Suh’s Agent Takes Stand in Talks With Lions: Suh’s Contract is Only Reference Point for Deal

NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 07.20.2010/9:35AM

Mike O’Hara also writes for The Detroit News and its website, detnews.com, and Foxsportsdetroit.com

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With the start of NFL training camps rapidly approaching and no first-round draft picks signed, the agent for Lions rookie Ndamukong Suh is using only one reference point in negotiations for his clent.
Suh’s value to the Lions is all that counts, agent Roosevelt Barnes insists.
That rules out using previous rookie contracts as a negotiating standard – including the six-year deal signed last year by quarterback Matthew Stafford, drafted first overall by the Lions. Stafford’s contract had $41.7 in guaranteed money, a rookie record.
Suh, a dominating defensive tackle from Nebraska and one of the most celebrated collegiate linemen in recent years, was drafted second overall by the Lions.
Suh’s presence on the defensive line is one reason for optimism about the Lions’ chances to improve their fortunes in 2010.
“I’m negotiating for Ndamukong Suh, and the player that he is and the person he is – on and off the field,” Barnes said.
“A player like Ndamukong Suh hasn’t come along in many years, so it’s hard to say anything about what has happened in the past and how much impact that would have as a reference point.”
Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew said last month that having Suh signed in time for training camp is “critically important.”
Players report to the Lions’ Allen Park training facility on July 30. The first practice is July 31. Unsigned players cannot report.
Barnes agrees with the urgency to have Suh signed, and Suh has said he wants to report on time.
“That’s exactly what our goal is,” Barnes said. “To get something done on time.”
Lions President Tom Lewand, the chief negotiator on player contracts, commented only generally on negotiations with Suh.
“We’re working to get a fair deal done for the player,” Lewand said Tuesday morning.
Barnes would not talk about specific terms, saying he has discussed “parameters” of any proposal. Barnes, a former Lions linebacker, is an associate of agent Eugene Parker.
Several factors have made the signing of draft picks considerably slower this year than in previous years.
No first-round picks were signed as of Tuesday morning. The Lions have two first-rounders. They drafted running back Jahvid Best of California 30th overall after acquiring the pick in a trade with Minnesota.
One factor is that Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, drafted first overall by the Rams, has not signed.
The top pick often sets the standard, but there are exceptions.
In 2008, the Dolphins signed offensive tackle Jake Long of Michigan a few days before officially making him the first player drafted. The Lions signed Stafford the day before last year’s draft.
Negotiations between the NFL owners and the players association on a new collective bargaining agreement also have made an impact. Many people are expecting a lockout by the owners next year.
There is increasing sentiment on the part of owners to get a rookie wage scale, similar to the one in place in pro basketball. Commissioner Roger Goodell has been outspoken in saying more money should go to veterans and less to rookies.
Different issues impact contract talks every year, and this year is no exception, Lewand said.
“The rules impact all of us – clubs and players alike,’ Lewand said. “Obviously, this year we adapted in free-agency.”
Barnes discounts Bradford’s unsigned status as a significant factor. In 2007, the Lions signed wide receiver Calvin Johnson, drafted second overall, early in camp while Russell remained unsigned.
“I don’t know what’s going on with the Bradford negotiations,” Barnes said. “The only thing I’m concerned about is getting a deal with the Detroit Lions that is commensurate with a player like Ndamukong and what he brings to their organization – on and off the field.”
Rookie contracts have escalated sharply in recent years, with the No. 1 pick setting the standard for guaranteed money in most cases. The guaranteed portion of the contract is usually the key issue.
There was an exception was 2008, when Atlanta gave quarterback Matt Ryan more guaranteed money than Long got as the top pick.
Here are relevant contract figures for the last three drafts:
2007: QB JaMarcus Russell, drafted first overall by the Raiders, got $32 million guaranteed for a six-year contract, but only after negotiations dragged out to the point where he missed the first regular-season game.
Russell was a bust and was released this spring. He is out of football.
2008: Jake Long got $30 million guaranteed on a five-year deal. Rysn, drafted third overall, got $34.75 million guaranteed on a six-year deal.
2009: Matthew Stafford got $41.7 million guaranteed on a six-year deal – almost a 30-percent increase over Russell’s deal two years earlier.
2010: It remains to be seen.

Comments [6] |

Countdown: Sterns Scores with Gilbert; Strasburg vs. Bird; Readers Take; Bly’s Impact

Open Mike | by Mike O'Hara | 07.13.2010/7:16AM

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David Stern has done the right thing in coming down on Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert for his wounded-suitor diatribe against LeBron James.
Stern fulfilled his obligation as NBA commissioner by fining Gilbert $100,000 for his childish rant after James spurned the Cavs to sign with the Miami Heat as a free agent last week.
Stern showed that he is commissioner of all the NBA, not just part of it, with the discipline announced Monday. Simply put, Stern did his job.
Now Gilbert has to do his – rebuild the Cavs into a winner without James, the franchise’s home-state centerpiece for seven years.
And James has to do his – contribute with his new Heat teammates to do what he could not do in Cleveland. Win a championship.
The amount Stern fined Gilbert didn’t matter. Gilbert can afford the $100,000.
Stern’s action carried the weight. So did Stern’s remarks about the cheesy (my word, not Stern’s) one-hour special on ESPN that gave James the forum to announce his decision.
Regarding Gilbert, Stern said: “I think the remarks by Dan Gilbert, catalyzed as they may have been by a hurt with respect to his team and the people of Cleveland, though understandable, were ill-advised and imprudent.”
Stern also called Gilbert a “good owner,” and said he had no problem with Gilbert saying the Cavaliers will win a championship before James wins one in Miami.
Stern called “The Decision” spectacle (ESPN would still have us say it was a special) “ill-advised,” saying he had told James and his camp of followers beforehand he did not consider it a good idea.
“His performance was fine,” Stern said. “His honesty and his integrity shine through. But this decision was ill-conceived, badly produced and poorly executed.
“Those who were interested were given our opinion prior to its airing.“
Stern got nothing but net with that.
Watching Jim Gray and other ESPN enablers fawning over James had the jarring effect of viewing a state funeral – only to find at the last moment that the emperor’s body had been left behind in the funeral home.

Reader reaction:
The following is from the flood of e-mails and comments in reaction to my column that Stern should fine Gilbert for his comments and actions against James.
Wrote Brenda from Cleveland: “You are spot on about Dan Gilbert the Cavaliers owner! His rant was childish and unprofessional and Mr. Stern needs to step in and levy the heaviest fine possible on Dan Gilbert and the Cavalier organization. His rant was inciting and demeaning and put Mr. James in danger.”
Thank you, Brenda, but you and I are in the minority on this one.
I don’t agree that James is in any danger, and that’s an issue for another day.
My unscientific guess is that 70 percent of the readers did not agree. Some called me an idiot. Others were less complimentary.
On both sides, the passion came through.

Strasburg vs. the Bird: Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals’ rookie pitcher, has set baseball on fire with his blazing fastball in his debut season. I wanted to see him in the All-Star Game.
Off his record – 3-2 in seven starts – Strasburg didn’t warrant a spot on the National League roster for Tuesday night’s game. But the All Star Game is a show, and Strasburg would have added to the fireworks. He has 61 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, and he fans buzzing.
For one month in 1976, I covered a young phenom in Detroit – Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. The Bird was somewhat late in entering the Tigers’ rotation as a rookie, but he took off immediately.
The Bird wound up starting the All-Star Game, and he deserved it.
Fidrych was 9-2 going into the All Star Game, but those stats are misleading. He was better than his record indicated. A lot better. He had 11 complete games. Two of his wins went 11 innings. And both of his losses were complete games – 2-0 to the Red Sox, 1-0 to the Royals.
Fidrych packed stadiums wherever he pitched – because of his substance as his pitcher, and the natural style that added to the show. He talked to the ball, patted the mound, and acted like throwing a baseball was the greatest joy in the world.
And for The Bird, whose career, and ultimately his life, ended far too early, it was just that.
A joy.
In a matchup of Strasburg of 2010 vs. The Bird of 1976, I’ll take The Bird.

Dre Bly: Bringing Bly back to the Lions on a two-year contract was not a good signing by Lions GM Martin Mayhew.
It’s more than good. It’s a great signing.
Bly left departed after the 2006 season after four seasons with the Lions, where he made the Pro Bowl twice and was first alternate once.
After two seasons in Denver and last year in San Francisco, Bly should give the Lions what they need – a veteran presence in a young secondary. Bly will get beat occasionally, but he’ll make plays, too. His hands remain among the best of any player at any position in the NFL, as his 43 career interceptions show.
When he gets a chance to make a play, he won’t bat the ball down. He’ll catch it.

Comments [7] |

Cavs Owner Gilbert’s Rant Just a Hot Air Ball; NBA Commish David Stern Must Slap him Down

Open Mike | by Mike O'Hara | 07.10.2010/7:44AM

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If David Stern truly is commissioner of all the NBA – players, referees, coaches, front-office executives – then he has to give Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert the treatment he deserves.
Slap him down like a petulant infant, with harsh punishment.
Gilbert’s manic diatribe against LeBron James for leaving the Cavs to sign with the Miami Heat as a free agent epitomized conduct detrimental to the league.
Any fine that Stern has levied against Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for his behavior should be trebled – at least – against Gilbert.
I can’t think of anything worse than for an owner to claim his player “quit” in the playoffs, as Gilbert has charged James, or to call him a “traitor.”
There are no excuses for anyone’s behavior in the ESPN-anchored ego-fest that culminated in the announcement by James on Thursday night that he would sign with the Heat.
Everyone involved is culpable for its actions – ESPN for abandoning any shred of television-journalism principles, James for playing into it, the media for stoking the emotional fires for a full year, and, most of all, Gilbert.
There are perks and responsibilities that come with ownership. Chief among the responsibilities is leadership – keeping your head when others are losing theirs.
Dan Gilbert’s actions after James made his announcement were a cross between a baby who’d been stung by a wasp and one of Henry VIII’s wives.
Gilbert lost his head – and swung wildly at James. His statement posted on the Cavs’ website was raw, bitter emotion. He followed that up with more childish behavior in an interview with the Associated Press.
Quitter and traitor are harsh words, and Gilbert fired them at James.
And finally, Gilbert sank to amazingly low depths Friday when he put on sale the LeBron James posters for $17.41 The symbolism of the price is that the historical traitor Benedict Arnold was born in 1741.
Gilbert has become used to buying his way into a club with elite membership – owner of a sports franchise, with one of the world’s most famous sports celebrities, LeBron James. It’s heady stuff, no doubt.
When a man builds something, like the late Bill Davidson did with the Detroit Pistons and the Palace of Auburn Hills, he’s entitled to gloat a little. But Davidson didn’t gloat. He let the Pistons’ success – three NBA championships – speak for him.
Dan Gilbert is no Bill Davidson. Never will be.
Gilbert has built nothing in Cleveland. He bought his way into the club when on Jan. 3, 2005, he agreed to purchase the Cavs.
At the time, LeBron James was midway through his second season with the Cavs, and playing in an arena built under the watch of then-owner Gordon Gund.
Gilbert was lucky to be a guy who’d cashed in big as a mortgage lender and had enough dough to buy the franchise. (Those of you who might have been foreclosed on might wonder how much of your dough helped with the purchase price.)
Give Gilbert credit for this: the Cavs and James did not make the playoffs until the 2005-06 season, under his ownership.
And since then, they’ve won – Nothing!!!
Since Gilbert raised the issue of loyalty by calling James a traitor, I wonder what people in East Lansing thought when Gilbert tried to hire away Tom Izzo, their basketball coach.
Just business? Sure. Absolutely. And the fact that Gilbert is an MSU alum is only a small part of the equation.
And it’s also fair to wonder what casino owners in Gilbert’s home state of Michigan think about Gilbert entering the casino business in Ohio. Every coin and dollar that goes into the slots and gaming tables in Ohio realistically won’t go to the Michigan gaming empire.
And of course, in the economy that has turned much of the nation’s Midwest into a financial sink hole, I wonder how highly common folks regard the owner of mortgage empire.
Let’s do a special on ESPN on that one.
Better yet, put it on CNBC. It’s all about money.

Comments [10] |

Last Five

Suh’s Agent Takes Stand in Talks With Lions: Suh’s Contract is Only Reference Point for Deal

NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 07.20.2010/9:35AM | Category:

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Open Mike | by Mike O'Hara | 07.13.2010/7:16AM | Category:

Cavs Owner Gilbert’s Rant Just a Hot Air Ball; NBA Commish David Stern Must Slap him Down

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