-weigh whatever chance Raji thought there was for that, and even allow him to save face, a bit.

[3irty1]

If he had real, actual offers that he could have signed on the line for, we would have heard about it from the team(s), officially or unofficially. Did we even hear of him visiting anywhere? I don't remember even any rumors that he did, but there may have been.

I suspect it was more that his agent talked to some teams, the teams said they might be interested in him at 2-3M per year, but no actual offer was ever made, and he never visited there. In agent/player speak, these become "deals" he could have had.

I suspect Raji was waiting for injuries, retirements and suspensions to open up the market for experienced, but young DTs with warts on their resumes. You never know when lightening, or the reincarnation of of Al Davis might strike, and a team in panic offers a better deal than expected. GB needed to offer enough to out-weigh whatever chance Raji thought there was for that, and even allow him to save face, a bit.

This is my take as well. I bet even $4m made the decision not to wait for Al Davis hard. Technically Raji is a probowler, although I think everyone but Raji has given up on him being special but he's far from being out of the league as well. I see him as a solid starter at a position where solid starter means situational.

[Zool]

Maybe so but do you agree Scott has the better arm?

Stronger arm yes, but less accurate so far, and he's kind of a statue. I'd take Flynn 10/10 times over Tolzien right now. Heady player who doesn't make many mistakes and produces when given a shot. Neither of them is going to win you a superbowl though.

[deake]

What are the chances that Ha Ha and Hyde are at safety, if not out of training camp, before season end and Burnett on the bench?

[MadScientist]

What are the chances that Ha Ha and Hyde are at safety, if not out of training camp, before season end and Burnett on the bench?

If Burnett plays like last year, pretty good (unless Richardson claims a spot). If Burnett's bad play was due to having to cover for a dog shit safety playing next to him, he will probably remain a starter, even if the others have more talent. Safety is a spot where experience and savvy more than make up for small deficiencies in athletic ability.

[bobblehead]

What are the chances that Ha Ha and Hyde are at safety, if not out of training camp, before season end and Burnett on the bench?

Nil. Mccarthy and TT love them some Burnett for some reason I never figured out. They have stuck by him and even extended him beyond what most believe was right. The odds they bench him if healthy...very slim.