Still don't understand why a 7th rd. pick was never placed on this guy?

[32EBoozer]

 

Seems pretty stupid when you consider D'Brick's age and contract these next 2 years, SMH! Although I disapproved of Dallas signing Hardy, They were very prudent signing Gregory and Collins at a deep discount. Was hoping the Jets would bite.Jerry Jones will do anything to win including selling his soul..... again.

 

La’el Collins moving into Cowboys starting lineup

Posted by Josh Alper on October 14, 2015, 12:30 PM EDT

AP

Matt Cassel won’t be the only new starter on the Cowboys offense when the team returns from their bye in Week Seven.

Coach Jason Garrett confirmed Wednesday that Cassel will take over for Brandon Weeden at quarterback when the Cowboys face the Giants for the second time this season and announced that rookie La’El Collins will move into the lineup as the left guard. Collins started one game when Ron Leary was out with a back injury and will now take over the job on a permanent basis.

Both moves are intended to give some new life to a Cowboys offense that had little of it in last Sunday’s loss to the Patriots. A more robust running game would be the likeliest way to accomplish that as long as Tony Romo is sidelined with a broken collarbone, which helps explain the shakeup on the offensive line.

Collins played well in his start while Leary’s performance has dropped from last season, leaving that as the logical place to make a change on the line.

 

La’el Collins moving into Cowboys starting lineup

Posted by Josh Alper on October 14, 2015, 12:30 PM EDT

AP

Matt Cassel won’t be the only new starter on the Cowboys offense when the team returns from their bye in Week Seven.

Coach Jason Garrett confirmed Wednesday that Cassel will take over for Brandon Weeden at quarterback when the Cowboys face the Giants for the second time this season and announced that rookie La’El Collins will move into the lineup as the left guard. Collins started one game when Ron Leary was out with a back injury and will now take over the job on a permanent basis.

Both moves are intended to give some new life to a Cowboys offense that had little of it in last Sunday’s loss to the Patriots. A more robust running game would be the likeliest way to accomplish that as long as Tony Romo is sidelined with a broken collarbone, which helps explain the shakeup on the offensive line.

Collins played well in his start while Leary’s performance has dropped from last season, leaving that as the logical place to make a change on the line.

[FidelioJet]

I gotta agree.  Something fishy about not taking that chance.  The risk-reward seemed well worth. 

But no one did it. Must be a reason. 

[drdetroit]

NFL teams were afraid of bad pr and at the time Collins was under suspicion of murder.

[32EBoozer]

I gotta agree.  Something fishy about not taking that chance.  The risk-reward seemed well worth. 

But no one did it. Must be a reason. 

Had to be something that came down from the Commissioner's office. It's the only thing I can think of. I think it was pretty clear the day before the draft that the police had checked this guy OFF the list of suspects.

[#27TheDominator]

His agent said that if he was drafted he would refuse to report and re-enter.  Whether he could have gotten away with that is questionable, but hardly worth the headache.  We have a new front office.  Things are tough enough, there is no reason to add headaches.  He absolutely would have gone ballistic if he were picked in the 7th because he was counting on picking his own team and becoming a FA as soon as possible to recoup his money.  If you want to whine about stupid sh*t, maybe you should question why the Jets didn't seem to look into signing him as an UDFA.  The Dolphins and Bills both made big presses.

[flgreen]

Yeah, I agree.  This kid really got shafted.   I for sure would have risked a late round pick on him.

 

Perhaps when he was examined it came up that he had some friends  who they were very concerned about his association with.  IDK  but I agree with Boozer, take a shot with a 7th.

[#27TheDominator]

Yeah, I agree.  This kid really got shafted.   I for sure would have risked a late round pick on him.

 

Perhaps when he was examined it came up that he had some friends  who they were very concerned about his association with.  IDK  but I agree with Boozer, take a shot with a 7th.

I guess I didn't say it loud enough.  HIS AGENT SAID HE WOULDN'T REPORT AND WOULD RE-ENTER THE 2016 DRAFT.  If a player is drafted and doesn't sign by week 10, the team loses their rights and he can reenter the following draft.  He could have aimed for the 1st round in 2016. He signed because as an UDFA, it was questionable under the CBA whether he could re-enter.  You would have to be a complete moron to risk a pick and all that egg on your face to essentially do the kid a favor so that he can sit the year and sign for millions as a 2016 first rounder.

Then came this bombshell from the Collins camp: If drafted beyond round 3 (or not drafted at all), Collins would decline to sign, and would sit out the year and enter the 2016 draft. Ostensibly, the motivation would be to recoup the guaranteed cash he has lost by falling out of the first round.

For the first scenario, there is precedent. Bo Jackson, drafted in 1986 by Tampa Bay, played a season of pro baseball rather than join the Bucs, and because he refused to sign a contract the team lost his rights before the next draft. The Raiders chose Jackson in the seventh round of the ’87 draft. Today the cutoff is Week 10, and you get thrown back into the next year’s draft pool.

You can do that.

But what if you’re not drafted, and you want to sit out a season and gain entry to the next draft? There’s no precedent, and zero language in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement providing for such a scenario. Media reports subsequent to Collins’ declaration have yet to touch on this, instead treating his assumed admission to the 2016 draft as a ’15 UDFA as a given.

“It certainly is not automatic,” said one agent well-versed in the CBA. “There is obviously some language in the CBA that can lead to a rendering of an interpretation by the league on the issue. How valid an interpretation that is would have to be examined, and if a player thought it was not a correct interpretation he could bring a System Arbitration challenging it.”

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says the league’s stance is clear: “If he's not drafted today? He would be the same as any other player in this draft. He becomes a free agent like any other undrafted player. You only go through one draft. If he's drafted and sits out the year, he would go back into the 2016 draft.”

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/02/lael-collins-2015-nfl-draft

Your short memories sadden me.

[Jetsfan80]

Collins' agents were bluffing.  He would not have re-entered the 2016 draft.  Too many risks of something happening in a year.  Having said that, the murderer of Brittany Mills and the son she was pregnant with has still not been found.  Collins is not the father, and while he was never an actual suspect or even a person of interest, he was never entirely cleared either.  We shouldn't be trying to emulate the Cowboys, who also signed Greg Hardy.

 

[PFSIKH]

 

I guess I didn't say it loud enough.  HIS AGENT SAID HE WOULDN'T REPORT AND WOULD RE-ENTER THE 2016 DRAFT.  If a player is drafted and doesn't sign by week 10, the team loses their rights and he can reenter the following draft.  He could have aimed for the 1st round in 2016. He signed because as an UDFA, it was questionable under the CBA whether he could re-enter.  You would have to be a complete moron to risk a pick and all that egg on your face to essentially do the kid a favor so that he can sit the year and sign for millions as a 2016 first rounder.

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/02/lael-collins-2015-nfl-draft

Your short memories sadden me.

ALL CAPS IS MORE EFFECTIVE. 

[jgb]

his agent also said if he was drafted outside of first 4 rds he would sit a year and go back into draft following year. but yeah calling his bluff with a 7th not a horrible gamble

[sackdance]

 and at the time Collins was under suspicion of murder.

Oh that.

[Jetsfan80]

his agent also said if he was drafted outside of first 4 rds he would sit a year and go back into draft following year

Yep.  It was a brilliant bluff by his agents.  Had he been drafted his agents would have told him to go ahead and sign, as waiting a year was not a good option at all.  Possibly Collins would have fired his agents and decided to wait the year, but in the end the bluff worked and he got to handpick his destination.

[Jetsfan80]

Also, once Collins hit the UDFA pool, his agents ruled out about half the teams in the NFL that didn't meet their criteria (good OL coach, QB who gets the ball out quickly, etc).  It's likely we were one of the teams eliminated for contention even if we had shown interest.

[#27TheDominator]

Yep.  It was a brilliant bluff by his agents.  Had he been drafted his agents would have told him to go ahead and sign, as waiting a year was not a good option at all.  Possibly Collins would have fired his agents and decided to wait the year, but in the end the bluff worked and he got to handpick his destination.

I don't think it was such a guaranteed bluff.  It is 100% certain that he could re-enter the draft.  If they honestly believe he is a first round talent, then he would make considerably more by sitting the year.  Deon Simon signed for 4 years at $2.3M, $75K guaranteed.  There was talk that Collins would go top 18 and with the Giants picking Flowers at 9, who knows.  Cam Erving went 19 overall and signed for 4 @ $9.5M all guaranteed with a $5M bonus.  His signing bonus was double Simon's entire contract.  If you want to gamble on yourself, that is a pretty good gamble.  Take the year off and end up earning double.  I think teams are lucky his agent started spouting that crap.  If he was smart, he probably should have just let the kid get picked and then had him hold out, but I guess that would make him persona non grata with NFL front offices.  

[slats]

Collins' agents were bluffing.  He would not have re-entered the 2016 draft.  Too many risks of something happening in a year.  Having said that, the murderer of Brittany Mills and the son she was pregnant with has still not been found.  Collins is not the father, and while he was never an actual suspect or even a person of interest, he was never entirely cleared either.  We shouldn't be trying to emulate the Cowboys, who also signed Greg Hardy.

 

If he wasn't drafted until the 7th round, I think he would've sat. As a UDFA, he signed a three year, $1.65M fully guaranteed contract. He'll be a free agent in three years, but will probably get his money in two provided the Cowboys aren't willing to let him hit free agency. By contrast, Jets 7th rounder Deon Simon signed a four year, $2.35M contract with only $73k guaranteed. He's already lost over $300k by getting placed on the practice squad. 

He threatened to refuse to report if he was taken after the third round, and if you look at Bryce Petty's four year, $2.83M contract with $533k guaranteed, you can see that La'el did a lot better than that as a free agent, too. It may've been risky to sit, but I definitely think it was more than a bluff. 

[jgb]

Also, once Collins hit the UDFA pool, his agents ruled out about half the teams in the NFL that didn't meet their criteria (good OL coach, QB who gets the ball out quickly, etc).  It's likely we were one of the teams eliminated for contention even if we had shown interest.

and he has a faster path to FA than draft picks and gets paid more than a late pick because no wage scale on UDFA

[Jetsfan80]

I don't think it was such a guaranteed bluff.  It is 100% certain that he could re-enter the draft.  If they honestly believe he is a first round talent, then he would make considerably more by sitting the year.  Deon Simon signed for 4 years at $2.3M, $75K guaranteed.  There was talk that Collins would go top 18 and with the Giants picking Flowers at 9, who knows.  Cam Erving went 19 overall and signed for 4 @ $9.5M all guaranteed with a $5M bonus.  His signing bonus was double Simon's entire contract.  If you want to gamble on yourself, that is a pretty good gamble.  Take the year off and end up earning double.  I think teams are lucky his agent started spouting that crap.  If he was smart, he probably should have just let the kid get picked and then had him hold out, but I guess that would make him persona non grata with NFL front offices.  

If he wasn't drafted until the 7th round, I think he would've sat. As a UDFA, he signed a three year, $1.65M fully guaranteed contract. He'll be a free agent in three years, but will probably get his money in two provided the Cowboys aren't willing to let him hit free agency. By contrast, Jets 7th rounder Deon Simon signed a four year, $2.35M contract with only $73k guaranteed. He's already lost over $300k by getting placed on the practice squad. 

He threatened to refuse to report if he was taken after the third round, and if you look at Bryce Petty's four year, $2.83M contract with $533k guaranteed, you can see that La'el did a lot better than that as a free agent, too. It may've been risky to sit, but I definitely think it was more than a bluff. 

Just basing this on what his agents said.  In a year off from not playing football a lot can happen.  Weight gain, more off the field trouble, simply falling off the draft radar as 5 elite tackles come out the next year....so many risks involved.  What team is taking Collins in the first round after not playing for a year? 

[drdetroit]

Collins' agents were bluffing.  He would not have re-entered the 2016 draft.  Too many risks of something happening in a year.  Having said that, the murderer of Brittany Mills and the son she was pregnant with has still not been found.  Collins is not the father, and while he was never an actual suspect or even a person of interest, he was never entirely cleared either.  We shouldn't be trying to emulate the Cowboys, who also signed Greg Hardy.

 

if the glove don't fit you must acquit

[jgb]

 

 

Just basing this on what his agents said.  In a year off from not playing football a lot can happen.  Weight gain, more off the field trouble, simply falling off the draft radar as 5 elite tackles come out the next year....so many risks involved.  What team is taking Collins in the first round after not playing for a year? 

my instinct says it was a bluff but even if it was, it was a successful one and paid off for the kid so kudos to the agents. there was a report i read (can't remember) that there was basically a "gentlemen's agreement" among GMs not to draft him. not sure if true or not.

[Jetsfan80]

my instinct says it was a bluff but even if it was, it was a successful one and paid off for the kid so kudos to the agents. there was a report i read (can't remember) that there was basically a "gentlemen's agreement" among GMs not to draft him. not sure if true or not.

Likely not true.  Again, this came from the agents so take it with a grain of salt, but they stated that several unnamed teams contacted them saying they intended to draft him.  The agents responded by saying they'd be wasting their pick, so the teams backed off. 

[#27TheDominator]

 

 

Just basing this on what his agents said.  In a year off from not playing football a lot can happen.  Weight gain, more off the field trouble, simply falling off the draft radar as 5 elite tackles come out the next year....so many risks involved.  What team is taking Collins in the first round after not playing for a year? 

Ha.  You are worried about a guy getting fat?  The Pats took the kid from Staten Island Easley in the first when he came out early after missing his 2nd full season with an ACL injury.  The Giants took Marvin Austin in the 2nd.  Greg Little went in the 2nd and Robert Quinn went 14 overall and all three missed the season for some kind of robbery at UNC.  I would imagine injury and genuine character concerns  would make it less likely to be drafted than a poorly timed murder.  I think the simple answer is what team is taking him?  If he works out well, EVERY TEAM.

[LouisvilleSlugger25]

I hate it when people complain about passing up on a player that 31 other teams also passed on. There are plenty of teams with FAR worse OL issues and they also passed on him. Read between the lines. 

[Jet Nut]

For all the talk about Jerry Jones doing anything to win, how well has it worked?  He's won nothing since he pushed Jimmy Johnson out of Dallas.   Has what one playoff win in the last 18 or so years?  

Maybe our people know a little more than the head of Americas Team

[jgb]

Likely not true.  Again, this came from the agents so take it with a grain of salt, but they stated that several unnamed teams contacted them saying they intended to draft him.  The agents responded by saying they'd be wasting their pick, so the teams backed off. 

You're probably right. Just because everyone agrees on something doesn't mean it was a conspiracy.

[jgb]

For all the talk about Jerry Jones doing anything to win, how well has it worked?  He's won nothing since he pushed Jimmy Johnson out of Dallas.   Has what one playoff win in the last 18 or so years?  

Maybe our people know a little more than the head of Americas Team

he won a superbowl after johnson left

[chirorob]

NFL teams were afraid of bad pr and at the time Collins was under suspicion of murder.

Also, he said he wouldn't sign if he were drafted that late.  By being a FA, he got a better deal and a better signing bonus.

[Integrity28]

Collins' agents were bluffing.  He would not have re-entered the 2016 draft.  Too many risks of something happening in a year.  Having said that, the murderer of Brittany Mills and the son she was pregnant with has still not been found.  Collins is not the father, and while he was never an actual suspect or even a person of interest, he was never entirely cleared either.  We shouldn't be trying to emulate the Cowboys, who also signed Greg Hardy.

 

Yea, I love the value of Collins, but I'm confident we'll find a replacement for Brick next year or whatever... not going to lose sleep on this. The whole league passed on the guy for seven rounds... Jerr-uh can keep his collection of misfits.

[Jet Nut]

he won a superbowl after johnson left

Oh really?  And it wasnt JJs team that Switzer won with?  

Hes won nothing on his own.  He'd fire himself 10 times over.  For all the shlt people give Snyder Jones has done much worse post JJ

[jgb]

Oh really?  And it wasnt JJs team that Switzer won with?  

Hes won nothing on his own.  He'd fire himself 10 times over.  For all the shlt people give Snyder Jones has done much worse post JJ

Must be nice to be able to be able to so easily convince yourself you are never wrong despite any mistake you make rather than just say "oh yeah, he did win something after johnson left. thanks for reminding me."

[Jet Nut]

Must be nice to be able to be able to so easily convince yourself you are never wrong despite any mistake you make rather than just say "oh yeah, he did win something after johnson left. thanks for reminding me."

I never said oh yeah.  He's won nothing since JJ left on his own.  You're the board monitor who feels the need to correct someone who doesn't need correcting. 

[jgb]

I never said oh yeah.  He's won nothing since JJ left on his own.  You're the board monitor who feels the need to correct someone who doesn't need correcting. 

he won a superbowl after johnson left

[SouthernJet]

I never said oh yeah.  He's won nothing since JJ left on his own.  You're the board monitor who feels the need to correct someone who doesn't need correcting. 

 

You're probably right. Just because everyone agrees on something doesn't mean it was a conspiracy.

LOL  Paranoia will destroy ya 

[#27TheDominator]

Oh really?  And it wasnt JJs team that Switzer won with?  

Hes won nothing on his own.  He'd fire himself 10 times over.  For all the shlt people give Snyder Jones has done much worse post JJ

^Obviously does not live in D.C.

Does "much worse" mean considerably better?

[Jetsfan80]

Ha.  You are worried about a guy getting fat?  The Pats took the kid from Staten Island Easley in the first when he came out early after missing his 2nd full season with an ACL injury.  The Giants took Marvin Austin in the 2nd.  Greg Little went in the 2nd and Robert Quinn went 14 overall and all three missed the season for some kind of robbery at UNC.  I would imagine injury and genuine character concerns  would make it less likely to be drafted than a poorly timed murder.  I think the simple answer is what team is taking him?  If he works out well, EVERY TEAM.

I'm saying it's one of the concerns, and a reasonable one at that.  It's not like Robert Quinn wasn't on a college roster when he got taken 14th overall.  We're talking about a guy not spending any time on a college campus for a full year.  "If he works out well" would have been no guarantee with all the things that can happen in a year. 

Not to mention, refusing to sign a pro contract would not be a good look for him.  My guess is had he'd done so he'd be about a 3rd round pick next season.  The end result here was clearly better.  He got on a pro roster right away, playing for a team with a solid o-line, and gets to become a free agent in 3 years if he so chooses.  Not a bad deal.

[#27TheDominator]

I'm saying it's one of the concerns, and a reasonable one at that.  It's not like Robert Quinn wasn't on a college roster when he got taken 14th overall.  We're talking about a guy not spending any time on a college campus for a full year.  "If he works out well" would have been no guarantee with all the things that can happen in a year. 

Not to mention, refusing to sign a pro contract would not be a good look for him.  My guess is had he'd done so he'd be about a 3rd round pick next season.  The end result here was clearly better.  He got on a pro roster right away, playing for a team with a solid o-line, and gets to become a free agent in 3 years if he so chooses.  Not a bad deal.

It was a good look for Bo Jackson.  It is a consideration sure, but what roster was Quinn on?  There was talk of him going #1 overall and he was "permanently ineligible."  Quinn had other issues too.  No reason that Collins couldn't take classes and workout.  It isn't optimal, but I would do it before I signed as a 7th

 do not like the idea that Quinn missed the entire season last year due to his suspension.  Part of the severity of the suspension was based on his lying to NCAA investigators on three separate occasions.  Also, the health concern with the tumor makes him a risky pick at the #6 spot.  He is required to have an MRI to monitor the tumor in his brain once a month so doctors must not think he is completely "out of the woods".

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2011/3/2/2025457/draft-profile-robert-quinn