Big contracts = big pressure

I don't think its the pressure.
I think they took the huge payday and slacked off. They lost their edge/hunger.
As soon as AA signed that contract, he started partying in at the playboy mansion and even started dating one of the playmates(Jennifer Walcot).
If I was in bed with a playmate,Do you think I'm going to get out of bed to lift weights or study a playbook?

The money got to him.
I also think it got to Rogers too. He play was aweful at the start of the year and now he's improving. Too much partying in the offseason hurt him.

I was just reading today's WP article about Andre Carter and he mentioned the pressure that comes along with the big contact he signed. Archuleta has also said that he had trouble this year dealing with the pressure that comes with the big contract.

It's an interesting theory to consider that perhaps one of the factors that played into our downfall his year may have been very simple... pressure.

Not only with the contracts, but the pressure of the high expectations. Bringing in an offensive guru in Saunders, the all-star collection of coaches here, and right from day one in camp Mark Brunell stated that anything less than a Super Bowl was going to be a disappointment this season. I understand that all teams to a degree have this mentality in August, but I think for the Skins they definitely felt under the gun to produce a Super Bowl season this year. It was Gibbs' 3rd year, time to turn the corner, etc.

In summary, I think one of the main reasons for our downfall this year was the pressure, the pressure of winning, the pressure of living up to the big contracts, and the pressure of having an all-star cast of coaches.

Thoughts?I think pressure was a factor in keeping some of the early season games close against teams we should have been blowing out. You get down when you don't expect to be, and you get off your game and all of a sudden, it's the 4th quarter and you are trailing. At that point, if things break right, you win, if they don't like they didn't vs Tennessee and Minnesota for us, you end up losing.

Ultimately, pressure was not responsible for missed tackles, blown coverages and our D falling from top 10 to bottom 4. That was a seperate problem.

Agreed...And since Snyder has been here the team seems to do it's best when spending is curtailed and expectations are lower.

I don't think its the pressure.
I think they took the huge payday and slacked off. They lost their edge/hunger.
As soon as AA signed that contract, he started partying in at the playboy mansion and even started dating one of the playmates(Jennifer Walcot).
If I was in bed with a playmate,Do you think I'm going to get out of bed to lift weights or study a playbook?

The money got to him.
I also think it got to Rogers too. He play was aweful at the start of the year and now he's improving. Too much partying in the offseason hurt him.

Maybe with some, but I don't think we can say AC has slacked off. The guy has muscles on top of muscles. He's working hard at something.

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/12/06/PH2006120601176.jpg

Maybe with some, but I don't think we can say AC has slacked off. The guy has muscles on top of muscles. He's working hard at something.

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/12/06/PH2006120601176.jpg


Yes he looks like Tarzan but most of the year he has played like Jane. I don't think the problem is pressure. These guys for the most part want to win. AC is not an everydown 4-3 end. He's not big enough. AA is not a cover safety. He needs to be playing in the box and blitzing. ARE and LLoyd? I think they will play better next season if we don't blow up the offense. On another note I just think Gibbs needs to have a really tough training camp next year. Go back to old school. Get back to basics. Go back to PA. or Frostburg. Get these guys away from Ashburn.

I don't see it as pressure at all. If anything, it's the exact opposite. Players look forward to spending their golden years in Washington. It's as if they work real hard, prove themselves for another team, then they look forward to the day that Danny Snyder comes calling.

It's like a dead beat who wins the lottery -- he's got nothing left to prove. He gets his fat paycheck, and he can cruise.

Different people react to pressure in different ways. And individuals react to different types of pressure in different ways.

I could easily see if someone got a contract that was more than they felt they deserved (but that their agent had managed to negotiate) that they would feel that they had to perform better than before. (Of course they could not state publicly that they felt they were overpaid.) So part of their mind (even when playing) would always be worried. As I have found that worry is my biggest obstacle to superior performance, I could imagine it would be for them as well. Once they accept that their prior level of play is good enough, the pressure reduces to just the normal game-day pressure that they're used to. Apparently Carter has accomplished this with dramatic results on the field of play.

In summary, a smaller contract keeps the pressure to what happens on the field. In this case the player has direct control of his destiny and only one thing to think about. A larger contract puts on the additional pressure of how the player's performance is perceived.

Different people react to pressure in different ways. And individuals react to different types of pressure in different ways.

I could easily see if someone got a contract that was more than they felt they deserved (but that their agent had managed to negotiate) that they would feel that they had to perform better than before. (Of course they could not state publicly that they felt they were overpaid.) So part of their mind (even when playing) would always be worried. As I have found that worry is my biggest obstacle to superior performance, I could imagine it would be for them as well. Once they accept that their prior level of play is good enough, the pressure reduces to just the normal game-day pressure that they're used to. Apparently Carter has accomplished this with dramatic results on the field of play.

In summary, a smaller contract keeps the pressure to what happens on the field. In this case the player has direct control of his destiny and only one thing to think about. A larger contract puts on the additional pressure of how the player's performance is perceived.

I agree.

I think for guys like AA and AC, they signed the big deals and came here with high expectations. When the team started struggling and they weren't playing well either as individuals, things probably started snowballing for them. AA cracked, AC seems to have broken through.

These guys read the papers, the internet, hear the radio shows, etc. It's pretty easy to see how the pressure could quickly mount.

Sounds like a load of crap, sorry not buying. I file this one under Excuse

Absolutely the pressure played a role. Especially in a town like Washington, where there really is only one sports team. There's a certain type of player who can handle that pressure, or at least remain oblivious to it. I think ARE is a good example of this. However, for people like Carter and Arch I think the external weight of the city's expectations was too much to bear.