Though the bulk of the focus on unsigned rookies has centered on the two top-ten draft picks who remain not members of their NFL teams, a third-round pick still didn't have a contract as of yesterday.
Finally, rookie linebacker Tyrone McKenzie, a third-round pick, has a deal.
The problem is that, because McKenzie tore an ACL during the rookie minicamp held only a week after he was drafted, no urgency existed on the part of the Pats to finalize a contract. And so McKenzie has had to wait until late August to cash the signing bonus check on what likely was a fairly simple slotted deal.
The delay in getting McKenzie's contract completed makes us wonder if/when agents will begin to refuse to allow their clients to participate in offseason workouts absent signed contracts. The current procedure entails inking a letter of protection, which promises that if an ACL pops, the player will get a fair deal. But since there's no time limit on when a fair contract will be provided, and since the player has no leverage at that point because even if he signs he won't be playing until next year at the earliest, the team can choose to drag its feet.
If the agents would collectively decide that no rookies will participate in the increasingly important offseason drills until they are signed to their entry-level contracts, things could get very interesting. The problem, however, is that some agents will break ranks, especially as to lower-round picks who realize that they might not be able to make the roster if they don't take advantage of the opportunities to catch the eye of the coaching staff in helmets and underwear.
Still, even if only the players taken in the first three rounds decide that they're not risking their ligaments and tendons and bones absent binding contracts, the NFL's teams might have no choice but to move the mid-July fire drill into early May.
Pats finally sign McKenzie
Posted by Mike Florio on August 26, 2009 8:31 AM ET
Wait a minute. Now we are complaining because these guys might have to wait a month to cash their lottery cheque. Oh the hardship!!
So let me get this straight. The player suffered a season-ending injury in rookie camp. That means the team owes him his fair slotted deal. And....drumroll please...they sign him to his fair slotted deal.
It's a couple of weeks later than most players because there isn't the normal urgency to get him onto the practice field, but it's still August.
This is a scandal that's supposed to change the whole signing process? I don't get it.
yawn - how about fixing the darn login thing (that logs everyone out all the time) instead of pontificating on a non-story.
Who cares? He knew he was going to get paid a fair deal and he did.
Who cares about the Patriots?
It seems like given how so few have season ending injuries during minicamps and OTAs, it wouldn't be worthwhile to make that push.
That push may also cause there to be a definite rookie wage scale to allow for zero negotiation and having everyone signed on time.
Also, presumably the Patriots took care of all his medical expenses (pre-rehab, surgery, post-rehab, etc.). They've been taking care of him and treating him fairly. McKenzie may've been amicable to the situation so the Patriots could carry one more player on the roster.
Seems to me that this situation is the reason why insurance exists. The league should require teams to buy each unsigned rookie an insurance policy for a standard amount before they show up to OTAs. Some of the pool will get hurt every year, but most won't. The insurance will pay enough for living expenses while the contracts are negotiated. The insurance companies will make some money, the rookies are protected against delays in their contract negotiations, and the teams get their rookies to show up for camp. Win-win-win.
The delay was because, according to the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss, there could be some unique and creative aspects to the deal that would allow McKenzie to recoup some of the money that the injury may have cost him.
BTW, Mike Reiss is now the best football reporter in the country, in my opinion.
Demetrius Byrd still hasn't signed.
"The delay was because, according to the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss, there could be some unique and creative aspects to the deal that would allow McKenzie to recoup some of the money that the injury may have cost him."
OK, that makes sense. The typical contract would build off of some incentives that a rookie on IR has no chance to meet, so this deal is non-standard -- and there's no urgency. So it took a little longer, but it got done.
WOW is this the biggest non-story of the year.
Buy insurance
Florio, the delay in the contract was due to the fact that they were negotiating escalators in Years 2/3/4 that would've allowed the player to achieve the same overall pay as if he were to have played in year 1.
So as always you assume the worst, get the most clicks and make someone else look like an ass when in reality the team and the player are actually trying to achieve a fair agreement based on the circumstance.
Hey gameday, do you have a job, a girlfriend, kids, or a hobby?
Gameday,
Are you really that bored?
thanks for clearing that up; i always wondered about that, now i know that there is an agreement ahead of time. mckenzie is a rough prospect but has a chance to be good. glad he will get it. seems to me that the agreements they sign in mini camp should also include a clause that says players must be signed by the 1st day of the season or something like that.
so Gameday, you spend a lot of time living out your fantasies online? How's your world of warcraft character coming along?
Way too much effort Gameday for a team you hate so much. Someone needs a hug real bad.
gameday has proven only one thing with his constant posts about the Patriots - he's awful bitter, obsessed, and mentally tormented by this team.
Anyone else picture Gameday writing this stuff while sitting in his Mom's basement, in the dark, surrounded by empty Cheeto bags and crushed Red Bull cans?
There is a bell tower waiting somewhere in this guys future, and it ain't gonna be pretty.
Florio: I was proud when you stated that you go over every comment and approve it and that people who are disrespectful and trolling would be banned, starting with Sixbergdude or whatever his name is/was.
I was certain that gameday would be included. Enough's enough. The guy is a troll and lives to suck bandwidth on Patriot articles. There's healthy banter and outright stupidity. Can you please remove the outright stupidity?
Hey "Lameday", get a life, dude!
not a fan of the pats, but that little season preview thing is pretty lame. i'm not gonna bother reading it. you need to get a hobby.
Gameday, you got a lot of time on your hands - get a job!
Pre Season: Jealous morons jack off to fantasys where the Patriots are embarrased.
Week 1: Jealous morons cry about the Pats running up the score
Week 1 to Week 17: Repeat Week 1
Wow. Just wow. I copied gameday's dissertation into a word doc and had it calculate the word count.
He actually wrote a 1,705 word essay on the Patriots season. What a total f'n loser.
No wonder Rivers yells at those fans. Just look at how they act.
BTW, Mike Reiss is now the best football reporter in the country, in my opinion.
I also think Reiss is doing a very good job even if I occasionally disagree with some of the criticisms he voices on the Pats...hopefully it won't go to his head and have him ending up going all Ron Borges on us.
Oh man, I bet you were just smug as a bug while sitting there writing that up, Gamegay.
Visions of everyone congratulating you on your wit and creativity, your post quoted over and over again, being crowned the "Dude" by your fellow PFT'ers.
Yes, your delusions of grandeur and attention whoring are entertaining. Keep up the good work!
Mr. Florio - Why is it that every time the Patriots do something, you have to go out of your way to spin it into a negative light? Heck, did you even do any homework on McKenzie? Like, who paid for his ACL surgery? Who paid his doctor bills? Who is conducting his physical therapy?
I'd bet that you'll find that its the Patriots insurance that is doing it.
Also, I am fairly certain that leaving injured rookies to be signed last is standard operating procedure for most, if not all, of the NFL teams.
In fact, I believe that its in the CBA that drafted rookies who get injured during team activities are guaranteed a contract.
This has to be one of the poorest articles you've ever put out. And that is saying something considering some of the stuff you've claimed is "news".
gameday, seek help....immediately.
Didn't you predict Chargers vs. Patriots in the AFCCG just a few weeks ago? Answer= yes. Either way, I'm wagering you put that pre-made noose into action before the calender strikes 2010.
And just in case I forgot to mention it...seek help....immediately.
Translation of the myriad comments from the lame Pats fans regarding the "gameday" spoof of the Pats season:
WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
You Patriot pussies have got to be the biggest babies on the planet. Somehow, if this parody had been targeting, oh say, the Steelers, you all would have been laughing your asses off and patting the author (doubtlessly one of you Pats moron fans) on the ass repeatedly (or maybe you all would have been patting him on the ass because you are all poofters). Get over yourselves, pathetic Pats losers. "Frank", in particular, likely misses his brother now that he has shacked up with Brett Pedroia.
I didn't hear no bell. says:
August 26, 2009 11:00 AM
Florio: I was proud when you stated that you go over every comment and approve it and that people who are disrespectful and trolling would be banned, starting with Sixbergdude or whatever his name is/was.
I was certain that gameday would be included. Enough's enough. The guy is a troll and lives to suck bandwidth on Patriot articles. There's healthy banter and outright stupidity. Can you please remove the outright stupidity?
___________
Florio, while you are at it, please ban the Pats trolls who try and pretend that they are not, but are only here to start trouble. heywood jablowme (in addition to having the lamest screen name on the planet) would be a good start.
Per Reiss:
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2009/08/mckenzie_breaks.html
The Patriots go out of their way to allow a guy that hasn't even played a down for them to earn money he was not owed.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots continue to show why they are the class of the NFL.
BTW, you banned sixburghdude?
That dude was funny. He was a welcome break from the 27 other literate Steeler fans out there (five of which are posters on this board).
tj.52, Belichick and the Pats 'the class of the NFL'? Maybe if you consider Spygate, dirty players like Wilfork and Harrison, and druggies like Willie Andrews, Kevin Faulk and Nick Kaczur "classy". But then again, that probably does pass for "class" amongst you New England trailer trash morons up there.
Fact is, you New Englanders know NOTHING about the word CLASS, so quit throwing that word around because it does NOT apply to your teams nor to your fan base.
Uh oh...gameday's manifesto has already been taken down. What a shame, that must have taken at least an hour to put together, save onto MS Word, and copy and paste.
Careful gameday, I, unlike others, don't want to see you get banned. No, it will be so much more fun to see your reaction when the Pats put up another 14+ win season.
gameday..........may God have mercy.....on his wicked soul.
That post from gameday must have been epic. I am truly bummed to have missed it. I wish I could have seen it.
hayward giablommi says:
August 26, 2009 1:45 PM
Uh oh...gameday's manifesto has already been taken down. What a shame, that must have taken at least an hour to put together, save onto MS Word, and copy and paste.
Careful gameday, I, unlike others, don't want to see you get banned. No, it will be so much more fun to see your reaction when the Pats put up another 14+ win season.
___________
Even MORE fun to watch as they flop after all of the jawing by you moronic Pats fans.
There is a human side to the Patriots' way of doing business. This was apparent in Belichick's statements about McKenzie when he was first drafted. It doesn't mean that Kraft is a philanthropist. It just means there's a realization that individuals will put forth more effort, and teams will operate more efficiently on the field, if the boss is judged to be fair.
Florio Borio says: tj.52, Belichick and the Pats 'the class of the NFL'? Maybe if you consider Spygate, dirty players like Wilfork and Harrison, and druggies like Willie Andrews, Kevin Faulk and Nick Kaczur "classy". But then again, that probably does pass for "class" amongst you New England trailer trash morons up there.
Fact is, you New Englanders know NOTHING about the word CLASS, so quit throwing that word around because it does NOT apply to your teams nor to your fan base.
---------------------------------------------------------
@Florio Borio:
Wow, did Tom Brady bang your girl or something?
You really need to start hitting the decaf and loosen up a bit, pal.
@Cap: What insurance company would do that?
Lloyds of London used to, but not sure if they even venture into the high risk world of insuring athletes...
Florio, I thought you banned SixBurghDude? He's come back as his alter ego FlorioBorio. There's no mistaking the content of each of these morons.
Leave gameday alone, he is sometimes the only comedy I get during the day...if you can't laugh at the meek who can you laugh at?
Heeeeyyy look who's back... its Florio Borio. Is (s)he a Steelers fan? Is (s)he a Jester fan? How has (s)he not been banned yet? Or, perhaps, is this SixBurghDude reincarnated? Nobody quite knows.
All we know is that he is one of the most bitter, one dimensional trolls to ever step into the domain on PFT. that aside, how was summer camp this year, Florio Borio? Did the "cool" kids tease and taunt you relentless again like last year?
I am sure Florio Borio's favorite team has nothing but upstanding citizens with a higher moral standard.
I♥Patriots says:
August 26, 2009 4:08 PM
I am sure Florio Borio's favorite team has nothing but upstanding citizens with a higher moral standard.
------------------------------------------------------
( And alleged rapists )
( And drug users )
( And Referee bribers )
( And owners who believe in the wee folk of the emerald isle )
Florio Borio - Its amazing how you whine and complain about Pats fans supposedly whining, yet you turn right around and whine yourself.
1) Spygate was overblown and had NO IMPACT on the games in which the taping occurred. The penalty certainly did not fit the crime. Especially when you consider how badly the 49ers and Broncos cheated against the salary cap so they could win their Super Bowls.
2) Where is your proof that Faulk is a druggie? What did they find 1 or 2 joints in a jacket that he borrowed? You do know that he tested CLEAN (with the hair test, btw) of drugs right? Hmm.. No.. don't think you do.
3) Willie Andrews was cut from the team after the felony gun charges. That is more than the Colts did.
4) I love when idiots like yourself call Wilfork and Harrison dirty. You probably listen to POS like Kevin Mawae, arguably the dirtiest player in the league when he points the finger at others..
5) You clearly don't know anything about the word CLASS either. As for throwing it around, considering the other garbage you've spewed, you aren't one to be telling anyone else about class or a lack there of.
There are people who are "trailer trash" all over the United States. But, I can tell you this. They are a minority in New England. Its pretty stupid of you to try and suggest otherwise.
apparently i missed gamedays finest moment?
PirateFreedom says:
August 26, 2009 12:18 PM
Pre Season: Jealous morons jack off to fantasys where the Patriots are embarrased.
Week 1: Jealous morons cry about the Pats running up the score
Week 1 to Week 17: Repeat Week 1
------------------
PreSeason: Media jacks off to "Brady is back!"
Week 1: Brady drops back, linebacker drops into his knee. POP!
Week 17: A wide-open NFL playoff picture looks a lot more interesting to everyone else in the USA, and the barely intelligible boston accent bragging is subdued for another year.
@ Jackal138
You're a class act. Good luck with your puppy killing felon backup QB and underachieving starting QB.
The level of venom you have towards Boston is amusing, considering the overwhelming ambivilence Bostonians (and New Englanders) feel about Philly teams.