Washington and Keels counter punch.

[Lupz27]

[url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2010/03/leons-agent-responds-to-rex.html]Leon's agent responds to Rex

[Sharrow]

Seems kind of tame to me. Journalists making a lot more out of it as usual.

[Mistalava]

Serious, maybe crippling injury. Passed on a fair and lucrative contract before he disintegrated his leg. Has prima-donna attitude (or maybe just incredibly greedy and delusional, or just a stupid mook). Getting close to being long in the tooth, as RB's go. Bad fricking attitude, and now starting to play games. %$#@ him! There is room in the desert for him too. Too bad it is too late to get Breaston from the Cards with Boldin gone. The Nate Robinson of the Jets.

[L.S. Dylan]

Serious, maybe crippling injury. Passed on a fair and lucrative contract before he disintegrated his leg. Has prima-donna attitude (or maybe just incredibly greedy and delusional, or just a stupid mook). Getting close to being long in the tooth, as RB's go. Bad fricking attitude, and now starting to play games. %$#@ him! There is room in the desert for him too. Too bad it is too late to get Breaston from the Cards with Boldin gone. The Nate Robinson of the Jets.

I never thought Leon had a bad attitude. He screwed himself the day he hired his jack ass agent and after the injury he could have fired him but who else would have represented Leon? That's what you get I guess. I hope he can make a full recovery for all of our sakes.

[#27TheDominator]

He didn't attend voluntary workouts! GASP! That bastard! Cut him! Trade him for a bag of peanuts! The nerve! The attitude!

[theinlawjosie]

He didn't attend voluntary workouts! GASP! That bastard! Cut him! Trade him for a bag of peanuts! The nerve! The attitude!

+1

[Larz]

what strikes me is this, did the jets know he was rehabbing in florida ?

if so, why the fuss ?

if not, why not ?

and if he wasn't, keels needs to go

[Jbro22]

Ummm, Keels said exactly what he should have said. Move along.

[Thai Jet]

I never thought Leon had a bad attitude. He screwed himself the day he hired his jack ass agent and after the injury he could have fired him but who else would have represented Leon? That's what you get I guess. I hope he can make a full recovery for all of our sakes.

Sadly that's the case with a lot of pro ballplayers. There just seems to be so many jerk agents out there that sometimes cost their clients big money in the end. Supposedly they have their clients best interest in mind but sometimes it does make you wonder. I guess without them the owners would have all the leverage and then screw the players.

[Jbro22]

Sadly that's the case with a lot of pro ballplayers. There just seems to be so many jerk agents out there that sometimes cost their clients big money in the end. Supposedly they have their clients best interest in mind but sometimes it does make you wonder. I guess without them the owners would have all the leverage and then screw the players.

NO

Agents work for the Players, Players don't work for the Agents. Agents job is to get the player the most money possible, which is what keels is doing. Now, he's clearly not that good at what he does.

This is on Leon. If anything it just shows how dumb Leon is for letting it get this out of hand.

[slats]

Two quotes stick out to me:

He is a veteran and is familiar with the system so his time away shouldn't hurt much.

and...

His progression in recovering from this injury will play a large role in possible offers, so why not do as much as you can as far as rehab goes before making any decision on a contract?

Alvin's talking about what a team guy Leon is in one breath, then nonchalantly drops the thought that Leon not being at the facility won't hurt much. I think he should be doing things that don't hurt at all, right? I know these workouts are voluntary, but everyone else is there. Leon staying away is saying he's looking for ways out.

Which is what the second quote above says pretty clearly.

I think Keels wants Leon away from the team on purpose, to keep him from his teammates and wanting to be back with the Jets. Keels makes more money if Leon signs an offer sheet.

[Aten]

Now, he's clearly not that good at what he does.

Keels got Larry Johnson 45M (19G) over six years after a season where he set the NFL carries record and was thus basically guaranteed to fall off a cliff. He got Gibril Wilson 39M over six. I'm not even going to get into the DeAngelo Hall deals with Oakland and Washington. You have no more basis for saying that Alvin Keels isn't a good agent than they have for blaming him instead of Leon for the present situation.

[Aten]

Two quotes stick out to me:

and...

Alvin's talking about what a team guy Leon is in one breath, then nonchalantly drops the thought that Leon not being at the facility won't hurt much. I think he should be doing things that don't hurt at all, right? I know these workouts are voluntary, but everyone else is there. Leon staying away is saying he's looking for ways out.

Which is what the second quote above says pretty clearly.

I think Keels wants Leon away from the team on purpose, to keep him from his teammates and wanting to be back with the Jets. Keels makes more money if Leon signs an offer sheet.

Okay, enough. Gonna make this real simple. Aside from apportioning blame as best suits the emotionally stunted homer's refusal to fault a Jets player for anything, just give me objective evidence of one good career decision Washington has ever made and one bad deal Keels has ever made.

[Jbro22]

Keels got Larry Johnson 45M (19G) over six years after a season where he set the NFL carries record and was thus basically guaranteed to fall off a cliff. He got Gibril Wilson 39M over six. I'm not even going to get into the DeAngelo Hall deals with Oakland and Washington. You have no more basis for saying that Alvin Keels isn't a good agent than they have for blaming him instead of Leon for the present situation.

You're right, I'm only going off the Leon situation I don't know anything about those contracts you mentioned. Mainly cause contract talk bores me to tears.

None of that matters, people are just directing hate towards Keels because god forbid one of their favorite athlete takes some heat.

When a fan favorite like Leon is in this situation its always the agents fault, when its a guy like T.O. it becomes "Just take the money, you get to play football for a living"

[slats]

Okay, enough. Gonna make this real simple. Aside from apportioning blame as best suits the emotionally stunted homer's refusal to fault a Jets player for anything, just give me objective evidence of one good career decision Washington has ever made and one bad deal Keels has ever made.

Lol! Really?

I don't know what's going on between Leon and his agent, it's true. Together, they f^cked up by not signing the Jets' generous offer last year, and this year they look to be distancing themselves from the team.

Leon should be following the advice of the agent he trusted enough to hire. That's what I'd expect. That's what I do when I hire an attorney, for better or worse. That's why I put more of the blame on the agent when things go poorly for the client. Maybe Leon hired an agent just to ignore his advice, but that just makes less sense to me.

[Jbro22]

Lol! Really?

I don't know what's going on between Leon and his agent, it's true. Together, they f^cked up by not signing the Jets' generous offer last year, and this year they look to be distancing themselves from the team.

Leon should be following the advice of the agent he trusted enough to hire. That's what I'd expect. That's what I do when I hire an attorney, for better or worse. That's why I put more of the blame on the agent when things go poorly for the client. Maybe Leon hired an agent just to ignore his advice, but that just makes less sense to me.

I understand all of that, but at this point Leon has to step in and do something. When the general public starts depicting you in a negative light I think its time for a change.

[slats]

I understand all of that, but at this point Leon has to step in and do something. When the general public starts depicting you in a negative light I think its time for a change.

At this point, he might be. It just may not be what the fans want him to do.

He can put a public smile on and say he has no regrets about signing an extension last year, but it has to be killing him inside. Now the Jets bring in LT, who's can do just about everything Leon can + run at the goal line, and he's gotta feel threatened.

I can't imagine what would lead Keels or Leon to not sign last year, and that's where I place more blame on Keels. He should've been all over Leon to sign.

This year, I think Leon's right to do whatever he can to make the most money. Maybe staying away from the facility makes other teams more open to the idea that the Jets and Leon are willing to part ways? Maybe. But I agree with Rex that his rehab would go better in NJ, and he'd have more "team first" credibility if he were there, too.

[Sperm Edwards]

At this point, he might be. It just may not be what the fans want him to do.

He can put a public smile on and say he has no regrets about signing an extension last year, but it has to be killing him inside. Now the Jets bring in LT, who's can do just about everything Leon can + run at the goal line, and he's gotta feel threatened.

I can't imagine what would lead Keels or Leon to not sign last year, and that's where I place more blame on Keels. He should've been all over Leon to sign.

This year, I think Leon's right to do whatever he can to make the most money. Maybe staying away from the facility makes other teams more open to the idea that the Jets and Leon are willing to part ways? Maybe. But I agree with Rex that his rehab would go better in NJ, and he'd have more "team first" credibility if he were there, too.

Agree with a lot of this except - IF Leon returns to prior form - LT doesn't have Leon's speed or moves anymore, and certainly doesn't return kicks. Basically, he's a lot less of a threat to score "from anywhere" than Leon is (or Leon WAS). But as far as playcalling, yeah I couldn't imagine there's a lot they would do with Leon out there that they'd shy away from with LT in the huddle.

[Biggs]

NO

Agents work for the Players, Players don't work for the Agents. Agents job is to get the player the most money possible, which is what keels is doing. Now, he's clearly not that good at what he does.

This is on Leon. If anything it just shows how dumb Leon is for letting it get this out of hand.

Hard to say at this point what the real issues are. I think Leon views himself as a running back who can take a starters role. That's been his position since he was drafted. It's also clear the Jets never viewed Leon in that role and that distinction has become even sharper since Rex was hired.

The Jets want to control the clock and control field position with a power running game. With the aquisition of a qb who can actually make plays down field the Jets are looking to be explosive in the passing game. Leon healthy or injured simply has less value to this Jets team as it's currently constituted.

The injury is unfortunate but that doesn't change the dynamic perseption problem between how Leon views his role in Pro football and how the Jets view his role. While Leon healthy has tremendous value to the Jets on special teams and as a third down back, that's not the role that Leon sees for himself. That doesn't make Leon a dope or the Jets a dope. I think what is really going on is two fold. Leon has to get healthy and prove he is healthy to the Jets and the rest of the league. The Jets than have to get his max trade value.

I just don't see this as merely about money or health.

[slats]

Agree with a lot of this except - IF Leon returns to prior form - LT doesn't have Leon's speed or moves anymore, and certainly doesn't return kicks. Basically, he's a lot less of a threat to score "from anywhere" than Leon is (or Leon WAS). But as far as playcalling, yeah I couldn't imagine there's a lot they would do with Leon out there that they'd shy away from with LT in the huddle.

That's kinda what I was getting at. Much like the way Tanny sets himself up to BAP his way thru the draft, the team has set themselves up well for life after Leon. Between LT and Brad Smith, they have everything Leon does covered - and more. Except maybe the "Leon's a threat from anywhere," hype. Lol! But I think that role's been covered, too, by Braylon Edwards.

[flgreen]

Hard to say at this point what the real issues are. I think Leon views himself as a running back who can take a starters role. That's been his position since he was drafted. It's also clear the Jets never viewed Leon in that role and that distinction has become even sharper since Rex was hired.

The Jets want to control the clock and control field position with a power running game. With the aquisition of a qb who can actually make plays down field the Jets are looking to be explosive in the passing game. Leon healthy or injured simply has less value to this Jets team as it's currently constituted.

The injury is unfortunate but that doesn't change the dynamic perseption problem between how Leon views his role in Pro football and how the Jets view his role. While Leon healthy has tremendous value to the Jets on special teams and as a third down back, that's not the role that Leon sees for himself. That doesn't make Leon a dope or the Jets a dope. I think what is really going on is two fold. Leon has to get healthy and prove he is healthy to the Jets and the rest of the league. The Jets than have to get his max trade value.

I just don't see this as merely about money or health.

Without any inside information this is probably as close to what is going on as you can get.

I think Leon/Keels have made two major errors here. First they should have signed last years offer.

Two, Leon needs to be in NJ, and not distance himself from the team. Nobody is going to give him big money right now. The only way that is going to happen is if he shows this season that he is still an explosive, game changing back.

The more he gets on Rex

[Aten]

I can't imagine what would lead Keels or Leon to not sign last year, and that's where I place more blame on Keels. He should've been all over Leon to sign.

I don't see how one can reasonably infer that he wasn't. Jets make offer. Leon doesn't sign. Leon breaks leg. Jets tender low. Still no sheet. If this was the agent's fault he'd have been replaced.

[Maxman]

Seems kind of tame to me. Journalists making a lot more out of it as usual.

Exactly.

I have blasted Alvin Keels in the past for how he deals with things like this. But he handled it right and provided a logical explanation.

Noting to see here imo.

[GREENBEAN]

Leon is a moron unfortunately. He should have taken the 4 mil a year for 4 years. Now he is letting the same guy who advised against that run help divide him and the Jets. He should have fired him.

[#27TheDominator]

Seems kind of tame to me. Journalists making a lot more out of it as usual.

Ummm, Keels said exactly what he should have said. Move along.

Exactly.

I have blasted Alvin Keels in the past for how he deals with things like this. But he handled it right and provided a logical explanation.

Noting to see here imo.

I agree. If it weren't for these bull**** JN headlines there would be nothing to this. The articles say nothing. Rex won't give Leon the ball until he proves he's back from the injury. Leon won't work out until he's medically capable. I'm shocked!

Leon and his agent took a risk last year. They held out in the hopes that either 1. Leon would be unrestricted and the Jets would be forced to pay franchise or transition money or 2. Leon would have proven himself a starting back and get more guaranteed money that the Jets offered. If he didn't break his leg he might have warranted more money and the Jets would have had to pay a higher tender. You all want to rant about how short a RBs career is, why the **** should he be locked up for 4 years? His career would be over.

Keels seems to be a decent agent. The problem we all had with him last year was his lame ass tweets. He seems to have stopped that and this quote seems purely professional. It's VOLUNTARY. Leon does not have to be there. He can't run, so exactly what the **** would he be doing?

[slats]

I don't see how one can reasonably infer that he wasn't. Jets make offer. Leon doesn't sign. Leon breaks leg. Jets tender low. Still no sheet. If this was the agent's fault he'd have been replaced.

I make that inference specifically because he didn't sign. He hired Keels to be his agent. He should trust what he says. If Keels told him that was the best they could hope to do, and he should jump on it now rather than risk going into the season on the last year of his deal, then I think Leon -having hired this trusted adviser- would've taken that advice.

By not signing, it suggests to me that Keels advised him not to sign, and that he could get him more money in 2010.

I think that's pretty reasonable.

[Aten]

He should trust what he says.

'Should' is kind of my point. Your argument falls apart when you transplant it from the world where things are as you think they should be to the one we actually live in.

[slats]

'Should' is kind of my point. Your argument falls apart when you transplant it from the world where things are as you think they should be to the one we actually live in.

And what exactly is your argument that he did anything other than listen to his agent?

[Maxman]

I agree. If it weren't for these bull**** JN headlines there would be nothing to this. The articles say nothing. Rex won't give Leon the ball until he proves he's back from the injury. Leon won't work out until he's medically capable. I'm shocked!

Leon and his agent took a risk last year. They held out in the hopes that either 1. Leon would be unrestricted and the Jets would be forced to pay franchise or transition money or 2. Leon would have proven himself a starting back and get more guaranteed money that the Jets offered. If he didn't break his leg he might have warranted more money and the Jets would have had to pay a higher tender. You all want to rant about how short a RBs career is, why the **** should he be locked up for 4 years? His career would be over.

Keels seems to be a decent agent. The problem we all had with him last year was his lame ass tweets. He seems to have stopped that and this quote seems purely professional. It's VOLUNTARY. Leon does not have to be there. He can't run, so exactly what the **** would he be doing?

Good post. And if Leon was healthy, could you imagine what his stock would be like if he played in Indy? After Shonn Greene got hurt, Leon would have helped out tremendously.

[Aten]

And what exactly is your argument that he did anything other than listen to his agent?

I'm not quite sure why you think I need an argument, because the decision is Leon's to make and you're the one suggesting he did so on some basis other than his own prerogative. That said, Leon's and Keels's respective track records pretty much speak for themselves.

http://www.jetnation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88769

http://www.jetnation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89440

[Biggs]

Without any inside information this is probably as close to what is going on as you can get.

I think Leon/Keels have made two major errors here. First they should have signed last years offer.

Two, Leon needs to be in NJ, and not distance himself from the team. Nobody is going to give him big money right now. The only way that is going to happen is if he shows this season that he is still an explosive, game changing back.

The more he gets on Rex’s S--- list, the less touches he is going to get.

To this point it's only in hindsight that Leon made a major error by not signing last year. Had Leon not been hurt and contributed down the stretch and in the playoffs he may well have been a more valuable commodity in the NFL?

Fortunes are made and lost by risk taking. It's easy in hindsight to see that the risk vs. the reward wasn't warranted. Fortunatly for Leon at 29 years old a few million lost at this point can be over come by a lifetime of good decisions just like a fortune can be lost overnight by a few bad decisions.

I don't feel sorry for him in the least he has a lifetime of opportunity ahead of him.