Terrell Owens was back in Philadelphia Eagles training camp Tuesday, but I'm getting sick of writing about his childish antics, so I'll touch on a somewhat related situation today.
It seems the San Diego Chargers have taken inspiration with the hard line the Eagles set for their disgruntled receiver. According to Jay Glazer of FoxSports, the team sent tight end Antonio Gates a letter informing him that if he does not sign his contract by Saturday, he will be held out of the last two preseason games and the regular-season opener. In addition, for every preseason and regular season game he misses after Saturday's game, he will be benched for an extra game.
My initial response is, how big of an idiot is general manager A.J. Smith? Granted, one big season may not warrant the type of money a Tony Gonzalez makes, but this stance is ridiculous. Gates put together an All-Pro season last year and Smith thinks he should sign a deal he is not happy with or face suspension? How big of a fool does he think his tight end is? Better yet, how big of a fool is Smith?
This situation is far, far from the Terrell Owens fiasco for one very obvious reason. Gates isn't under contract, so he isn't holding out on a deal he signed. He is free to negotiate a contract somewhere in the neighborhood between almost fair and somewhat competitive. The Chargers' insistence that he sign or face disciplinary action falls somewhere in the region of supremely ridiculous.
This strategy might be appropriate where the Eagles are concerned, but if the Chargers want to ensure Gates will bolt (no pun intended) elsewhere the nanosecond he is free to do so, they should stick to their threat. If the Chargers insist on forcing Gates to sign a deal he is not happy with, he should send a return letter telling A.J. where he can stick his offer!
It seems the San Diego Chargers have taken inspiration with the hard line the Eagles set for their disgruntled receiver. According to Jay Glazer of FoxSports, the team sent tight end Antonio Gates a letter informing him that if he does not sign his contract by Saturday, he will be held out of the last two preseason games and the regular-season opener. In addition, for every preseason and regular season game he misses after Saturday's game, he will be benched for an extra game.
My initial response is, how big of an idiot is general manager A.J. Smith? Granted, one big season may not warrant the type of money a Tony Gonzalez makes, but this stance is ridiculous. Gates put together an All-Pro season last year and Smith thinks he should sign a deal he is not happy with or face suspension? How big of a fool does he think his tight end is? Better yet, how big of a fool is Smith?
This situation is far, far from the Terrell Owens fiasco for one very obvious reason. Gates isn't under contract, so he isn't holding out on a deal he signed. He is free to negotiate a contract somewhere in the neighborhood between almost fair and somewhat competitive. The Chargers' insistence that he sign or face disciplinary action falls somewhere in the region of supremely ridiculous.
This strategy might be appropriate where the Eagles are concerned, but if the Chargers want to ensure Gates will bolt (no pun intended) elsewhere the nanosecond he is free to do so, they should stick to their threat. If the Chargers insist on forcing Gates to sign a deal he is not happy with, he should send a return letter telling A.J. where he can stick his offer!
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