Detroit to take Stafford No 1

[DBOY3141]

This is completely insane....

All players salaries are out of control. At the end of the day all they do is throw a ball, catch a ball and tackle. This is the same thing my 6 year old son can do. Yes they do it very well, but to make millions of dollars to do it is just crazy. There are many jobs in the world that only a few folks can do and they don't make millions of dollars.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Maybe he doesn't want to play for the Loins (pun intended). Some of these modern day players think they can go where they want.

 

[jobberone]

Agree with others that they need a structured rookie pay schedule perhaps with incentives thrown in.

The Lions need to hit on a top pick period. Whoever they pick they need that player to give the impression they can play in this league well enough.

 

[jackrussell]

Agree with others that they need a structured rookie pay schedule perhaps with incentives thrown in.

The Lions need to hit on a top pick period. Whoever they pick they need that player to give the impression they can play in this league well enough.

I'd be interested to know what kind of incentives?

 

[YosemiteSam]

$80 mil with $40 mil guaranteed for someone who has never played a down of football in the NFL. WOW.

I would trade out of the #1 everytime at that price no matter what the return value was....

 

[RamziD]

I would trade out of the #1 everytime at that price no matter what the return value was....

It's not a matter of wanting to trade out or not. Most teams at #1 look to shop that pick. There's just hardly anybody who wants to jump up into that spot b/c there is rarely a can't-miss player who will be worthy of the money you have to pay.

$80M with $40M guaranteed for a rookie is crazy. Some guy who has never played a down of NFL football in his life will be making close to what one of the best QBs of all time (i.e. Brady) is making. That's just insane.

 

[Hoofbite]

The 1st pick in the draft is supposed to help the worst team from the previous season.

Anymore it is like rubbing rock salt into a gaping wound.

Its really a punishment for sucking. Not only do you suck but have fun deciding which players gets his powerball numbers called.

If I were Detroit, I'd stand next to the table where you turn your pick in and hold a card for the top two guys on my board. I'd sit there and wait for someone else to pick and as soon as one of my guys was gone, I'd slam that card down and select which ever guy I had left. If it was a good year, I'd stand up there with three cards and wait for 2 guys to go. If you can just drop down 3 or 4 spots, you'd save a TON of money.

 

[jobberone]

I'd be interested to know what kind of incentives?

If they structure the rookie pay scale how far down the draft will they make it? What's wrong with the idea of incentives based on downs played and production? Not saying anyone is touting that but it makes a lotta sense. For everyone and not just rookies, too, BTW.

 

[jobberone]

The 1st pick in the draft is supposed to help the worst team from the previous season.

Anymore it is like rubbing rock salt into a gaping wound.

Its really a punishment for sucking. Not only do you suck but have fun deciding which players gets his powerball numbers called.

If I were Detroit, I'd stand next to the table where you turn your pick in and hold a card for the top two guys on my board. I'd sit there and wait for someone else to pick and as soon as one of my guys was gone, I'd slam that card down and select which ever guy I had left. If it was a good year, I'd stand up there with three cards and wait for 2 guys to go. If you can just drop down 3 or 4 spots, you'd save a TON of money.

Great idea but the commish frowned on it. They should approach the top tier of players and find out which one they could get for the least amount of money. We signed Russell Maryland to a lesser amt of money at the time.

 

[jackrussell]

If they structure the rookie pay scale how far down the draft will they make it? What's wrong with the idea of incentives based on downs played and production? Not saying anyone is touting that but it makes a lotta sense. For everyone and not just rookies, too, BTW.

Incentives for downs played: Players have no control over the downs they play.

Incentives for production: You're the top player in the college draft going to the worst team in the league. What kind of production is really expected? One could say a player going at the bottom of the first round will achieve higher production with a better team.

Individual incentives= it's all about me vs the team.

To me, these guys have spent their lives putting themselves in this position. No different than a top graduate from MIT or Harvard hired by a top firm receiving an incredible package to work there.

Free enterprise, it's what the market bares, and it's a negotiated system agreed to by both sides.

Welcome to America.

 

[Joe Realist]

I don't even think Stafford is the best QB in the draft. If they draft a QB without having a offensive line he is going to get killed and may not recover.

Can you say David Carr?

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

The NFL needs to fix the rookie salary... The NBA has the right idea.

 

[Hoofbite]

To me, these guys have spent their lives putting themselves in this position. No different than a top graduate from MIT or Harvard hired by a top firm receiving an incredible package to work there.

Free enterprise, it's what the market bares, and it's a negotiated system agreed to by both sides.

Welcome to America.

Meh, I don't think its quite that clear cut.

The team plays by the rules of the player at this point. If contract demands aren't met the player holds out and the team is worse off. Contract numbers continue to escalate and return on those contracts rarely keeps up. At this point teams are paying butt-loads of guaranteed money for non-guaranteed potential. With the draft being hit or miss, teams shouldn't be hamstrung by missing. Teams shouldn't be on the hook for millions for drafting a "can't miss" player who bombs.

Teams get the crap end of the stick in negotiations and there is no way around it. They start at a huge disadvantage and the margin only widens as soon as the pick is made. Its getting to the point where the pre-negotiations are having too large of an effect on the picks. If the purpose is to improve the weak teams, don't make them choose a cheaper route that suits their interests less.

The league needs to slot pay for the first however-many picks. Put an end to the ridiculous bonuses that are rarely justified by the performance on the field. Shorten contract lengths if you have to so the player can hit the market a little sooner and make some of that money back but make them earn it.

 

[HardHittin'Witten]

The NFL needs to fix the rookie salary... The NBA has the right idea.

 

[Disturbed]

All players salaries are out of control. At the end of the day all they do is throw a ball, catch a ball and tackle. This is the same thing my 6 year old son can do. Yes they do it very well, but to make millions of dollars to do it is just crazy. There are many jobs in the world that only a few folks can do and they don't make millions of dollars.

I think a lot of fans agree. I hope the owners use the upcoming lack of agreement with the players union past 2010 to bring things back down a bit. Let the players strike...

They should look at more productive uses of the money, instead of rewarding one rookie with a crazy salary.

PS. A guy on ESPN told the rookie players that they play in the one corporation that is recession proof...they will get paid no matter what. I say it is time to change that......

 

[Doomsday]

Its not worth the risk for that money. Thank god we dont suck bad enough to get the number one pick, it could cripple your franchise for a while.

 

[DawnOfANewD]

If they take Stafford, any chance they'd be willing to deal Stanton? We could use a young developmental QB.

 

[jackrussell]

Meh, I don't think its quite that clear cut.

The team plays by the rules of the player at this point. If contract demands aren't met the player holds out and the team is worse off. Contract numbers continue to escalate and return on those contracts rarely keeps up. At this point teams are paying butt-loads of guaranteed money for non-guaranteed potential. With the draft being hit or miss, teams shouldn't be hamstrung by missing. Teams shouldn't be on the hook for millions for drafting a "can't miss" player who bombs.

Teams get the crap end of the stick in negotiations and there is no way around it. They start at a huge disadvantage and the margin only widens as soon as the pick is made. Its getting to the point where the pre-negotiations are having too large of an effect on the picks. If the purpose is to improve the weak teams, don't make them choose a cheaper route that suits their interests less.

The league needs to slot pay for the first however-many picks. Put an end to the ridiculous bonuses that are rarely justified by the performance on the field. Shorten contract lengths if you have to so the player can hit the market a little sooner and make some of that money back but make them earn it.

Is there ever a time when a team gets an incredible bargain? You know, kind of an opposite situation of getting hammered with a high first round contract?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Incentives for downs played: Players have no control over the downs they play.

Incentives for production: You're the top player in the college draft going to the worst team in the league. What kind of production is really expected? One could say a player going at the bottom of the first round will achieve higher production with a better team.

Individual incentives= it's all about me vs the team.

To me, these guys have spent their lives putting themselves in this position. No different than a top graduate from MIT or Harvard hired by a top firm receiving an incredible package to work there.

Free enterprise, it's what the market bares, and it's a negotiated system agreed to by both sides.

Welcome to America.

Free enterprise does not equate to collusion between companies to designate employee selection. Thats what the draft is. Then there is the whole salary cap.

Free enterprise is hardly the best answer to all economic situations. The industrial age is rife with examples of this from the railway barons to the current banking crisis. Heck, free market unchecked inevitably leads to monopolization.

Welcome to reality.

 

[Pottsville Maroons]

I totally agree about the Rookie Cap idea.

I just think that Detroit is making a mistake going for this guy in the first place.

Get an OT or the Wake LB and choose from a much better group of QBs next year. Get your OL in place and bolster your D while managing the QB spot with Culpepper and then next year's drafted QB has some chance of success with parts of the rest of the team in place.

Being from Texas, I think it would be awesome if a dude from freaking Baylor was the first overall pick. Not because I'm a fan of theirs, but because it would be something I never expected to see in my lifetime. lol