Hammock Parties
11-06-2007, 10:58 PM
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/349976.html
If Larry Johnson is indeed seriously injured or out for the season, it could impact the rest of the league and Adrian Peterson.
The lesson to be learned is that it’s foolish to pay big money for a veteran running back. The position is just too high-risk in terms of injury, and good running backs are too easy to find.
If LJ’s foot is broken, Carl Peterson and the Chiefs have now been burned twice at running back in five years.
In an effort to be fair, and satisfy his head coach and star running back, Peterson renegotiated Priest Holmes’ contract in 2003, giving the then-Pro Bowler close to $10 million in additional guaranteed money when he was already under contract. Halfway through the 2005 season, Holmes suffered another injury and quit football for two years.
In an effort to be fair, and satisfy his head coach and star running back, Peterson renegotiated Johnson’s contract in 2007, giving the then-Pro Bowler close to $20 million in additional guaranteed money when he was already under contract. Halfway through the 2007 season, Johnson suffered an injury and hobbled to his Maybach 62.
In doing the right thing in both cases, history might say, Peterson did the wrong thing.
In the salary-cap, huge-signing-bonus era, the wise approach with running backs might be to keep them three or four years and discard them. They take too much punishment.
Adrian Peterson is the best back to hit the NFL since Earl Campbell. Given his injury history at Oklahoma, the Vikings should not re-sign Peterson once his rookie deal forces a renegotiation. I don’t care if he’s rewritten the NFL record book in his first three years.
The goal in football should be to find, develop and lock up a franchise quarterback. There is no such thing as a franchise running back. You can rent a running back. The Colts are on their third “star” running back — Joseph Addai — of the Peyton Manning era. The Patriots rent running backs.
Obviously that’s easy to do when you have Manning and Tom Brady.
I’m not suggesting that running backs have little value. They have a ton. Terrell Davis, during his brief career, helped John Elway win two Super Bowls. Marshall Faulk, during his three-year run of dominance in St. Louis, helped Kurt Warner and the Rams win one Super Bowl and play in another one.
But running backs don’t start 150 straight games like Manning and Brett Favre. Running backs get hurt, and some of them (Shaun Alexander) get tired of taking the hits.
You don’t want to be the GM that hands out $30 million in guaranteed money to running backs who chill in San Antonio or turn off your fan base to the point that fans openly root for the old guy.
That’s not a rip on King Carl. I actually feel sorry for the King. Bad luck is following him around right now. Johnson has been very durable. The tackle that injured his foot was rather freakish.
If you can blame Peterson for any of this, it’s his inability to draft and develop a franchise quarterback. In 20 years, you have to hit on one QB. Damn near every team in the league has drafted and started its own homegrown quarterback. Not the Chiefs. We’ve had Joe Montana, Steve Bono, Rich Gannon, Elvis Grbac, Trent Green, Steve DeBerg and Damon Huard.
Marty Schottenheimer fooled Peterson and this city. He convinced us it was OK to rent quarterbacks. Great teams and organizations don’t sustain success with rented quarterbacks. And teams with rented, previously owned QBs are forced to overpay for running backs.
If Larry Johnson is indeed seriously injured or out for the season, it could impact the rest of the league and Adrian Peterson.
The lesson to be learned is that it’s foolish to pay big money for a veteran running back. The position is just too high-risk in terms of injury, and good running backs are too easy to find.
If LJ’s foot is broken, Carl Peterson and the Chiefs have now been burned twice at running back in five years.
In an effort to be fair, and satisfy his head coach and star running back, Peterson renegotiated Priest Holmes’ contract in 2003, giving the then-Pro Bowler close to $10 million in additional guaranteed money when he was already under contract. Halfway through the 2005 season, Holmes suffered another injury and quit football for two years.
In an effort to be fair, and satisfy his head coach and star running back, Peterson renegotiated Johnson’s contract in 2007, giving the then-Pro Bowler close to $20 million in additional guaranteed money when he was already under contract. Halfway through the 2007 season, Johnson suffered an injury and hobbled to his Maybach 62.
In doing the right thing in both cases, history might say, Peterson did the wrong thing.
In the salary-cap, huge-signing-bonus era, the wise approach with running backs might be to keep them three or four years and discard them. They take too much punishment.
Adrian Peterson is the best back to hit the NFL since Earl Campbell. Given his injury history at Oklahoma, the Vikings should not re-sign Peterson once his rookie deal forces a renegotiation. I don’t care if he’s rewritten the NFL record book in his first three years.
The goal in football should be to find, develop and lock up a franchise quarterback. There is no such thing as a franchise running back. You can rent a running back. The Colts are on their third “star” running back — Joseph Addai — of the Peyton Manning era. The Patriots rent running backs.
Obviously that’s easy to do when you have Manning and Tom Brady.
I’m not suggesting that running backs have little value. They have a ton. Terrell Davis, during his brief career, helped John Elway win two Super Bowls. Marshall Faulk, during his three-year run of dominance in St. Louis, helped Kurt Warner and the Rams win one Super Bowl and play in another one.
But running backs don’t start 150 straight games like Manning and Brett Favre. Running backs get hurt, and some of them (Shaun Alexander) get tired of taking the hits.
You don’t want to be the GM that hands out $30 million in guaranteed money to running backs who chill in San Antonio or turn off your fan base to the point that fans openly root for the old guy.
That’s not a rip on King Carl. I actually feel sorry for the King. Bad luck is following him around right now. Johnson has been very durable. The tackle that injured his foot was rather freakish.
If you can blame Peterson for any of this, it’s his inability to draft and develop a franchise quarterback. In 20 years, you have to hit on one QB. Damn near every team in the league has drafted and started its own homegrown quarterback. Not the Chiefs. We’ve had Joe Montana, Steve Bono, Rich Gannon, Elvis Grbac, Trent Green, Steve DeBerg and Damon Huard.
Marty Schottenheimer fooled Peterson and this city. He convinced us it was OK to rent quarterbacks. Great teams and organizations don’t sustain success with rented quarterbacks. And teams with rented, previously owned QBs are forced to overpay for running backs.