04/25/24
April 04, 2006
Titans give McNair the cold shoulder: Steve McNair showed up to work out with the Tennessee Titans on Monday, but the 11-year veteran was told him to go home. McNair and the team have been squabbling for some time about his future. Was this a necessary move by the Titans to protect themselves, or a classless act by an ungrateful organization?
He knew he would be told to leave and still showed up, what did he expect would happen? I'm not defending the Titans but this seems like much ado about nothing.
posted by fenriq at 01:38 PM on April 04, 2006
He knew he would be told to leave and still showed up, what did he expect would happen? Actually, that is not what the article says. From the article: The team's general counsel had called agent Bus Cook earlier Monday and informed him McNair would be told to leave. There is a good possibility that McNair didn't know when he showed up if his agent was unable to immediately notify him. I just think it is dumb. If he is really so fragile that you don't want him on your property during off-seasoning conditioning, then let him go. Why are you trying to alienate this player if you want to redo his cap number?
posted by bperk at 01:47 PM on April 04, 2006
There seems to be a prevailing "What have you done for me lately" attitude perpetuated by team ownership, the sports media, and fans i.e. this discussion and the Chmurra (sp) Favre thread. My opinion is that McNair and Favre are the definition of the term "gamers". In this regard I side with the athletes.
posted by THX-1138 at 02:15 PM on April 04, 2006
Football is a contractual employee,employer association!No contract,you don't work for me,simple as that!So stay off my property until you're hired!!!
posted by mdavidsf at 02:24 PM on April 04, 2006
bperk, that's true. And the Titans could have and should have handled it better than having a trainer send him away.
posted by fenriq at 02:31 PM on April 04, 2006
No contract,you don't work for me,simple as that!So stay off my property until you're hired!!! From the first line of the article: ...Titans told Steve McNair they don't want him working out in their building until his contract is reworked
posted by tselson at 02:43 PM on April 04, 2006
sports in general now is cold hearted business.look at johnnie damon $$$$ ruled supreme.Patriots letting Willie McGuiness and Valertari go $$$$. Sports is no longer sports, its a business and we are the suckers paying for it
posted by arturo at 02:43 PM on April 04, 2006
Football is a contractual employee,employer association!No contract,you don't work for me,simple as that!So stay off my property until you're hired!!! I believe that the article states that the Titans want to rework McNair's contract, it's not the other way around. Having the trainer tell him to go home is classless in the max! If they don't like his contract, unless there is a total stalemate, they should still let him work out with the team. If there is an unworkable problem, then send him to free agency. Pay him or cut him, but don't forget what he's done for you and treat him like a 7th round rookie!
posted by Toad8572 at 02:48 PM on April 04, 2006
Necessary. If they don't want to be paying him to be their quarterback, and he's working out there, and he hurts himself, they're on the hook for his contract, no? Who would take that risk?
posted by fabulon7 at 02:52 PM on April 04, 2006
As been stated before, either pay him or cut him. The Titans did agree to McNair's current contract, no?
posted by yzelda4045 at 02:56 PM on April 04, 2006
If they don't want to be paying him to be their quarterback, and he's working out there, and he hurts himself, they're on the hook for his contract, no? Who would take that risk? If a player gets hurt while playing for a team, the player gets some money, but not the full value of their contract. It is generally less than $500,000, but it can be negotiated in contracts. Maybe McNair has a big one in his contract, but it sounds more like the Titans are stalling.
posted by bperk at 03:05 PM on April 04, 2006
He's been one of the favorite qb's to watch at least for me I've always been a mcnair fan I'd rather watch him than vick to tell you the truth what are they doin? He might me be on the wane of his career but I wish they'd consult me first I think he's awesome
posted by luther70 at 03:14 PM on April 04, 2006
The Titans hold the No. 3 pick overall in the draft, the same spot at which they took McNair in 1995. They have been studying top quarterback prospects Leinart, Vince Young of Texas and Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt in recent weeks I'm sure their treatment of McNair will help them when they try to negotiate a contract with one of these guys. It is obvious he needs to rework his contract. It appears he signed a deal that had "we'll deal with that cap number when we have to," mentality written all over it. Unfortunately, for McNair and his injury history, his bargaining power has diminished. There is no way that the organization can get better if McNair has a cap figure of 23 million this year. There is no way the Titans can honor that contract without setting them back a few years. The organization's spin team better kick it into high gear, as the first round of posturing has gone to McNair. If they both continue to draw lines in the sand, a slew of McNair is being selfish and doesn't care about the team spin is soon to follow. I hope that McNair realises his prime is behind him, reworks his deal and allows himself and the organization to move on respectfully and responsibly.
posted by tselson at 03:18 PM on April 04, 2006
This is an excellent example to remember the next time a labor dispute comes up. McNair and the Titans signed the deal, now the team wants to get out of it. But they won't just release him, as is their contractual right, and instead are playing mind games. Screw the owners.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:26 PM on April 04, 2006
This seems like the reverse of the TO situation last year. Except now the team doesn't want him their til he "reworks" his contract. Everyone was getting on TO cause he wouldn't "honor" his contract. What the hell are the Titans doing? Especially to the guy who got you to the Super Bowl. Come on. This guy played hurt, broken, and anyway else he could wabble on to the field. Dude is the truth... I guess the Titans miss the old days and losing a 33 point lead with Warren Moon to the Bills in the the playoffs. TITANS OFFICALS ARE IDIOTS. Release him and draft soft ass Lienert! They will be dying for Air McNair Back.
posted by Robb Dubbs at 04:01 PM on April 04, 2006
There is no way that the organization can get better if McNair has a cap figure of 23 million this year. There is no way the Titans can honor that contract without setting them back a few years. The organization's spin team better kick it into high gear, as the first round of posturing has gone to McNair. If they both continue to draw lines in the sand, a slew of McNair is being selfish and doesn't care about the team spin is soon to follow. I hope that McNair realises his prime is behind him, reworks his deal and allows himself and the organization to move on respectfully and responsibly. The reason McNair has this cap number is because he renegotiated his contract to get them under the cap a couple of years ago. I can't imagine how this can be spinned against McNair. They never planned on paying this out, they just wanted to spread out his signing bonus over more years. They knew this time was coming since 2004 -- make a decision already!
posted by bperk at 04:04 PM on April 04, 2006
McNair and the Titans signed the deal, now the team wants to get out of it That doesn't seem to be it. It appears that they have both been perpetuating this situation for awhile. His uncertain status of being injured/pondering retirement has not helped. It seems as though neither McNair nor the Titans were sure of his future ability/willingness to play. With this uncertainty, they both made short term deals with long term ramifications, which are coming to fruition now. From the link: McNair and the Titans knew this day would come as far back as March 2004, when the $50 million option bonus was added — at the request of Cook — as part of a restructured contract. Neither side ever expected the $50 million to be paid. It was viewed as a way to help jumpstart negotiations for a new long-term contract. McNair has thrown for 24 tds and 29 int. since he and his agent agreed to try to jump start a long term contract. They took a wait and see attitude and now that they waited, they are seeing that McNair is not worthy of a top tier long term contract. They just have to realize that.
posted by tselson at 04:18 PM on April 04, 2006
They took a wait and see attitude and now that they waited, they are seeing that McNair is not worthy of a top tier long term contract. They just have to realize that. Where are you getting this from? I haven't read anywhere that McNair is expecting a long-term contract or a top-tier contract.
posted by bperk at 04:31 PM on April 04, 2006
The NFL is all about re-working contracts to fit under the cap nowadays. It happens with veterans everywhere, and McNair is no exception. Is it fair or right? That's not for me to say. On one hand, the Titans are trying to rebuild with mid-range players, and McNair should know that until he agrees to restructure things, he won't be wanted in Tennessee or anywhere else. Yeah, maybe the team could have handled it better, but the odds are pretty good he would have gotten hurt during a particular workout, given his track record (I'm only half serious on that last point).
posted by dyams at 04:48 PM on April 04, 2006
Well, here. The last go around was seemingly a temporary fix to the cap problems then. McNair and his agent were helping by restructuring his contract. They added the $50 million dollar extension as a lingering problem for the Titans, with the hope it would lead to a new long term contract. More than likely, due to his injuries and his wavering on retirement, it didn't. Now push has come to shove with McNair due to the short term fixes in the past. The Titans could have extended his contract for three more years for a whopping $50 million or left his contract alone, which has resulted in this mess. It seems to me that the intention all along was to try to hammer out a long term contract in the last year or two. That became extremely difficult for both sides with injuries and retirement talk. I'm not trying to villify either one of them.
posted by tselson at 05:22 PM on April 04, 2006
First, they added that $50 million not as a problem, but to provide a deadline by which a decision should be made. Second, I don't see anywhere that McNair is even looking for a long-term contract. Last offseason, he did waffle about retirement. This year's problems are pretty much on the Titans. It doesn't seem like they know if they want to keep him or not. In fact, banning him from their facilities seem as if they do not plan on keeping him. They should just make the call, so he can find a new team.
posted by bperk at 05:33 PM on April 04, 2006
ungrateful would say the least i live here in houston so i know that organization pretty well. contract or no contract thats a classless act. a pro bowler who took that franchise to its first superbowl appearance.dont get me wrong, i hate the titans. every player deserves alittle respect. more so mcnair, and to treat him the way they have....... is soooooooo sad
posted by p0p3y3 at 06:12 PM on April 04, 2006
There is a good possibility that McNair didn't know when he showed up if his agent was unable to immediately notify him. I don't buy this. Even if I'm Busta Rhymes, knee-deep in pussy at 3am, if my agent calls, I answer the phone. My bet is McNair knew.
posted by rocketman at 07:37 PM on April 04, 2006
What if you were elbow-deep? What then?
posted by yerfatma at 07:47 PM on April 04, 2006
I don't buy this. Even if I'm Busta Rhymes, knee-deep in pussy at 3am, if my agent calls, I answer the phone. I never answer the phone...ever. That's what God created answering machine for. Then if it's someone I want to talk to I email them.
posted by commander cody at 07:49 PM on April 04, 2006
Second, I don't see anywhere that McNair is even looking for a long-term contract. He was trying to get one then. My simple and only point is that with his injury/retirement problems, a long term deal became extremely dificult! Look, Bperk, I'm just trying to examine this crappy situation. If you would rather, I could say "screw the owners, they suck balls!," sorry. It is just another mess of salary cap manipulation. It takes foresight and give and take from BOTH the owners and the players to avoid this kind of situation. I'll say it one last time, THEY both seemed to put off an acceptable deal, and the reason was...McNair's injury/retirement stuff. It didn't help McNair get the most bang for his buck and it didn't help the team know that if they signed him they were going to be set at QB for the next few years. Good intentions pave the road to hell.
posted by tselson at 11:17 PM on April 04, 2006
arturo... Who is Valertari???
posted by nflhou02 at 12:16 AM on April 05, 2006
"Look, Joe Player, You're going to cost us too much money this year- so we'd like you to take one for the team, and re-do your contract so we can pay you less- we promise we'll make up the money you're losing plus some at the tail end of this next contract (cough: unless we decide it's too expensive and we cut you or rework the deal again before then)... Whaddya say?" This is why players are 'selfishly' concerned about the size of their signing bonuses, as it's likely the only money they'll actually see from the standard back-loaded NFL contract... The 2 thoughts about this situation are one: The system is bruised, if not broken completely, and Two: McNair is most likely refusing to re-work his deal (again) because he knows at this point in his career he'd be trading his retirement funds for an empty promise...
posted by don-peyote at 05:32 AM on April 05, 2006
I never answer the phone...ever. I'll hazard a guess you don't have an agent. What if you were elbow-deep? What then? Hope the other hand is free.
posted by rocketman at 10:29 AM on April 05, 2006
arturo... Who is Valertari??? /looking it up in the "Goober to English Dictionary." Ah, here it is: Vinatieri.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 10:37 AM on April 05, 2006
He had to know before he went in. Classless act by the Titans though. A trainer? If your the GM have the gonads to tell him yourself face to face. And didn't he restructure his contract way down before? I can't see anyone giving the Titans the benefit if doing that for a long while.
posted by FriarDuck at 04:24 PM on April 05, 2006
well i think the titas are idiots they disrespect the game itself they could draft in a new qb and keep mcnair they couldve handle it better
posted by defrag3x at 05:00 PM on April 05, 2006
hey could draft in a new qb and keep mcnair I think the point is McNair is too much of a salary cap hit for the upcoming year for the team to be able to afford both him and one of the top QB prospects.
posted by dyams at 05:17 PM on April 05, 2006
I choose the latter -- a classeless act by an ungrateful organization. He is under no obligation to rework his contract to suit them. If they can't get a deal done, then they need to cut him and move on. But, having a trainer tell him to leave because of fear that he could get hurt is ludicrous behavior.