Walter Jones has received the dubious distinction of the franchise tag the past three seasons. But now that Bob Zitwit is gone, who will get it?
Jones is again a likely choice. But the tag was put into place so teams could hang on to their skill players, i.e., Hasslebeck and Alexander. It could even be argued that Ken Lucas might himself be locked down.
My hunch is that it will go to Alexander this year. According to the Sun-Sentinel, Alexander is "intrigued" at the prospect of going to Miami. It's been reported that Jones has not expressed a desire to go anywhere. My feelings is that the new GM will try to "undo" the old ways of doing business and get Jones in a contract, in the ultimate guesture of one-upmanship. Then he will try to corral Shaun with the tag.
But there is another problem: Shaun showed a tendency to be "above the team" when he fell one yard short of the NFL rushing title. How will his motivation be affected if he gets tagged? Will he be "stabbed in the back" all over again?
I stand by my opinion on the Shaun problem, if he wants to stay fine, if he acts the fool franchise his a** and trade him to miami for Taylor,Ogunleye,or Zach Thomas. Maybe David Boston?
ReplyDeleteMore good news...
ReplyDeleteGo Seahawks (Philly,PA)
Hey Mort! Which of the big 3 free agents do you see the Seahawks re-signing: Hasselbeck, Alexander and/or Jones?
CHRIS MORTENSEN
Maybe all three. I know from talking to Alexander yesterday at the NFC practice, he certainly had a sense that Seahawks were going to sign each of them. He CLEARLY wants to be back in Seattle, based on my conversation with him. He pointed out that the Seahawks have plenty of cap room and plenty of cash to pull this off. There has been some talk that Jones or Alexander could move on, but right now, all's pretty quiet on that front.
That's great news, Paulie. Not just that the big three might all be signed, but that there is a sense of forward progress in the organization regarding all the FA's.
ReplyDeleteMan, you get all the good scoops!
I'll get slammed for this, but I'd much rather keep Lucas over S.A. if it comes to one or the other. (I've already listed my reasons in several posts)
ReplyDeleteAnd who is Mortenson that we should give any credence to his opinions? His interview with S.A.? I doubt that Shaun knows what the Hawks plans are for him. Wishful thinking and lip sevice on his part if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteWhile I know your reasons for wanting Lucas over Shaun, I have to say that Mort is usually a very accurate insider. People speak their minds to him, although I'm not sure why they treat him differently. He is rarely wrong, and is often the first to report major stories.
ReplyDeleteI accept that he's a great insider, I guess my problem is taht he's quoting Shaun, and as I said, it could very well be lip service on Shaun's part. (to make himself look more desireable to the Hawks thereby making him look more desireable to other teams.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm saying is, perhaps Alexander wants other teams to think that he's vital to the Hawks game plan and that he's a team player(wanting to stay with his team even with all the turmoil). But in reality he's just painting himself as this great team minded player, but is in fact seeing the writing on the wall.
Good point, Vinny. This could be, just as easily, a manipulation rather than a sincere statement.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Vinny may be on to something:
ReplyDeleteTaken from the best article I've seen you on this topic: http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/report/SEA/8181152"Conventional wisdom says the Seahawks should work first to get deals done with Hasselbeck and Jones. That would allow them to use the franchise tag on Alexander, who could then be traded for a high draft choice or asked to play under a one-year deal that would give him incentive to produce another big season."
More on Franchising/trading players:
ReplyDeletehttp://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1988563I always thought in would be frowned on my media and fans. but it's not the first time I'm wrong.
I think it's more looked down on by players, agents, and the league. The original purpose of a franchise tag was to reward a player, by paying him well (the average of the top 5 at his position). It's being used almost as a punishment now. A way to keep players from testing the market.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention it allows players like Jones to get top money and still be able to sit out camp year after year.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I'm hoping to see the Franchise tag on someone else this season, so that Jones has to either sh*t or get off the pot. I'm tired of his yearly camp skipping.
I agree. I am encouraged by the fact that Ian Gold has now also dropped the Postons as his agents. With him and Pace both losing them, maybe players are starting to wise up and realize that the Poston's don't want their players to get long term deals, that everytime a contract is redone, they get paid, and that if they don't want to be facing negotiations every offseason, they need new agents. (are you listening Walter?)
ReplyDeleteBad news. Pace was just announced as the Rams franchise player. Meaning his salary now has to be $8.425 million. We cannot afford that for Jones.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but I may have been right about not having Jones or Alexander back next season.
ReplyDeleteThen again, that could be a good thing.
Naw.
ReplyDeleteSign Hasslebeck, Jones. Franchise tag Alexander. Sprinkle what money is left on Lucas and Okeafor.
I like the idea Blue, but I seriously doubt Jones and Alexander will be here next season with the price tags they'll demand, and do we really want to waste the Franchise tag on S.A.?(unless you're talking about getting a couple first round picks for him)
ReplyDeleteYou've got to be kidding. Do you really think that using the franchise tag on the NFC's leading rusher is a WASTE? How on earth did you come up with that? I know you don't care for Alexander, but how you can possibly think the franchise tag would be a waste on him just baffles me. I don't even know where to start. What do you think the franchise tag is for?
ReplyDeleteBlue, it's not that I don't care for him. I don't think he's a good fit for the WCO. He can't catch consistantly, and is a lousy blocker. Not to mention the fact that he runs East-West too often.
ReplyDeleteSo in my opinion, if you're going to use the franchise tag on him for anything other than to use him for trade bate. Yes, I say it's a waste.
By the way Blue, I like the STICKY THREADS bit. Excellent touch.
ReplyDelete