Don't worry about Jason Allen ... yet
My phone rang around 8:45 tonight with an 818 area code I didn't recognize on the caller ID. It was Mitch Frankel.
He is Jason Allen's agent and I knew immediately something was up.
Frankel, you see, has not returned phone calls in nearly two weeks since negotiations with the Dolphins began in earnest. Not that he's a bad guy, not that he doesn't want me, and you by extension, to know what's going on.
He just likes to do his business in private and announce the results when all is finished. Oh, yeah, and the Dolphins have begged, cajoled, pleaded and threatened him into not returning reporters' phone calls.
But I digress.
The point of the call was to let me, and again you by extension, know that negotiations with the team are not going well. Frankel said Allen likely would not not be in camp when players report Friday and likely wouldn't be there Saturday for the first practice.
So I wrote the story for The Herald and it will appear on tomorrow's front page. It will sound ominous as you sip your morning java. But take heart.
It's not a huge deal yet. First round picks miss training camp days, people. It happens everywhere and it happens plenty in Miami.
So what?
Is one practice going to keep Jason Allen on the bench? Is five? No way.
The pressure to get him signed will last until Bunkley signs in Philadelphia and Tye Hill signs in St. Louis. Those two were drafted just ahead of Allen. If those guys get five year deals, so will Allen. If they get six year deals, so will Allen.
The length of the deal is what is holding up all those deals, including Allen's.
I predict it takes no longer than two weeks.
And then it will get done and Allen will report. And before the preseason is over, he will be the Dolphins starting strong safety.
So relax and don't spill the coffee in the morning.
He is Jason Allen's agent and I knew immediately something was up.
Frankel, you see, has not returned phone calls in nearly two weeks since negotiations with the Dolphins began in earnest. Not that he's a bad guy, not that he doesn't want me, and you by extension, to know what's going on.
He just likes to do his business in private and announce the results when all is finished. Oh, yeah, and the Dolphins have begged, cajoled, pleaded and threatened him into not returning reporters' phone calls.
But I digress.
The point of the call was to let me, and again you by extension, know that negotiations with the team are not going well. Frankel said Allen likely would not not be in camp when players report Friday and likely wouldn't be there Saturday for the first practice.
So I wrote the story for The Herald and it will appear on tomorrow's front page. It will sound ominous as you sip your morning java. But take heart.
It's not a huge deal yet. First round picks miss training camp days, people. It happens everywhere and it happens plenty in Miami.
So what?
Is one practice going to keep Jason Allen on the bench? Is five? No way.
The pressure to get him signed will last until Bunkley signs in Philadelphia and Tye Hill signs in St. Louis. Those two were drafted just ahead of Allen. If those guys get five year deals, so will Allen. If they get six year deals, so will Allen.
The length of the deal is what is holding up all those deals, including Allen's.
I predict it takes no longer than two weeks.
And then it will get done and Allen will report. And before the preseason is over, he will be the Dolphins starting strong safety.
So relax and don't spill the coffee in the morning.
posted by Armando Salguero at 11:49 PM
Get our feeds
17 Comments:
You are an idiot. I hope they sign him and relegate him to the bench. Wayne should actually cut him. I hate ass-holes who hold out... especially when so many of the number one's ahead of him have signed.
I agree. We all are so sick of this crap with rookies holding out. Forget him, let him him hold out the whole season. Who do these rookies THINK THEY ARE??
ANOTHER PUNK IS WHAT WE GOT.
you two are idiots..you dont cut your first round pick...yeah it may suck in the mean time but hearinf what saban has said about him and his character i dont think there is much to worry about..when allen is picking off balls and tackling recievers all over the place you wont be so upset..and you will have to be the dudes who say//"Well i still think we should have cut him.."
I don't think it's a huge deal. The money isn't the issue here, it's the length of contract. You guys are a little harsh. Yeah, it is the me generation, but whatever Allens agent signs him to is something he has to live with for the next 5 or 6 years. I would question someone who didn't take prudence in a contract concerning their career. While it would be nice if all first round picks took less money, or jumped on the first deal to come along, it's not realistic.
TRADE HIM!!! We don't need idiots like him on our "TEAM" - His attitude is NOT Team oriented, it's all about him. He doens't care about the Dolphin's organization nor their fans. Cut him before he destroys the team's chemisty!
Don't blame him, blame the system. I have no idea how in the most recent CBA they didn't solve this problem. First off, I don't understand why they wait so long to begin negotiations. The draft was in April and they wait til the middle of July to start talking contract. Second, they should have structured it like the NBA where each slot has a set amount. As far as cutting him goes, thats just moronic. I guess we should have cut Ronnie last year too.
How do you determine the value of something? What's your car worth? You check the auctions and KBB.com. What's your house worth? You look at comparable local sales in recent months. That's the question here. Both sides want to be fair, but they can't agree on what the market is dictating.
Don't blow a gasket. He's a good kid and I'm sure he'll be ready to go before the ink is dry.
Biz in Philly
Everybody just chill the hell out. What if he signs tomorrow and practices with the team. Then you guys will look foolish. This is just the way it goes. Like Brian said don't hate the player, hate the system. He'll be fine. The team will be fine.
Everyone relax. He hasn't missed anything meaningful and since the money isn't directly the issue it will get settled. By all accounts he's a good guy. This is just the business side of things and you would do no different. Heck, Brown missed three weeks of camp and he's not a bad guy.
I am upset and I have about had it. These holdouts are not good for either side. If he misses a week then he probably won't be able to start and that was the goal. For those of you who think that a week isn't much, well ask veterans who know that everyday is important. Without the two-a-days of the past everyday of camp becoimes critical. Allen has schemes to learn, not to mention that the pros hit a whole lot harder than what he is used to. Take the six years for chrissakes! Does he really think that if he makes the pro bowl in three the Dolphins won't renegotiate!?! And wouldn't be nice to remind these rookies that the agent works for him not the other way around. So much for that great deal of respect Allen has for Saban. Sign the damn contract, which is more than fair, and get into camp!
Yeah, Brown missed three weeks and he didn't start. Each day is critical for a veteran and more so for a rookie. They aren't bad guys, they are just getting bad advice and the league needs to do something about it.
Salguero, how do you keep your job? Allen was never considered a sure thing and as most scouts determined he would need the practice to get used to the speed of the NFL. If he misses two weeks he will not have a comprehension of the schemes and won't be starting anything. And yeah, it does happen plenty that guys miss camp with the Dolphins. And you know what? It is a detriment to the team. I hope someone explains the game of football to you soon. Those who can, play. Those who can't become reporters it seems.
Will be starting FREE safety.
Most of the "Anonymous" seem to be so willing to dimiss a player for looking out for himself. Wayne will be dropping Jason Allen like a bad habit if he's a bust. The NFL is a big business and the owners don't throw money around. Let the man take care of his future.
The problem is that Wayne did not put his money where his mouth is.....
He pretty much promised no holdouts, so he needs to pony up.
Lloyd Heilbrunn
I wouldn't sweat it...he'll sign and be here. What else is he gona do? One more thing on Ricky in Toronto. I just found out his replacement now will be John Avery. Wasn't he a first rounder too?
Ricky was actually John Avery's replacement, now Avery's back in his old starting role.
If you're going to jump on Armando about knowing football, know what you're talking about. Allen will be the starting FS, but it doesn't really mean anything. The Dolphins typically play split safeties, which makes the Free v. Strong argument merely semantic.
And leave the rookies alone. Yes, he's looking out for himself, but so is the team. This is a business negotiation, by definition both sides are trying to get the best deal they can for themselves. I agree a rookie pay scale like the NBAs would be great, but there isn't one, so both sides are trying to deal with the system in place.
Post a Comment
<< Home