I realize I look at things differently than some.
But for me, I have to not just look at the quality and production of a player, but the position he plays in order to establish value.
For instance, to make an extreme case only to make the point.
If you have a FG kicker who can make 95% of his kicks, year in and year out, and distance up to 60 yards with little fall out of success, and he wants $100mil for 6 years, do you pay it because he's a HOF kicker and perhaps the best that has ever lived (Fisher probably would....)?
My answer is no, because the contribution that kicker makes doesn't rise to the level of money you have to pay him for his services.
Depending on how a team is constructed, different positions have different impact. For instance: it has already been stated by a few players and a couple of talking heads that Wades defense depends heavily on the Dbacks for pass protection, less so on the Dline for pass rush and QB pressure. Fisher's D depended heavily on the Dline pass rush, and less so on the D backs. Thus, Dline carried a greater value in Fisher's D than in Wade's D. It's not all or nothing; it is a matter of degrees. So Wade's D needs more and better Dbacks, Fisher's D needs more and better Dline. You can't afford to have the best of both. Clearly the Rams let JJ go because they didn't think they could afford him and keep some other guys too. Why? Fisher didn't place that high of a value on the Dbacks. But Fisher was willing to spend enormous sums on the Dline. So you spend based on the emphasis of the system.
So.....to my way of thinking, AD carries a greater weight and impact in Fisher's D, and therefore monetary value, than in Wades.
But even if that isn't entirely so, I don't buy that DTs are worth near QB money. They of course impact a game. How much more a great DT impacts a game than a merely very good DT is hard to guage. But in my 50 years of watching NFL football, no DT impacts a game sufficiently to pay them the type of money that a Suh got, or that apparently AD is seeking. It is the wrong place to spend your money.
Suh's contract in my book was a mistake....which Detroit came to realize and they rectified it by trading him to Miami. Who at last check wasn't on the verge of becoming a great team because of acquiring Suh.
The Rams will not live or die according to AD. Especially if the same money to keep him can be spent to retain two very good DTs and possibly another up and comer. You can get an awfully good DT for $7 or $8 mil per year.
Bottom line: offer AD a salary that balances his superior play with the value of his position for the current Rams D....not last year's. If he won't take it, then one option is trade him for a player or draft picks that allow you to get the guys that your systems value the most. Don't try to make a square peg fit in a round hole of value.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2017 10:21AM by RockRam.
