Here is a relevant article I found.
http://blogs.foxsports.com/arabchic...aVar_Arrington3
In a recent interview, former golden boy LaVar Arrington mentioned that he is not opposed to retiring after this season. While the likelihood of Arrington walking away from all the money is slim, it still got me thinking. How many players of his stature are really put in his situations. The thing is, there aren't many players of his stature. Maybe Terrell Owens. But their situations are different. Arrington is playing in Washington and wants to remain a Commander. He may just get cut though. In his time at Washington he has gone from potential savior to backup.
What exactly happened to him? Arrington has been the "Chosen One" everywhere he went. Growing up in Pittsburgh as a rabid Steelers fan, Arrington was the Parade Player of the Year as a senior in high school, and he committed to Penn St. where he hoped to become the next great linebacker to rise from Happy Valley. Very early on it looked like LaVar Arrington would join players like Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino as Pittsburgh legends. Arrington was one of the most remarkable talents ever to grace the field for the Nittany Lions. Combining raw athleticism with excellent instincts, the quick but burly Arrington quickly became a star. As a true sophmore he etched himself into the minds of Penn St. fans everywhere with the "LaVar Leap" in a crucial game against Illinois, when Arrington stopped a 4th down attempt for a 3 yard loss by leaping over the line and hitting the running back just as he grabbed the ball. The 96,000 jammed into Beaver stadium could not believe what Arrington had done and the play was later named Compaq Defensive Play of the Year. Arrington became the first true sophmore to win Defensive Player of the Year in the Big X conference by posting 65 tackles, and 7 sacks. As a senior, Arrington won the Bednarik and Butkus awards and entered the NFL draft as one of the hottest prospects in football. The 2000 NFL Draft was certainly unique as the first 2 picks featured defensive players from the same college. With the first pick in the draft Cleveland selected Penn St. defensive end Courtney Brown, and one pick later, teammate and outside linebacker LaVar Arrington became a Washington Commander. Arrington, the brash, young, talented linebacker, was headed to Dan Snyderville to work with the equally unique owner.
Arrington, now in the NFL, was still the messiah. The chosen one. Having come from "Linebacker U," the expectations couldn't be higher for the 2nd overall pick in the draft. Arrington and left tackle Chris Samuels, picked one slot later, were the building blocks for the Commanders. Arrington was such a unique talent. Playing as a 4-3 outside linebacker, Arrington had that rare combination of speed and strength. He was a dangerous pass rusher, but equally stout as a run defender or even in pass D. Arrington posted 55 tackles and 4 sacks his rookie year as the Commanders went through a rocky season which included the in-season firing of Norv Turner by Dan Snyder even though the 'Skins were 7-6 at the time and in the thick of the playoff hunt. For Arrington, the season was unspectacular but promising. Under new coach Marty Schottenheimer, Arrington was ready to shine. And that he did. With the Commanders floundering at 0-5 and Schottenheimer already looking like a gigantic mistake, Arrington returned an INT 67 yards against the Carolina Panthers to cut the defict to 7 points, a play that swung the momentum of the game and maybe the season for the Commanders. The 'Skins beat the Panthers that day and won their next 4 after that to become the first team to go from 0-5 to 5-5, and ended the season with a still disappointing 8-8 record. Arrington though, was on his way to Honolulu for his first of what was hopefully many Pro Bowls, having totaled 99 tackles and 3 INT's on the year. No doubt, a big reason for Arrington's Pro Bowl invites have been on popularity as his stats haven't been spectacular, but at this stage of his career, Arrington was making big plays when they were needed and was gaining a reputation as one of the league's best defenders. Schottenheimer though, was fired after the season despite an 8-3 finish. This was the beginning of the end for Arrington's relationship with owner Dan Snyder. Arrington loved having Marty around as his coach.
In 2002, LaVar Arrington turned in what was likely his finest season as a pro to date. The Commanders signed linebackers Jeremiah Trotter and Jessie Armstead as well as super D-Coordinator Marvin Lewis to help out Arrington in Steve Spurrier's first season as an NFL head coach. Arrington was finally used more in the pass rushing attack as Marvin Lewis found packages that played to Arrington's strengths, much like what was done for LaVar at Penn St. The Commanders finally beat the Dallas Cowboys that season, but it was in the season finale of an otherwise disappointing 7-9 campaign. Again, Arrington was voted into the Pro Bowl. This time, there was little doubt why he was there. He totaled 92 tackles and an impressive 12 sacks with 8 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, and a TD, and as an OLB. Arrington was recognized as one of the best defenders in the game, with a unique ability to get after the QB from the OLB spot. 2002 was Marvin Lewis' only season in Washington though, as he went on to become head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason, and this was a major blow for Arrington.
2003 was somewhat of a down year for Arrington. He did not make those game changing plays. His team was not playing good football. He put up respectable stats, but for LaVar Arrington, the bar has always been set high. In his 4th year as a pro, Arrington totaled 88 tackles and 6 sacks. His sack numbers were way down from 2002 as Marvin Lewis was no longer around to draw up special packages for him. The Commanders went a horrific 5-11 and the season, both for LaVar Arrington and his team, looked like a failure. Steve Spurrier after two seasons in which he did not make the playoffs and won just 12 games, resigned. There was one big surprise though. Arrington, despite a subpar year, was headed for his 3rd straight Pro Bowl. To fans, he started to look like one of "those" players. You know, the players who are voted into the Pro Bowl based on popularity and ignorance. It isn't good to be one of "those" players. 2003 also brought a very ugly contract dispute with the Commanders. Arrington signed a huge $70 million dollar deal in December 2003 but filed a grievance on the basis that the Commanders had cheated him out $6.5 million. This proved to be one of the most important events in what was the possible death of Arrington's Commanders career. This contract dispute would not be resolved for 19 months, and it became a huge distraction to the team.
Dan Snyder was able to coax Joe Gibbs out of retirement and he, along with new defensive coordinator and former Bills head coach Gregg Williams, had big plans for LaVar Arrington. Williams envisioned an aggressive, explosive defense that would let Arrington blitz at will and let him make plays. Williams liked the idea of letting Arrington freelance about the field, letting his athleticism and insticts take over. In other words, Williams envisioned Arrington as doing the things he did back in college. With Champ Bailey gone, Arrington was now definitely the face of the fallen franchise. Williams and Arrington envisioned a 10 sack star. What the world saw was a cocky, somewhat arrogant linebacker who has become a Pro Bowler thanks to popularity rather than productivity. They also saw a player, who along with notorious agent Carl Poston, was constantly bickering with management over his contract instead of focusing on the field. Arrington's 2004 season was a total bust. Gregg Williams was never able to use Arrington because Arrington only appeared in 4 games all season, totaling 15 tackles and nothing more. He appeared in the first 2 games of the season and looked pretty solid but he was soon on the shelf after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. He returned for the last 2 games but saw little action.
So with Arrington out for basically all but the first 2 weeks of the season, you would figure the defense was doomed, right? This was the thing. The defense was fine without Arrington. Gregg Williams was revered as one of the finest coordinators in the entire NFL as he molded a mostly no-name defense into the No. 3 ranked defense in the NFL. The "Arringotn is overrated" bandwagon had never seen so many members. Marcus Washington looked better than Arrington had. Diminutive Antonio Pierce became a star in LaVar's absence. All of a sudden, this defense looks amazing. And Arrington sat on the sidelines. How important really was LaVar to this D if they are better off without him? in April 2005, Arrington had a follow-up operation on his knee. When it was not announced to the press, Arrington blasted the Commanders. After a meeting with Gibbs, Arrington tried to twist the story by blaming the media.
LaVar Arrington, after a bitter 19 month contract dispute, finallly got his wish when the Commanders re-negotiated his already huge contract, signing him to an 8 year, $68 million deal. What was noticable about this deal was that LaVar could opt out of his contract in 2007. Franchise players don't get opt out amendments like that. Obviously, the Commanders weren't sure they really wanted Arrington-and Arrington wasn't sure he wanted to be in Washington much longer.
Now lets move to the 2005 season part of our story. This season has not been kind to LaVar Arrington. Gregg Williams, defensive genius, has not been happy with who should be his star player. Arrington saw limited action in the 1st 3 games of the season, all Washington wins. As the Commanders celebrated a stunning 3-0 start, it was clear that Arrington was in the doghouse. He was seeing less and less snaps per game and had in all, just 2 tackles on the season. Over the next two games, both narrow Commander losses, Arrington saw exactly ZERO snaps. Gregg Williams clearly did not like what he saw in Arrington. He preferred to start relative no-name Warrick Holdman instead. It took until Week 7 for Arrington to finally be released from his chains. In a 52-17 demolition of the 49ers, Arrington was all over the field. He saw about 25 snaps, and did not disappoint, with 7 solo tackles and 2 assisted for a total of 9 tackles on the day. Arrington on one play demonstrated just how good he could be, sprinting from the other side of the field to absolutely rail into Alex Smith for a 1 yard gain, a bone-jarring hit that was replayed on Sportscenter numerous times the next day.
Arrington, though, is not being used a lot by Gregg Williams. One of his chief strengths, rushing the passer, has not been utilized at all. Arrington is never on the field for 3rd and long, thus eliminating the most obvious way to blitz him. But at least he is playing. Arrington has played in every game since the Niners game aside from one missed through injury. But in a recent interview, he mentioned that he may consider retirement from the NFL. He also acknowledges that he has lost support from the organization. His relationship with Dan Snyder is all but ripped apart thanks to that ugly contract dispute. His reputation with the coaching staff isn't exactly sparkling as evidenced by that 6 week benching earlier this year, as well as their hesitance in blitzing him. Arrington has lost his passion for football. He wouldn't mind retiring. After just 6 seasons in the NFL, did anyone really see this coming for the former Golden Boy from Penn St.?
Arrington in all likelihood won't retire. He is playing once again after that benching. But he has zero sacks on the year and that number doesn't figure to get any bigger. He has not been an integral part of the team despite that huge contract, but the Commanders are 9-6 and one win away from their first playoff berth in the Arrington era. Their first playoff berth in the Arrington era may come in a season in which Warrick Holdman has been favored over the Golden Boy.
Arrington knows that the Commanders will shop him this offseason. In all likelihood, he will be released as the team has realized that their defense has become one of the best in the NFL- without him. San Diego could be a landing spot for Mr. Arrington, as his close friend Shawne Merriman is already there, as his Marty Schottenheimer, who he heavily fancied. Pittsburgh, his hometown, could be a destination. He grew up rooting for the Steelers, he grew up hearing stories about Jack Ham and Jack Lambert. Pittsburgh would love Arrington as a pass rusher opposite Joey Porter. What about Baltimore? Arrington would not have to move from the Annapolis palace he has built for himself, a palace he is very fond of. If Tommy Polley leaves, they could pursue the talented Arrington. Don't expect any team though, to take a chance on Arrington at his current price tag. There is not a single team in the NFL who thinks he is worth the contract he signed before the season started. He has not proved valuable to his own team, he has run into injury issues lately, and many question his attitude. Many others simply question whether he is even a good player.
When Arrington was drafted into the NFL 6 years ago, nobody saw a situation like this arising. The Golden Boy was supposed to win awards and rings in Washington. He was supposed to be the superstar, Washington's answer to in-state rival Ray Lewis. He still has the talent. He can make it in this league. He has made it in this league, 3 Pro Bowl bids can attest to that. But with his heart and mind elsewhere, it is becoming evident LaVar Arrington may never play football again. Do I think he calls it quits? No. But I'm not always right you know.
There is really only one person who I could compare LaVar's turbulent, dramatic, roller coaster career to. That would be Terrell Owens. Yes, they are different from each other. LaVar doens't have character issues that even begin to approach TO. But LaVar is also a bigger question mark on the field than TO. Both are highly talented. Both are Pro Bowlers. Both also know that there is a slight chance that they won't be suiting up in the NFL next year. This wasn't supposed to happen to LaVar. He was the Golden Boy. Parade All American. Big X DPOY as a sophmore. Butkus winner. Bednarik winner. Top 5 pick. Next great Pittsburgh product. 3 time Pro Bowler. Washington's answer to Ray Lewis. Not long ago he was near the top of the NFL pedestal. Now, he finds himself at a crossroad, alongside the likes of Warrick Holdman on the depth chart. He could take the easy way out and quit, retire to his castle in Annapolis. Or, he could fight for his career, as Golden Boys are supposed to. He could return to the top.
So Golden Boy, what's your next move?
