The Texans’ unsigned and unhappy players are a blight on an otherwise excellent offseason
Written by Greg Shelley, Thursday July 30 2009
By failing to find a way to make three of their top players happy in this offseason, the Texans' organization has found a way to mar its early reputation.
I don’t know exactly when speculation became such a big business, but it is. I don’t know when “it’s not personal, it’s only business” became the favorite cheer of unethical deed-doers everywhere, but it seems to serve as a creed of justification just about anywhere these days. The NFL is certainly no exception to the rule. Hell, they might even be the #1 purveyor of such conduct on both sides of the dealings between players and organizations.
To the dismay of virtually every fan of the sport of football, the politics of money often taints the virtues and passions of this great sport. Unfortunately, the many dramatic duels playing out at this moment across the league have very little to do with the players as individuals or even the sport itself. At this very moment, many a fans’ favorite player remains unsigned, and to those fans in particular, that seems to leave the chances of a winning season in jeopardy. Ah, but once again, even though the fans ultimately and collectively are the reason the league continues to prosper, this isn’t about them either.
Some folks seem to want to blame the owners; others will blame the players. And, growing as a fan favorite for blame are the union and the agents, at least they often make easy general media targets. I, however, blame greed and human nature. If the owners had a collectively strong history of wanting to play fair with the giant profits, a union would have never been necessary. Likewise, a guy who has a simple passion for playing football while growing relatively wealthy should have no need for an agent either, but when you throw in the lawyers filling their pockets from both sides, you will quickly find out that the problem is far more complex than a simple decision to play or not to play.
So, earlier, I mentioned how speculation had become such a big business. You can look at how much speculation goes on in politics, particularly around election time, but you can also look at how much speculation plays into money-making news, particularly at the mere sniff of the start of a new season. The genuinely sad part in both politics and sports is how the majority of the speculation ends up incorrect, yet goes forever uncorrected or self-admitted.
I, for one, am willing to admit my mistakes. For instance, last year, I predicted the Texans would go 6-0 to finish out the season. Many thought I was insane. I was wrong. They finished 5-1. Still, my worst sin, it seems, is predicting that the Texans would redeem themselves by signing Dunta Robinson to a new long-term deal before the deadline, despite the fact that they toyed with him earlier. I mean, I wrote nothing but good stuff about the character and integrity of the Texans’ coaching staff, front office, and ownership ever since the run into those last 6 games began and gave way to the seemingly great, yet slightly imperfect offseason.
While I did not realize it at the time, I also dismissed and possibly disrespected Dunta Robinson in his quest for the contract he wants and deserves, because I primarily thought the Texans’ organization would come through in the end. And, then came news that the Texans were not so upfront with other solid players such as Owen Daniels and DeMeco Ryans. That came to me like a hard slap in the face from an organization from top to bottom that has professed its determination to “take care” of its biggest team contributors.
If you are seemingly going out of your way to leave three of your #1 players (in their respective positions) unhappy, then I have no idea what you are suggesting to other future veterans who may consider joining the team. If this had begun with the failure to sign some new draftees, I would be much more understanding of the hard ball being played here. However, it has begun with these key veterans, and as of today, has continued into the failure to sign key draft picks, Brian Cushing and Connor Barwin.
Training camp begins tomorrow, and as of this afternoon, no new transactions have taken place, despite General Manager, Rick Smith’s reputation for placing a priority on signing the new draftees. Is it possible that the treatment of the veteran players has played a role in the sort of hardball being played by the new players’ agents? Ultimately, it’s very difficult to say, because very little is being said on either side about the details of the hold-up.
Now, I do have to admit that when I think about the fact that the Texans have forced themselves into a position of paying Dunta Robinson 9.957 million dollars for the 2009 season, I can’t help but think Robinson is being very silly not to show for camp and the start of the season. After all, I would love to have the talent to play football for a living. I can only imagine what that is like, but I do know how very much I enjoy playing even a small pick-up game of flag football for only the fun of it and the aches and pains I will get the next day.
A more reasoned approach helps me to understand that Dunta’s decision to accept this contract or not has so much bearing on so many others, including current and future players at the position that, well, it suddenly becomes so much bigger than just himself. It also can have a very significant bearing on his family’s future, particularly if the guaranteed money is low over the long run and he were to end up permanently unable to play as a result of playing his heart and physical health out for the Texans.
On the other hand, there is this multi-hundreds-of-millions-of dollars organization that proclaims its character by previously mouthing notions that it will definitely see to it that its team players will be taken care of. It (which is the nice thing about such big organizations because you are deflected from the “who”) decides to play the most severe of hardball with three of its top players, guys who have contributed in big ways over the years. It then has to deal with a few of the early consequences, such as the hard ball being played by a couple of likely future superstars for the Texans.
Like I mentioned in the beginning of the article, many people will be willing to dismiss this as “business as usual”; however, I have trouble in believing in the notion that such is the road to greatness. Perhaps, in the end, I hold the teams I admire and celebrate to a standard too high. Not only do I expect them to win, but I expect them to win with dignity, honesty, fairness, and greatness. I expect them to destroy the notion of “business as usual,” by doing business with excellence, by being known for keeping their word, and by serving up a heavy dose of reward to those individuals who have rewarded them and the organization.
By failing to properly take care of Robinson, Daniels, and Ryans, I feel that the organization has blown a chance to lead the way in the league in more ways than one. The good news is that they still have a chance to right the ship. And, because I am still an avid fan of the coaches, the team, the organization, and the owner, I hope they will learn from their rookie mistakes, and go on to lead the way in wins and stay among the true Winners regardless of their record on the field.
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4 comments
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I appreciate that Dave. Fortunately, all the draft picks are now signed. But, unfortunately, if you read McClain's article yesterday, there are still some negative vibes with the Daniels, Robinson, and Ryans deals. I hope they make good of that real soon. Fortunately, Robinson is the only holdout, though he is a significant one for sure.
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While there are some extenuating circumstances and the CBA definitely plays a role, I tend to agree with you Greg ... this *IS* the breakout season for the Texans and if for no other reason than morale they need to get all this done and over with before Opening Day. I don't think that Ryans, Daniels or even Robinson are over-demanding.
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Barrett, yep, considered all of that and still think it stinks that these guys are not signed, particularly because the three vets are the top players on the team at their positions. And, it was in fact the Texans who broke their promise to Dunta, which is what has him so pissed off in the first place. They might not be in the same situation if Mr. Smith hadn't put himself in a position to break his word. And, I would agree, there is always more than meets the eye, and in particular with these issues, we are not always told all the facts. I still think the organization holds an extreme amount of power over whether or not the deals get done. The worries over the CBA are just an additional piece of politics on each side, and I do agree that the status of it certainly complicates things on both sides. Thanks for reading!
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has it occurred to you that it's much more complicated with the looming uncertainty of the CBA? Or the fact that the players you are discussing are still under contract? Did you concider that under the current CBA they would not become free agents until their 6th seasons? Or that possibility that there is a greater priority to get the draft picks signed by camp start? Or that the #15 pick has the same agent as the 2 picks ahead of him and therefore might be a lesser priority not to mention he has to wait until they are signed to appropriately judge his value? Has it occurred to you that it's entirely possible that there is MUCH more involved than the front office's "willingness" to "do the right thing"?