The QB Blast: Ruud Well Within His Rights
June 23rd, 2009
By JEFF CARLSON
Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson writes the weekly QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe is ecstatic to have him firing away. Carlson has sports radio and TV gigs in the Bay area and trains quarterbacks of all ages via his company, America’s Best Quarterback.
As a former NFL player I believe current players should try to negotiate as lucrative a contract as they can.
As a businessman I believe people should live up to their contracts and pro sports are big business, but in the NFL, teams don’t have to live up to their end of the contract (they can cut a player at any time — e.g. Derrick Brooks). A team structures contracts to fit their needs and discards players when either their play or their contract doesn’t fit anymore.
Because these contracts aren’t equal for both sides, it is well within a player’s rights to squeeze his team to pay him whatever he can when he has the bargaining power.
Last year, Earnest Graham was in a pretty good negotiating position to push for a salary equal to that of the average starting running back. Bruce Allen had a policy of not negotiating contracts with two years left on the deal, but sometimes certain policies have to be amended for the good of the team.
This year it is Barrett Ruud’s turn to go for the dough.
The team slimmed its experience in the linebacking corps and left Ruud in a very strong position to be paid in the upper third of middle linebackers. He has handled things properly so far, missing voluntary training and being part of the mandatory events.
Mark Dominik has watched Allen negotiate for years and will have to forge his own policies moving forward. But for all of Raheem Morris’ efforts to build this year’s version of team comraderie, it gets torn apart quickly when a player that hasn’t sweated in red and pewter gets a new, top-dollar deal (Kellen Winslow Jr.) and a current star like Ruud is paid less than his league counterparts.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
you……rabble rouser
😉
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Good stuff Jeff
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Players should be annoyed with their teammate for not giving his all to the team effort (Ruud), not the GM for paying an accomplished tight end a little earier than usual. I don’t care either way, really. But Ruud is a jerk for making a statement like blowing off OTAs. Holdouts are for greedy losers.
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:28 pm
you must be a knee high “flea”……
RHCP
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Get Paid! As long as they remember the fans. Get all they can. Look at all of the destitute former players from past era’s. Some brought it on themselves others were a product of ownership using up there bodies for millions in there own pockets and cut them when they are broken. Hell the owners/league charge me $200 for a throwback jersey yet the player that I want on the jersey gets jack-squat. F— the owners. Get paid and be a fan favorite for your play.
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:56 pm
If Dominick would have ponied up the cash Ruud would have been there. Barrett said he isn’t looking for the sky, but wants to treated FAIRLY, which is not in the Bucs Front Office Manual. This is clearly Dominick’s mess and he needs to clean it up already. This shouldn’t take forever. Procrastination Nation
June 24th, 2009 at 12:04 am
I’d say that Jeff sums it up here.
…” in the NFL, teams don’t have to live up to their end of the contract (they can cut a player at any time — e.g. Derrick Brooks). A team structures contracts to fit their needs and discards players when either their play or their contract doesn’t fit anymore.
Because these contracts aren’t equal for both sides, it is well within a player’s rights to squeeze his team to pay him whatever he can when he has the bargaining power.” -Carlson
June 24th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Pay the man, I don’t see the problem or issue…He is the only proven LB we have, period…