My Fitz Rant

[Mitch]

Fitz is calling the Cardinals' bluff...his contract said that if he earned his incentives he'd make $14.6M in year 5. Even Fitz MUST know he's not worth it. No player, except Tom Brady or Peyton Manning is worth 1/6 of a team's payroll...and even they concede that to win Super Bowls they cannot allow themselves to take up that much cap space. It's just not feasible in any way, shape or form.

Fitz is already set for life financially. What difference does it make if he makes his millions in set salaries or signing bonuses? He's gonna get his...one way or another, This is what irks me to no end about this guy. I don't begrudge him his money...but I do begrudge the fact that he's milking this situation out for all he can get at the expense of a struggling franchise trying to turn the corner.

In my mind, he's the last painful link to Dennis "Pie Chart" Green. Green took him when we had greater needs...and it cost the Cardinals then, and it's costing them worse now.

Imagine what this season will be like if Graves does as he says he's going to do???: pay Fitz what he's earned. The original contract was ludicrous, and a desperate ploy to get him signed and in camp as soon as possible.

When the Cardinals go 5-11 this year...all their shortcomings will be piled on Fitz, because he cost the team the opportunity to improve the personnel enough to build on a rare 8-8 season.

Fitz was offered a contract that would make him the highest paid non-QB in the NFL. It's not good enough for him. Well. as far as I'm concerned, he can take his act to Philly or wherever else he will be allowed to soak up an inordinate portion of their cap.

The worst of it is...he's not that good. He's got great hands...but he's like Rob Moore...he has to leave his feet to make most of his catches. He rarely catches anything in stride...and in terms of playing tough, he cannot even come close to holding Anquan Boldin's jock.

I want him out of here and I want him out of here a.s.a.p.

Right now I would take Lito Shepperd and a 2nd round pick for him...and I would use that cap space to sign WR Drew Carter (CAR), FS Eugene Wilson, CB William Joseph, LS Nathan Hodel, QB Tim Hasselbeck, WR Jerheme Urban, DE Chris Cooper (yes I want him back), and I would draft:

1. RB Felix Jones to electrify our slow offense.

2A. DE Trevor Laws.

2B. WR Donnie Avery. His 4.3 speed and good hands would be just what Anquan Boldin needs to keep the safeties out of the middle.

Etc............................

Bye Fitz...call Denny Green for support...and let's hope you can take the Philly media the way Calvin Pace is going to fry in the NY media. Good riddance.

 

[DaisyCutter]

Fitz earned the money. If the Cards didn't think that it was worth it, they shouldn't have made the deal. Graves new the contract--he negotiated it. He gambled that the new system would keep Fitz out of a second Pro Bowl, and he lost that gamble (as he's lost pretty much every other gamble that he's taken).

Fitz is a Top 25 player in the NFL. He's 24 years old and not even as good as he'll eventually end up. If you want to trade him for $0.60 on the dollar, I'm glad that you're not the General Manager of the Arizona Cardinals.

The only person that I would not prefer to see in Rod Graves' seat.

 

[SeattleCard]

This post is really silly.

 

[Buckybird]

Yeah Mitch and when the Cards trade Fitz and finish 5-11 all the blame will be on the ownership for not keeping a great player. In my opinion trading him could be disastrous in the locker room, the media (locally & nationally) and the fans. Pay the kid, give him an extension and deal with Q and AW when the time comes. Oh by the way, the Cards should can our GM after something in this mess is resolved. Remember when nobody wanted to sign with the Cards? Trade Fitz and the tide could turn!!! Play for today, not 3-4 years down the road.

 

[Russ Smith]

Fitz earned the money. If the Cards didn't think that it was worth it, they shouldn't have made the deal. Graves new the contract--he negotiated it. He gambled that the new system would keep Fitz out of a second Pro Bowl, and he lost that gamble (as he's lost pretty much every other gamble that he's taken).

Fitz is a Top 25 player in the NFL. He's 24 years old and not even as good as he'll eventually end up. If you want to trade him for $0.60 on the dollar, I'm glad that you're not the General Manager of the Arizona Cardinals.

The only person that I would not prefer to see in Rod Graves' seat.

I don't agree with Mitch's take but I don't agree with yours here either. Yes Fitz earned the money but the Cards had no choice but to make the deal. We all know how the draft works if you don't pay the player the going market rate he doesn't sign. Nobody is more familiar with this than the Cardinals, we knew Fitz was going to be tough to sign when we drafted him, he wasn't going to sign a contract that didn't have escalators. Most players who have such escalators never see them kick in, we're fortunate that Fitz played so well they did kick in but let's not act like we could have signed him to a deal without escalators if we had wanted to.

If we refused escalators and incentives Larry would never have signed, that's just the reality.

 

[Pariah]

The worst of it is...he's not that good.

I'm all for trading him if we can't restructure....but this is silly.

 

[HookemCards]

Fitz is calling the Cardinals' bluff...his contract said that if he earned his incentives he'd make $14.6M in year 5. Even Fitz MUST know he's not worth it. No player, except Tom Brady or Peyton Manning is worth 1/6 of a team's payroll...and even they concede that to win Super Bowls they cannot allow themselves to take up that much cap space. It's just not feasible in any way, shape or form.

Fitz is already set for life financially. What difference does it make if he makes his millions in set salaries or signing bonuses? He's gonna get his...one way or another, This is what irks me to no end about this guy. I don't begrudge him his money...but I do begrudge the fact that he's milking this situation out for all he can get at the expense of a struggling franchise trying to turn the corner.

In my mind, he's the last painful link to Dennis "Pie Chart" Green. Green took him when we had greater needs...and it cost the Cardinals then, and it's costing them worse now.

Imagine what this season will be like if Graves does as he says he's going to do???: pay Fitz what he's earned. The original contract was ludicrous, and a desperate ploy to get him signed and in camp as soon as possible.

When the Cardinals go 5-11 this year...all their shortcomings will be piled on Fitz, because he cost the team the opportunity to improve the personnel enough to build on a rare 8-8 season.

Fitz was offered a contract that would make him the highest paid non-QB in the NFL. It's not good enough for him. Well. as far as I'm concerned, he can take his act to Philly or wherever else he will be allowed to soak up an inordinate portion of their cap.

The worst of it is...he's not that good. He's got great hands...but he's like Rob Moore...he has to leave his feet to make most of his catches. He rarely catches anything in stride...and in terms of playing tough, he cannot even come close to holding Anquan Boldin's jock.

I want him out of here and I want him out of here a.s.a.p.

Right now I would take Lito Shepperd and a 2nd round pick for him...and I would use that cap space to sign WR Drew Carter (CAR), FS Eugene Wilson, CB William Joseph, LS Nathan Hodel, QB Tim Hasselbeck, WR Jerheme Urban, DE Chris Cooper (yes I want him back), and I would draft:

1. RB Felix Jones to electrify our slow offense.

2A. DE Trevor Laws.

2B. WR Donnie Avery. His 4.3 speed and good hands would be just what Anquan Boldin needs to keep the safeties out of the middle.

Etc............................

Bye Fitz...call Denny Green for support...and let's hope you can take the Philly media the way Calvin Pace is going to fry in the NY media. Good riddance.

What were the numbers offered, because all i've heard is 25 to 30 mill guaranteed over 5 years. Just post here so that we all know.

 

[Mitch]

Allow me to clarify what I meant about Fitz not being "that" good...I mean $14.6M a year "that" good.

Fitz probably has the best hands of any WR in the NFL...but he's not fast, not particularly slippery, and he does most his damage catching in a crowd.

The coaches were all over him in the pre-season to clean up his routes and that helped a great deal.

He's not a RAC WR...just isn't. He's a lot like Rob Moore in that he has a penchant for leaving his feet when the ball is on its way.

How many TD bombs has Fitz caught (a la Moss, TO, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Chad Johnson and the real elite WRs in the NFL)? Can anyone name more than one? The one he had an easy chance on this year (because the CB bit and the safety was late), he inexplicably stepped out of bounds.

I'll tell you what...there's a young WR in San Diego...he's Fitz's size, maybe an inch taller and 8 pounds heavier...his name is Vincent Jackson...and that guy is explosive and he has outstanding hands...and if someone gave me the choice right now to take Fitz or Jackson, I would take Jackson...he's simply more explosive.

I don't have any problems with Fitz's talents...he is what he is...a darned good NFL WR. Is he an elite WR? IMO, no. Does he deserve $14.6M a year...to me that is laughable.

 

[joeshmo]

I am glad to have been gone for 5 days or so if this is the kind of silly threads I didnt have to subject myself to. Probably wont read any more of the threads I have missed since it looks like the rest of them are of a similar overreationary tone.

 

[Pariah]

You were gone for 5 days? ....er, I mean, Jeez, where have you been, Joe??!!

 

[devilfan02]

Fitz is calling the Cardinals' bluff...his contract said that if he earned his incentives he'd make $14.6M in year 5. Even Fitz MUST know he's not worth it. No player, except Tom Brady or Peyton Manning is worth 1/6 of a team's payroll...

I stopped reading here. You wanna know why? Because the idiot running the show, Rod Graves, thinks he's worth it. He offered him that contract now everyone has to deal with it. This is not Fitz' fault

 

[40yearfan]

I stopped reading here. You wanna know why? Because the idiot running the show, Rod Graves, thinks he's worth it. He offered him that contract now everyone has to deal with it. This is not Fitz' fault

And if RG hadn't offered those incentives to Fitz and Fitz held out into the regular season, you'd be the first to jump all over RG for not getting Fitz in on time.

That contract is a standard offering used by all teams in the NFL. To say otherwise shows a complete lack of knowledge about how the NFL operates.

 

[joeshmo]

He's not a RAC WR...just isn't. He's a lot like Rob Moore in that he has a penchant for leaving his feet when the ball is on its way.

The most over analyzed portion of his game that holds absolutly no water at all. 4 out of the top 5 WR's in the NFL last year were within 1 yard of RAC of each other and Fitz was in that group. If that is the best thing people can hang their hats when trying to bring Fitz and his game down then they are already on a very small ledge to begin with.

I'll tell you what...there's a young WR in San Diego...he's Fitz's size, maybe an inch taller and 8 pounds heavier...his name is Vincent Jackson...and that guy is explosive and he has outstanding hands...and if someone gave me the choice right now to take Fitz or Jackson, I would take Jackson...he's simply more explosive.

1.1 more yards per catch, 7 fewer TD's, and actually .01 less yards after catch. Fitz had 2.96, Vincent was 2.95. And both Vincent started all 16 games last year. If Vincent is Explosive then so is Fitz.

Take a few beers and call me in the morning. I think everyone should, even if your feeling good, becuase everyone is overexageratting a bit. Including me for thinking everyone is overexageratting.

 

[40yearfan]

The most over analyzed portion of his game that holds absolutly no water at all. 4 out of the top 5 WR's in the NFL last year were within 1 yard of RAC of each other and Fitz was in that group. If that is the best thing people can hang their hats when trying to bring Fitz and his game down then they are already on a very small ledge to begin with.




1.1 more yards per catch, 7 fewer TD's, and actually .01 less yards after catch. Fitz had 2.96, Vincent was 2.95. And both Vincent started all 16 games last year. If Vincent is Explosive then so is Fitz.

Take a few beers and call me in the morning. I think everyone should, even if your feeling good, becuase everyone is overexageratting a bit. Including me for thinking everyone is overexageratting.

Joe, while you are at it, how about explaining to some on here that Fitz's contract is not unusual.

 

[joeshmo]

You were gone for 5 days? ....er, I mean, Jeez, where have you been, Joe??!!

I was gone for 5 days making me a crap list and you sir are now on it. Thats right it took me 5 days, thats how big it is. My shrink told me I have to learn to forgive and forget but he is on my crap list to.

 

[joeshmo]

Joe, while you are at it, how about explaining to some on here that Fitz's contract is not unusual.

It is not unusual. How is that for a short explaination.

The only unusual about it is that it wasnt renegotiated last offseason. Most FO's usually get these types of deals done before the escalators kick in. Cards didnt think he was going to reach that escalator which was a calculated risk. One I think I would have made myself considering Wiz was supposed to bring in a much more run oriented offense and Boldin was supposed to be healthy. Under those circumstances I wouldnt think Fitz or Boldin would make the pro bowl either no matter how good they are they just wouldnt have gotten the stats under the optimum Wiz circumstances. Cards took a calculated risk based on the facts and they got burned by it.

So in the end what I am trying to say is that it isnt Graves or Fitz fault, its the coaches fault.

 

[ajcardfan]

1.1 more yards per catch, 7 fewer TD's, and actually .01 less yards after catch. Fitz had 2.96, Vincent was 2.95. And both Vincent started all 16 games last year. If Vincent is Explosive then so is Fitz.

 

[Pariah]

I was gone for 5 days making me a crap list and you sir are now on it. Thats right it took me 5 days, thats how big it is. My shrink told me I have to learn to forgive and forget but he is on my crap list to.

Damn. You were the one that didn't have me on it!

 

[DaisyCutter]

I don't agree with Mitch's take but I don't agree with yours here either. Yes Fitz earned the money but the Cards had no choice but to make the deal. We all know how the draft works if you don't pay the player the going market rate he doesn't sign. Nobody is more familiar with this than the Cardinals, we knew Fitz was going to be tough to sign when we drafted him, he wasn't going to sign a contract that didn't have escalators. Most players who have such escalators never see them kick in, we're fortunate that Fitz played so well they did kick in but let's not act like we could have signed him to a deal without escalators if we had wanted to.

If we refused escalators and incentives Larry would never have signed, that's just the reality.

I think what most people are missing is that the contract was never designed so that Fitz would actually make those salaries. The whole reason his cap number is ridiculous is to force the Cards to renegotiate the deal for more guaranteed money if Fitz turned out to be the player they expected him to be.

The deal is escalators like this or voidable years. Likely, Fitz would have hit escalators that gave him a bonus this year and allowed him to void the 2009 year of his contract. It wasn't only insane escalators that were the Cards' only option.

The Cards could have come up with other/different incentives, or used voidable years instead. There were other options.

 

[Sandan]

Daisy, read Joe's post

 

[Russ Smith]

I think what most people are missing is that the contract was never designed so that Fitz would actually make those salaries. The whole reason his cap number is ridiculous is to force the Cards to renegotiate the deal for more guaranteed money if Fitz turned out to be the player they expected him to be.

The deal is escalators like this or voidable years. Likely, Fitz would have hit escalators that gave him a bonus this year and allowed him to void the 2009 year of his contract. It wasn't only insane escalators that were the Cards' only option.

The Cards could have come up with other/different incentives, or used voidable years instead. There were other options.

Oh I get that I'm just objecting to the we made the deal he earned the money comment. We had no choice but to make the deal if we hadn't he'd have never signed his rookie deal.

As Joe said what makes it bad now is Graves et al never expected Fitz to hit the escalators but he did.

I don't know if you were here then but when Rolle was negotiating his rookie deal his mom posted on one of the boards and she outright said if an agent is doing his job, a high first round pick should NEVER see the end of his rookie contract, it's designed to force the team to renegotiate and that's what Antrell was asking for. That's precisely what Larry's contract was designed to do and yes it's the teams fault we didn't renegotiate earlier.

I just took exception to the idea that we had a choice of offering him that deal, we didn't, it was the only way he'd have ever signed.

 

[Sandan]

Nobody else expected him to make the escalators either

 

[RonF]

Somehow I struggle with the concept that we condemn a player for wanting the Cards to stick to their contract offer, or if wanting to extend the player, sweeten the pot to make it worth while. This is business and the Cards (pardon the pun) fall in Fitz's favor. Whether we keep him, trade him, or let him walk, which is what we often do to a player, Fitz wins.

 

[Captain Matt]

It is not unusual. How is that for a short explaination.

The only unusual about it is that it wasnt renegotiated last offseason. Most FO's usually get these types of deals done before the escalators kick in. Cards didnt think he was going to reach that escalator which was a calculated risk. One I think I would have made myself considering Wiz was supposed to bring in a much more run oriented offense and Boldin was supposed to be healthy. Under those circumstances I wouldnt think Fitz or Boldin would make the pro bowl either no matter how good they are they just wouldnt have gotten the stats under the optimum Wiz circumstances. Cards took a calculated risk based on the facts and they got burned by it.

So in the end what I am trying to say is that it isnt Graves or Fitz fault, its the coaches fault.

Let's blame us drafting Levi Brown then.... LOL..... Maybe with Adrian Peterson we'd have ran it more, Fitz would have been "average" and we'd have made enough room to sign Faneca.

 

[ajcardfan]

Mitch's current rant inspired me to bump this one.