DID DONALD DRIVER SIGN AN EXTENSION? RUMOR

[RashanGary]

If everything went down exaclty as Walker stated then, yes, it was a problem. However, I highly doubt that the words coming out of his mouth are the complete truth. I'm sure he left out some convenient details like "I was demanding to get a 10 mil bonus up front in GB so they immediately clsoed the door"...You know, info like that, which helps explain the whole story.

Anyone supporting or non-supporing Thompson in this situation is doing so without some very important info.

[jack's smirking revenge]

I tend to think that we don't know the whole story. Walker is blabbing; TT is stating "sometimes things just don't work out." I think he's taking the diplomatic approach and not sinking to Walk's level of criticism, letting Walk run off his mouth and knowing that nothing good could come with a media b#tchfest about what happened. What good would it do if TT came out and blasted Walk about the contract negotiations? It wouldn't look good to his team, to the fans or to the media. TT is taking a closed-lip approach, but I suspect there's much more to the story than a simple "no".

There are many sides to every story. In this one, we are truly only hearing JWalk's side. For the sake of team integrity, TT is not telling his side and I think he should be commended for that. He does NOT owe us a story. He owes us a competitive team.

tyler

[The Leaper]

I think Thompson was pretty clear last year that he wasn't interested in negotiating with Walker...so unless you have evidence to suggest that Thompson did, I feel rather confident taking Walker's word for it. What reason does he have to lie now? He's gotten his wish to get out of town and has signed a new contract extension.

Walker may have approached this whole thing all wrong, but I haven't found him to be deceitful in the situation. If you have proof to the contrary, please share it.

[RashanGary]

There is no proof either way leaper. All we're saying is that nobody knows. You can go off assumptions but at the end of the day that's all it is.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Signing Driver sends the message that Walker's full of bologna. That there may be a right way and a wrong way to ask for a renegotiation.

Al Harris benefited from Mike McKenzie's holdout, just as Donald Driver benefited from Walker's protracted battle with management. The "good guys" have increased bargaining position because managment wants to avoid them becoming "bad guys."

This notion that management rewards nice people because the managers are nice people who like other nice people is a load of crap. If managment could get away behaving as ruthlessly as Vince Lombardi or George Halas, players would still be working jobs unloading trucks and selling life insurance in the offseason.

[MJZiggy]

What reason does he have to lie now? He's gotten his wish to get out of town and has signed a new contract extension.

Walker may have approached this whole thing all wrong, but I haven't found him to be deceitful in the situation. If you have proof to the contrary, please share it.

What reason does he have to lie now? I would imagine that a fair number of people think (correctly, perhaps?) that JWalk was being a real boob over all this and if he can run his mouth off, then he gets to save face and be the victim of evil, Terrible Ted Thompson. Therefore, he cannot possibly be the money-hungry baby everyone's making him out to be. The one that approached this all wrong. It's all Ted's fault and JWalk in not culpable according to him. Does that Wonder even know what culpable means or should we break it down to make it easier on him?

[The Leaper]

Walker said that the reason he left was because Thompson refused to negotiate his contract last year. That isn't faulting Thompson...just giving a REASON why Walker wanted out. Thompson wasn't going to rework Walker's deal because he wasn't proven commodity yet in his mind, and Javon was hurt by that. That is how it goes in the business of the NFL.

Thompson did not do nearly enough in terms of ensuring that Walker was happy and content in Green Bay. As a Packer fan, I wish he had done more...but I'm not overly upset because I believe Thompson received adequate value in return for Walker in the draft day trade. My take is that Thompson was far too cavalier regarding the situation...and got lucky that Denver was itchy to find a receiver, and that there wasn't one blue chip WR in this year's draft. Things could've turned out far worse for Green Bay.

[gureski]

Thompson did not do nearly enough in terms of ensuring that Walker was happy and content in Green Bay. As a Packer fan, I wish he had done more...but I'm not overly upset because I believe Thompson received adequate value in return for Walker in the draft day trade. My take is that Thompson was far too cavalier regarding the situation...and got lucky that Denver was itchy to find a receiver, and that there wasn't one blue chip WR in this year's draft. Things could've turned out far worse for Green Bay.

Again, I will point out your fatal flaw. You need to understand that no player in the NFL is ENTITLED to an extension. YOu sign a contract and that's all you can count on. You can ask for an extension but the team has no obligation to even discuss your request.

You say Thompson didn't do enough to ensure Walker was happy?

I have two things to say to that...

1. Why can't you look at the situation and say that Walker didn't do enough to ensure he was worthy of an extension? Why is it automatically Thompson's fault? This wouldn't have been an issue if Walker had performed better during his contract. If he'd have just proven he was more then a 1 year wonder then he'd have been given a nice fat contract extension.

2. Since when the hell is it the GM's job to keep players happy with their contracts after they sign it? The answer is that it's not his problem! If you sign a bad deal and the team wont redo it then you have to live with that! That's nonsense to say Thompson should've coddled Walker and made him feel better! That's not what he's there to do.

[pbmax]

This notion that management rewards nice people because the managers are nice people who like other nice people is a load of crap. If managment could get away behaving as ruthlessly as Vince Lombardi or George Halas, players would still be working jobs unloading trucks and selling life insurance in the offseason.

I am not saying Ted is nice and Driver is nice and isn't it nice it worked out. Teams make decisions every year on who to extend and for how much. They can't, nor would they want, to extend everyone.

By that token, trying to back the team into a corner is only going to work in certain circumstances. You usually need to leave to score the money, and Walker lost all leverage when he reported and got hurt. I am sure he believes that if he stuck to his guns and was healthy, he would have gotten guaranteed money by now.

If he hadn't demanded it publicly, he might still have gotten hurt and received the Tauscher treatment from GB. Or he might have been healthy all year and received the bonus money he believes he deserves. Either way, without going public, he would, at worst, be in the same situation, but with one additional team looking to keep him. A team with a greater need for a #1 WR than Denver. Eliminating a team that needs you from competing for your services reduces your price.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I don't know what happened between Walker and Thompson. It's possible that Walker was too quick to force public confrontations, don't know.

One thing I strongly suspect: If Driver had not gotten his payday, he would have held-out. The man is taking a lot of hard hits, he is near the end of his career. I do not think he would wait until he is 33 to get his golden parachute.

[Rastak]

Thompson did not do nearly enough in terms of ensuring that Walker was happy and content in Green Bay. As a Packer fan, I wish he had done more...but I'm not overly upset because I believe Thompson received adequate value in return for Walker in the draft day trade. My take is that Thompson was far too cavalier regarding the situation...and got lucky that Denver was itchy to find a receiver, and that there wasn't one blue chip WR in this year's draft. Things could've turned out far worse for Green Bay.

Again, I will point out your fatal flaw. You need to understand that no player in the NFL is ENTITLED to an extension. YOu sign a contract and that's all you can count on. You can ask for an extension but the team has no obligation to even discuss your request.

You say Thompson didn't do enough to ensure Walker was happy?

I have two things to say to that...

1. Why can't you look at the situation and say that Walker didn't do enough to ensure he was worthy of an extension? Why is it automatically Thompson's fault? This wouldn't have been an issue if Walker had performed better during his contract. If he'd have just proven he was more then a 1 year wonder then he'd have been given a nice fat contract extension.

2. Since when the hell is it the GM's job to keep players happy with their contracts after they sign it? The answer is that it's not his problem! If you sign a bad deal and the team wont redo it then you have to live with that! That's nonsense to say Thompson should've coddled Walker and made him feel better! That's not what he's there to do.

Gureski, I see your point. But also keep in mind that:

1) No team is required to pay a guy, he only get's paid if the team says he makes the team.

2) No team is ENTITLED to a player showing up...if the player decides he wants to play for the team he gets paid what his contract says, otherwise he goes on with his life.


Niether side is REQUIRED to do anything.

[wist43]

I can see where you guys would, and could, reasonably consider Sharpe an elite receiver. I liked Sharpe, and considered him a pro bowl calibur receiver... If that's elite, then, OK I'll go along with that.

For my money, I'd take Walker over Sharpe... IMO, Walker was the most talented WR to pass thru Green Bay since James Lofton. Unfortunately, that's all he did was pass thru - and, for that, I blame Thompson.

[RashanGary]

Walker is not more talented than Sharpe. No way. Sharpe was phyiscally dominate. Walker is very, very good but he's not even in the top 5 today. Sharpe was the best at his position untill he got hurt.

[RashanGary]

In 3 fully healthy seasons Walker had 153 receptions for 2,421 yards for an average of 15.6 yards. Walker also came into the league older and in better than usual physical shape because of his time in MLB.

In Sharpes first 3 seasons he had 212 receptions for 3,319 yards with an average of 15.6 yards.

Based on the stats, Walker was not as good as Sharpe. That and he has a pretty major knee problem to go with his mental instability. He's a hard worker and one of the better WR's today but he is not Sterling Sharpe. Not even close IMHO.

After those first three seasons Sharpe went on to break single season records in receptions and was known as 1a or 1b with Jerry Rice as the best in the game before he went down.

Walker has Harrison, Owens, Moss, Johnson who are all considered by just about everyone to be better than Walker. Walker is in that next catagory down from todays greats. Sharpe was right in the top category if not at the top of it.

[Rastak]

Walker is not more talented than Sharpe. No way. Sharpe was phyiscally dominate. Walker is very, very good but he's not even in the top 5 today. Sharpe was the best at his position untill he got hurt.

I hated Sharpe, that dude was outstanding.

I mean outstanding.....