RB$ circling the wagons for fellow RBs

[dave mcbride]

43 minutes ago, Lost said:

 

Devin Singletary had twice as many yards from scrimmage last year as Dawson Knox and nearly as many passing targets.   Dawson Knox was awarded a 4 year 52 million contract extension.   Singletary was released and now playing under a 1 year deal for under 3 million.   Kinda crazy.

Knox is a better blocker and averaged 8 yards per target. Singletary averaged 4.8 yards per touch and target combined. 8 yards per play > 4.8 yards per play. 

[Shaw66]

I have very little sympathy for these guys.   They have the wrong perceptions of themselves.

 

Unless and until the news comes out that the owners have a big, secret agreement to set the compensation for all players, I'm going to continue to believe that (except for the draft), it's a free market for teams and players.  The players get paid what it's worth to the teams to acquire them.   Now, you might argue that the teams value the players incorrectly, but I think that's just not true.  The teams have a capped amount of money to spend, and the whole game, from the GM's point of view, is to acquire the collection of talent that is most likely to win within the limits of the cap.   

 

Why aren't the punters tweeting madly about how unfair their compensation is?   How about the offensive guards?   Why do the quarterbacks get those mega-deals?   It's all about value over replacement.   If you want to be regular contender for the title, you have to have a quarterback, so when you get one, you pay him whatever it takes to keep him.  You don't meet your punter's outrageous demands, because whether you have this punter or that punter doesn't really change you chances of making the playoffs all that much.   Same for offensive guards.   If you have a HOF offensive guard, yeah, you pay him.   The rest of them?   Well, you always want the best, but it doesn't matter so much which one you have. 

 

Great running backs don't correlate with consistent winning the way quarterbacks did.   They did once.   In the 60s, it was more important to have Jim Brown or Jim Taylor, and you could get away with Milt Plum, Frank Ryan, and Bart Starr (Starr was great, no doubt, but he was a great game manager - he didn't win games like Mahomes and Allen do).  No more.  Derrick Henry is a truly great running back, but he hasn't made his team a consistent top-five team.  Barkley hasn't, either.  As great as McCaffrey is, and I'd love to have him, he hasn't done it either.   Neither has Ekeler.   The era of teams being led consistently to the Super Bowl by running backs ended with Thurman and Emmitt, not because they were greater than the current crop of running backs, but because the game kept changing. 

 

And on top of just their pure contribution to winning, you have the injury factor.   The league has been offering more and more protection to quarterbacks for a couple of decades.  The running backs, who take MORE pounding than QBs ever did, have very little protection.  So, a big investment in a running back simple doesn't make a lot of sense, because the chances are you will not have him for very long.   When the Bills paid all that money to Allen, it wasn't just because he was worth it for the next few years - it was because by paying him that money, the Bills know they'll have the opportunity to pay him a lot more money a few years from now and keep him through the prime of his career.  Barkley's in his prime; Allen isn't.  By the time Allen is playing like Brady and Rodgers, Barkley will be retired. 

 

Running backs get headlines because the mystique of running backs from 50 years ago continues, even though the game has changed.  They also get headlines because the media can't get enough headlines out of QBs and receivers, so they need someone else to write about, and the running backs are the next most visible players on the field.  Because they get headlines, the running backs think they're important.  They believe their headlines.  The GMs know better.    

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 minute ago, Shaw66 said:

The GMs know better.    

I like your post, and agree 100% with the sentiment, until the final sentence when some drunken or drug addled owner, GM, or front office cabal decides to wildly overpay for talent. 😁

(see Haslam, James)

[JoPoy88]

1 minute ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I like your post, and agree 100% with the sentiment, until the final sentence when some drunken or drug addled owner, GM, or front office cabal decides to wildly overpay for talent. 😁

(see Haslam, James)

one could also include Jerry Jones here given the monstrous deal he gave Zeke not too long ago.

[DrDawkinstein]

I'm all about players milking every penny they can out of the NFL, but all this crying about being "devalued" to $8-10M/yr instead of $20M/yr is absolutely ridiculous.

 

I'll take $5M a year on a 3 year contract and be set for life. And my kid's life. (and probably my grandkids lives) Thank you.

1 hour ago, thenorthremembers said:

They get paid just fine.   There is always the other option, come join me in the 9-5 game.   Comes with student loan debt (my college degree wasn't free), 2 Chrysler Mini Vans, a decent house in Orleans County NY.   It's not a mansion in South Florida or California  but I'm still  living the dream baby.

 

All jobs get paid according to what the owner of the business is willing to pay.  If you don't like it find a new job.

 

 Please stand back while I play the world's smallest fiddle for these 20 and 30 something millionaires.   They have all the right in the world to protest and complain about it, they also have all the right in the world to be roasted for how tone deaf they come across.

 

Well not necessarily since that's what unions are for. And the owner needs the workers far more than the workers need the owner.

 

But I agree with you in general, and to further your point, the players already have a union, and a decent Collective Bargaining Agreement. Most of these guys in question have a MINIMUM of over $1M thanks to the union and CBA.

 

I'd happily take the minimum of $1.08M to hang around and work out with my friends all day. Heck, I'd take it to keep grinding in my 9-5!

[Shaw66]

8 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I like your post, and agree 100% with the sentiment, until the final sentence when some drunken or drug addled owner, GM, or front office cabal decides to wildly overpay for talent. 😁

(see Haslam, James)

Oh, for sure, but that's what free markets are about.   Someone always overpays in a free market, and someone underpays.  That's how market prices are determined.   Schoen obviously has learned his lessons.  He knows how important Barkley is to the future of his team (less important than Barkley thinks he is), and he has the discipline not to overpay.  

 

The only thing going on in all these tweets from running backs is they are demonstrating, as a group, that they misunderstand their own values.   Punters don't misunderstand; they negotiate a little here and there, and the very best may even change teams, but they understand that there is a limit to how much their team will pay them.   

[Chicken Boo]

If you're a team that relies heavily on your star RB, then pay them.  

 

It's that simple.  It disgusts me the way RBs are being treated when they take the worst beating of anyone on the field.  

 

What are the Titans, Giants, Raiders, Colts without their stud RBs, you know.. the guys that are directly tied to their success?  Herbert is another whose flaws are exposed without Ekeler on the field.  

 

It's hard to win when you pay scrub QBs $40 + million per season, is more like it. 

8 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

This isn’t a RB league anymore. It’s a passing league. It’s also why QB, WR, and TE salaries have shot way up. 

 

Tell that to Henry, Taylor, Jacobs, Ekeler, Barkley, McCaffrey...all of whom are the key to their team's success.  

[Chicken Boo]

15 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I'm all about players milking every penny they can out of the NFL, but all this crying about being "devalued" to $8-10M/yr instead of $20M/yr is absolutely ridiculous.

 

I'll take $5M a year on a 3 year contract and be set for life. And my kid's life. (and probably my grandkids lives) Thank you.

 

You don't understand, especially if you think $15 million after taxes, lawyer/agent fees, insurance and whatever other expenses your have or may come up, are guaranteed to float you and your family for life. 

[BADOLBILZ]

8 hours ago, Virgil said:

If so many backs didn’t fall of a cliff around 27, this wouldn’t be an issue.  Most of these guys are up for a contract around 26.  

 

8 hours ago, QCity said:

 After 5+ years in the NFL RB's start breaking down and can't stay on the field

 

This is true.........and part of the reason is that today's RB's(with the exception of Derrick Henry) can't hold a candle to the last crop of great RB's that arrived when guys like Adrian Pederson and Marshawn Lynch entered the league.    The wall got closer......falling from 30 all the way to 26......when the great talents started playing other positions.

 

So these guys are complaining about not being paid like a great RB of yesteryear...........but they aren't as good, either.   It's the only position where the quality of athletes has gotten worse.   They aren't the Thurman Thomas.......they are Kenny Davis.   They aren't Jerome Bettis they are Barry Foster.   

 

If the league wants to be equitable they should pay them more on their rookie deals.   They may not have the longevity of yesterdays starting RB's but they are doing a lot of work relative to what they get paid.   But if not,  then it's not a big deal.   There will always be some RB's because there are still plenty of muscle hamsters that can't hit a curveball and can't play other positions.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by BADOLBILZ

[Solomon Grundy]

9 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Not really a fair comparison. You make it sound like any star RB could have been a star QB if they chose. Totally different skill sets. 

Exactly!! Like Manute Bol couldn't be a point guard no matter how much he tried

[K D]

14 minutes ago, Chicken Boo said:

 

You don't understand, especially if you think $15 million after taxes, lawyer/agent fees, insurance and whatever other expenses your have or may come up, are guaranteed to float you and your family for life. 

You need to go back to school or take a finance class if you don't think you can survive on $15 mil before taxes lol

[Solomon Grundy]

8 hours ago, Simon said:

God has blessed you with a body and skillset that enables you to become a multimillionaire just for playing a game and then retiring in your thirties, free and wealthy for the rest of your life.

But that's still not enough and the world owes you more.

Go hump some shingles, you spoiled rotten little brats.

I wonder how you feel about the corporate execs? 😎

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I’ve always felt you get paid what you’re worth. If you’re worth more you’ll get more.

 

It’s like WNBA players saying they deserve more. No. If people wanted to spend money on the WNBA then you would get more.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[blacklabel]

9 hours ago, Virgil said:

Would you pay someone for 5 years knowing you might only get 2-3 good years out of them? 

 

Yeah this here makes a lot of sense. The player wants guaranteed money but can't guarantee he'll be able to fulfill the entire length of his contract. 

[Ya Digg?]

Just now, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I’ve always felt you get paid what you’re worth. If you’re worth more you’ll get more.

So the problem with this statement though is exactly what’s happening with the Giants. Danny dimes is not worth 40+ million and Barkley is worth more to the giants than what is being offered to him

[JoPoy88]

50 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I'm all about players milking every penny they can out of the NFL, but all this crying about being "devalued" to $8-10M/yr instead of $20M/yr is absolutely ridiculous.

 

it’s not even that big of a gap for these guys, either:

This deal got squashed over $1-$2Million. That’s it. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by JoPoy88

[transient]

40 minutes ago, Chicken Boo said:

Tell that to Henry, Taylor, Jacobs, Ekeler, Barkley, McCaffrey...all of whom are the key to their team's success.  

None of whom have a ring among them…

[Chicken Boo]

19 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

You need to go back to school or take a finance class if you don't think you can survive on $15 mil before taxes lol

 

I clearly said after taxes and all expenses, especially if you have children.  Taxes lop that $15 mill into almost half right off the top *and in this hypothetical, you'd be a former NFL RB.  You're going to have former NFL RB knee, joint and back problems for the rest of your life.

 

Heaven forbid you, your spouse or children get cancer or some other debilitating disease... 

 

You have to account for worst case scenarios.  

8 minutes ago, transient said:

None of whom have a ring among them…

 

Cool.  Now let's do QBs who make 2-4 times as much.  

Edited July 18, 2023 by Chicken Boo

[Buffalo_Stampede]

10 minutes ago, Ya Digg? said:

So the problem with this statement though is exactly what’s happening with the Giants. Danny dimes is not worth 40+ million and Barkley is worth more to the giants than what is being offered to him

He is worth that to the Giants. The Giants feel it would be harder to replace Jones than Barkley.

[Chaos]

There is a simple solution.  The NFL has different franchise tags by position. So it is well established there are different financial implications for different position groups. The rookie contract lengths should also adjust by position group. RBs should have a rookie contract life of two seasons.  This will further devalue their draft position but will make them free agents in their prime.