That's a step down from last year's No. 1 contract, which guaranteed Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell as much as $32 million if he reaches certain milestones. But the more important difference is the timing. Russell held out for all of training camp and the exhibition season, finally signing in September. His rookie season was almost a total loss. Long signed before he was even drafted, and he'll be present at the first workout.
Skipping your first NFL training camp while haggling over a few million dollars -- out of dozens of millions on the table -- is a good way to get yourself into this photo gallery, part of Sports Illustrated's fabulous new online archive, known as the S.I. Vault.
The photo gallery of which he writes is a list of the Top 21 Draft Busts of all time.
Now, plenty of local sportswriters (although I believe Kaufman also lives in the Bay Area) have made this comparison, but so far none of them have suggested flat out that JaMarcus is going to be a bust. Even Nancy Gay--while she does get in another fat joke--stops short of suggesting JaMarcus is going to be a bust.
King's just lucky Sal Paolantonio wrote a stupid-ass column this week, or might have won our award.
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3 comments:
Isn't the other "timing" difference that Long's contract is for 5 years and JaMarcus' is for 6?
So how much of the JaMarcus thing was negotiator ineptitude (on either side), how much was the first QB #1 contract under an expanded cap, and how much was the development of unprecedented language in the wake of the Lelie/Denver thing combined with the Goodell off-field crackdown and the Vick situation?
Theory - Nancy Gay's Raider articles follow this formula:
Headline: Raiders [are obviously stupid for some reason]
Article content: Well, when you really look into it their actions are understandable, but they sure seem stupid, don't they?
What's the award? Can I still have it?
I didn't "[suggest] flat out that JaMarcus is going to be a bust." I just said that skipping rookie training camp and exhibition season is a good first step down that road.
And yeah I live in the Bay Area. And root for the Raiders, though not exclusively.
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