News: PFT: Ezekiel Elliott has privately said that he's planning a training-camp holdout

[CouchCoach]

I do hope he holds out and we get a better look at Weber and Pollard. Neither is a replacement alone but together?

You get a good enough run blocking OL and you can play the Shanahan revolving RB game.

 

[Stash]

I'm loving the irony of a player and his representatives contemplating a power play and holdout a week after they collectively "whew'd " and wiped their brow after their good fortune of avoiding another suspension. And days after being charged in a lawsuit, however frivolous it might be.

But yeah, sure, run up to the pay window and see if you can scare em, it shows an incredible amount of awareness on their part.

 

[Stash]

I do hope he holds out and we get a better look at Weber and Pollard. Neither is a replacement alone but together?

You get a good enough run blocking OL and you can play the Shanahan revolving RB game.

Like the Cowboys, those Broncos were yet another example where a system and offensive line makes one running back after another.

Conversely, I very much hope Le'Veon Bell likes cashing those few checks with the Jets and running to nowhere while John Conner succeeds in his old job.

 

[Tussinman]

Steelers fans said the same thing Cowboy fans are saying now. They thought it would be very difficult to make up for their all world RB. Connor wasn’t as good be definitely was good enough for them to move forward without Bell.

You could argue Connor actually played better than Bell.

He had more total touchdowns (13) in 12 starts then Bell has ever had in a single NFL season and he had had almost 1500 total yard from scrimmage only starting 12 games.

I agree Steelers are just like the cowboys, having 3 of your 5 starting o-line being fringe all-pro helps a TON

 

[PhillyCowboysFan]

Basically every safety who has been a free agent in the last 3 years.

Because NFL contracts are not inflated because someone was underpaid before lol. Players are paid market value, not given extra because they were good as rookies.

So Todd Gurley’s massive contract was market value. Really?

 

[cowboyblue22]

what kind of axe to grind does this guy at pft have for the dallas cowboys or more to the point what is he problem

 

[Future]

So Todd Gurley’s massive contract was market value. Really?

Of course it was.

 

[gjkoeppen]

You don't know what AAV is?

His peers are the top players at his position - Gurley, Bell, etc.

Players breaking their word is such a ridiculous complaint. They are expendable, and owners treat them as such. How can anyone blame players for holding out, or threatening to hold out, to make sure they get everything that they can.

Again, your last sentence doesn't matter.

I see you applaud people that break their word and decide that a contract they signed doesn't really mean anything. What do you think would happen if the Cowboys decided after a game that a player, Elliott, didn't rush for 250 yards so they decided to pay just half his pay for that week? They tell him they really wanted him to get 250 yards and it doesn't matter what the contract we both sign means anything. But you seem to think it's OK for players to say the heck with the contract they signed.
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[PhillyCowboysFan]

Of course it was.

So it didn’t SET the market? Never mind.

 

[Stash]

what kind of axe to grind does this guy at pft have for the dallas cowboys or more to the point what is he problem

He always thinks the players are getting screwed and always takes their side and encourages holdouts. And then he tries (and fails) to minimize the damage that guys like Le'Veon Bell do to themselves in ill-advised holdouts.

 

[Future]

I see you applaud people that break their word and decide that a contract they signed doesn't really mean anything. What do you think would happen if the Cowboys decided after a game that a player, Elliott, didn't rush for 250 yards so they decided to pay just half his pay for that week? They tell him they really wanted him to get 250 yards and it doesn't matter what the contract we both sign means anything. But you seem to think it's OK for players to say the heck with the contract they signed.
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"break their word" is such a whiney thing to say.

They aren't breaking their word, that would be not playing and still getting paid. Holding out means not getting paid.

It doesn't matter, because it doesn't matter to owners. Why do you think salaries aren't fully guaranteed in the NFL? It's so that owners can break their word whenever they feel a player no longer provides the right ROI. It's not the 1400's where a man's word is bond.

 

[Tussinman]

I love when the media compares this to the Bell situation.

Ezekiel Elliotts SIGNING BONUS (hadn't even player a single NFL down) is LITERALLY higher than Le'Veon Bells combined salary of his first 6 years in the NFL.......... (oh yeah this is 100% Bell situation 2.0 )

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

The owners care because they don't have to give huge cash payouts to bad players. It screws rookies who are...good, not all of them.

My solution? Get rid of the rookie cap. I don't buy that vets deserve it more. If you are a backup, it's hard to argue that you should make more than the guy starting ahead of you.

You get paid in the NFL for what you are doing and what you are going to do, not what you have done. Putting your time in doesn't matter, especially given the short shelf-life of players. What's changed is that players are NFL ready on day 1, and younger players are aware of how their predecessors ended up broke financially and physically and understanding how much leverage they actually have.

Owners don't care. The players drive this and even if the Owners did care, the players still drive this bus. I mean, there is no getting around that. I mean, the owners would just turn around and tell them, you guys voted for it, don't blame us. That's as easy as it is.

Well, it's easy to say that you would get rid of the Rookie Cap but the Owners can't do that. That has to be voted on by the players. I mean, what part am I not explaining here? Saying, "Get rid of the rookie cap" is not a solution. That's some stuff you throw out there because you don't have a solution. Tell me how you would get that passed and then you have a solution. Players are not going to vote for that. Not going to happen so that is not a solution. What is the solution you propose that can actually happen? Why on earth would you say that players are NFL ready day 1? I don't see that at all. I mean, yeah, there are exceptions who come in and can play as Rookies but that is far from the norm and what's more, that's been going on since the day I started watching Football at the RB position. Nothing has really changed there, in terms of being more ready or better able IMO.

 

[Future]

So it didn’t SET the market? Never mind.

Setting the market is a made up term. He's a better player than David Johnson, and got more money. That sounds like market value to me.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Jones didn't pay more than their draft positions dictated. The pay is like a slot system. The #1 pick gets this much and then the #2 picks get a little less and it goes on like that. Prescott being a 4th rnd pick got a 4 year 2.7 mil contract with just a 95K signing bonus. It's not until this season that he'll actually make more than 1 mil. for a season.

I do agree with you about if players coming out of college don't like what rookies make, they're free to go play in Canada or Japan. I also agree that these players on rookie contracts need to be men and honor what they agreed to when they signed those contracts. Nobody held a gun to their heads to sign.
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Oh, yes he did. He gave a much larger signing bonus to Zeke then he was required to and he bumped Dak's contact during his rookie season, if I am not mistaken.

 

[Future]

Owners don't care. The players drive this and even if the Owners did care, the players still drive this bus. I mean, there is no getting around that. I mean, the owners would just turn around and tell them, you guys voted for it, don't blame us. That's as easy as it is.

Well, it's easy to say that you would get rid of the Rookie Cap but the Owners can't do that. That has to be voted on by the players. I mean, what part am I not explaining here? Saying, "Get rid of the rookie cap" is not a solution. That's some stuff you throw out there because you don't have a solution. Tell me how you would get that passed and then you have a solution. Players are not going to vote for that. Not going to happen so that is not a solution. What is the solution you propose that can actually happen? Why on earth would you say that players are NFL ready day 1? I don't see that at all. I mean, yeah, there are exceptions who come in and can play as Rookies but that is far from the norm and what's more, that's been going on since the day I started watching Football at the RB position. Nothing has really changed there, in terms of being more ready or better able IMO.

I never said anything otherwise.

Just because you don't like the solution, doesn't mean it isn't one. You don't need to explain it, I understand. But since that solution isn't pragmatic today, the only OTHER solution for underpaid players on rookie deals is to hold out. You don't like it, but that's the reality. If Mayfield throws for 5,000 yards and 40 TDs this year, should he just accept making $20m/year less than Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo? No.

 

[gjkoeppen]

At some point the NFL owners are going to realize that paying a couple players the lion's share of the cap will no long produce championships and the owners will do a 2002 Oakland A's thing and get rid of all of their high priced talent and start over with cheaper talent. The players today don't see that with everyone wanting to be the highest paid at their position that no team can do it and by signing a couple to that the team then has to sacrifice talent at some to many other positions.

 

[gjkoeppen]

Oh, yes he did. He gave a much larger signing bonus to Zeke then he was required to and he bumped Dak's contact during his rookie season, if I am not mistaken.

You are mistaken because according to the CBA no team can extend or "upgrade" a rookie contract until AFTER the end of the 3rd season. As for Elliott, Bosa drafted 3rd got 17 mil signing bonus, Elliott drafted 4th got 16 mil signing bonus. So you're wrong on both accounts.
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[Denim Chicken]

Barkley should hold out.

 

[gjkoeppen]

"break their word" is such a whiney thing to say.

They aren't breaking their word, that would be not playing and still getting paid. Holding out means not getting paid.

It doesn't matter, because it doesn't matter to owners. Why do you think salaries aren't fully guaranteed in the NFL? It's so that owners can break their word whenever they feel a player no longer provides the right ROI. It's not the 1400's where a man's word is bond.

I know simple concepts are hard for you to grasp but he signed a contract stating he would play for 4 years. Now saying he's going to not play IS breaking you word that he gave when he said he WOULD play for 4 years.If the Cowboys wanted to (and they wouldn't) if Elliott sits out, the Cowboys could void out his contract and sue him for the paid but not fulfilled bonus money he received. That has already happen with players and they lost in court. This hard concept for you, signing a contract is giving your word you will honor it.
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