rick34125 Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 May 1, 2008 Chris Baker pleading his case Disgruntled TE Chris Baker took his case Thursday to the airwaves, pleading his side on Sirius Radio. This has the makings of another Pete Kendall situation, which won Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandarinia Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 It never ends does it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Where did this sudden reputation of Baker being a "strong blocker" come from? At least Cimini - unlike Blobizzaro - has the intellectual honesty to point out that Baker got fronted $800K of his 2008 salary in 2007. They both skip over his $1M signing bonus (which comes to another $250K per year) and his $100K workout bonus. Neither of these lump-sum bonuses were given to Bubba Franks as part of his 1-year deal. If Franks gets cut over the summer, he gets nothing. If Baker gets cut over the summer, he gets to keep the signing bonus and workout bonus (provided he shows up to get the latter) and the $800K of his 2008 salary that he received in late 2007. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick34125 Posted May 2, 2008 Author Share Posted May 2, 2008 It never ends does it? Cimini is a media vampire. He won't be satisfied until he sucks the life out of every story and person. Cimini will try to make this into another kendall fiasco, but I don't think that will happen here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Cimini is a media vampire. He won't be satisfied until he sucks the life out of every story and person. Cimini will try to make this into another kendall fiasco, but I don't think that will happen here. I don't see that at all here. He is 1000x better than Cannizzaro. He at least points out that Baker is roughly the 20th-highest-paid TE in the league and was roughly 20th in the league (for TE's) in terms of production. He even called out Baker's camp for being full of it as far as "promising" to give him a raise, which they never promised. The Baker story IS news. It would be irresponsible of him, as the Jets beat writer for one of the best selling newspapers in the country, to ignore it. But more than any other Jets beat writer, he's pointed out both sides to the story and in doing so has furthered putting the story to rest more than all of the other reporters combined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoicsentry Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I may be alone here, but I sure hope they figure stuff out with Baker. I don't know about his blocking skills but he plays solid and has soft hands IMHO. I love how much depth we would have at TE. Compare Baker, Kowaleski and Ryan to Keller, Franks and Baker. Big upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Where did this sudden reputation of Baker being a "strong blocker" come from? I know. Baker came into the league with a rep as a decent pass catcher and crappy blocker. He's been a willing blocker, but "strong"? Give me a ****ing break. Just because he doesn't get knocked on his ass every other play doesn't mean he's strong. He's a fairly crappy blocker that will get in the way of defenders. He's been on the team for six years and I saw more skill and ability in the first fifteen seconds of Keller's highlight tape. I'd like to keep Baker, but if they don't want to give him a bump, then **** him. Oh, and completion percentage for a receiver has to be the dumbest stat out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Now that we have Keller and Franks I really don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BwanaZulia Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I love that these guys are studs in the offseason and yet when they don't show up during the regular season, no one calls them out on it. BZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn212 Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 67% of the passes to Baker are completed..I'm sure they are.. considering he never runs more then a five yard route(basicly check down routes)..He cannot stretch the midlle of the field vertically because LB's EASILY stay with him so defenses don't need over the top safety help and his blocking AT BEST is fair to poor. He is an average TE in the NFL nothing more who again by the way couldn't get ANY team to offer him a contract when he was a FA and came back to the Jets. Don't give me Coles..Coles did not get a dime more then his contract stipulated, he just got it guarenteed AND Rhodes was coming into the last year of his contract..I certainly hope CB is comparing himself to KR and LC...not I hope he stays... but the old saying "don't let the screen door hit you in the ass on the way out" applies here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4HCrew Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I always liked Baker it is not his fault that the Jets O line sucked last year as did the qbs. He actually could have a very good year this year and has to be more valuable than old man Franks who has next to nothing left in his tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I always liked Baker it is not his fault that the Jets O line sucked last year as did the qbs. He actually could have a very good year this year and has to be more valuable than old man Franks who has next to nothing left in his tank. What has been heralded as a very good year for Baker, and for Baker it was a good year was 19th in the league stat wise, he is paid 20th. This was his best year. Average at best. I don't know if Franks is exactly an "old man" he is only 30. He has been plagued with injuries over the past couple of years. Lets see what he can do. If these players are to demand more money because they had an average year, do they give money back when they stink? Is Thomas giving his money back from last year? If they are going to get more money for an average year, then it is only fair they repay for bad years. Jets should tell Baker to go get another million from Thomas.. A contract is a contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonEJet Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Keller is no TE We need a happy Baker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoping4ASuperBowl Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 What has been heralded as a very good year for Baker, and for Baker it was a good year was 19th in the league stat wise, he is paid 20th. This was his best year. Average at best. I don't know if Franks is exactly an "old man" he is only 30. He has been plagued with injuries over the past couple of years. Lets see what he can do. If these players are to demand more money because they had an average year, do they give money back when they stink? Is Thomas giving his money back from last year? If they are going to get more money for an average year, then it is only fair they repay for bad years. Jets should tell Baker to go get another million from Thomas.. A contract is a contract. Do they have incentives for that? That would be quite awsome, because then we should be getting a lot of money back from Dewayne Robertson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMaynard Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I am not piling on Baker, but as far as blocking is concerned, he is an average run blocker. He is a downright horrible pass blocker. And this really hurt the team last year. With the o-line having so much trouble with pass protection, the Jets kept Baker in to block on a lot of pass plays. Not only did he suck at that, but by not occupying the middle of the field, the safties were often able to double up on Coles and Cotchery. Just having Keller running down the middle of the field and will make a huge improvement in the passing game in that regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I'm torn on the Baker issue. On the one hand, I think he's a little out of line looking for more money at this time. Cimini's article describes the situation fairly, IMHO. He's in the third year of a four year deal that -as Sperm's repeatedly mentioned- no one else was offering to him when he hit the market. They gave him some money up front last year. His production matches his contract pretty closely... OTOH, Baker's the Jets' best option at starting TE by far. I think he's been under-utilized for his entire career here, and so his lack of big numbers is not all his fault. He may not be a receiver to stretch the field, but he's a reliable receiver and a decent blocker. Having Baker on the field won't telegraph the play the way having either Keller or Franks on the field will as the lone TE. I also don't think it'll cost much to placate him, and I think they should've learned something from their hardline "negotiations" with Kendall last year. What's best for the team? I think they should at least talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoping4ASuperBowl Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 With all the talk that Baker is not that good a blocker, why not just make Keller the starter and make him a better blocker. Just because we drafted him and everyone says hes "wont block" doesnt mean he cant. I mean he is gonna be our star TE. Mangini will make him learn to block. Maybe Baker was underutilized because he was never that great to begin with. Yes, he can make some catches and he is serviceable, but in no way does he have as big a role as Kendall did, his departure will be forgotten in a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMaynard Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I'm torn on the Baker issue. On the one hand, I think he's a little out of line looking for more money at this time. Cimini's article describes the situation fairly, IMHO. He's in the third year of a four year deal that -as Sperm's repeatedly mentioned- no one else was offering to him when he hit the market. They gave him some money up front last year. His production matches his contract pretty closely... OTOH, Baker's the Jets' best option at starting TE by far. I think he's been under-utilized for his entire career here, and so his lack of big numbers is not all his fault. He may not be a receiver to stretch the field, but he's a reliable receiver and a decent blocker. Having Baker on the field won't telegraph the play the way having either Keller or Franks on the field will as the lone TE. I also don't think it'll cost much to placate him, and I think they should've learned something from their hardline "negotiations" with Kendall last year. What's best for the team? I think they should at least talk. Good post. This one is a tough situation. I would have just rather have heard that he tried to talk with the Jets before going the media route. Not mentioning a conversation that they may or may not have had a year ago, but confronting them recently. Then I would have more sympthy for him if they refused to talk. When you go right to the media, it automatically puts a player behind the eight ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Good post. This one is a tough situation. I would have just rather have heard that he tried to talk with the Jets before going the media route. Not mentioning a conversation that they may or may not have had a year ago, but confronting them recently. Then I would have more sympthy for him if they refused to talk. When you go right to the media, it automatically puts a player behind the eight ball. I'm pretty sure he went to them before he ran to the media. This story has been leaking around for over a year. In January he said he wanted to get it worked out. He went to the OTAs and then walked out and went to the press last week after the team refused to redo his deal. The team may comments to the press that he was under contract and they look forward to having him at all mandatory workouts and camps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I'm pretty sure he went to them before he ran to the media. This story has been leaking around for over a year. In January he said he wanted to get it worked out. He went to the OTAs and then walked out and went to the press last week after the team refused to redo his deal. The team may comments to the press that he was under contract and they look forward to having him at all mandatory workouts and camps. Yeah, but those leaks of "broken promises" made to Baker seem to be total nonsense. He's taking advantage of what was a more believable broken-promise situation with Kendall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Yeah, but those leaks of "broken promises" made to Baker seem to be total nonsense. He's taking advantage of what was a more believable broken-promise situation with Kendall. ...and Coles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSJets Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I don't believe any of them. They were probably told something like "come back after the season and we'll see what we can do". That's not a promise that they're getting more money. People get really stupid when there is $$$ involved, and probably misunderstood what they were told, if they were told anything at all. IMO, Baker has the same agents as Kendall and he sees what happened to Kendall last year (getting traded) so he's probably just listening to his scumbag agents. They saw it work last year, so why not try it again. I firmly believe that the sports agents don't give a **** about their clients, and they're just looking to line their pockets with more $$$, so THEY get more $$$. Greedy bastards, all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 I don't believe any of them. They were probably told something like "come back after the season and we'll see what we can do". That's not a promise that they're getting more money. People get really stupid when there is $$$ involved, and probably misunderstood what they were told, if they were told anything at all. IMO, Baker has the same agents as Kendall and he sees what happened to Kendall last year (getting traded) so he's probably just listening to his scumbag agents. They saw it work last year, so why not try it again. I firmly believe that the sports agents don't give a **** about their clients, and they're just looking to line their pockets with more $$$, so THEY get more $$$. Greedy bastards, all of them. Baker just hired Kendall's agent within the past month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Baker just hired Kendall's agent within the past month. Yep, but he's been crying about that contract for over a year. At least since the end of the season. Don't forget Moore. Rumor was that Moore said the same thing about management promising him a deal. Moore got taken care of and the story was swept under the rug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSJets Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Baker just hired Kendall's agent within the past month. Yes, and isn't that when all of this **** has come out? The "team lied to me" and basically the same thing as with Kendall last year. We heard he wanted a new contract at the end of the season, but the lieing has only been brought up recently. Also, if he just retained these new agents this year, how could those new agents know what the team "promised" him last season, except if they go by what Baker is telling them now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitonti Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 What sort of jackass thinks he had a good year when the team went 4-12? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L.I.MikeBleedsGreen Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 What sort of jackass thinks he had a good year when the team went 4-12?The Greedy kind of Jackass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CobraVerde Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Baker was one of the few bright spots last season. I think he's better than Franks and more valuable than the new kid. Settle this already. The Jets need to stop trying to be the badass here. Learn from what happened with Kendall. Either raise his salary or gaurantee him a new contract according to his play in 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green DNA Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 What ramifications is Cimini talking about? Those where an average tight end gets released and is easily replaced with a waiver wire pickup? The Jets are really playing with fire here I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsis Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 If healthy Franks>Baker...that is a big if. Baker is getting paid what he is worth so **** him. I say the jets offer him this. If he gives back the 800K they'll sign him to a 2 year 3.5 million deal with no signing or workout bonuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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