RESIGN EARL THOMAS!!!

[BSUSeahawk]

A better head coach could have made this team a store dynasty with the talent that has been here the last five years. But the lack of discipline is glaring. That's on Carroll. Thomas never should have been in the position he was in. He should have been resigned or traded.

Some of that is hindsight. The Seahawks acquired so much talent in such a short amount of time that it was inevitable that they had to pick and choose what talent to retain, as so many players were hitting paydays at the same time. That meant letting Irvin, Tate, etc. walk in free agency.

As far as Thomas goes, I don't think you can really blame them for that either. He was signed to a very fair contract, and they're simply asking him to play that out. Just because you're a really good player doesn't mean you're entitled to a trade if you're not getting a new contract. Now obviously in hindsight, the gamble didn't work out and they're going to get little to nothing for him. But it's hard to predict a broken leg.

My only gripe with them is how they've approached the draft the last 3-4 years. Taking multiple RBs early, trading back when there is blue chip talent available, drafting "high upside" projects, etc. Penny may turn out to be a good RB, but it was asinine to use that high of a draft pick on him (and personally, I don't think he's going to be that good, but that's neither here nor there). To me, THAT is the biggest reason the "dynasty" has ended. They were never going to be able to retain all the talent they had, nor was all that talent going to keep playing the way they were into their 30s. Where they've lost their way is in the ability to replace that aging talent with young, cost controllable players.

 

[chf]

I mostly agree with you, but Earl was the highest paid safety at the time of his previous contract. And before that he was paid well on the old rookie contract scale. I think the Seahawks have compensated him quite well. I agree with JMR that he isn't a victim, even relative to the NFL pay scale. If he truly wanted to avoid all injury risk, he had the option to sit out. He and his agent looked at the situation and decided the game checks were more important. It's unfortunate, but I fail to see how the Seahawks did anything wrong, unless they were telling him something different than what we see from the outside (totally possible).

Again, the players don't have any power, so the NFL essentially sets themselves up for these games of chicken. I used the example of Julio Jones a while back. He 'sat out' for a while, in the same situation Earl was in (outperforming his contract).

Atlanta blinked with Jones, while Seattle didn't with Earl. They're the exact same age.

 

[BSUSeahawk]

Again, the players don't have any power, so the NFL essentially sets themselves up for these games of chicken. I used the example of Julio Jones a while back. He 'sat out' for a while, in the same situation Earl was in (outperforming his contract).

Atlanta blinked with Jones, while Seattle didn't with Earl. They're the exact same age.

Hmm... I don't really see Earl as "outperforming" his contract. He was paid as the highest safety in the NFL. Now, credit to him for living up to that, but he was compensated accurately IMO.

Frankly, I'm not even sure that was Earl's gripe - the way I understand it, Earl just wanted the security of a new deal with more guaranteed money. I don't blame him for that, but the Seahawks aren't entitled to give it to him on the spot, nor did Earl do himself any favors with his conduct to help facilitate that.

 

[chf]

A better head coach could have made this team a store dynasty with the talent that has been here the last five years.

Oh what could have been!

 

[chf]

Hmm... I don't really see Earl as "outperforming" his contract. He was paid as the highest safety in the NFL. Now, credit to him for living up to that, but he was compensated accurately IMO.

Frankly, I'm not even sure that was Earl's gripe - the way I understand it, Earl just wanted the security of a new deal with more guaranteed money. I don't blame him for that, but the Seahawks aren't entitled to give it to him on the spot, nor did Earl do himself any favors with his conduct to help facilitate that.

He gave the team a hometown discount. <shrug> And I never said they were 'entitled' to give him squat. I'm saying the players have zero power in this situation in the NFL.

 

[Screamin12th]

Never understood this... How do you get over 100%? How do you come up with 110% …j/k...

physically impossible to give 110% and if someone says they did they were NOT giving 100% to begin with lol. Never liked that saying "give 110%" Maybe it's a nicer way to say stop slacking off? haha

If i was being paid Millions of dollars to play a freaking game ( that i LOVED playing mind you ) i would give 100% 24/7

 

[chf]

If i was being paid Millions of dollars to play a freaking game ( that i LOVED playing mind you ) i would give 100% 24/7

Screamin' 100% even when sleeping, showering, shitting, you know 24/7!!!

 

[Uhsplit]

A better head coach could have made this team a store dynasty with the talent that has been here the last five years. But the lack of discipline is glaring. That's on Carroll. Thomas never should have been in the position he was in. He should have been resigned or traded.

Personally, I don't think you know what you are talking about.

 

[PolarVortex]

Personally, I don't think you know what you are talking about.

That's cool because, personally, your opinion of what I think has no value to me whatsoever. Most of the Seahawk fans eat, breathe and shit the Pete Carroll koolaid. It isn't your fault. You don't know better. When it comes to pro sports, Seattle has one of the most uninformed and naïve fan bases in the entire county.

 

[Tapey]

That's cool because, personally, your opinion of what I think has no value to me whatsoever. Most of the Seahawk fans eat, breathe and shit the Pete Carroll koolaid. It isn't your fault. You don't know better. When it comes to pro sports, Seattle has one of the most uninformed and naïve fan bases in the entire county.

nothing to see here guys, just a walking superiority complex

 

[chf]

Anyone buy that this guy is either

1. old enough
2. would have been around in the down decades anyway, if he was old enough.

 

[BSUSeahawk]

He gave the team a hometown discount. <shrug> And I never said they were 'entitled' to give him squat. I'm saying the players have zero power in this situation in the NFL.

He was the highest paid safety in football when the contract was signed. How is that a discount?

 

[chf]

He was the highest paid safety in football when the contract was signed. How is that a discount?

Because he was worth more than he got? I haven't ever heard P+J deny that Earl DID give them a discount on that contract. I believe there's been plenty written about how the guys took less than they could get on the open market in order to keep the band together.

The market is the market. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't.

Two of the biggest reasons why Seattle's D became what it did was the market on D tackles being soft the year that Seattle signed Avril and Bennett.

Earl could have got more on the open market. He wanted to stay a Seahawk and keep playing with the LOB.

Which is one of the reasons I want fans to cut him some slack now.

 

[JMR]

Which is one of the reasons I want fans to cut him some slack now.

Not to beat a dead middle finger, but I gave him some slack all the way up until he flipped off his own team. The toothpaste is now out of the tube with me and lots of other (until now) slack-giving fans. It's just time for him to move on. Time for the team to move on. He wasn't going to play here forever.

 

[Screamin12th]

Earls Last contract was No Discount, he was the Highest paid Safety in the NFL. Can't help that others got paid more AFTER his contract was signed. He got the most money EVER for a safety at the time he signed, that's no discount.

 

[Uhsplit]

That's cool because, personally, your opinion of what I think has no value to me whatsoever. Most of the Seahawk fans eat, breathe and shit the Pete Carroll koolaid. It isn't your fault. You don't know better. When it comes to pro sports, Seattle has one of the most uninformed and naïve fan bases in the entire county.

Don't tell me we need one of the Rams Rules videos to edumuhcate us fools.

 

[chf]

Not to beat a dead middle finger, but I gave him some slack all the way up until he flipped off his own team. The toothpaste is now out of the tube with me and lots of other (until now) slack-giving fans. It's just time for him to move on. Time for the team to move on. He wasn't going to play here forever.

Sure, kinda' goes without saying, no? I'm not foreseeing some hand-holding and rainbows future, although, doesn't the team STILL hold the hammer with Earl? Did he play enough games to get a year of service?

 

[chf]

Earls Last contract was No Discount, he was the Highest paid Safety in the NFL. Can't help that others got paid more AFTER his contract was signed. He got the most money EVER for a safety at the time he signed, that's no discount.

Sure it is, if it was LESS than he could've got on the open market.

 

[blstoker]

Sure, kinda' goes without saying, no? I'm not foreseeing some hand-holding and rainbows future, although, doesn't the team STILL hold the hammer with Earl? Did he play enough games to get a year of service?

being on the IR goes toward his years of service, as such his contract will run out when the league year ends (unless some other time is indicated in the contract). So, unless Seattle does choose to franchise him (which would most assuredly result in another hold out and possibly a Bell situation), his career in Seattle would end at that time.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Sure it is, if it was LESS than he could've got on the open market.

We'll never know if the contract he took was discounted but being paid the record deal for a safety would lean more towards not being discounted.