Friday, February 24, 2006
No Tag for Adam
The Legend is Free to Leave
It seems like Adam Vinatieri has been the place-kicker for our boys in blue forever, right? It looks like Bill is in no hurry to keep it that way. The crux of the problem is uncertainty... Belichick and Pioli have been masters in the past of allocating resources, and are unwilling to make contract decisions until they know what those resources will be in the next few years. That's right, the salary cap which has created the tight competition we've come to love in the last decade, is not set for 2007, and many factors still need to be hashed out before we even know if there will be one. And right now they're not even talking.
The team has decided not to slap the franchise tag on Adam, which would have awarded him $3 million for the 2006 season. If not signed to a contract with the Patriots by March 3rd, Vinatieri will become a free agent. Even if he leaves, Adam may still be dressing in blue and silver; ESPN is reporting Dallas to be the most likely landing place. I really hate Bill Parcells. Really. Ok, I just had to say that; I will be extremely annoyed if he gets our kicker.
Bill says he can't make any contract decisions until he knows what he's working with, and is focusing instead on preparations for things he knows the parameters of. This means key free agents may slip away to teams willing to take that chance. It is no surprise that our front office is taking a conservative economic approach to the situation, despite the immediate risk. As sad as it would be to lose our clutch kicker, this is the philosophy that has brought three Lombardi trophies to Foxboro in the last five years, and continues to keep our team competitive in the long term.
It seems like Adam Vinatieri has been the place-kicker for our boys in blue forever, right? It looks like Bill is in no hurry to keep it that way. The crux of the problem is uncertainty... Belichick and Pioli have been masters in the past of allocating resources, and are unwilling to make contract decisions until they know what those resources will be in the next few years. That's right, the salary cap which has created the tight competition we've come to love in the last decade, is not set for 2007, and many factors still need to be hashed out before we even know if there will be one. And right now they're not even talking.
The team has decided not to slap the franchise tag on Adam, which would have awarded him $3 million for the 2006 season. If not signed to a contract with the Patriots by March 3rd, Vinatieri will become a free agent. Even if he leaves, Adam may still be dressing in blue and silver; ESPN is reporting Dallas to be the most likely landing place. I really hate Bill Parcells. Really. Ok, I just had to say that; I will be extremely annoyed if he gets our kicker.
Bill says he can't make any contract decisions until he knows what he's working with, and is focusing instead on preparations for things he knows the parameters of. This means key free agents may slip away to teams willing to take that chance. It is no surprise that our front office is taking a conservative economic approach to the situation, despite the immediate risk. As sad as it would be to lose our clutch kicker, this is the philosophy that has brought three Lombardi trophies to Foxboro in the last five years, and continues to keep our team competitive in the long term.
# posted by Rebecca @ 6:52 AM 
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Ok, I know nothing about football, but I can say with certainty that I can't imagine the Pats without Adam V.
I love Adam, but you never know... he could be on the downslide. A lot of people couldn't imagine the sox without Damon, but I think we got rid of him and brought in Coco at just the right time of rise and decline. Maybe the next great clutch kicker is waiting in the wings, a scouting report file that would just collect dust (or make great kicks at a low, low price for another team) without losing Adam.
Still, Adam does not seem to have lost ANYTHING. But we'll see. We have a little baseball to enjoy before our attention turns back to the pigskin. Hey Reb, 2 weeks from today. Cannot wait! Have a great weekend.
I hear ya about the big picutre and long term planning and all, but the idea of The Pats losing Adam freaks me out. I hope it does not happen. Kickers generally have much longer NFL careers than other football players, for obvious reasons.
I agree it would be nice to have a FA or rookie kicker come in for camp just to compete, but I hope the Pats don't let Adam get scooped up by some other team. Some guys are worth the money and as far as kickers go, I think Adam falls into that category.
Stupid CBA...
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I agree it would be nice to have a FA or rookie kicker come in for camp just to compete, but I hope the Pats don't let Adam get scooped up by some other team. Some guys are worth the money and as far as kickers go, I think Adam falls into that category.
Stupid CBA...
# posted by 
: 1:52 PM
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