eugene parker at it again

[Steely Dan]

Video of the problem on NFL.com

[zazie]

The salary scale dramatically changed when when the organization overpayed for Dockery and Walker. Peters was moved from the RT spot to the most critical position on the line, the LT position. The reality was our best player on the line was one of the lowest players on the line.

 

The Bills made a decision that they weren't going to reopen the contract. I understand the Bills' position. A trade was probably inevitable. The problem with this inept organization is that they didn't have a fallback position, such as acquiring a stopgap veteran LT or drafting another tackle. The front office decided to jumble the whole line and go on from there. I believe that is a foolish strategy to take.

Levi Jones?

[PromoTheRobot]

Not if he keeps getting the talent to sign with him.

 

Which he will do by going through his tussle with Russ over JP blow by blow... and showing who won hands down.

Oh yeah...big win for Eugene. Ever hear the expression "fool me once..?" He may have pulled that crap once with the Bills but if JP lays a big fat dogpile in Philly you think Parker will be able to do that again?

 

PTR

[ThereIsNoDog]

The salary scale dramatically changed when when the organization overpayed for Dockery and Walker. Peters was moved from the RT spot to the most critical position on the line, the LT position. The reality was our best player on the line was one of the lowest players on the line.

 

The Bills made a decision that they weren't going to reopen the contract. I understand the Bills' position. A trade was probably inevitable. The problem with this inept organization is that they didn't have a fallback position, such as acquiring a stopgap veteran LT or drafting another tackle. The front office decided to jumble the whole line and go on from there. I believe that is a foolish strategy to take.

Peters had only played LT for half a season when the 2007 off-season rolled around and they spent big money on Dockery and Walker. Peters made the Pro Bowl during 2007, and after the season, the Bills told him they'd address his contract after they addressed Lee Evans' contract. Peters couldn't handle this egregious affront and basically stopped negotiating with the team.

 

And early reports from Eagles camp is that Peters looks no better than he did last year. And if the Bills felt they needed a LT, they could have taken Oher at 11th overall.

[Thurman#1]

Oh yeah...big win for Eugene. Ever hear the expression "fool me once..?" He may have pulled that crap once with the Bills but if JP lays a big fat dogpile in Philly you think Parker will be able to do that again?

 

PTR

 

 

 

Promo, of course he will.

 

Do you think the teams would say "Well, the last guy you represented failed. Therefore it is obvious that everybody that you represent will fail?" I mean, do you really think that having Parker as an agent would be what would have caused Peters to fail (his failure isn't all that likely, but we're speaking theoretically here)? Or that Parker will somehow have the ability to select only bad players?

 

If a player looks as good as Peters does, teams will pay market value for him, regardless of his agent. Actually, they'll pay market value for every player out there. And like any player recieving a new contract, a certain percentage of the players will fail to live up to the contract. Parker has nothing to do with that.

 

It is a huge win for Parker, and will continue to be, regardless of JP's performance.

[PromoTheRobot]

Promo, of course he will.

 

Do you think the teams would say "Well, the last guy you represented failed. Therefore it is obvious that everybody that you represent will fail?" I mean, do you really think that having Parker as an agent would be what would have caused Peters to fail (his failure isn't all that likely, but we're speaking theoretically here)? Or that Parker will somehow have the ability to select only bad players?

 

If a player looks as good as Peters does, teams will pay market value for him, regardless of his agent. Actually, they'll pay market value for every player out there. And like any player recieving a new contract, a certain percentage of the players will fail to live up to the contract. Parker has nothing to do with that.

 

It is a huge win for Parker, and will continue to be, regardless of JP's performance.

 

I'm very curious by this concept of a "big win" for Parker. How could it have been a big loss instead? The Bills putting Peters on ice for 2 years? Maybe. But that would have hurt the Bills just as much. When you have an agent willing to adopt a scorched earth policy, how can you deal with that? I think you are wrong about there being no consequence for Parker. When you get a rep for being out to screw the opponent, teams will not want to deal with his players anymore.

 

PTR

[Magox]

If that happens every single prospective draft pick should immediately sign with Parker that will really affirm his genius.

If your only motivation is money, then yes.

[GrudginglyOptimistic]

Peters had only played LT for half a season when the 2007 off-season rolled around and they spent big money on Dockery and Walker. Peters made the Pro Bowl during 2007, and after the season, the Bills told him they'd address his contract after they addressed Lee Evans' contract. Peters couldn't handle this egregious affront and basically stopped negotiating with the team.

 

And early reports from Eagles camp is that Peters looks no better than he did last year. And if the Bills felt they needed a LT, they could have taken Oher at 11th overall.

My recollection of the events and timing is slightly different.

 

I do not remember exactly when Peters made the switch to LT (whether he had more of a full season at LT in 07 or more of a drive-by where he showed promise) but even if he did not start there for the full season it came on top of him starting all 16 games at the tackle position in 2006.

 

He had achieved phenomenally and worked incredibly hard to grow from being a UDFA TE to being what Mouse MacNally called the most talented OL prospect he had ever seen (which given whom JMac saw up close and personal is saying a lot.

 

Would it be unprecedented for the Bills to rip up the contract of a player so soon after they signed him. You bet.

However, if they set a precedent that in the future they would rip up every contract of a UDFA signed at one position who became a starter at another position who then became a starter at a third position and made the Pro Bowl at that slot, I think the Bills or any team should be content to give new deals to all the other players who score the same achievements.

 

The problem is here that the huge (and clearly mistaken in one case) contracts that the Bills signed with Dockery and Walker do not simply make it a travesty for them to give Peters a new deal. These stupid contracts actually make it imperative that the FO make a new deal for Peters or at least bow and scrape to him if the cap does not allow them to do a new deal.

 

Granted Peters got more money than he had even dreamed of with his new RT level deal with the Bills. However, the reality is that this athlete became clearly the third highest paid OL player on a team where he was clearly the most highly acknowledged and generally agreed after the 2007 season to be the best OL player on the team.

 

Unless one has some belief in Dockery, Walker, Butler, Fowler that virtually all the rest of the world does not have quite early in 2007 (if not 2006) Peters was the best player on our troubled OL but was compensated as the third best player.

 

In the face of these facts, the Bills could take a high-handed approach and simply say ha ha too bad for Peters, or instead they could have made public statements and behind the scene individual statements that timing does create oddities (or if they were real men they would own up to the fact this team overpaid Dockery badly enough they eventually cut him). Instead the Billd made public statements about Peters having to wait in line and in fact said they would not renegotiate a new deal with him yet.

 

The simple facts are the Bills negotiated badly with their OL (or do you agree with the Dockery contract) and then tried to live with this mistake by not paying Peters a Pro Bowl LT contract when he played at a level which won him a Pro Bowl nod.

 

Why anyone is surprised that Peters/Parker took a stance which said pay me for my performance when the Bills had a clear history of both overpaying for non-performance in the case of a player like Kelsay (or Dockery more to the point) and also a demonstrated history of tearing up recently signed deals and giving a raise because they were overpaying another player (Schobel getting a raise after Kelsay)is beyond me and I think beyond reality.

 

I agree if the Bills want to say to Peters and to the public that the salary cap and their contract faux pas with players like Kelsay and Dockery precluded them for paying for performance for Peters when they had no contractual obligation to do so. However reality dictated they crawl across glass and not be high handed at all in making this case.

[firemedic]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I understood that the front office told JP to show up to camp in '08 and they would redo his contract.

JP didn't show up and then didn't play, admitting as much at the end of '08 season.

Would a real-world employer give a raise to a person who didn't attempt to do their job as well as possible?

If I were Peters, I would have shown up, showed good faith and probably had a deal by the start of the regular season.

Once again, correct me if I'm ill informed.

Thanks and you guys rock, GO BILLS.

[lets_go_bills]

This thing is insane.

 

Crabtree is the boss, not Parker. He can hire and fire agents as he damn well pleases. He also has the power to walk into Niners HQ and sign the deal he's supposed to get.

 

The Niners have done nothing wrong, they are more than willing to give him the proper slotted deal he's entitled to. But if a guy who is coming off sugergy and has no 40 time on record thinks he's entitled to some kind of slot busting deal that would f**k up the draft signing process even more, he's out of his mind!

[PromoTheRobot]

This thing is insane.

 

Crabtree is the boss, not Parker. He can hire and fire agents as he damn well pleases. He also has the power to walk into Niners HQ and sign the deal he's supposed to get.

 

The Niners have done nothing wrong, they are more than willing to give him the proper slotted deal he's entitled to. But if a guy who is coming off sugergy and has no 40 time on record thinks he's entitled to some kind of slot busting deal that would f**k up the draft signing process even more, he's out of his mind!

The JP sack hangers would argue that the 49ers are a chickens**t operation that won't "just pay the man" and that Eugene Parker is a genius agent.

 

PTR

[JohnC]

My recollection of the events and timing is slightly different.

 

I do not remember exactly when Peters made the switch to LT (whether he had more of a full season at LT in 07 or more of a drive-by where he showed promise) but even if he did not start there for the full season it came on top of him starting all 16 games at the tackle position in 2006.

 

He had achieved phenomenally and worked incredibly hard to grow from being a UDFA TE to being what Mouse MacNally called the most talented OL prospect he had ever seen (which given whom JMac saw up close and personal is saying a lot.

 

Would it be unprecedented for the Bills to rip up the contract of a player so soon after they signed him. You bet.

However, if they set a precedent that in the future they would rip up every contract of a UDFA signed at one position who became a starter at another position who then became a starter at a third position and made the Pro Bowl at that slot, I think the Bills or any team should be content to give new deals to all the other players who score the same achievements.

 

The problem is here that the huge (and clearly mistaken in one case) contracts that the Bills signed with Dockery and Walker do not simply make it a travesty for them to give Peters a new deal. These stupid contracts actually make it imperative that the FO make a new deal for Peters or at least bow and scrape to him if the cap does not allow them to do a new deal.

 

Granted Peters got more money than he had even dreamed of with his new RT level deal with the Bills. However, the reality is that this athlete became clearly the third highest paid OL player on a team where he was clearly the most highly acknowledged and generally agreed after the 2007 season to be the best OL player on the team.

 

Unless one has some belief in Dockery, Walker, Butler, Fowler that virtually all the rest of the world does not have quite early in 2007 (if not 2006) Peters was the best player on our troubled OL but was compensated as the third best player.

 

In the face of these facts, the Bills could take a high-handed approach and simply say ha ha too bad for Peters, or instead they could have made public statements and behind the scene individual statements that timing does create oddities (or if they were real men they would own up to the fact this team overpaid Dockery badly enough they eventually cut him). Instead the Billd made public statements about Peters having to wait in line and in fact said they would not renegotiate a new deal with him yet.

 

The simple facts are the Bills negotiated badly with their OL (or do you agree with the Dockery contract) and then tried to live with this mistake by not paying Peters a Pro Bowl LT contract when he played at a level which won him a Pro Bowl nod.

 

Why anyone is surprised that Peters/Parker took a stance which said pay me for my performance when the Bills had a clear history of both overpaying for non-performance in the case of a player like Kelsay (or Dockery more to the point) and also a demonstrated history of tearing up recently signed deals and giving a raise because they were overpaying another player (Schobel getting a raise after Kelsay)is beyond me and I think beyond reality.

 

I agree if the Bills want to say to Peters and to the public that the salary cap and their contract faux pas with players like Kelsay and Dockery precluded them for paying for performance for Peters when they had no contractual obligation to do so. However reality dictated they crawl across glass and not be high handed at all in making this case.

 

To add to your well stated comments the Bills were under the cap. In addition, they cut Dockery and his inflated contract. There was plenty of room within the team's salary structure. Many people are arguing that Peters would be overpayed if the front office caved in to his salary demands. But there was little outrage against the overpayment to Dockery and Langston Walker.

 

Jason Peters is without a doubt a better LT than his replacement in Langston Walker. Langston Walker without a doubt is a better RT than LT. Langston Walker is also without a doubt a better RT than the pedestrian guard, Brad Butler, is at his new position at RT. I don't know how anyone can conclude that the Bills are a better team without Peters than with him.

[kota]

People need to stop blaming the agents on this. The problem lies 100 percent with the player. The 49ers have offered him two different deals. One that is slotted where he should be and one where he can gain more money through incentives but gets less guaranteed money.

 

Everyone gave the Raiders some crap about their WR choice. The guy is looking pretty good and will probably be a started week 1. Crabtree will be lucky to play week 1.

 

If Crabtree is the better player he needs to take his easy money and get on the field to prove it.

[ThereIsNoDog]

To add to your well stated comments the Bills were under the cap. In addition, they cut Dockery and his inflated contract. There was plenty of room within the team's salary structure. Many people are arguing that Peters would be overpayed if the front office caved in to his salary demands. But there was little outrage against the overpayment to Dockery and Langston Walker.

 

Jason Peters is without a doubt a better LT than his replacement in Langston Walker. Langston Walker without a doubt is a better RT than LT. Langston Walker is also without a doubt a better RT than the pedestrian guard, Brad Butler, is at his new position at RT. I don't know how anyone can conclude that the Bills are a better team without Peters than with him.

Ask Eagles fans.

[jimmy griffin]

Crabtree is going to be awesome -- and that is the sad part of the story. Thsi guy is Andre Johnson PART II. But this idiot agent is holding it all up for greed. Parker is a the worst agent in pro sports. a greed monger...

[PDaDdy]

Reopen his contract 2 years ago, i.e. in 2007, just a year after giving him his big extension? LOL! Why not reopen negotiations after every good game?

 

Man. Somehow I never get tired of this discussion. JohnC is right assuming Peters gets through his injury and maintains his probowl form. I don't know if you have ever been promoted in your life but I have been and it comes with a pay raise. Peters was promoted from RT to LT. He not only played great he played at a 2 time probowl level.

 

He's gone. We have to move on.

[PDaDdy]

Promo, of course he will.

 

Do you think the teams would say "Well, the last guy you represented failed. Therefore it is obvious that everybody that you represent will fail?" I mean, do you really think that having Parker as an agent would be what would have caused Peters to fail (his failure isn't all that likely, but we're speaking theoretically here)? Or that Parker will somehow have the ability to select only bad players?

 

If a player looks as good as Peters does, teams will pay market value for him, regardless of his agent. Actually, they'll pay market value for every player out there. And like any player recieving a new contract, a certain percentage of the players will fail to live up to the contract. Parker has nothing to do with that.

 

It is a huge win for Parker, and will continue to be, regardless of JP's performance.

 

 

I agree. Talent is the agents fuel. If teams want talented prospects they have to talk to the agents that they signed with. I know the guy is doing his job but I'm still annoyed by him. If anything I think he will get more talent signing with him because of the money he got Peters regardless of how Peters performs.

[PDaDdy]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I understood that the front office told JP to show up to camp in '08 and they would redo his contract.

JP didn't show up and then didn't play, admitting as much at the end of '08 season.

Would a real-world employer give a raise to a person who didn't attempt to do their job as well as possible?

If I were Peters, I would have shown up, showed good faith and probably had a deal by the start of the regular season.

Once again, correct me if I'm ill informed.

Thanks and you guys rock, GO BILLS.

 

For the record they Bills always maintained that there was no guarantee that they would redo his contract. They only said they would talk about it. We all know that "talk is cheap". They weren't going to "redo" a damn thing.

 

 

Great real world example. Perhaps they wouldn't/shouldn't have given the guy a raise and continue to underpay him. However in the real world an employee can flip off their underpaying employer and get fair market value for their skills with another employer.

 

Exactly what happened in my eyes.

[PDaDdy]

The JP sack hangers would argue that the 49ers are a chickens**t operation that won't "just pay the man" and that Eugene Parker is a genius agent.

 

PTR

 

 

That is just incredibly uninformed and a terrible comparison. JP sack hangers. LOL. Are you really trying to compare a 2 time probowl LT to a rookie WR who has never played an NFL game?

 

For shame!

[ThereIsNoDog]

Man. Somehow I never get tired of this discussion. JohnC is right assuming Peters gets through his injury and maintains his probowl form. I don't know if you have ever been promoted in your life but I have been and it comes with a pay raise. Peters was promoted from RT to LT. He not only played great he played at a 2 time probowl level.

 

He's gone. We have to move on.

Peters received a $1M raise for playing LT.