Have You Heard Chris Johnson Isn't at OTAs?

by Jimmy on May 18, 2010 4:21 PM CDT in Comcast Sponsored Posts

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If you live in Nashville, or ever listen to Nashville sports talk radio you are already sick of hearing about Chris Johnson being absent from the OTA's. It seems that ever segment turns into a debate about his situation. It is driving me crazy.

Here is the bottom line on CJ2K. He isn't going to miss any real football games. He isn't at OTAs, and he will probably miss some training camp, but when it comes time for the games to count and him to make some actual money, you better believe he will be there.

I understand that it is a tough spot for both sides. The Titans are in no hurry to re-do his deal because they have the best non-quarterback offensive player in the league for about $500,000 in base salary this year. That is a great deal for them.

CJ is coming off the greatest season ever put up by a running back. He knows that running backs in the NFL have a limited shelf life so he needs to get that big contract as soon as he can.

It is going to be a long summer. I have no idea how this is all going to end, but I am going to guarantee you that CJ2K will be on the field when the Titans take on the Raiders in week 1.

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You mean to tell me he hasn't shown up for practice?????

Wow, that is a new one.
I do think he will be there when it matters though. Hopefully he comes to his senses and comes back and plays. I know he should be making more than 85% of the players in the NFL, but he signed an agreement and should stick to his word. He will make a killing in due time, he just needs to be patient and get out there and just play for now. I don’t feel sorry for the guy, I just want to see him play.

I am a humble fan, a great humble fan.

by Joy Kat on May 18, 2010 5:44 PM CDT reply actions

i am now relieved since...

@ou have now gauranteed his presence…

all kidding aside i agree he will most likely be there, but i do believe we need to restructure his deal and pay him what he deserves. all in all a new deal prolly wont come until next year.

tiCk toCk...only tiMe will tell...tiahhhhahhahiMe is on my side, oh yes it is...tiMe to put up or SHUT up...tiMe is of the essence...it's my tiMe...your tiMe is up...tiMe toCks!!

by tiMe toCks on May 18, 2010 7:16 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

My money is on Adams not blinking first, he seems like he won some huge hands with less then stellar cards

IMO

by Foilhat on May 18, 2010 7:16 PM CDT reply actions

I know how you guys feel.

Andre Johnson isn’t at OTAs because of his contract.

"You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."- Charles Barkley

by bone31crusher on May 18, 2010 8:37 PM CDT reply actions

Frankly, CJ has alot more leverage than Andre does.

But his alot more leverage still amounts to a small amount.

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on May 18, 2010 8:43 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah he does.

He ran for 2,000 yards last year, which is incredible. Though both CJ and ’Dre are the best at their respectable positions. CJ has a bit more leverage because he rushed for 2,000 yards last year and made it look easy, but not a whole lot considering ’Dre has been the most consistent WR in the past 4-5 years.

"You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."- Charles Barkley

by bone31crusher on May 18, 2010 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions

You neglect to mention though...

that Andre already has a pretty substantial contract while CJ is very underpaid. Statwise they both have some bullying power but when you look at their current deals Andre looks greedy while CJ looks like he is trying to get a fair deal.

Does anyone know how far down the list CJ is for starting back pay? I am guessing he is nowhere near the top 10.

by Titan in WV on May 19, 2010 5:30 AM CDT up reply actions

Andre's contract is a lot better than CJ's.

But guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall who are not as good as Andre are getting a lot more money.

"You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."- Charles Barkley

by bone31crusher on May 20, 2010 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Fitz is as good if not better than Andre.

Marshall isnt

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on May 20, 2010 7:49 PM CDT up reply actions

.....

Ask anyone outside of MCM, they will say Andre is better than Fitz.

"You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."- Charles Barkley

by bone31crusher on May 20, 2010 10:26 PM CDT up reply actions

Patently untrue.

Fitzgerald is better at finding the endzone.

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on May 21, 2010 5:42 AM CDT up reply actions

Fitz can find the endzone better but AJ is better in every other category.

"You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."- Charles Barkley

by bone31crusher on May 22, 2010 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions

That's a good question

I may have to go with Andre. But I would like to have em both.

Official MCM Hater!

"If anyone asks you, you fixed my television. Now go!"

by gramsey712 on May 21, 2010 7:58 AM CDT up reply actions

Please pay CJ

I don’t agree with everything in this article, but just sayin
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/393729-please-pay-chris-johnson

by JimR on May 19, 2010 6:24 AM CDT via mobile reply actions

This is already a dead issue.

The guy is not going to get paid, and in fact, he probably won’t miss training camp either since that would cost him roughly $30K/day. If you’re starting at $500K and working backwards in $30K chunks, you can really cost yourself a lot of money if you aren’t careful.

CJ is a great Running Back. But he has NO LEVERAGE. He is under contract. For a long time. Still. If he wants even to earn the money he’s already been promised, he HAS TO PLAY.

I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Storyteller's Playbook
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by DannoE on May 19, 2010 6:54 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

I don’t know why this is even an issue and I think CJ’s agent is giving him bad advice.

The Titans will give CJ a new deal, but they would be morons to do it this year just like they would be morons to ever let him hit free agency.

In the end, CJ doesn’t make enough money to hold out… which is kinda ironic.

Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by theologic on May 19, 2010 7:16 AM CDT up reply actions

You're missing the point

Sure, from a purely legalistic, contract negotiation side of the the story, you are correct. But, on the human, player motivation/management side of the story, this is a lousy way to do business. You are telling your star player: “hey, get out there and bust your ass to lead us into wins we had no hope of getting without you, and then in the off season, our lawyers will make dam sure you only receive the minimum amount of money we are legally obligated to pay you.”

Oh, that’s a super way to motivate people and win games.

I smell another 8-8 season already.

by JimR on May 19, 2010 8:15 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Bah!

Football is a business. What CJ really needs is a new agent.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Storyteller's Playbook
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by DannoE on May 19, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions

So being a savvy aggressive business man

is more important than winning games?!?

Maybe that BleacherReport article was more on target than I thought.

by JimR on May 19, 2010 11:11 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Wait! Wait!

I have come over to your way of thinking. We should not be judging the Titans on number of wins per season but rather numer of dollars spent per win. In which case, the Titans may very well be near the top of the NFL, and the Cowboys are true bottom feeders (I know everybody agrees on the second point)

So, a 9-7 season is like winning the Super Bowl for us.

I understand it all now. I am enlightened.

Let’s get out there and win 9!!!

by JimR on May 19, 2010 11:21 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

9 would be better than we won last year

When the player who wants a new contract had the best season a running back has ever had.

Official MCM Hater!

"If anyone asks you, you fixed my television. Now go!"

by gramsey712 on May 19, 2010 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions

That's not what I said at all.

You guys who’re arguing in favor of CJ getting an immediate raise should just start taking up a collection and sending him your money. Because, bottom line, that is essentially what you are advocating. You’re saying that because it’s an un-capped year, the Titans organization can afford to pay CJ more, and from a cap-perspective that’s true. But the organization would still have to replace that money with new revenues… which would have to come from fans. If you’re okay with that, then put your money where your mouth is and just write the man a check.

My argument is that the man signed a contract. No one coerced him. He was not forced, nor was he taken advantage of. He was a first round pick represented by a professional sports agent. He had every chance to make a better deal for himself, and if he left the Upside of that deal on the team’s side rather than his own, well, the only one to blame there is the agent. This is simple business math.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Storyteller's Playbook
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by DannoE on May 19, 2010 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions

No, I think we understood exactly what you are saying

because you just said it again.

You: It’s all based on simple business math and contract realities.

Me: When you have the single biggest contributor to your offensive production walking around a professional locker room
every day with a lot of guys who are contributing a lot less and making more, it creates a sense of fundamental unfairness that is de-motivating. Sure CJ will almost certainly be there when formal workouts begin, but there is a huge difference from showing up with an understandable sense of being undervalued and putting out the 110+% effort it takes to rush for 2,000 yards again.

It’s simple business math vs fundamental fairness and player motivation.

I think we have your number, DannoE.

by JimR on May 19, 2010 1:59 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

But why would you contribute a raise to your single biggest contributor

When your single biggest contributor’s contributions did not contribute to a playoff appearance?

Your sarcastic comment above said a 9 and 7 season would be like the Super Bowel. But a 9 and 7 season would be a better season than the season that your single best contributor contributed.

Official MCM Hater!

"If anyone asks you, you fixed my television. Now go!"

by gramsey712 on May 19, 2010 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Stay tuned

Am at work now, so will write you a non-sarcastic serious reply this evening

by JimR on May 19, 2010 4:26 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

My view - straight up - no sarcasm

Although the Titans do not have any contractual or legal obligation to pay CJ any more in 2010 than is in his original contract, I believe it would be in the best interest of the organization and the team to find a way to give him, in effect, a substantial increase in salary this year. I believe this because CJ’s performance and contributions to Titans overall offense last year were far beyond any reasonable expectations either he or the Titans could have had when his original contract was signed.

The counter argument is that this is just business, but in other parts of the business world employees are frequently given substantial bonuses and raises, beyond what is contractually required, to reward exemplary performance. Companies see this as good business because they want to keep their star performers happy and motivated. Same thing here. And, it’s not as though CJ is already paid at an overly high level. $550,000/year for the NFL’s leading rusher is extremely low by NFL standards.

So, even looking at this as a business deal, it seems like the Titans FO would want to find a way to reward CJ in line with his performance.

by JimR on May 19, 2010 5:24 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

There probably is a reasonable middle ground.

But the key word is REASONABLE. Businesses that just pay people because they are cool and froody guys tend to go out of business. Or at least not use their assets well enough to stay reasonably competitive, anyway.

Also: you’re looking at a specific piece of a multi-year deal that doesn’t make sense in context, i.e. CJ got a multi-million dollar bonus just this past offseason.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Storyteller's Playbook
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by DannoE on May 20, 2010 7:38 AM CDT up reply actions

Good point

that I don’t know CJ’s total compensation package. I just read about it in bits and pieces in articles. But, from what I understand, even the total deal leaves him compensated well below typical NFL standards for one of the top running backs in the league.

And, I’m not saying we should pay CJ because he’s cool and froody. It’s because he’s made – in business terms – a substantial contribution to the organization’s bottom line and outperformed his original contract.

by JimR on May 20, 2010 8:12 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

I'm not arguing that he hasn't out-performed the contract.

My issue is where to lay the blame for that. Who takes the loss and why?

But we can agree to disagree.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Storyteller's Playbook
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by DannoE on May 20, 2010 9:44 AM CDT up reply actions

That works for me -

Agree to disagree. I understand your position; mine’s just different.

by JimR on May 20, 2010 11:33 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

please just pay the man

please please PLEASE pay the man! we need him, it’s a business. if we aren’t paying him, who are we paying?

"Being an Orioles fan is like having Erectile Dysfunction"
"harden the fuck up mike gonzalez."
The Signing Bonus: We're back in business.

by danielreese05 on May 19, 2010 11:28 AM CDT reply actions

Could be worse

U could live up here & have to hear about Chad Ochocinco getting the boot from that dancing show over & over

by oHIo1 on May 19, 2010 1:57 PM CDT reply actions

I know theres that max 30% rule

where a new contract for CJ can only be max 30% of his salary this year. Could the FO not give him that “extension” for this year and then rework something for the year after?

Like give him the max raise now, which wouldn’t be a massive deal, but shows the FO is thinking of him and then rework the contract after next season. So even then he CJ blows this year (hopefully not) they don’t have to give him a record contract.

Even then though, I don’t CJ would sign in that scenario.

by asian phil on May 19, 2010 3:30 PM CDT reply actions