bubba9497 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Pierce, Smoot remain unsigned By Jody Foldesy THE WASHINGTON TIMES http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20041231-122130-6740r The Washington Redskins are all but certain to enter the offseason with their two major unrestricted free agents unsigned. Cornerback Fred Smoot and linebacker Antonio Pierce, two key members of the NFL's second-ranked defense, no longer are in position to sign extensions before Sunday's finale against the Minnesota Vikings at FedEx Field. Smoot openly wondered yesterday whether he has played his last game as a Redskin, saying he "can't say" he's as optimistic about re-signing as he was a few weeks ago. And Pierce could be re-starting talks after changing agents. Smoot's development was more ominous. The four-year pro, who won't play against the Vikings while recovering from a bruised kidney, was fairly convinced of re-signing a few weeks ago. But now a "gut feeling" has him thinking differently. "I want to be here bad," Smoot said. "But it ain't about me wanting to be here. It's about them wanting me to be here." He added, "You're only where you're wanted." Agent James "Bus" Cook didn't return a phone call, but a source close to Smoot said there are indications that at least one coach wants to part ways with him. Coach Joe Gibbs, however, said the club's feelings about Smoot haven't changed. "We really like Freddy Smoot," Gibbs said. "We think he's a heck of a player. He's got a great outlook on things. We got going hard on [an extension] in the middle of the year. We reached a point there where it was a stalemate. We're going to do everything we can to try and sign him." Added assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams: "We have not even gotten that far in the evaluations. He's been a joy to coach. I love coaching him. He picks up everybody's spirits. I would say that he's got a pretty good chance to be around here." Smoot's status, however, might come down to money. Vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato had this to say through a team spokesman: "We offered to make Fred one of the top-10 highest-paid cornerbacks in the game. We remain optimistic that an agreement can be worked out." Pierce, meanwhile, quietly switched last week from agent Mitch Frankel to Drew Rosenhaus, expanding Rosenhaus' already sizable cache of Redskins. Among his other Washington clients are running back Clinton Portis and safety Sean Taylor. The decision to switch, according to Pierce, came down to Rosenhaus' media savvy. Unlike some agents, Rosenhaus interacts frequently with reporters, leaving fewer contract questions to his clients. Pierce also said he was referred to Rosenhaus by former Redskins linebacker Jessie Armstead. Armstead, like Pierce a former undrafted rookie, became a role model when the two played together in 2002 and 2003. In some ways, the switch to Rosenhaus might clear the path to an extension, because the agent has a good relationship with Redskins owner Dan Snyder. However, Frankel and the Redskins held extensive negotiations, exchanging at least four proposals, and now there's a chance Rosenhaus will start talks from scratch. Asked whether he would do that, Rosenhaus declined comment. He did say that a deal almost certainly won't get done by the end of the season. There is no deadline associated with signing a player by season's end, but free agents who don't sign by then often feel less pressure to get a deal done quickly. Once they've played their last game, they figure there's no reason not to wait until early March to see what the market will bear. Notes -- Linebacker Marcus Washington (knee) and cornerback Shawn Springs (foot) remained sidelined at practice, but Williams expects both to play. Said Williams: "They've improved each and every day. I would expect them to play at this point in time." ... A court date for former Redskins safety Ifeanyi Ohalete and Portis should be set in coming days, said Ohalete's lawyer, John Steren. Ohalete filed suit in Maryland District Court on Wednesday charging that Portis never paid $20,000 of the $40,000 he contractually agreed to pay for Ohalete's No. 26 jersey. Rosenhaus told the Associated Press that Portis holds "a position on that that is different from theirs" but declined to elaborate when contacted by The Washington Times. Asked whether that comment means Portis intends to contest the charge, rather than settle it, Rosenhaus replied, "I'm not going to get into what we're going to do or our strategy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ujmodi Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Agent James "Bus" Cook didn't return a phone call, but a source close to Smoot said there are indications that at least one coach wants to part ways with him WTF!!!! I haven't heard anything like this before. Who could this be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookie0720 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 What in the hell coach would want to part ways with him, are we frickin insane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtyler42 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 This Smoot negotiation is going to get ugly...:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbill Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 It's the Times, take the "one assistant coach" crap with a grain of salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooney Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Originally posted by bubba9497 Agent James "Bus" Cook didn't return a phone call "Bus"? When did agents start getting nicknames? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 44 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Portis and Ohalete going to court over $20,000. Does this strike anyone else beside me as absurd? They will probably both end up spending more money in attorney fees than the disputed amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novato Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I thought it was $40,000? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 "We really like Freddy Smoot," Gibbs said. "We think he's a heck of a player. He's got a great outlook on things. We got going hard on [an extension] in the middle of the year. We reached a point there where it was a stalemate. We're going to do everything we can to try and sign him." Added assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams: "We have not even gotten that far in the evaluations. He's been a joy to coach. I love coaching him. He picks up everybody's spirits. I would say that he's got a pretty good chance to be around here." Gee, I wonder if both Coach Gibbs and Coach Williams think we should keep him, which way do you think Snyder will go? As long as Smoot doesn't get the notion that he is worth more then his play has brought us, he will be a Skin next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 44 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I thought it was $40,000? Novato; The way I read it, the agreement called for $40,000 of which 20 was actually paid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty Gut Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I'm curious to hear what this one coach sees that we don't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I really like Smoot, is attitude, and his aggressive style of play, however we should not overpay him. Look at the outcome of Champ Bailey's big contract in Denver, he was shown that he is not worth that much money and probably wasn't even worth the amount the Skins initially offered him before the trade happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanskins Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Portis paid 20, 000 upfront and was schedule to pay two more payments of 10, 000 each. Both of which Portis has not paid, and will not pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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