LOL.. i have a 4500lb winch on the Chev... I think I may yank your ass down said cliff.

I give two cents whose issue in the end it is.. the faster Raji gets to camp the better it is for the Packers.

Pay the man a "fair" (I say that with my fist clinched... the whole lot coming in is overpaid) contract... say I give two pinches less how it looks in the press or what not and get this kid to camp.

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That is the part that got me wound up in the first place.. we are applying no pressure what so ever.. now it seems no one is.. pretty soon it will be a curse to have a top 15 pick completely if this nonsense continues.

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Pack a lunch old timer.

Agreed

Agreed

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I don't think its that fans don't care its just that it is a hard thing to comment on when we honestly have no idea whatsoever how the negotiations are working. All that we have to go off of is some anonymous sources saying whether there has been progress or not.

I admit that it doesn't seem like much is happening but the Packers organization hasn't been really open with what exactly is happening so I don't really want to comment on it.

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I don't know what we as a team can even be mad at.

Raji?

Because his agent is saying that there is a potential for getting paid many millions more than he would otherwise get if this thing falls a certain way?

His agent?

Because his agent is in a position that if he we were to act first and then it subsequently falls that Crabtree gets paid millions more than his own client, thereby creating a HUGE talking point for all other agents to say that he failed him in his fiduciary responsibilities (that will be the argument, next year)

OR WORSE-- (From the agent's perspective)

Raji is the only one that didn't get to participate in the windfall that occurred because he caved too soon.

I think the GBP see the problem, I just don't see how they can rectify it.

Put yourself in Dunn's shoes a moment.

I gave you guys a number. 23 million 5 years.

That is a 21% increase over last year, coupled with a one year reduction in the rookie contract.

The question is CAN he take that contract, more so than would he, given the circumstances surrounding his client's slot.

If Raji signed, would it move along the negotiations for the others?

No.

Not as long as Crabtree is sticking to his position. What Raji does is not relevant to his position. DHB is their talking point.

And what if the 49ers DO cave?

Do you think that we should now pay more than Crabtree got? Which, by extension, is obviously more than DHB got?

Assuming my obscene offer is reasonable, we are now talking about more than doubling it, getting into the arena of tripling it.

That, my friends, is quite a bit of space between positions.

We are doomed.. :lol:

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To me, the place to look for progress on getting Raji signed has been the San Francisco Chronicle.

As I stated in a previous post, I was not impressed AT ALL with how Coach Mike S. approached the impasse, effectively dismissing it as "boys will be boys" and "I remember when I held out" etc.

I have been waiting for the media in SF to apply a little pressure of some sort on Crabtree.

Instead, what I just read was a columnist for the Chronicle applying pressure to the 49ers to pay him DHB money or better.

Great.

I wonder if Crabtree and his agent will read that.

doh

It's also incredibly risky to workout a bad deal for your side just for the sake of seven days of camp. The reason why the Packers are where they are with their salary cap is because they know how to get value for their dollar. Yes their are some exceptions, but for the most part this regime has put a huge emphasis on value and it's helped the salary cap in a big way. There is no reason to set a poor precedent just for the sake of seven days of camp for a player who'll make his biggest impact in the future.

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I suppose this all is high drama for some, normal business negotiations for others. Just depends on what flavor you like your spin.

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Let's be honest here, most of the time I would be willing to bet there isn't a huge gap between where we start with the process and where the overall numbers end.. the provisions in the contract probably get adjusted greatly.. most notably the guaranteed money.. but unless the guy completely bombs out or suffers a drastic injury, 1st rounders are going to play out that guaranteed money to try to recapture that investment.

In other words, lots of hand wringing for not a ton of concessions, yes there are exceptions, but most of the time the gap doesn't seem huge.



What high drama.. more just discussing an issue that is affecting the ball club. Part of this delay very well might be by design... what better way to drum up a focus on fixing this issue in the next CBA than to have the numbers support that it is an issue.. the number of rookies sitting out in camp going into negotiations at the league level.

There is a reason that there is not a lot of press statements with the amount of rookies sitting in wait.

Drama.. No.. Discussing a broken process.. yes. IMO, the process shouldn't have to include rookies missing camp. There is months between the draft and the start of camp, some of the deadest months of the year. The process doesn't seem to capitalize on that time to ensure employees aren't missing time.

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