http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=8101043 NFLPA wanting to investigate the saints for unfair contract negotiations.
That is interesting. But I don't see this putting any big dent in the situation. The thing that bugs me about this whole situation is whether Brees is going to get less practice time with the team and how that might affect the season. These guys should be practicing a lot... to the point that they know what each other is thinking on the field. That relationship between a QB and his team mates is a major key to a successful season in my opinion. I feel like by bringing this down "to the wire" they are messing with something that ought NOT be messed with. Especially THIS screwed up season. We already won't have our coach. We NEED Brees at the very least. And we NEED him spending as much quality time with his team mates as possible.
Brees won in arbitration. That's a huge step in the right direction. I think we'll see a deal done in the next week with plenty of time to spare.
Ruling in New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' favor, upcoming deadline should make for a deal Most New Orleanians never heard of Stephen Burbank before his ruling Tuesday in favor of Drew Brees and the NFL Players Association. Today, they're ready to throw a parade in Burbank's honor. It says something about the state of these negotiations when an arbitrator's ruling on a grievance regarding a franchise-tag designation is cause for celebration. How did it ever get to this? Yes, it seems reasonable to assume the ruling will expedite negotiations toward a long-term deal. Then again, when has reason entered any part of these protracted talks? Since the Saints and their franchise quarterback started negotiations on a long-term deal in 2011, reason rarely has entered the equation. If the two sides are motivated to reach a long-term deal, as they've reiterated numerous times, why can't they get together and hammer out one? How can the most important and popular player in franchise history be treated this way? And "how much" is enough to make Brees happy? It shouldn't take months to answer these questions. They should have been answered a long time ago. Now, here we are, less than two weeks from D-day, still staring at a stalemate. Fans have pooled their money, signed petitions and hung banners on downtown office buildings in an effort to break the logjam. Even a rare public venting of his frustration by Brees to the media proved futile. Nothing has worked. Inertia has reigned -- maddeningly so for Saints fans, who are desperate for some good news these days. Although the sides have inched closer in recent weeks, they remain firmly entrenched in their positions. Their logs remain jammed. Meanwhile, the July 16 deadline looms. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and Brees' agent, Tom Condon, have a 12-day window to reach a long-term deal. As we discovered during the labor lockout last season, hard deadlines create urgency in negotiations. Let's hope the ruling and ticking clock will force the issue. ESPN NFL business analyst Andrew Brandt said Burbank's ruling at least "sets a data point" for the dormant negotiations. The $40 million in franchise payments Brees would get over two seasons potentially sets a floor on guaranteed money in Brees' contract, long believed to be a sticking point in the talks. "The $4 million difference may not seem like much in a negotiation involving tens of millions, but for a negotiation that has been plagued by inertia, a ruling here may be critical for movement," said Brandt, who negotiated scores of NFL contracts in his years as president of the Green Bay Packers. If nothing else, it creates leverage. Brees can now claim the bar for a long-term deal has been set at $20 million per season. A five-year, $100 million deal is now the baseline for Condon and Brees. Playing hardball with Brees probably wouldn't be wise for the Saints. Not only do the Saints not want to further alienate their franchise player, but Brees still has a couple of more cards to play if needed. Although he recently declared he wouldn't sit out the upcoming season, Brees could still threaten to hold out for the first 10 games. By waiting until Week 11 to report, Brees could make his stand and still receive the six paychecks required to earn an accrued season, and the all-important credit for a second franchise designation. NFLPA officials advised Vincent Jackson and Logan Mankins to employ this strategy during contentious contract talks with the Chargers and Patriots in 2010, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them do the same with Brees this season. In doing so, Brees could still make good on his promise to not sit out the season and simultaneously apply serious leverage. Yes, it would be a desperate and unpopular move, one that hyper-competitive Brees would be loathe to make. But it might be a necessary one to end this game of contractual chicken. The Saints are slowly running out of options. In 2013 they could again designate Brees as a franchise player, but it would leave them only two options in 2014, depending on how lawyers eventually interpret the ambiguous wording of the new CBA: Franchise tag Brees again but with another 44 percent raise, increasing his annual salary to a fiscally impossible $33.84 million. Or eschew the franchise tag and allow Brees to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Needless to say, neither option would be acceptable. Which brings us back to the point we've made since the beginning of these shenanigans. Pay the man and be done with it.
The Saints thought they were in the driver's seat because another franchise tag for Brees after this one would involve a relatively low guaranteed raise next year when he gets another franchise tag...so there was no big rush to make a deal. This ruling guarantees that if Brees gets another franchise tag next year (in the absence of a deal) the guaranteed raise will be high...very high. The Saints apparently never intended to make a deal with Brees at all...and that pisses me off. I'm glad Loomis got suspended. His suspension can't start soon enough for me because he's not just screwing with Brees, he's screwing with each and every Saints fan. He's telling every Saints season holder that a little bit of money is more important than their loyalty. He was willing to throw this season down the tubes by letting Brees sit out the year or at least all of training camp and some of the games to save pennies. And the loyalty of the saints fans is an asset...a financial one. It translates directly into the value of the organization. It's like not intending to spend any money at all for presents for your loving, devoted, loyal wife...the mother of your children...on not just her birthday, but her Anniversary, Christmas, and Mother's day as well. And for the next four or five years. Screw Mickey Loomis and the Saints front office...because now we see he said screw you to all of us.
Yep, and of course Brees isn't going to mention that publicly, because that's just the guy he is. Almost makes you wonder if they didn't know ahead of time of all the drama that was heading their way. The business side of the NFL is a nasty, backstabbing mess.
You seem to forget that this is a business. You are looking for a marquee place for your restaurant. Do you just get the biggest and best location, regardless of the money, or do you leave yourself enough in your budget to buy food too?
It is a business and the value of the saints club is mainly based on the fan support. Other things like capital and facilities leases are secondary. What is the Saints franchise valued at? What would it be valued if the Superdome was half empty...and the fans there had bags on their heads? I bet less than half. The Saints are trying to save pennies on Brees' contract. And the support the fans have seems to be divorced from the negotiations. It's a non entity in Loomis' mind. I promise you if the Saints don't sign Brees and he sits out a year.and is forced to come back next year as a franchise player, the fan support will suffer AND the team will have less value because they'll be forced to finish a long term lease in front of a cold fan base. The Saints front office is thinking "we lost our coach for a year....we have players facing suspension...let's blow off this year and show Brees who's boss here. That's what they were thinking all during contract talks with the NFLPA. "Let's lock the players out...but the fans...screw the fans those idiots will be back a year from now."
smh. I just don't even have the energy, but this is entirely off base. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow.
