7/31 Woody: "Bailey's underpaid

[Awesome]

Nothing new, nothing exciting, standard Woody

Dollars & nonsense

At $2 million, Skins' Bailey says he's underpaid

PAUL WOODY

TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Jul 31, 2003

ASHBURN The essential element necessary to understand the thought process of a professional athlete is the suspension of all that seems logical.

For example, Champ Bailey, who will earn $2 million this season as a starting cornerback for the Washington Redskins, thinks he is underpaid. That makes no sense to anyone who lives in the real world.

Bailey only occasionally steps into the real world. He spends most of his time in the NFL's world.

He insists that the illogical is perfectly logical.

"I know I'm underpaid," Bailey said. "Everybody knows I'm underpaid."

Bailey is in the last year of his contract. Logic suggests that he play out this season, give the Redskins a chance to re-sign him, then test the open market if he does not like what the Redskins offer. The Redskins certainly have the option of giving him a contract extension but are under no obligation to do so.

Bailey wants his money now. The Redskins probably will give it to him, not immediately, but eventually and before the season ends.

Everybody involved in this situation is wrong.

Everybody also is right.

Welcome to the NFL (and the NBA and Major League Baseball and the world of big-time coaching contracts).This much must be said on Bailey's behalf. A nicer, more accommodating, more polite young man will not be found in an NFL locker room. Through good times and bad, Bailey stands and takes all questions. He accepts responsibility when he is at fault, which is rare. He deflects praise when he has made outstanding plays, which is often.

He is on the short list of the best cor nerbacks in the NFL, and his name might be at the top of the chart.

He is paid well for that, but he looks around the NFL and sees lesser cornerbacks paid far more. Bailey's $2 million doesn't even rank among the top 10 salaries paid to NFL cornerbacks. He is $1.3 million behind the man currently in 10th place, Ray Buchanan of the Atlanta Falcons. Bailey is aware of that. Players are keenly aware of what their peers earn. Still, most people can squeeze by on $2 million a year.

"I know what my contract says," Bailey said. "I know I signed for five years. I'm going to live up to that. I'll say it's my fault. I'm going to try to put all the pressure on me."

Bailey received a $5.2 million signing bonus in 1999, a handsome sum for a 20-year old who had just completed his junior year in college. It seemed a good deal at the time, and it was, for both sides. The way Bailey sees it now, though, is that it was a better deal for the team than for the player.

Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen went through the same thing last season. He went to training camp in the final year of a four-year deal, wanted to re-sign with the Redskins and grew frustrated when it took months to get a deal done.

"At the time, I would have told you I wasn't thinking about it, but it's hard not to think about your future," Jansen said. "It's not just the money. It's also a matter of respect.

"Does the place where you've played the last four years respect you enough to offer you what you're worth, to keep you, to make a commitment to you as you've made a commitment to them?"

The Redskins want Bailey for years to come. He is a rare player and cannot be replaced easily. The Redskins cleared some cap space Tuesday when they released Dan Wilkinson. They've already contacted Bailey's agent, and the negotiating dance will begin soon.

Bailey has an idea for a starting, and perhaps ending, point in the contract talks. "Randy Moss got $18 million to sign two years ago," Bailey said.

Moss is a wide receiver, and Bailey's opinion is that if he has to stop someone who received an $18 million signing bonus, then he also is worthy of an $18 million signing bonus.

Yep, giving that amount of money to a football player is ridiculous. Except in the NFL, where it makes perfect sense.

****************************************************

SKINS NOTES

Jul 31, 2003

UNNECESSARY VIOLENCE: Football is filled with violent collisions, but those collisions are not supposed to take place during training camp.

Yesterday, the biggest hit of the preseason took place during a passing drill in the morning practice. Running back Trung Canidate caught a pass down the sideline, and strong safety Matt Bowen raced over to make what in a real game would have been a tackle.

Bowen and Canidate met shoulder-to-shoulder, and a thunderous impact was the result. Canidate crashed to the ground and fell on top of wide receiver Rod Gardner. Canidate rose unscathed, and Gardner got up slowly. He said he "tweaked" his back, but he was not seriously hurt.

"It was nothing intentional," Bowen said. "That's just part of the game. We both put a shoulder down, and we just happened to collide. Trung and I have been friends since my rookie season."

Canidate and Bowen began their careers with the St. Louis Rams.

"I wasn't ready for it, but it happened," Canidate said of the blow from Bowen. "He got a good hit on me, but we have pads on. It's football, and we'll all be out here tomorrow."

Coach Steve Spurrier was not amused and did not approve of the play.

"Sometimes on about the fourth or fifth practice, it seems like one guy hits another guy too hard, and they sort of retaliate," Spurrier said. "We had a hit today that we don't like. We had a hit where a guy could have gotten hurt, so we mentioned it and tried to put an end to it.

"We have to learn to practice together. If we can't practice together, then we're going to be in trouble."

INJURY REPORT: Backup offensive lineman Rod Jones suffered a sprained left ankle and turf toe in the morning practice session yesterday. He was held out of the afternoon practice and will not practice today.

Jones, a free agent signee in 2002, missed all of last season with a torn bicep.

Linebacker LaVar Arrington was in pain after having a toe on his left foot stepped on in the afternoon practice, but he is expected to be at practice today.

Backup cornerback Rashad Bauman suffered a sprained left shoulder and is out for today and possibly longer. Running back Ladell Betts missed practice with a sprained left elbow and is out for a few days. Backup offensive guard Tre Johnson (sore Achilles' tendon) did not practice and is day-to-day. Kevin Mitchell sprained his right thumb in the afternoon practice. He's expected to be fine for today's workout.

Defensive end Ledairis Jackson and cornerback Fred Smoot were held out of the afternoon practice because of heat-related problems. The Redskins are being very cautious with players who have trouble with the heat.

TENURE: With defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson gone, the players who have been with the team the longest are cornerback Champ Bailey and offensive tackle Jon Jansen. Both were drafted in 1999.

MORE OWNERS: Owner Dan Snyder has decided to sell 20 percent of the team to three close friends for a total of $200 million. The story first was reported in the Washington Times. The Snyder family - Dan, his mother and sister - will retain 60 to 70 percent of the team and control the operation of the franchise. Fred Drasner, a publishing executive, owns about 10 percent of the team.

When Snyder purchased the team in 1999, one of his partners was Mort Zuckerman, a real estate developer and publisher of U.S. News and World Report. Zuckerman eventually sold his shares to Snyder, and, essentially, those are the shares Snyder is selling now.

The NFL's finance committee is considering the transaction and a decision is expected in August.

According to reports, the money will be used to pay down the debt Snyder incurred when he purchased the team.

SCHEDULE: The Redskins have just one practice today, a morning session beginning at 9 o'clock. - Paul Woody

[RabidFan]

Now I definitely wish we kept Sulfsted

[bulldog]

Jones has had his injury problems. if it was a low ankle sprain he should be back fairly soon.

Could you imagine Bowen laying that kind of hit on Shockey if he were in the Giants camp this year? There would have been a war out on the field :laugh:

[TC4]

Originally posted by bulldog

Could you imagine Bowen laying that kind of hit on Shockey if he were in the Giants camp this year? There would have been a war out on the field :laugh:

Don't worry, there is always the regular season for that

:gaintsuck :gaintsuck :gaintsuck