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By Bob Brookover
[size=-1]Inquirer Staff Writer[/size]
Brian Westbrook's contract negotiations with the Eagles are off again, and that development has left the running back feeling "disrespected" and "disappointed" heading into the team's Monday night opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
"It's just tough and frustrating for me to come to work every day knowing in the back of my mind that I feel disrespected by the kind of offers that I continue to get from the Eagles," Westbrook said, breaking a monthlong silence that started after he reported eight days late to training camp on Aug. 8.
The Eagles unknowingly gave Westbrook a stage at the NovaCare Complex to lodge his contract complaints. The team already knew that the talks had been halted and expected Westbrook to acknowledge that and to say he was preparing for the season.
Team president Joe Banner said the two sides had mutually agreed on Sept. 1 to stop negotiations because talks stalemated. The Eagles didn't know Westbrook was going to publicly air his level of discontent.
"I think this is a situation that is a business situation, but in reality, for me, it's personal," Westbrook said. "Every time I step on the field, I'm productive, and every time I go to the bank and look in the bank, I want to see a result of that.
"For me, my lifestyle, and the things that I do and the things I want to do after football, this money situation is going to affect all of that."
Westbrook, with the assistance of two agents, has been talking to the Eagles about a contract extension for nearly a year. The unchanged problem is that the sides can't agree on where he fits in the salary scale for NFL running backs.
"I think the last 21/2 to 3 years that I've been here, I've brought a lot to this team," he said. "I run the ball, I catch the ball and, for this team, I'm very valuable.
"I think you can talk to the defensive coordinators or opposing players and they will tell you that one of the players they have to stop when they come to play the Philadelphia Eagles is Brian Westbrook."
Banner did not dispute any of Westbrook's claims other than the one that the Eagles have disrespected him.
"He still wants to be here, and we still want him to be here, so at some point, we will resume those conversations," the team president said. "So he becomes one of hundreds and hundreds of players in the last year of their contracts. It's not unusual. It's not a big deal. We remain optimistic that, in the end, things will work out."
Westbrook described the sides as being "far apart" in negotiations.
"When you're talking 3, 4, 5 million dollars, that is a big difference," he said. "I was a third-round pick, so I didn't get $12 million to sign. I got chump change to sign. I've been here for three years, I've contributed to a Super Bowl team, and I think, at this point, I have to find a way to make some money."
The curse of being a middle-round pick is that a player does not get a huge signing bonus. After three seasons in the NFL, Westbrook had made about $1.3 million. With the $1.43 million he is scheduled to make this year, he will have made $2.73 million after four seasons. Cornerback Lito Sheppard, the Eagles' first pick the same year Westbrook was drafted, made $3,725,000 as a rookie.
While the Eagles want to sign Westbrook to an extension, they have a figure that they think he is worth and they are not likely to deviate too far from it, which is why this saga still has a chance to end in a football divorce after this season.
A team source said last month that the Eagles had offered Westbrook a signing bonus of about $9 million, with the first three years of the proposed deal being worth $13 million. The same source said yesterday that the Eagles had improved that offer.
If Westbrook is saying the sides are at least $3 million apart, it means that he wants a three-year deal worth at least $16 million. That's what LaMont Jordan, a running back who had been with the New York Jets, got from the Oakland Raiders as a free agent during the off-season, and Westbrook can easily argue that he has a better resume.
The Eagles compare Westbrook to Houston's Domanick Davis, a 5-foot-9, 221-pound tailback who recently signed a four-year deal that is believed to be worth $12 million over the first three seasons.
It's understandable why Westbrook considers himself among the best running backs in the league. Through Week 15 last season, he ranked eighth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,515. Coach Andy Reid rested him for the final two games because the Eagles had clinched home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The only backs ahead of Westbrook at that time were the elite: Tiki Barber, Shaun Alexander, Clinton Portis, Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor and Curtis Martin.
"It's tough, because when you look at a running back, they say, 'How many 1,000-yard seasons did he have?' " Westbrook said. "Well, Brian hasn't had any, but look at his carries. He had 170-something carries last year. All those other guys had 300-something carries. It's tough to compare, but if you look at the productivity and the things I've done on this field... ."
Westbrook had 250 touches through Week 15 last season. No other back ahead of him among the yards-from-scrimmage leaders had fewer than 296.
Despite his strong case, Westbrook still has little leverage. By rejecting the Eagles' offer, he runs the risk that an injury would affect his value not only to the Eagles but to any other team in the NFL.
If Westbrook does perform well this season and he and the Eagles still can't find common ground on a contract extension, the team has the right to use its franchise tag on him in the off-season.
"At this point, I don't have a choice," he said. "I wouldn't feel proper taking the offer that is much less than market value for myself. I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing that."
The question now is whether he can continue to perform to his high standards despite being unsatisfied.
"I was in Philadelphia last week, and we talked about a number of things," said Fletcher Smith, the agent for Westbrook. "We talked about how he can't allow this situation to slow his production down on the football field. He knows that, and he wants to continue to perform at that level."
Here are some other articles about it;
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/12598009.htm
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/99-09092005-538876.html
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050909/SPORTS02/509090358/1015/SPORTS
http://www.nj.com/eagles/times/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/112625333667720.xml&coll=5
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15182339&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18170&rfi=6
[size=-1]Inquirer Staff Writer[/size]
Brian Westbrook's contract negotiations with the Eagles are off again, and that development has left the running back feeling "disrespected" and "disappointed" heading into the team's Monday night opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
"It's just tough and frustrating for me to come to work every day knowing in the back of my mind that I feel disrespected by the kind of offers that I continue to get from the Eagles," Westbrook said, breaking a monthlong silence that started after he reported eight days late to training camp on Aug. 8.
The Eagles unknowingly gave Westbrook a stage at the NovaCare Complex to lodge his contract complaints. The team already knew that the talks had been halted and expected Westbrook to acknowledge that and to say he was preparing for the season.
Team president Joe Banner said the two sides had mutually agreed on Sept. 1 to stop negotiations because talks stalemated. The Eagles didn't know Westbrook was going to publicly air his level of discontent.
"I think this is a situation that is a business situation, but in reality, for me, it's personal," Westbrook said. "Every time I step on the field, I'm productive, and every time I go to the bank and look in the bank, I want to see a result of that.
"For me, my lifestyle, and the things that I do and the things I want to do after football, this money situation is going to affect all of that."
Westbrook, with the assistance of two agents, has been talking to the Eagles about a contract extension for nearly a year. The unchanged problem is that the sides can't agree on where he fits in the salary scale for NFL running backs.
"I think the last 21/2 to 3 years that I've been here, I've brought a lot to this team," he said. "I run the ball, I catch the ball and, for this team, I'm very valuable.
"I think you can talk to the defensive coordinators or opposing players and they will tell you that one of the players they have to stop when they come to play the Philadelphia Eagles is Brian Westbrook."
Banner did not dispute any of Westbrook's claims other than the one that the Eagles have disrespected him.
"He still wants to be here, and we still want him to be here, so at some point, we will resume those conversations," the team president said. "So he becomes one of hundreds and hundreds of players in the last year of their contracts. It's not unusual. It's not a big deal. We remain optimistic that, in the end, things will work out."
Westbrook described the sides as being "far apart" in negotiations.
"When you're talking 3, 4, 5 million dollars, that is a big difference," he said. "I was a third-round pick, so I didn't get $12 million to sign. I got chump change to sign. I've been here for three years, I've contributed to a Super Bowl team, and I think, at this point, I have to find a way to make some money."
The curse of being a middle-round pick is that a player does not get a huge signing bonus. After three seasons in the NFL, Westbrook had made about $1.3 million. With the $1.43 million he is scheduled to make this year, he will have made $2.73 million after four seasons. Cornerback Lito Sheppard, the Eagles' first pick the same year Westbrook was drafted, made $3,725,000 as a rookie.
While the Eagles want to sign Westbrook to an extension, they have a figure that they think he is worth and they are not likely to deviate too far from it, which is why this saga still has a chance to end in a football divorce after this season.
A team source said last month that the Eagles had offered Westbrook a signing bonus of about $9 million, with the first three years of the proposed deal being worth $13 million. The same source said yesterday that the Eagles had improved that offer.
If Westbrook is saying the sides are at least $3 million apart, it means that he wants a three-year deal worth at least $16 million. That's what LaMont Jordan, a running back who had been with the New York Jets, got from the Oakland Raiders as a free agent during the off-season, and Westbrook can easily argue that he has a better resume.
The Eagles compare Westbrook to Houston's Domanick Davis, a 5-foot-9, 221-pound tailback who recently signed a four-year deal that is believed to be worth $12 million over the first three seasons.
It's understandable why Westbrook considers himself among the best running backs in the league. Through Week 15 last season, he ranked eighth in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,515. Coach Andy Reid rested him for the final two games because the Eagles had clinched home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The only backs ahead of Westbrook at that time were the elite: Tiki Barber, Shaun Alexander, Clinton Portis, Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor and Curtis Martin.
"It's tough, because when you look at a running back, they say, 'How many 1,000-yard seasons did he have?' " Westbrook said. "Well, Brian hasn't had any, but look at his carries. He had 170-something carries last year. All those other guys had 300-something carries. It's tough to compare, but if you look at the productivity and the things I've done on this field... ."
Westbrook had 250 touches through Week 15 last season. No other back ahead of him among the yards-from-scrimmage leaders had fewer than 296.
Despite his strong case, Westbrook still has little leverage. By rejecting the Eagles' offer, he runs the risk that an injury would affect his value not only to the Eagles but to any other team in the NFL.
If Westbrook does perform well this season and he and the Eagles still can't find common ground on a contract extension, the team has the right to use its franchise tag on him in the off-season.
"At this point, I don't have a choice," he said. "I wouldn't feel proper taking the offer that is much less than market value for myself. I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing that."
The question now is whether he can continue to perform to his high standards despite being unsatisfied.
"I was in Philadelphia last week, and we talked about a number of things," said Fletcher Smith, the agent for Westbrook. "We talked about how he can't allow this situation to slow his production down on the football field. He knows that, and he wants to continue to perform at that level."
Here are some other articles about it;
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/12598009.htm
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/99-09092005-538876.html
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050909/SPORTS02/509090358/1015/SPORTS
http://www.nj.com/eagles/times/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/112625333667720.xml&coll=5
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15182339&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18170&rfi=6
