PA Season Ticket Holder
03-03-2003, 12:18 AM
On the flight out of Indianapolis last Sunday after the NFL scouting combine, I ran into agent Brantley Evans, who represents cornerback Dre' Bly.
We talked about Bly and the possibilities for his future employment because Bly was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the Rams refused to pay him more than $3 million a season.
The Lions broke the bank to sign Dre' Bly, but they could have signed a comparable corner at a cheaper price.(AP)
"He'll get paid somewhere," Evans said.
As the top corner in a bad market, Evans wouldn't be specific on what he was seeking from St. Louis, but word out of Rams camp was that he was asking for a deal that averaged $5 to $6 million a year.
"You'll probably get that," I said to Evans, "from some team stupid enough to overpay just because Bly happens to play a position of need. There's no way he's worth that."
Say hello to that stupid team: the Detroit Lions.
In one of the quickest strikes in the free-agent market, the Lions signed Bly to a five-year deal that averages close to $5 million per season with a signing bonus of $6.5-million.
There is no better indication that president Matt Millen belongs back in the television booth than this signing, for this type of money. Bly is a No. 2 corner at best, certainly not a player who should be among the highest-paid players at his position.
He wasn't even a starter until the 2002 season. What's worse is that he doesn't run that well, which means the Lions have a $5-million a year corner without speed.
"Wow," said one coach about the Bly deal. "That's --- crazy. Talk about somebody who has no speed. He isn't even a No. 2 corner. What were the Lions thinking? There were other guys just as good for a lot less money."
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/6224285 ( MORE
We talked about Bly and the possibilities for his future employment because Bly was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the Rams refused to pay him more than $3 million a season.
The Lions broke the bank to sign Dre' Bly, but they could have signed a comparable corner at a cheaper price.(AP)
"He'll get paid somewhere," Evans said.
As the top corner in a bad market, Evans wouldn't be specific on what he was seeking from St. Louis, but word out of Rams camp was that he was asking for a deal that averaged $5 to $6 million a year.
"You'll probably get that," I said to Evans, "from some team stupid enough to overpay just because Bly happens to play a position of need. There's no way he's worth that."
Say hello to that stupid team: the Detroit Lions.
In one of the quickest strikes in the free-agent market, the Lions signed Bly to a five-year deal that averages close to $5 million per season with a signing bonus of $6.5-million.
There is no better indication that president Matt Millen belongs back in the television booth than this signing, for this type of money. Bly is a No. 2 corner at best, certainly not a player who should be among the highest-paid players at his position.
He wasn't even a starter until the 2002 season. What's worse is that he doesn't run that well, which means the Lions have a $5-million a year corner without speed.
"Wow," said one coach about the Bly deal. "That's --- crazy. Talk about somebody who has no speed. He isn't even a No. 2 corner. What were the Lions thinking? There were other guys just as good for a lot less money."
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/6224285 ( MORE