No surprise...Wilkerson not present at OTA's

[Jetsfan80]

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/51406/w2w4-new-york-jets-set-to-begin-otas-without-muhammad-wilkerson

 

W2W4: New York Jets set to begin OTAs without Muhammad Wilkerson

Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer

 

 

On Tuesday, the New York Jets begin their organized team activities, better known in the NFL vernacular as OTAs. A few quick thoughts:

 

1. What's an OTA? This marks the beginning of phase three in the offseason. Each team is allowed to have 10 OTA practices, followed by a mandatory minicamp. The OTAs are non-contact and include 11-on-11, 9-on-7 and 7-on-7 drills. The Jets will have three practices this week, three the following week and four in the final week. Only the Wednesday practices are open to the media. It's important to remember this still is a "voluntary" portion of the offseason, so perfect attendance isn't likely.

 

2. No Mo: Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who skipped the first six weeks of the off-season program, won't participate in OTAs. He will continue to stay away, working out on his own. Wilkerson is heading into the final year of his contract, due to make $6.97 million, and he's not happy with the pace of negotiations. The Jets have said they'd like to extend him, but they drafted Leonard Williams in the first round, clouding Wilkerson's future. He won't show up until next month's mandatory minicamp, if then.

 

3. Medical report: Several key players are nursing old injuries and will be limited in OTAs, likely sitting out team drills. Those players are quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (leg), running back Stevan Ridley (knee), cornerback Dee Milliner (Achilles'), cornerback Dexter McDougle (knee) and safety Marcus Gilchrist (shoulder).

 

4. Latest on Geno: This is a critical time for quarterback Geno Smith, who's had six weeks of exposure to Chan Gailey's playbook. This is a chance for him to take what he has learned in the classroom and bring it out to the practice field. With Fitzpatrick still recovering from a broken leg, Smith will get the bulk of the reps with the first team. It's probably a stretch to say he can create separation in the quarterback competition, but it never hurts to impress a new boss. At David Harris' charity golf outing last week, which drew about 20 teammates, Smith spent a lot of time beforehand hanging out with quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo. I thought that was interesting.

 

5. Integrating the rookies: Rookies are allowed to participate, and it'll be interesting to see how many get a chance to work with the starters and/or various sub packages. Will Williams be inserted into Wilkerson's spot with the starters? That would be interpreted as a message to Wilkerson that life goes on without him. Will wide receiver Devin Smith get a chance to work with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker in three-receiver packages? Naturally, we'll be looking to see how much quarterback Bryce Petty is used in relation to Matt Simms and the new walk-on, Jake Heaps.

 

6. Coordinators speak: On Wednesday, Gailey, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers and special teams coordinator Bobby April will meet the media for the first time since being hired by Todd Bowles. The spotlight will be on Gailey, who returns to coaching after two seasons out of the game.

 

[T0mShane]

TRAIIIID HIM FOR RIVERS

[j4jets]

TRAIIIID HIM FOR RIVERS

 

Cut Leonard!!!

[jetscrazey]

Not a big deal as it allows Leonard Williams to learn with the starting unit in practice.

If Mo holds out of training camp, it'll be a big deal.

[Larz]

ota's is running around in shorts, right ?

[thshadow]

ota's is running around in shorts, right ?

"Full contact" is not allowed (whatever that means), but you can run 11v11 drills.  Does that mean that lineman can block?  Otherwise I'm not sure what the lineman do...

[Matt39]

ota's is running around in shorts, right ?

Jetnations favorite part of the season.

[Gas2No99]

"Full contact" is not allowed (whatever that means), but you can run 11v11 drills.  Does that mean that lineman can block?  Otherwise I'm not sure what the lineman do...

ota's is running around in shorts, right ?

All these sessions do is expose players to injury since they are half-speed and in shorts. Lots of high ankle sprains and ligament tears is all I recall resulting from these things for NFL teams.

[joewilly12]

Do not like this bull sh*t Mo Wilk is an integral part of this defense we need him in camp 

[Gastineau Lives]

#leverage

[Larz]

The league got a win in the new CBA as it pertains to holdouts. In an effort to prevent them, under the new CBA if player under contract fails to report to training camp, he is fined $30,000 per day by his club. That’s more than double the fine in the prior CBA which was $14,000 per day.

 

On top of that, players who were drafted in the first round holdout in their 5th year (option year), they lose a game check for each pre-season game they miss. If “missing pre-season” sounds like small potatoes, think again: salaries in the option year are significantly high.

 

 

 

mo is in a tight spot

 

seeing him of the top 100 list tomorrow night mght help him, lol

[Vinny16]

This isn't a big deal.  He's, rightly, sending a message to Maccagnan while also avoiding injury.  If he holds out, then we should be concerned, but I don't think that he will.

[JohnnyLV]

TRAIIIID HIM FOR RIVERS

 

f no

[pointman]

All these sessions do is expose players to injury since they are half-speed and in shorts. Lots of high ankle sprains and ligament tears is all I recall resulting from these things for NFL teams.

 

It allows players to get acclimated so when its time for contact drills they can go full speed cause everyone knows what they are doing.

[pointman]

f no

Brees?

[Freemanm]

Football is a tough business. Wilkerson has been the good soldier and one of the top DEs in the league. He said at the end of 2013 that he would trust that the front office would take care of him contract-wise.

Alas, the front office basically drafted his replacement and most likely franchise tag him. It's kind of a stab in the back to Mo, but hey, this is business

[GREENBEAN]

The NFL has done a good job making itself relevant pretty much 12 months a year. I used to feel a huge void for long stretches of the year but not any more. It seems like every two weeks we have something new to pay attention to. Nice execution of the plan over all. Much more fun especially because I don't follow much else anymore.  Outside of the Globetrotters of course.

 

Speaking of Mo.  He has every right to try to set his leverage, but I'm not getting the feeling the new regime is as hard up for him as the previous one was. He's basically the Jets' property for the next two seasons (franchise tag being considered) whether he likes it or not and Maybe Macc just doesn't want to get into bed with him further than that. He's a guy who is obviously a good player but could potentially bring more value towards acquiring a QB next year or something like that than his impact on the field. I love having him, but the guy had 6 sacks last season. Not irreplaceable and if another team NEEDS good D line help we could possibly get a lot in return for him. That being said I hope they reach an amicable deal and we all live happily ever after.

 

Interesting stuff developing here.

[drdetroit]

Who cares. So sick of cow towing to players not honoring their contracts.

[flgreen]

Mo's one of my favorite players, but I think he is making a mistake here.  OTA's are a bit more then running around in shorts.  Particularly for a team with a new HC.  That's why the CBA allows teams with new HC's an extra week to prepare.   

 

A new system is being installed, with a whole new language. The OTA's are for half sped reps that allows a player to hear a play call and physically  repeat the  play until they can just do it automatically, without having to hesitate to think .  When the full contract drills begin the guys that have to hesitate and think what they have to do next, while the other players are going full speed, often get hurt.

[Jetsfan80]

Who cares. So sick of cow towing to players not honoring their contracts.

 

I favor the players in cases like this.  For one, teams fail to honor contracts like 98 % of the time.  And if Wilk gets hurt this year, he forfeits a big chunk of his livelihood in the process.  It's a no-brainer to stay away for as long as possible while the negotiations work themselves out.  Unlike Revis's holdout, Wilkerson has been nothing but a good soldier through all of this.  Missing OTA's is the first time he's done anything that could possibly be viewed in a negative light. 

[Savage69]

Mo's one of my favorite players, but I think he is making a mistake here.  OTA's are a bit more then running around in shorts.  Particularly for a team with a new HC.  That's why the CBA allows teams with new HC's an extra week to prepare.   

 

A new system is being installed, with a whole new language. The OTA's are for half sped reps that allows a player to hear a play call and physically  repeat the  play until they can just do it automatically, without having to hesitate to think .  When the full contract drills begin the guys that have to hesitate and think what they have to do next, while the other players are going full speed, often get hurt.

If he had a problem with Idzik fine I understand, but with the new regime in I would have done everything possible to show I'm on board 100% to do everything I could to help them and the team be successful instead of pouting and not showing up.. But that's just me..

[Savage69]

I favor the players in cases like this.  For one, teams fail to honor contracts like 98 % of the time.  And if Wilk gets hurt this year, he forfeits a big chunk of his livelihood in the process.  It's a no-brainer to stay away for as long as possible while the negotiations work themselves out.  Unlike Revis's holdout, Wilkerson has been nothing but a good soldier through all of this.  Missing OTA's is the first time he's done anything that could possibly be viewed in a negative light. 

Teams have to honor what they guarantee do they not?? Mo is still under contract he just wants more money and doing this after a so-so year last season his timing with the new staff isn't the way to start a relationship IMO..

[Jetsfan80]

Teams have to honor what they guarantee do they not?? Mo is still under contract he just wants more money and doing this after a so-so year last season his timing with the new staff isn't the way to start a relationship IMO..

 

Not all of it.  Most of the time they get some fully guaranteed money up front, then only receive more of that "fully guaranteed" money if they're on the roster on a certain date.  Thus in basically every long-term contract there's always an "out" for a team, whether its, 1 year or 3 years down the road, and they never see the full amount that the contract dictates. 

 

Contracts in the NFL favor the owners/teams more than they do the players, because the NFLPA is the far weaker entity in all CBA negotiations.  It's not a reason to feel bad for these rich athletes, but when it comes to favoring players or owners/teams in negotiations it's a no-brainer.  Players are the lesser of the two evils. 

[DaBallhawk]

I'm hoping they'll get something done but it doesn't sound good at this point.

[Integrity28]

Who cares. So sick of cow towing to players not honoring their contracts.

 

lol, wtf are you talking about?

 

this stuff is par for the course for all players/teams

[Savage69]

Not all of it.  Most of the time they get some fully guaranteed money up front, then only receive more of that "fully guaranteed" money if they're on the roster on a certain date.  Thus in basically every long-term contract there's always an "out" for a team, whether its, 1 year or 3 years down the road, and they never see the full amount that the contract dictates. 

 

Contracts in the NFL favor the owners/teams more than they do the players, because the NFLPA is the far weaker entity in all CBA negotiations.  It's not a reason to feel bad for these rich athletes, but when it comes to favoring players or owners/teams in negotiations it's a no-brainer.  Players are the lesser of the two evils. 

They get what is guaranteed if they have a contract that guarantees 40 million and they get 20 up front year 1 and 8,8 and 4 the next 3 years the player got what was guaranteed.. The full amount of the contract is not guaranteed that's ego money..LOL You want contracts to be fair?? Take money away when the player has a crap year but give him more if he plays better then expected. If a player has 40 million contract and has a injury that forces him to retire does he not get what was guaranteed?? I realize that BB and NBA contracts are fully guaranteed but the chance of losing a player playing in 82 games or 162 in BB is less then playing one game a week in football.. Of course other sports don't have a hard salary cap either..

[Jetsfan80]

They get what is guaranteed if they have a contract that guarantees 40 million and they get 20 up front year 1 and 8,8 and 4 the next 3 years the player got what was guaranteed.. The full amount of the contract is not guaranteed that's ego money..LOL You want contracts to be fair?? Take money away when the player has a crap year but give him more if he plays better then expected. If a player has 40 million contract and has a injury that forces him to retire does he not get what was guaranteed?? I realize that BB and NBA contracts are fully guaranteed but the chance of losing a player playing in 82 games or 162 in BB is less then playing one game a week in football.. Of course other sports don't have a hard salary cap either..

 

Only if he reaches that point in the contract.  If he gets cut after 1 year he loses the $20M.  Meaning only the $20M is "fully guaranteed".  That's how teams take away money when they don't perform up to the contract standards.  They cut the player. 

 

By the same token, many contracts do have incentives if the player outperforms his deal, but very few players sign primarily incentive-based deals for obvious reasons:  In the NFL, the overwhelming majority of players get hurt at some point, with your chances always approaching 100 % the longer you're in the league.  Incentives supplement contracts, but guaranteed money is king for players.  And for the same reason you mentioned when comparing football to other sports, teams would prefer anything BUT guaranteed contracts too.

 

So in my view it's acceptable for players to do what they need to do to get the dollars they want.  The average NFL career is something like 2.5 years.  For the better ones, you usually only get 1 shot at a massive contract.  F*cking that up with an injury before the season begins is simply not an option. 

 

The only guy who kind of bucked the trend of always looking for a long-term mega deal is Revis.  He keeps betting on himself with essentially 1-year deals, 2 at most.  And he's made more money than even some of the highest paid QB's because of that.  Not every player is willing to take on that kind of risk but it'll be interesting to see if other players follow him along that path.

[flgreen]

Not all of it.  Most of the time they get some fully guaranteed money up front, then only receive more of that "fully guaranteed" money if they're on the roster on a certain date.  Thus in basically every long-term contract there's always an "out" for a team, whether its, 1 year or 3 years down the road, and they never see the full amount that the contract dictates. 

 

Contracts in the NFL favor the owners/teams more than they do the players, because the NFLPA is the far weaker entity in all CBA negotiations.  It's not a reason to feel bad for these rich athletes, but when it comes to favoring players or owners/teams in negotiations it's a no-brainer.  Players are the lesser of the two evils. 

The NFL  teams do honor what the contract dictates.  The player is aware of what the contract says, or he should fire his agent.   These monster contracts are really for fluff.  All that matters is the guaranteed money.   No trickery or dishonesty here.  The player knows the terms.  The contract has been honored.

 

What we are seeing a lot from players is that they get a huge signing bonus, and front loaded contracts.  The players are often overpaid the first few years of the contract, so the team can get cap relief the last few years.  Or have options.  If the player is playing at a high level he will be rewarded the last few years.  If he isn't the team can walk away.

 

Often the player gets his big money up front, then holds out.  he is not honoring the contract.  The team is.

 

If your a person that always sides with the employee in a contract dispute ( perhaps a union worker), you'll think this is fair.  If your a person who earns his living by being held to the letter of the contract, you'll think this is stealing.

 

I can't recall a single instance that a team hasn't fulfilled their contractual obligation in a contract.

[Jetsfan80]

The NFL  teams do honor what the contract dictates.  The player is aware of what the contract says, or he should fire his agent.   These monster contracts are really for fluff.  All that matters is the guaranteed money.   No trickery or dishonesty here.  The player knows the terms.  The contract has been honored.

 

What we are seeing a lot from players is that they get a huge signing bonus, and front loaded contracts.  The players are often overpaid the first few years of the contract, so the team can get cap relief the last few years.  Or have options.  If the player is playing at a high level he will be rewarded the last few years.  If he isn't the team can walk away.

 

Often the player gets his big money up front, then holds out.  he is not honoring the contract.  The team is.

 

If your a person that always sides with the employee in a contract dispute ( perhaps a union worker), you'll think this is fair.  If your a person who earns his living by being held to the letter of the contract, you'll think this is stealing.

 

I can't recall a single instance that a team hasn't fulfilled their contractual obligation in a contract.

 

OK, my use of language when it comes to contracts was where the confusion is coming in.  Yes, of course the player understands the terms of the deal.  My point is by having the power to cut the player at any time, in many cases to the heavy advantage of the team, they are terminating the contract.  There's no breach, since the player is aware he can be cut at any time, but that does not mean the contract is guaranteed.  It's tenuous based on performance and health of the player.  And it's very different from most union-employee-employer situations because of the nature of the job.  It's violent in nature and thus both teams and players have to protect themselves. 

 

What matters most to the player is up-front coin.  What matters most to the team is the ability to have an out at some point if the player's performance suffers.  And I'd argue that the team, for the most part, has the upper hand in these deals.  The player's only recourse in the past was to hold out, but even that has become far more difficult under the new CBA to my understanding.  So what is the recourse for a player who has outplayed his current deal and wants a new one?  The argument people are making here is basically to shut up and play.  Well, I can understand why a player would choose to protect his health and wait until negotiations are completed.  If he can't hold out, he can at least reduce his risk of injury for as long as possible.  I don't think that's unreasonable.

 

And for the record, I despise unions in most cases.  But that's neither here nor there.

[flgreen]

OK, my use of language when it comes to contracts was where the confusion is coming in.  Yes, of course the player understands the terms of the deal.  My point is by having the power to cut the player at any time, in many cases to the heavy advantage of the team, they are terminating the contract.  There's no breach, since the player is aware he can be cut at any time, but that does not mean the contract is guaranteed.  It's tenuous based on performance and health of the player.  And it's very different from most union-employee-employer situations because of the nature of the job.  It's violent in nature and thus both teams and players have to protect themselves. 

 

What matters most to the player is up-front coin.  What matters most to the team is the ability to have an out at some point if the player's performance suffers.  And I'd argue that the team, for the most part, has the upper hand in these deals.  The player's only recourse in the past was to hold out, but even that has become far more difficult under the new CBA to my understanding.  So what is the recourse for a player who has outplayed his current deal and wants a new one?  The argument people are making here is basically to shut up and play.  Well, I can understand why a player would choose to protect his health and wait until negotiations are completed.  If he can't hold out, he can at least reduce his risk of injury for as long as possible.  I don't think that's unreasonable.

 

And for the record, I despise unions in most cases.  But that's neither here nor there.

We primarily agree up to the bolded part .   The players best course of action is to get his demands filled when he is negotiating the contract.   

 

He puts his services out there to the highest bidder.   That establishes his fair market value.  If even one of the 32 owners thinks he is worth what he is asking for, hold out for it while you are negotiating.   

 

Not after you have agreed to the terms.

 

The idea that a player doesn't have to honor a contract because he could be hurt doing his job, which makes it different then real world contracts, just isn't right.  If a guy signs a contract to do work on a heavy construction project he has a much better chance to be injured or killed for a lot less then in the NFL.  It's just that 20,000,000 people don't get to see it live for entertainment.  

 

A contratct is a contract.  if you don't like the terms, don't sign it.

[Jetsfan80]

We primarily agree up to the bolded part .   The players best course of action is to get his demands filled when he is negotiating the contract.   

 

He puts his services out there to the highest bidder.   That establishes his fair market value.  If even one of the 32 owners thinks he is worth what he is asking for, hold out for it while you are negotiating.   

 

Not after you have agreed to the terms.

 

The idea that a player doesn't have to honor a contract because he could be hurt doing his job, which makes it different then real world contracts, just isn't right.  If a guy signs a contract to do work on a heavy construction project he has a much better chance to be injured or killed for a lot less then in the NFL.  It's just that 20,000,000 people don't get to see it live for entertainment.  

 

A contratct is a contract.  if you don't like the terms, don't sign it.

 

Well the contract Wilk signed was a rookie deal.  He didn't have much control in dictating terms for a slotted, low 1st round deal.  Rookies under the new CBA have even less control over that.  So that argument doesn't really apply here.

 

I fully agree that a free agent who signs a big deal, then holds out later, is kind of a sh*tbag.  But in this case this will be Wilk's first, and possibly only, real payday of his career.

[Savage69]

 

 

A contratct is a contract.  if you don't like the terms, don't sign it.

+1 And if you paid attention in school you may even have a degree so you can do something else..LOL 

[DaBallhawk]

A contratct is a contract.  if you don't like the terms, don't sign it.

 

That never applied to football and it never will. Players will hold out if they don't get what they deserve and teams will cut players if they make more than they should. There's nothing wrong with evaluating contracts after each season.

[flgreen]

Well the contract Wilk signed was a rookie deal.  He didn't have much control in dictating terms for a slotted, low 1st round deal.  Rookies under the new CBA have even less control over that.  So that argument doesn't really apply here.

 

I fully agree that a free agent who signs a big deal, then holds out later, is kind of a sh*tbag.  But in this case this will be Wilk's first, and possibly only, real payday of his career.

I agree with this.  I'm not upset with Mo because he's not there.  Contractually he isn't obligated to be there, so it's all good.

 

I do think it isn't productive to his cause because he has no leverage here.  It puts him behind in the learning of the new system, and there is a very qualified guy trying to take his job, and heightens his chance of being injured which would be disastrous for him in a contract year.   

[flgreen]

That never applied to football and it never will. Players will hold out if they don't get what they deserve and teams will cut players if they make more than they should. There's nothing wrong with evaluating contracts after each season.

There is if you have more time on your contract, you are in violation of the contract.  That's why they have contracts, and heavy penalty articles  for  ill-legal hold outs.

 

Works that same way in the real world.  I might sign a contract that awards me $100,000 if I fulfill certain criteria in 60 days.   Sounds great.  If something happens out of my control that has me 1 week late in completing  the service , I suddenly discover that it is no longer a $100,000 contract, it is a $65,000 contract because I am being fined $5,000 a day for every day over schedule.  Very common clause in contracts.

 

As 80 pointed out there are heavy financial  penalties if a player doesn't show up when he is contractually obligated to.  Same as the real world