Peters holdout lacks a cheering section

[Mike32282]

Someone posted this on BZ, so I figured I would post it here. There are quite a few interesting things in here and the writer basically says that Jason Peters is by himself in all this. I think personally it's bad advice from his agent, who wants to get paid.

 

There comes a time during a prolonged holdout when resentment begins to fray the bonds of union brotherhood.

 

Teammates once rooted for their disgruntled comrade to stick it to The Man and squeeze as much money out of the front office. Gradually, that support evolves as they sweat and bleed together on the practice field, as they bank all those mind-numbing hours of film and playbook study, as they ice their pain.

 

Sentiment in the Buffalo Bills' locker room already has begun to turn away from truant left tackle Jason Peters, who surely deserves more money but is exhausting the patience of those who should be supporting him most.

 

Peters is a Pro Bowler, but is Buffalo's third-highest-paid offensive lineman. He was to make $3.25 million this season on a five-year contract he signed in July 2006.

 

The Bills are hurting at tackle, yet it's abundantly clear they're not about to acquiesce. Owner Ralph Wilson isn't one to back down from a financial fight, especially not one with a player who has three years left on a deal already renegotiated once.

 

If Wilson yields here, only 23 players might report to Bills camp next year................

 

At least two prominent members of Buffalo's offense -- players who preferred to remain unidentified -- now wonder how much Peters will be able to contribute even if he does show up. Peters skipped voluntary workouts, mandatory minicamp and training camp while the Bills were installing new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert's system.

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-2-140...amp;sort=oldest

[Mike32282]

The most surprising part of that article is the last paragraph....

 

Not one of the seven agents contacted Monday agreed with the holdout. The most common reasons against it were the Bills' mandate that renegotiations can't open until he reports and the fact Peters has so much time left on his current deal.

 

"If I was running the team," said one agent with a veteran Bills client, "I can't say I would do anything differently than the Bills are doing. I wouldn't negotiate with Peters. No way."

 

Wow! That says a lot! Not even the other agents can see Eugene Parker's side. Face it. This whole thing is caused by one agent that has replaced Drew Rosenhaus as the agent that I hate the most.

[Lori]

Hey, that is pretty good. Interesting insinuation about the mood in the locker room; I'd be VERY interested to know the source of that, because the players normally stick together on contract issues.

 

What was that writer's name again? Oh, yeah. This guy.

[jimmy griffin]

i liked the article too. graham capsulated all the important inforation in there -- nicely. i especially liked how he pointed out that peters dropped his old agent to hire parker -- the ball buster to get him more money. pure greed for a guy who is lucky to be in the league. what a fool.

 

if wilson caves in a pays $8 mil i will loose respect for wilson and the is front office. the case is clear cut that peters is in the wrong and must conform before money will be spent. he needs to proves his value past what he has -- which wsa he was rewarded for in 2006 -- with $3.5 m.

[Mike32282]

Hey, that is pretty good. Interesting insinuation about the mood in the locker room; I'd be VERY interested to know the source of that, because the players normally stick together on contract issues.

 

What was that writer's name again? Oh, yeah. This guy.

 

Maybe he will post on here about it.

[ch19079]

We all think he is due a raise. But it seems he wont even put on a bills uniform untill the first regular season game, if then. The offensive line requires a lot of time to really get it together.

 

He is definatly hurting the team, his image, and his ability to play in the first few games of the season.

 

The bills made it clear they want to sign Evans (who could be a FA after this season) and Crowell first.

 

Peters is a Probowl LT, he will get paid, if hes healthy, but at some point you have to suck it up and play for the contract you signed just a few years ago.

[BUFFALOTONE]

Hey, that is pretty good. Interesting insinuation about the mood in the locker room; I'd be VERY interested to know the source of that, because the players normally stick together on contract issues.

 

What was that writer's name again? Oh, yeah. This guy.

 

Only 6 posts? This guy holds no water with me.

[nodnarb]

Finally, an article about this from the proper angle. I've been amazed by all the stupid "just pay him" posts around here.

 

F Peters - I've lost a lot of respect for this guy.

 

(He could earn it back by kicking some ass. and firing his agent.)

[MattyT]

The longer Peters has been gone, the less I've missed him. He may be a great player, but we've got a team out there that is ready to compete.....without him.

[Deep Voice]

The longer Peters has been gone, the less I've missed him. He may be a great player, but we've got a team out there that is ready to compete.....without him.

 

Yea

[WellDressed]

We all think he is due a raise. But it seems he wont even put on a bills uniform untill the first regular season game, if then. The offensive line requires a lot of time to really get it together.

 

He is definatly hurting the team, his image, and his ability to play in the first few games of the season.

 

The bills made it clear they want to sign Evans (who could be a FA after this season) and Crowell first.

 

Peters is a Probowl LT, he will get paid, if hes healthy, but at some point you have to suck it up and play for the contract you signed just a few years ago.

 

He won't be donning any jersey anytime soon.

[Lurker]

What was that writer's name again? Oh, yeah. This guy.

I will say this, Tim's off to a very good start in his new gig. I especially liked that he 'worked the story' and contacted at least seven agents, rather than simply regurgitate what we already know, or opinionize like most other writers/talking heads.

 

Maybe I shouldn't give up hope on the availability of worthwhile NFL coverage just yet...

[AlbanyBill]

Good read. Hopefully Peter's and his agent realize the difficulty of their negotiating position soon and he comes back

[Mike32282]

Finally, an article about this from the proper angle. I've been amazed by all the stupid "just pay him" posts around here.

 

F Peters - I've lost a lot of respect for this guy.

 

(He could earn it back by kicking some ass. and firing his agent.)

 

I totally agree. I was sick of seeing all the articles that said the Bills are wrong and that they should pay him the money now. It's about time someone shows you the other side of things. And this writer did that very well. I like how he even talked to a couple players that admitted they don't support him. I also thought it was interesting what the one agent said. If he were the Bills GM, he wouldn't cave either. Very nice!

[San-O]

Someone posted this on BZ, so I figured I would post it here. There are quite a few interesting things in here and the writer basically says that Jason Peters is by himself in all this. I think personally it's bad advice from his agent, who wants to get paid.

 

 

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-2-140...amp;sort=oldest

 

 

I wonder if Peters would be so adamant about getting paid right now if Buffalo was NOT expected

to seriously compete for a playoff spot this year?

 

If he does continue to sit out, his ultimate pay day will almost certainly be smaller, Buffalo may be inclined to NOT give him money

this year, and oh yeah, he still has two more years left on the contract.

 

Nice job.

[BillsVet]

i liked the article too. graham capsulated all the important inforation in there -- nicely. i especially liked how he pointed out that peters dropped his old agent to hire parker -- the ball buster to get him more money. pure greed for a guy who is lucky to be in the league. what a fool.

 

Hiring Parker as his agent reminds me of Brian Westbrook firing his to find someone who could get him 10M a year. Only one guy stepped up to be Westbrook's agent, and he still couldn't manage to do it.

 

Competition to be the best agent on the block is fierce, especially with the mega-houses that feature agents like Condon and Dogra. When this is all said and done, getting rid of the last agent (Taylor) may be the worst thing Peters has done.

[IDBillzFan]

I will say this, Tim's off to a very good start in his new gig. I especially liked that he 'worked the story' and contacted at least seven agents, rather than simply regurgitate what we already know, or opinionize like most other writers/talking heads.

 

Maybe I shouldn't give up hope on the availability of worthwhile NFL coverage just yet...

I agree. One poster below the article started busting his nuts about regurgitating, but Graham actually went beyond the basic story, got some feedback from unnamed players and polled some other agents, and it is increasingly becoming a joke to virtually EVERYONE that Peters is !@#$ing this up in epic proportions.

[dave mcbride]

Excellent piece. Very interesting commentary on how agents see this. It restores my faith in humanity just a teensy bit.

[gordong]

This holdout reeks of something else going on...it just doesn't make any sense. when players and other agents are agreeing with the team something is up.

 

I hope it doesn't have to do with his injury last year....I have to believe that he nor his agent are not THAT dumb.

[BEAST MODE BABY!]

So how long do the boos/jibes last from Bills fans at the stadium if/when Jason suits up?

 

 

Oh yeah, Eugene Parker can blow me.