Gas2No99 Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Muhammad Wilkerson on his way to blowing a great thing The pages of Muhammad Wilkerson's local kid makes it story are tarnished by his repeated disciplinary issues. Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports The first time I met Muhammad Wilkerson was April, 2011, a couple of weeks before he was drafted. We did an interview at his home in Linden, New Jersey, where he grew up a basketball standout but developed at Temple into an NFL prodigy. I had no idea he'd be picked by the New York Jets, but it seemed like a good idea for a story. Local kid makes good, ready to strike it rich. His family lived in a modest apartment, and we spoke there for about 20 minutes before walking across the street to a small park that included a dilapidated basketball court. We did a video interview on the court, and he talked about how it would be a dream come true for a Jersey kid to play for one of the local teams. He struck me as quiet, humble and hungry. Wilkerson's wish came true -- first round, 30th overall -- and I thought to myself, "This guy's got it made." His career arc climbed steadily for five years, resulting in a massive pay day. That's when it all turned. Now he's in the midst of a second straight disappointing season, coming off a game in which he was benched in the first quarter for showing up late to a meeting. Call it a tardy tradition; he's done it three years in a row. So now when I think about Wilkerson, my thoughts are, "This guy's blowing his career." He's ruining his Jersey story because he'll probably will be playing elsewhere next season. He's signed through 2020, but you don't need 20/20 vision to recognize he's no longer worth the contract. His salary next year is $16.75 million, which becomes guaranteed in early March (third day of the league year), but there's no chance he will be on the roster at that point -- unless he agrees to a pay cut. No team would pay that much for a 3-4 defensive end with only seven sacks in his last 27 games. With Wilkerson, it's not just the lack of production, it's the disciplinary issues. We're not talking about criminal stuff, but his chronic tardiness is troubling, especially this year because he's been trying to take a leadership role on the young defense. Leaders don't show up late for meetings. It's a poor example for the many rookies on the team. What Darron Lee did is worse -- late for a practice -- but he's a second-year player and a first-time offender. Wilkerson should know better, especially with his history. The organization, which had concerns about Wilkerson before it signed him to a five-year, $86 million contract in July, 2016, is tired of his act. Coach Todd Bowles rarely criticizes his players publicly, so he gave a predictable defense of Wilkerson on Monday, saying he still considers him a leader. "Yes, he is," Bowles said. Asked if he's cool with leaders showing up late for meetings, Bowles said, "I'm not OK with a lot of things, but I'm not going to sit here and give you a 10-page article on it." Make no mistake, Bowles isn't cool with it. He doesn't want players who challenge the team concept by doing selfish things. Mind you, Wilkerson vowed last year this wouldn't happen again. How many apologies is one player allowed? "The biggest thing is, we're family here, and sometimes families do different things," Bowles said. "At the end of the day, you love them up. You may be pissed off for a minute, (but) you get over it and move on." The Jets will move on, all right. Wilkerson probably is playing his final four games in a Jets uniform, and that's sad because he arrived with unlimited potential. He was on his way to putting his name in the rafters with the franchise greats, but something happened to change that -- injuries, lack of motivation, etc. Who knows? Wilkerson has a huge bank account ($50 million-plus in career earnings) and a Pro Bowl on his résumé, so it turned out to be a local-kid-makes-good story. But it should've been better than good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Dudes made 50 mil playing Football, pretty sure he doesn’t feel like he’s blown anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Todd Bowles = clown who has a bunch of totally undisciplined children in the walmart running around yelling grabbing stuff of the shelves and being ignored while he and the wife look at tupperware that is on sale. Then they wonder why they re getting dirty looks from the other customers in the check out line. (Not that I shop at walmart or anything..... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southparkcpa Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 4 minutes ago, Beerfish said: Todd Bowles = clown who has a bunch of totally undisciplined children in the walmart running around yelling grabbing stuff of the shelves and being ignored while he and the wife look at tupperware that is on sale. Then they wonder why they re getting dirty looks from the other customers in the check out line. (Not that I shop at walmart or anything..... ) Thats BS... security camera had you there last Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 4 minutes ago, southparkcpa said: Thats BS... security camera had you there last Saturday. I was off my meds and merely trying on a new pair of jeans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warfish Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 32 minutes ago, JiF said: Dudes made 50 mil playing Football, pretty sure he doesn’t feel like he’s blown anything. The entire problem perfectly stated. He could have been a HOF'er. Now he's just rich. He may be ok with that, but it's still sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 38 minutes ago, JiF said: Dudes made 50 mil playing Football, pretty sure he doesn’t feel like he’s blown anything. Me? I would take that money and run. Use the money to fight hunger. Mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 51 minutes ago, The Crusher said: Me? I would take that money and run. Use the money to fight hunger. Mine. Please, you’re not running anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangerous Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 55 minutes ago, Warfish said: The entire problem perfectly stated. He could have been a HOF'er. Now he's just rich. He may be ok with that, but it's still sad. isn't that the problem with all sports? i can't wait until he says that he just wants to feed his family when he negotiates his salary re-structure or contract with his new team. i'm sure somewhere along the way he'll be disrespected. i don't begrudge these players, especially nflers, for getting paid well for putting their bodies on the line to entertain us but there are just times when the money they demand and get is just way out of bounds and certainly doesn't relate to the average fan. i guess it could be worse. he could be a basketball or baseball player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 3 minutes ago, JiF said: Please, you’re not running anywhere. Im up to 17 seconds on the elliptical. Won’t be long know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section314 Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 16 minutes ago, The Crusher said: Im up to 17 seconds on the elliptical. Won’t be long know Is that opening one or two beers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 1 hour ago, section314 said: Is that opening one or two beers? What the hell you think I’m paying my personal trainer for ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio State NY Jets fan Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Great read and sadly, A very common tale... Just not sure these situations can be fixed, I can see both sides, life is too short but you only get one chance at history and very few get that chance so it seems like a waste of an opportunity and Mac needs to trust his instincts more often - letting Fitz and Mo walk would have been the right move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freemanm Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Watch Macc cut him and take a DE in the first round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTM Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 4 hours ago, The Crusher said: Im up to 17 seconds on the elliptical. Won’t be long know 17 seconds? Do you stop because you are winded or because the elliptical has collapsed under your massive girth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Just now, CTM said: 17 seconds? Do you stop because you are winded or because the elliptical has collapsed under your massive girth? Ok fine. 9 seconds. GFY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastineau Lives Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 4 hours ago, CTM said: 17 seconds? Do you stop because you are winded or because the elliptical has collapsed under your massive girth? Holy crap. It's you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet_Engine1 Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 7 hours ago, Freemanm said: Watch Macc cut him and take a DE in the first round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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