Packer's holdout wounds self inflicted

PackerTraxx

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COMMENTARY: Packers' holdout wounds self-inflicted
00:00 am 7/07/05
Andy Baggot Wisconsin State Journal


Grady Jackson has given indications through his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, that the Packers are going to have to pay him more money if they want the nose tackle's services this season.
(State Journal archives)
See what happens when you drip a little blood in NFL waters? Sooner or later, dorsal fins with nasty intentions are thrashing around the kayak, intent on locating your femoral artery.

The Packers inadvertently nicked themselves last year dealing with malcontent cornerback Mike McKenzie. He wanted out of Green Bay in the worst way, so, on the advice of his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, McKenzie pouted and postured for months about wanting to renegotiate his contract.

The Packers refused, of course, but then gave McKenzie what he wanted all along when they traded him to New Orleans last October. Proof that McKenzie and Rosenhaus worked their misdirection play to perfection is that McKenzie is playing for the Saints under the same contract he had in Green Bay.

That drop of blood seems to be giving off quite the odor.

Rosenhaus has since landed three more clients on the Packers: running back Najeh Davenport, nose tackle Grady Jackson and wide receiver Javon Walker.

Walker made headlines in the spring when he announced he wanted a new deal, refused to show up at two minicamps and received an unexpected tongue lashing from quarterback Brett Favre.

Jackson started making headlines Wednesday when it was reported he had signed with Rosenhaus and was, in the words of his agent, "very dissatisfied" with his contract.




Walker, an All-Pro last season, and Jackson, an invaluable run-stuffer when healthy, have made it known that they might not be in attendance July 29 when veterans are scheduled to report to training camp in Green Bay.

Meanwhile, it's assumed the tactic with Davenport is to lay low until next season, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, before striking.

Two questions come to mind:

Who among the Packers is going to be next to pick up the scent?

How is new Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson going to clean up the mess?

Not to stir up more trouble, but there is an obvious answer to the first question. In fact, he's got a better performance resume than Davenport, Jackson, McKenzie and Walker combined and appears to have more holdout leverage.

Running back Ahman Green is entering the final year of a 5-year, $21.6 million agreement he signed in July of 2001. A record-setting Pro Bowl selection the past four seasons, Green is scheduled to make $4.375 million this season, well off the compensation pace set last year when Washington signed Clinton Portis to an 8-year, $50.5 million deal.

The agent who negotiated that landmark deal for Portis? Drew Rosenhaus.

Because I know you're wondering: As of Wednesday, according to the NFL Players Association, David Dunn was still the agent of record for Green.

The second question is more intriguing. Packers coach Mike Sherman was handling the GM duties last season when McKenzie and Rosenhaus pulled their stunt. Sherman wasn't outsmarted as much as he was outmaneuvered, but the fact remains Green Bay now appears vulnerable.

Thompson is now on clean-up duty. He has exactly three weeks before veterans report to St. Norbert College. We'll know then if a Band-Aid did the trick or if a tourniquet was needed.

Contact Andy Baggot at abaggot@madison or 252-6175
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This is exactly what concerned me last when MS caved into MacKensie and traded him. Now TT has inherited a real problem. Thankfully we have a full time GM to handle this and MS can put his efforts into coaching. If MS had to face this I believe we'd be in real trouble.
 

rabidgopher04

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One would like to think Green wouldn't pull something like this, but none of us really expected Walker and Grady (to a lesser extent) to sign Rosencrap.
 

DePack

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"Proof that McKenzie and Rosenhaus worked their misdirection play to perfection is that McKenzie is playing for the Saints under the same contract he had in Green Bay."

Not exactly. My understanding is that he will be holding out with the Saints come training camp. Another "chicken little" "writer" trying to stir up crap.
 

packedhouse01

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DePack why do you think this writer is a "chicken little" trying to stir up crap? Stop and think for a moment. The crap that McKenzie pulled last year should have been handled much differently and there were large numbers of fans who agreed that what Sherman should have done was let him sit out, or waste away a valuable year of his playing career. To be honest with you, if I were Thompson I'd put the word out that if you hold out of camp while you're under contract, you won't play this season for anyone. And then I'd make sure I held to my word. If they don't want to play they shouldn't be paid. If they Grady and Javon didn't want to play for the amount of money they're playing for then they shouldn't have signed the contract. If they want toleave that badly then they should play out their contract and sign with someone else at the end of their contract. That's how honorable people do business.
 

musccy

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I too am worried about Green. There were whispers of him holding out one of the last 2 TCs, I forget which. Both he and Flanny? have admitted that if TT budges on Walker et al, then they will pull the same stunt.
 

DePack

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I agree with you packedhouse, as to how to handle these holdouts, but MM actually came back to the team and then feigned an injury. He wasn't traded as a holdout. He wasn't sitting out a year. Sherman did just as you say he should have done until MM came back into the fold and then we traded him because he was such a distraction to the team. He was an active player when he was traded.

This guy is trying to make Sherman look even worse as a GM than he was. McKenzie and Rosenpig did not get exactly what they wanted. They wanted a new contract worth millions more. What they got was a trip to New Orleans where they will once again try to hold a team hostage.They also have now been exposed for the dirtbags they really are. McKenzie's reputation (which was very solid before this crap) is shot.If they got what they wanted they wouldn't be holding out once again.

I've got no problem with these so-called journalist ripping on Sherman as a GM but at least get your facts straight.
 

Steel Wheels

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Andy Baggot said:
The Packers inadvertently nicked themselves last year dealing with malcontent cornerback Mike McKenzie. He wanted out of Green Bay in the worst way, so, on the advice of his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, McKenzie pouted and postured for months about wanting to renegotiate his contract.

The Packers refused, of course, but then gave McKenzie what he wanted all along when they traded him to New Orleans last October. Proof that McKenzie and Rosenhaus worked their misdirection play to perfection is that McKenzie is playing for the Saints under the same contract he had in Green Bay.

In all fairness to Mike McKenzie he did sign a Packer friendly contract at his expense only to watch Mike Sherman pay KGB and Cletidus Hunt.

Can't fault McKenzie for taking action.
 

kuston

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I now know why I don't read the Wisconsin State Journal, what a stupid article.
 

PWT36

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Depack excellent post on this hatchet job article by this reporter? in Wisconsin State Journal in Mad town . Excellent recall on what happen in the McKenzie deal. It is just another reporter between the slow time & the start of Packer Training camp bashing the Packers. It seems the year for this negative posting on Packer forum and negative media reporting on this very successful Franchise (127-65 since 1993 best record of any NFL franchise during this period) Also bashing its Head Coach who has five year Head coaching record of 53-27 equal out to winning percentage of .663. Putting him in top four best coaches in Green Bay Packer History. Hopefully a successful '05 season will end all this. It is a little early in the game, early July, before Packer Training camp even begins on July 26th, to write off the Packer season. These negative people didn't learn from last season , when they buried the San Diego Chargers who had 3-13 in '03 and made all the Media type look foolish with dire predictions for Chargers who went 13-3 in '04 and how about those Pittsburgh Steelers under their rookie QB who had a terrific year in '04. Many Steeler fans were complaining about their longtime Head Coach Cowher and were almost ready for a HC change, and his team came through big. Humm! I have been seeing this coach change & bashing stuff in some of these Packer forum posters in almost every postings they make. Ad nauseum!! One never knows what can happen in this new century with the Salary cap and Free Agency causing strange things to happen in the NFL each year!!
 

Bruce

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Reckless,Jul 7 2005, 10:13 AM]I have criticized Sherman as GM but I think the only thing he did wrong with regard to MM was the delay in getting the re-worked contract to him and I honestly don
 

Greg C.

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This article is revisionist history, and some posters here are doing the same thing. As I recall, it wasn't until the later stages of the holdout that Rosenhaus became McKenzie's agent. So this was not some master plan that they worked out between them. In fact, I would even say that McKenzie brought Rosenhaus in for damage control, because his holdout was such a debacle and at that point his only choice was to get out of Green Bay because his credibility with his teammates was shot. Rosenhaus did what he was hired to do and made the trade happen, but as others have pointed out, McKenzie was still stuck with the same contract and is now holding out again.

Mike Sherman did not "give in" to McKenzie, he took a hard line and stuck to it. The bottom line is that if a player is a real dirtbag, there is only so much that a GM/coach can do. There is no graceful way to handle a situation like that. Sherman did the best that anyone could have done.

Some posters have mentioned the idea of GM's forcing players to sit the season if they don't attend training camp, but I don't believe that's an option. Players sit out training camp at the risk of failing to develop their skills to the fullest extent, failing to get in sych with teammates, and losing credibility with teammates, fans, and everyone else. That's why so few of them sit out training camp. But if they want to play when the season begins, teams can't stop them from doing so. It would be a breach of contract.
 

net

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It is shocking how people assume we have to keep the current crop of players.

I say clean house.

You can't win every year.

The Packers have had a remarkable string of winning, but the "loyal" fans are going to have to bite the bullet a couple of years and redo.

Good bye Javon.
Good bye Grady.
Good bye Ahman.
Good bye Bubba.
Good bye Davenpoop.

Good bye to any and all.

I'm sorry, I hold no loyalty to any player who thinks contract first and team second. Notice New England? They've had one player...Seymour....raise a fuss. But what the hey, he has THREE Super Bowl rings.

Clean house. Yes, it will be hard to see a team at 4-12. But on the flip side, you will have a young team of veterans, and the salary cap will be in control.

After the team sets the precedent that there will be no caving in, the childishness will end.

The 4-12 years will tell the tape of the real Packers fans vs. the parade leaders.
 

PackerChick

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Traxx, thats not a good idea to post your phone number, let alone your email address, if thats your primary one. its just as bad as posting your credit card number.
 

arrowgargantuan

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PackerChick said:
Traxx, thats not a good idea to post your phone number, let alone your email address, if thats your primary one. its just as bad as posting your credit card number.

Blond?

hahaha..sorry i couldn't resist.



back to the topic, Ahman is not going to hold out. not sure where that idea came from. as far as Walker and any potential holdouts like Franks or Jackson...they'll be suited up by game 1.

my source?

www.arrowisalwaysright.com
 

carol k

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I agree with net. Get rid of these players if they think of themselves first. After all, football is not an individual sport. It is a team sport. Personally, I think it is their agent who wants them to do this because he then gets more money in his pocket. I wish I could have sat out when I was teaching kindergarten. I could have said, "Look at all of the children who have learned to count to hundred, know their letters and sounds, and some of them are even reading--all due to me. I need more money now for these accomplishments." I would have been laughed right out of the school district.
 

TOPackerFan

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Steel Wheels said:
In all fairness to Mike McKenzie he did sign a Packer friendly contract at his expense only to watch Mike Sherman pay KGB and Cletidus Hunt.

Can't fault McKenzie for taking action.

I fail to see how you can't fault McKenzie, but that's probably because I've I've never seen the story about the gun being held to McKenzie's head when he signed his contract. McKenzie is a malcontent who has succeeded in nothing but ruing his reputation as a solid guy.
 
OP
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PackerTraxx

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PackerChick said:
Traxx, thats not a good idea to post your phone number, let alone your email address, if thats your primary one. its just as bad as posting your credit card number.

Chick, thanks for your concern, that was very nice. However, the e-mail address is the writers. It was with the article so I posted it, in case someone felt strongly enough to write him.

Also, I wouldn't want any of my mail to go to the wrong person. :lol:
 

Philtration

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I know that it will hurt the Packers in the short term to not give in to the greedy hold outs but some one has to make a stand on this. If the Packers help bring this growing problem back under control I will be the first to say thank you! Bears fan or not.
 

PWT36

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Philtration: That last posting shows you are a Pro Fooball fan, as well as a Bear Fan. And you realized that "not caving in" to the holdout ploy by Drew Rosenhaus and his player clients is the best for all Franchises in the N.F.L. Andy Reid of Eagles( former packer assistant coach) is making the same stand as the Packers are. No raise in in pay, no trade to another team, just let them sit until the come in to play and contibute to team effort with their best effort. . Any problems with them suspend them and have them escourted out of team facilities by team securityand fine them.
 

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