Camp Connect Blog Test 1
August 20, 2008 03:10 PM | General
The Jaguars slightly improved their offer to unsigned first-round choice Derrick Harvey, but the adjustment may only worsen the negotiations. According to a source, Jacksonville upped its offer on a five-year base deal from $21 million to $23 million. They added a little less than $400,000 to get the guaranteed money to a little less than $17.2 million. The max package is now at $33 million, $16 million less than the deal given to Sedrick Ellis, who was drafted one spot ahead of Harvey, a source said.
Here's what you wonder: Why did the Jaguars trade into the No. 8 spot to get a pass rusher when they could have stayed at their spot and taken an offensive tackle? For years, teams resisted trading into the top 10 because of the high costs of signing those picks. Under the rookie system, it does seem crazy to pay $5 million a year in base pay for an unproven rookie pass rusher, but proven pass rushers are now getting twice that amount in contract extensions. It's going to take more than $25 million over five years to get this deal done.
Speaking his mind: Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer was critical of Harvey's holdout. Spicer is a team leader and his speaking out on the subject does show that this holdout will damage the chemistry in the locker room. First of all, it's bad policy for a teammate to stick his nose into the financial dealings of another player. It's also interesting that it was Spicer who spoke out. He's a defensive end. Harvey's a defensive end. Aren't they competing for the same playing time?
Good signs: There were two good signs in Indianapolis that Peyton Manning may be able to be available for the opener. First, Manning was with the team when they visited their new stadium. The fact he was around his teammates is a good sign. It shows his infection has cleared up enough that he can be with them. The Colts and doctors didn't want Manning near teammates because if the infection returned, he could miss a good chunk of the season. The second good sign was that tight end Tom Santi worked out on the field for 45 minutes with trainers, doing some football related exercises. Santi had the same infection of the bursa sac two weeks before Manning. Based on Santi's return, Manning may be on a timetable to practice after the fourth preseason game.
Here's what you wonder: Why did the Jaguars trade into the No. 8 spot to get a pass rusher when they could have stayed at their spot and taken an offensive tackle? For years, teams resisted trading into the top 10 because of the high costs of signing those picks. Under the rookie system, it does seem crazy to pay $5 million a year in base pay for an unproven rookie pass rusher, but proven pass rushers are now getting twice that amount in contract extensions. It's going to take more than $25 million over five years to get this deal done.
Speaking his mind: Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer was critical of Harvey's holdout. Spicer is a team leader and his speaking out on the subject does show that this holdout will damage the chemistry in the locker room. First of all, it's bad policy for a teammate to stick his nose into the financial dealings of another player. It's also interesting that it was Spicer who spoke out. He's a defensive end. Harvey's a defensive end. Aren't they competing for the same playing time?
Good signs: There were two good signs in Indianapolis that Peyton Manning may be able to be available for the opener. First, Manning was with the team when they visited their new stadium. The fact he was around his teammates is a good sign. It shows his infection has cleared up enough that he can be with them. The Colts and doctors didn't want Manning near teammates because if the infection returned, he could miss a good chunk of the season. The second good sign was that tight end Tom Santi worked out on the field for 45 minutes with trainers, doing some football related exercises. Santi had the same infection of the bursa sac two weeks before Manning. Based on Santi's return, Manning may be on a timetable to practice after the fourth preseason game.
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