Per Schefter: Su'a Cravens Considering Retirement

[CTskin]

1 hour ago, sempre_victrix said:

I didn't like this pick when we made it and I really hate it now.  Too small to play LB in the NFL and too slow (and soft) to play SS.  I'm shocked that Nico Marley didn't make the 53....

I'm more shocked that Nico didn't even get called for the practice squad.

 

We'd be lying if we said we weren't leaning toward bullish on the revamped safety corp this off-season, although we still had our reservations about Su'a. Poor speed, often injured, minimal experience at SS... I've been calling for Everett to get the start over Su'a, so the injury was a bit of a blessing in disguise. But, this nonsense about quitting is flat-out disappointing.

 

There was a ton of talent around in the 2nd when he was drafted, but I like many, gave Scot the benefit of the doubt as Su'a wasn't on my radar. I figured this kid had to be some sort of special for us to reach... So much for Scot wanting football players.

 

But what gets me the most is that he won over the fanbase by asking to wear Sean's number and now it's obvious that he's the polar opposite; he's a pretender. I'm glad Swearinger took it and will be representing it correctly now.

[Jacoby66forHOF]

9 minutes ago, Deepthreat11 said:

Football is a hurt sport, like boxing. If your hearts not in it WALK AWAY before you hurt yourself. I have no ill will toward him. It's no different than losing a player to IR.

 

Well, its a bit different than losing a player to IR.  Now up to two players can come back mid season from the IR, and those that can't, like Phil Taylor, there is the expectation they will play next year.  There is no expectation Cravens will ever play for the Skins again at this point.  The damage is done.

1 minute ago, CTskin said:

I'm more shocked that Nico didn't even get called for the practice squad.

 

We'd be lying if we said we weren't leaning toward bullish on the revamped safety corp this off-season, although we still had our reservations about Su'a. Poor speed, often injured, minimal experience at SS... I've been calling for Everett to get the start over Su'a, so the injury was a bit of a blessing in disguise. But, this nonsense about quitting is flat-out disappointing.

 

There was a ton of talent around in the 2nd when he was drafted, but I like many, gave Scot the benefit of the doubt as Su'a wasn't on my radar. I figured this kid had to be some sort of special for us to reach... So much for Scot wanting football players.

 

But what gets me the most is that he won over the fanbase by asking to wear Sean's number and now it's obvious that he's the polar opposite; he's a pretender. I'm glad Swearinger took it and will be representing it correctly now.

 

I am surprised Nico didn't make the PS as well.  Shocked really.

 

Swearinger payed Cravens 75k for #36.  So not only did Cravens pump up the fan base after he was drafted by saying Taylor was his favorite player, and he would wear #36 with pride, but at the first opportunity he got he made money off the number and now he quits.  Not good.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

I read somewhere that Cravens bought his parents vehicles soon after he was drafted and then paid to move them out to NOVA at some point.  Obviously he has spent some of that signing bonus.  At this point he owes the team a ballpark 1M dollars if he hangs it up.  When they say Bruce talked him out of retirement, I think that's what they are referring to.  I'm sure Bruce laid out for him the financial woes of such a move.

 

This is a tough spot for the team, because do they even want the guy to come back after all this? Considering the way the locker room feels about him and the way Cravens feels about himself to even take it this far. 

 

I guess the team can't get the $ back from someone who know longer has it but I'm assuming they could make his life hell and make him sell off what he does have at this point.

[justice98]

35 minutes ago, Jacoby66forHOF said:

Swearinger payed Cravens 75k for #36.  So not only did Cravens pump up the fan base after he was drafted by saying Taylor was his favorite player, and he would wear #36 with pride, but at the first opportunity he got he made money off the number and now he quits.  Not good.

 

I honestly dont think it's any worse because he said he liked Sean Taylor.  What difference does that make?  

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

Just now, justice98 said:

 

I honestly dont think it's any worse because he said he liked Sean Taylor.  What difference does that make?  

I'd say its more the fact that he made it a point to bring up Sean as an idol and take his old jersey # only to subsequently sell said jersey # about a year later.

[justice98]

43 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I read somewhere that Cravens bought his parents vehicles soon after he was drafted and then paid to move them out to NOVA at some point.  Obviously he has spent some of that signing bonus.  At this point he owes the team a ballpark 1M dollars if he hangs it up.  When they say Bruce talked him out of retirement, I think that's what they are referring to.  I'm sure Bruce laid out for him the financial woes of such a move.

 

This is a tough spot for the team, because do they even want the guy to come back after all this? Considering the way the locker room feels about him and the way Cravens feels about himself to even take it this far. 

 

I guess the team can't get the $ back from someone who know longer has it but I'm assuming they could make his life hell and make him sell off what he does have at this point.

 

That puts everybody in an awkward spot.  He doesnt wanna play, but he cant quit without paying them back.  They want him cuz he's talented, but they probably dont want him now cuz he's a quitter and cant be trusted.  

 

I suspect they would love to be able to just get him back at a high enough level to get through the year and then they'd work out a mutually beneficial parting with time to think it through with better options.

[Voice_of_Reason]

There has been a lot said on this topic.  I have just the following comments, mostly said by others, but with my own spin (I think)

 

1. I really hope the guy is ok.  He's not acting like he is ok, and that's worrisome.  More than football, more than anything, I hope he's ok, and I hope he takes whatever time he needs to get whatever his situation is handled.  If the future involves football, great. If not, that's fine too.  He's a young kid, with probably 60 years of life ahead of him, so before anything else, I hope he's ok, or does what he needs to get himself ok.  And if that means the 'Skins have to find a new safety, so be it.

 

2.  I hope that he doesn't return to the team because he's forced into it for financial reasons.  Cooley was saying this morning that the team would ask for the pro-rated part of the signing bonus back, which would essentially wipe out all of his earnings.  I don't really care if he stays or goes, but I really hope the team doesn't essentially blackmail him into staying.  That's just a bad look.  And, if he's here and doesn't want to be, that's not good for anybody either.

 

3.  I think that this is the definition of not how to handle a situation.  Going on social media and mouthing off about a team's sponsor (The Eastern Motors flap), and then group-texting your position group, then going on social media to say you don't owe an explanation, but you're going to be more open now, are all miss-steps that are the product of youth.  There are better ways to handle the situation.  

 

That's really all I have to say about it. 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

15 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

That puts everybody in an awkward spot.  He doesnt wanna play, but he cant quit without paying them back.  They want him cuz he's talented, but they probably dont want him now cuz he's a quitter and cant be trusted.  

 

I suspect they would love to be able to just get him back a high level to get through the year and then they'd work out a mutually beneficial parting.

The dude told all his peers that he was retiring through a group text and concluded it with "peace out".  The comments I read from players in the secondary sounded like they had to try hard to be even remotely positive. I don't think it's even possible to get him back into the fold, much less play at a high level this season. 

[Jacoby66forHOF]

30 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

I honestly dont think it's any worse because he said he liked Sean Taylor.  What difference does that make?  

 

Personally, it doesn't make a difference, but it made a difference to some fans.  A handful said as much on 980 this morning.

[Rattlesnake88]

7 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

The dude told all his peers that he was retiring through a group text and concluded it with "peace out"

Unbelievable. This mixed with his attitude regarding anything he has been involved with publicly...

 

 Someone made the point that HE is the one that showed his true colors, not the bitter fans or hurt team mates. He's a damn quitter and unless he pulls a quick 180 and gets his **** together I could care a less what he does. I just pray to the stars that we get rewarded with Nicholson or Everette becoming a star. 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Yeah I have no problem with him liking Sean Taylor so I won't hate him for that.   But I don't understand why people are worried about him. He didn't appear to be having mental issues or personal demons, from everything I've seen and heard he seems very happy and comfortable with his decision.  Good for him, but I will never be happy about how this unfolded.  And I can't understand why some posters are critical of fans being upset.  This isn't a knee injury, it's a guy who quit and at a time that left the team without a plan to deal with it.  I hope they do recover his signing bonus money, he gave them virtually nothing. 

[justice98]

7 minutes ago, Jacoby66forHOF said:

 

Personally, it doesn't make a difference, but it made a difference to some fans.  A handful said as much on 980 this morning.

 

It probably doesnt compute for me cuz think people connected emotionally with both players in a way I never did or would.

[Bang]

Seems like the Sensitive Generation needs to come to grips with the fact that not everything they do will be 'understood' or meet with approval. i don't have to "understand him" or even care if he gets whatever it is he thinks he needs. In fact, as callous as it may sound, the only thing i care he does is play for the Redskins and make plays. It's the only reason i even know who he is. 
I'm a fan of the team. He quit on the team. 

Actions = consequence.. Su'a seems like a guy who fails to grasp this.

 

Saying we showed 'true colors' by getting upset that he has quit on the team at the eleventh hour shows remarkable immaturity and a complete lack of understanding how the world works.  You don't get a trophy for everything, and not everything you do is to be praised or even supported, iand in fact, some things you do will adversely affect you because people don't like it and deem it the wrong thing to do. 

How McCloughan whiffed on such obvious character flaws is a mystery to me. They supposedly have a ton of chances to interview these players prior to drafting them.. how do they not have a questioning system designed to find out if a player really wants to play?

 

It is pathetic he seems to feel he needs validation by his social following. It's even more pathetic in knowing that as soon as he's a UPS delivery man or a Subway sandwich artist or whatever it is he does, his following will drop like a stone, because no one really CARES who the 'real him' is. 

What is interesting to people? Making tackles, or Big Macs? 

He's in for a hard fall, and he'll find out just how much life LOVES to smack someone right in the mouth. I guess as a person I hope he's going to be able to deal with the absolute fact that once he's not an NFL football player, he becomes as invisible and anonymous as all of us.

But i doubt it.

 

Hope the next man up can play, because after a month i don't think he'll be welcome back.

 

~Bang

[Dissident2]

14 minutes ago, Jacoby66forHOF said:

 

Personally, it doesn't make a difference, but it made a difference to some fans.  A handful said as much on 980 this morning.

 

It definitely makes a difference to me. Not just because he "said he liked Sean Taylor," as stated above, but because he went to such lengths to apparently manipulate the fan base's love of ST (whether consciously or subconsciously) to garner immediate approval. It's the equivalent of cheap applause in hindsight. If you're going to wear the guy's number because you say you want to honor him, you damn well better be ready to play like it. 

[sempre_victrix]

30 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

 

2.  I hope that he doesn't return to the team because he's forced into it for financial reasons.  Cooley was saying this morning that the team would ask for the pro-rated part of the signing bonus back, which would essentially wipe out all of his earnings.  I don't really care if he stays or goes, but I really hope the team doesn't essentially blackmail him into staying.  That's just a bad look.  And, if he's here and doesn't want to be, that's not good for anybody either.

 

 

The Redskins should absolutely go after the prorated portion of his bonus.  They've done it in the past and should continue to do so.  Every team would do the same thing. 

 

What kind of message would it send to other players?

 

7 minutes ago, Dissident2 said:

 

It definitely makes a difference to me. Not just because he "said he liked Sean Taylor," as stated above, but because he went to such lengths to apparently manipulate the fan base's love of ST (whether consciously or subconsciously) to garner immediate approval. It's the equivalent of cheap applause in hindsight. If you're going to wear the guy's number because you say you want to honor him, you damn well better be ready to play like it. 

 

I think you give him too much credit.

[RandyHolt]

The Sensitive Generation

[Taylorcooley1]

Good one Bang...sums up my feelings exactly!

[just654]

I dont think I could say it any better than bang just did. It kills me to part of this sensitive Generation.

[Audible_Red40]

3 hours ago, sempre_victrix said:

I didn't like this pick when we made it and I really hate it now.  Too small to play LB in the NFL and too slow (and soft) to play SS.  I'm shocked that Nico Marley didn't make the 53....

Not that I am in complete disagreement.

 

But wouldn't Nico be "too small to play LB and too slow to play SS"?  You're basing this on Training Camp and Preseason.

 

There's probably a reason he went undrafted and not picked up for a practice squad.

[Dissident2]

8 minutes ago, just654 said:

I dont think I could say it any better than bang just did. It kills me to part of this sensitive Generation.

 

I don't know, man ... that reaction seems a little overly .... (wait for it) .... sensitive.

[Bang]

I'll take Nico's heart. It can make up for size.

 

If there's an open spot to fill, he or Mo Harris would be my hope.

 

~Bang

[sempre_victrix]

3 minutes ago, Audible_Red40 said:

Not that I am in complete disagreement.

 

But wouldn't Nico be "too small to play LB and too slow to play SS"?  You're basing this on Training Camp and Preseason.

 

There's probably a reason he went undrafted and not picked up for a practice squad.

 

My statement was sarcasm, leveled at a team that seems to like players like Cravens, who really don't belong in the NFL, but make a "good" story.  I'm shocked that the Redskins' front office didn't do something as stupid as give a spot to Marley.

 

Sometimes, you do it out of need, Dunbar for instance, but there is no way Cravens should have been a #2.

 

 

3 minutes ago, Bang said:

I'll take Nico's heart. It can make up for size.

 

If there's an open spot to fill, he or Mo Harris would be my hope.

 

~Bang

 

Really?  You want a 5'8" LB? 

 

We agree to disagree.

 

[Bang]

9 minutes ago, sempre_victrix said:

 

Really?  You want a 5'8" LB? 

 

We agree to disagree.

 

I don't think size makes all the difference. Obviously, there are linebackers in the past who have not had great size who have played great football. Picking out a few wouldn't do anything to prove any points other than height is not the be-all when it comes to playing effectively as an inside linebacker.

5'8 doesn't measure strength or the brains it takes to quickly diagnose a play and get into position to stop it. Nico has shown me that ability. Granted, iot's in preseason games against other rooks and 3rd stringers, but when he's in the backfield hitting a ballcarrier he's there because of his brain and his quickness... and that translates beyond 3rd string. Smart is smart. And physically, it doesn't seem he has a problem laying a hit or making a tackle.

 

besides what we're talking about is the 53rd spot. I'm not expecting a starter with it, and given Marley is a rookie, he'd make his most effective mark on special teams. I don't think height plays much into that either.  

 

~Bang

[sempre_victrix]

16 minutes ago, Bang said:

I don't think size makes all the difference. Obviously, there are linebackers in the past who have not had great size who have played great football. Picking out a few wouldn't do anything to prove any points other than height is not the be-all when it comes to playing effectively as an inside linebacker.

5'8 doesn't measure strength or the brains it takes to quickly diagnose a play and get into position to stop it. Nico has shown me that ability. Granted, iot's in preseason games against other rooks and 3rd stringers, but when he's in the backfield hitting a ballcarrier he's there because of his brain and his quickness... and that translates beyond 3rd string. Smart is smart. And physically, it doesn't seem he has a problem laying a hit or making a tackle.

 

besides what we're talking about is the 53rd spot. I'm not expecting a starter with it, and given Marley is a rookie, he'd make his most effective mark on special teams. I don't think height plays much into that either.  

 

~Bang

 

He's still taking a valuable roster spot and could leave us shorthanded in a game if other ILBs are hurt.

 

He has a great motor, but he'd get trampled in the middle.

 

 

[max21]

Not gunna lie I was pretty excited to watch Cravens this year, I wish him well. I follow him on all social media platforms and he would hype himself up pretty dramatically. I remember last year he said something along the lines "Y'all have woken a dragon" when he was named safety at the end of the year, saying he's ready to win and make plays with Jno in the backfield. Since this news he has deleted all his posts about the redskins on instagram, just weird.