Carl Nicks toe injury may affect rest of career

[WoodysGirl]

I know alot of guys wanted him, and hindsight is certainly 20/20, but imagine if the 'Boys had guaranteed $30mil for him and this injury happened. Ranks right up there with the Marco Rivera back injury. Doesn't make whatever moves the Cowboys have made better or worse re: the OL, but this is certainly a bullet dodged.

---------------------------
By: Ross Tucker Sporting News

Nicks responded to a question about his nagging left big toe injury that has limited his practice time thus far:
“I will have to deal with it my whole life,” Nicks told reporters. “Honestly, it is not 100 percent, yet. I plan on playing some this next preseason game and obviously, the third one. We will see how it goes.

“I have all the confidence in the world I will be back to playing,” Nicks added. “I will just have to deal with it my whole life. I would lie if I told you it didn’t affect me at all. It affects the way I walk, the way I stand around. I have to stand a certain kind of way. It is something I just have to deal with. I don’t want to get into taking painkillers and not knowing if it is hurting.”

His comments about having issues when he walks or just stands makes me wonder how effective he'll be if he can take the field—and even if he does, how long will this guy with the $31 million in guarantees continue to play?

More: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/sto...g-toe-injury-impact-tampa-bay-buccaneers-bucs

 

[Idgit]

Turf toe ended the careers of Hall of Famers like Jack Lambert and Deion Sanders, so it's nothing to snicker at...

It stinks to lose a very good player right after a big contract like that. More evidence that it's better to draft and develop at a position where it's relatively easy to do so than it is to go shopping on the premium VFA market.

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

am i missing something? this is his contract year, the Giants didn't sign him to anything.

 

[FiveRings]

am i missing something? this is his contract year, the Giants didn't sign him to anything.

Carl, not Hakeem

 

[hra8700]

The risk of him having that injury if he came to Dallas instead is the same risk as any other player. It doesn't really justify any decision one way or another. We didn't dodge a bullet.

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

Carl, not Hakeem

oh boy. haha.

Didn't hakeem nicks have toe issues too?

 

[FiveRings]

oh boy. haha.

Didn't hakeem nicks have toe issues too?

Yeah last season I think, but I don't think that's a carry over issue

 

[WoodysGirl]

The risk of him having that injury if he came to Dallas instead is the same risk as any other player. It doesn't really justify any decision one way or another. We didn't dodge a bullet.

Well, I did say it doesn't really impact whatever moves the Cowboys have made. That said, even with the low-budget guys they did get not working out as planned, they're not hamstrung by a contract either. Bullet dodged.

 

[Vintage]

But he is the guardiest guard of the guardian.

moar ruing required.

 

[Idgit]

The risk of him having that injury if he came to Dallas instead is the same risk as any other player. It doesn't really justify any decision one way or another. We didn't dodge a bullet.

He's not necessarily hobbled, so maybe there's no bullet to dodge. But it is, definitely, an argument against signing VFAs to premium contracts as a means for building a competitive team. The impact of losing a player like Nicks is a lot higher when he brings his massive cap hit with him. But, yeah, this could have happened to him regardless of what team he ended up signing with.

 

[Zordon]

Doesn't make me hate Arkin, Livings, or Bernadeau any less.

 

[Avery]

Football players can break down at anytime. I mean, I'm 34, have a bad back and an ankle sprain that never fully recovered and I do is play pickup games, lift weights and run a few miles during the week.

 

[InmanRoshi]

It stinks to lose a very good player right after a big contract like that. More evidence that it's better to draft and develop at a position where it's relatively easy to do so than it is to go shopping on the premium VFA market.

Also doubly risky to spend $30+ million guaranteed on players who play positions that spend an inordinate amount of time in human pileups.

 

[hra8700]

Well, I did say it doesn't really impact whatever moves the Cowboys have made. That said, even with the low-budget guys they did get not working out as planned, they're not hamstrung by a contract either. Bullet dodged.

If your point is that it is always risky to sign any free agent to a large contract, I agree. Carl Nicks though, was about as safe as you can get: very young, multiple years in a row of consistently excellent play, no injury history. The fact that he got injured doesn't change that. Saying you should avoid high priced free agents and target low priced free agents to divide risk I think is faulty though, because the goal, at least for me, is to win a superbowl. Winning a superbowl is very difficult, and so your strategy should not be to minimize risk (minimizing risk in a system like this just leads to consistently average play), but to increase risk.

 

[burmafrd]

Well, I did say it doesn't really impact whatever moves the Cowboys have made. That said, even with the low-budget guys they did get not working out as planned, they're not hamstrung by a contract either. Bullet dodged.

and Romo had another year of getting worked. Really a good thing obviously.

 

[Idgit]

If your point is that it is always risky to sign any free agent to a large contract, I agree. Carl Nicks though, was about as safe as you can get: very young, multiple years in a row of consistently excellent play, no injury history. The fact that he got injured doesn't change that. Saying you should avoid high priced free agents and target low priced free agents to divide risk I think is faulty though, because the goal, at least for me, is to win a superbowl. Winning a superbowl is very difficult, and so your strategy should not be to minimize risk (minimizing risk in a system like this just leads to consistently average play), but to increase risk.

If you're going to pay a premium for a a veteran free agent, pay it for the positions where you can't find and develop your own, cheaper alternatives. OGs can be found among the college ranks, from college OTs who don't have the footwork to make it at tackle at this level. From small school college OLs who need time and resources to develop strength and agility. On top of that, if you've going to have to cover up anywhere on offense, you're better off doing it at OG where you can support him with your OTs and Cs and RBs if you get pressure up the middle. If you want to lay risk, do it for pass rushers, secondary/skill players, and OTs who are going to have to be out there on islands where it's a lot harder to hide their warts. Taking that much risk for an interior OL position when there's ample evidence that teams can still pass effectively with average players just doesn't make much sense.

 

[burmafrd]

If you're going to pay a premium for a a veteran free agent, pay it for the positions where you can't find and develop your own, cheaper alternatives. OGs can be found among the college ranks, from college OTs who don't have the footwork to make it at tackle at this level. From small school college OLs who need time and resources to develop strength and agility. On top of that, if you've going to have to cover up anywhere on offense, you're better off doing it at OG where you can support him with your OTs and Cs and RBs if you get pressure up the middle. If you want to lay risk, do it for pass rushers, secondary/skill players, and OTs who are going to have to be out there on islands where it's a lot harder to hide their warts. Taking that much risk for an interior OL position when there's ample evidence that teams can still pass effectively with average players just doesn't make much sense.

and your whole arguement is destroyed because the Boys have shown no ability at all to develope Offensive guards.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

If your point is that it is always risky to sign any free agent to a large contract, I agree. Carl Nicks though, was about as safe as you can get: very young, multiple years in a row of consistently excellent play, no injury history. The fact that he got injured doesn't change that. Saying you should avoid high priced free agents and target low priced free agents to divide risk I think is faulty though, because the goal, at least for me, is to win a superbowl. Winning a superbowl is very difficult, and so your strategy should not be to minimize risk (minimizing risk in a system like this just leads to consistently average play), but to increase risk.

I look at it the other way.

For me the goal is to first reach the playoffs... not just one year via a high-risk move, but year after year, like present New England, Pittsburgh or Baltimore... Or if you will the Cowboys under Landry who had 20 straight winning seasons.

You put a consistent playoff team out there year after year and the odds for hitting a SB one of those years obviously increases.

That's what I want– a competitive team each and every year.

And when you make high-risk moves likes signing an expensive free agent you leave yourself open for a big-time salary cap hit which can greatly negate your ability to field a playoff team year after year.

About the only high-risk move I can think of when it comes to free agents that paid out in spades for the Cowboys was Deion.

There have been several flaming out failures like Galloway, Roy Williams (I know he was a trade and sign) and Marco Rivera.

And several... "OK, but nothing to write home about moves" like Bigg Davis and Carr's signing (so far).

I much prefer "Big moves at a low risk" like the trade for Charles Haley (a #2 and #3 pick if I remember) or like what New England did offering a 4th rounder for Randy Moss.

The other thing is that except for certain positions like QB, making a high-risk move, but for many positions like guard... Feh.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

and Romo had another year of getting worked. Really a good thing obviously.

Rodgers gets sacked and hit far more than Romo... It doesn't seem to keep the Pack from being in the playoffs consistently.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

and your whole arguement is destroyed because the Boys have shown no ability at all to develope Offensive guards.

You mean like Leary who was performing very well.