How would you rank him?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

Matty's right you have to overpay guys to get them...
This whole deal about being the highest paid running back is silly. Where a guy falls on the salary ladder has less to do with talent and more to do with timing. Portis is the highest paid RB not because he is the best RB in the league(which he may be anyways...but thats beside the point) but because he is the last big time RB to make a deal. It's guranteed that the next big time RB who makes gets a deal will be paid more. It's just the way it works. Don't equate him being the highest paid with meaning he should be the best(which is ridiculously subjective anyways). Equate it with being one of the top couple players who just happens to have the newest deal.

Exactly! This is why the argument some people make of "can you believe the Redskins gave Trotter a better deal than Ray Lewis' is a bit flawed....it's all in the timing"

[sportscurmudgeon]

Matty:

You said:

There are plenty of teams around the league that refuse to overpay for their own players, the Patriots with Milloy, the Steelers with too many players to keep track of and the Redskins to a similar extent.


Problem is the records that the Pats and Steelers - and the Eagels too - amass with their implementation of this strategy compared to Danny Boy and his Front Office mavens.

[Monksdown]

I think that each situation is different. The fault or praise has to lie strictly with the coaches, as they typically control the draft and who we go after in free agency. If someone is realistically replacable, then why not. But in Smoot's case, how much will it cost us to replace him? If Gregg Williams is inclined to believe that we have the talent now to replace Smooty flakes, then i cant disagree. But we may want to pick up a decent cornerback in the later rounds. To learn from Walt Harris next year. How old and slow is Walt Harris. My nightmare is a released Fred Smoot, and an injured Shawn Springs. Then Walt Harris gets to cover TO next year.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by smootsmack

Exactly! This is why the argument some people make of "can you believe the Redskins gave Trotter a better deal than Ray Lewis' is a bit flawed....it's all in the timing"

smootsmack:

I am the one who usually points out that the Skins paid more for Trotter when they signed him than Ray Lewis was making at the time and I still can't believe it. Despite the contribution Trotter made to the Eagles this year, he is NOT NOW and NOT THEN nor will he EVER BE comparable as a LB to Ray Lewis or to several other MLBs in the league. So, to pay him that kind of money WAS dunb and would STILL BE dumb tocay or tomorrow. Remember, Trotter is a free agent again this year unless the Eagles have an option clause in his contract because he only took a one-year deal in Philly. What should the Skins consider paying for him this time?

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

smootsmack:

I am the one who usually points out that the Skins paid more for Trotter when they signed him than Ray Lewis was making at the time and I still can't believe it. Despite the contribution Trotter made to the Eagles this year, he is NOT NOW and NOT THEN nor will he EVER BE comparable as a LB to Ray Lewis or to several other MLBs in the league. So, to pay him that kind of money WAS dunb and would STILL BE dumb tocay or tomorrow. Remember, Trotter is a free agent again this year unless the Eagles have an option clause in his contract because he only took a one-year deal in Philly. What should the Skins consider paying for him this time?

I honestly don't remember the specifics of the entire situation but plain and simple the market set the price for Trotter at the time. We may have overpaid in hindsight but I am sure we didn't pay him some assanine amount more than he would have gotten from another team. Talent just isn't as big a factor for most teams in the league. They all make decisions based on market versus need. This what we have been doing ever since the Dan bought the team. The successful teams, the ones you list, make their decisions based on talent versus value. Hopefully with free agent plays like Washington last year and letting Smoot go this year the Skins have laerned about the talent versus value strategy.

[Monksdown]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I honestly don't remember the specifics of the entire situation but plain and simple the market set the price for Trotter at the time. We may have overpaid in hindsight but I am sure we didn't pay him some assanine amount more than he would have gotten from another team. Talent just isn't as big a factor for most teams in the league. They all make decisions based on market versus need. This what we have been doing ever since the Dan bought the team. The successful teams, the ones you list, make their decisions based on talent versus value. Hopefully with free agent plays like Washington last year and letting Smoot go this year the Skins have laerned about the talent versus value strategy.

I agree with you completely.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I honestly don't remember the specifics of the entire situation but plain and simple the market set the price for Trotter at the time. We may have overpaid in hindsight but I am sure we didn't pay him some assanine amount more than he would have gotten from another team. Talent just isn't as big a factor for most teams in the league. They all make decisions based on market versus need. This what we have been doing ever since the Dan bought the team. The successful teams, the ones you list, make their decisions based on talent versus value. Hopefully with free agent plays like Washington last year and letting Smoot go this year the Skins have laerned about the talent versus value strategy.

I don't particularly remember the specifics either. But I think that Trotter was a young two-time all-pro from a division rival who led his team in tackles for three straight years and didn't miss a game since he entered the starting lineup his second year in the league. It didn't work out, what with him busting his knee, but I really don't think it was a bad signing at the time.