Merrill: Peterson plays down the Law...

[DaWolf]

Peterson plays down the Law

No workout, no offer for talented cornerback

By ELIZABETH MERRILL The Kansas City Star

Carl Peterson was back in his office Wednesday, rested from a short vacation and mildly amused over the late-summer hubbub about a free-agent cornerback he hasn’t seen since March.

Or is annoyed a better word?

“I wouldn’t worry about Ty Law at this point,” the Chiefs’ president/general manager said.

“You’re talking to the horse’s mouth here. We have had no conversations with Ty Law or with his agent specific to a contract. Never have. We haven’t made a contract offer to him. I won’t make a contract offer to a player until I get to see him really actually work out. That’s what my job is, and he hasn’t been able to do that yet.”

In the month since cornerback Julian Battle went down with a torn Achilles’, Law went from an afterthought to the object of Chiefs’ fans affections. Message-board junkies suggested putting together a pool to pay for Law’s contract. Speculation swirled that Law and the Chiefs were close to a deal.

The hype intensified last week when word of Eric Warfield’s four-game suspension came out. Peterson said Wednesday that the Chiefs had long anticipated Warfield’s absence, which is why they signed veteran cornerback Ashley Ambrose earlier this month.

Law is coming off of foot surgery, which is an obvious concern for Peterson. After conversations with Law’s agent, Peterson said he thought Law was “a ways away for anybody to really look at him physically.” And then there’s the issue of money. Law has made the rounds in the national media lately, saying he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and wants to be paid accordingly.

Peterson is already paying one cornerback big money. He signed Patrick Surtain this spring in a deal that is worth about $51 million.

“People here are putting an awful lot of emphasis on Ty Law,” Peterson said. “Well, we’ve already made decisions. I had to make a decision on whether we sit and wait for Ty Law or make the trade for Patrick Surtain. That decision is made. There’s only so many dollars.

“I smile at some people out there who say, ‘Well, you should just give him X million dollars and so forth.’ Well, none of us in the National Football League have those X million dollars left. We have a cap. And very few of us have even signed one or two draft picks yet.”

The Chiefs start training camp in River Falls, Wis., next week, and Peterson said he doesn’t anticipate any other roster moves. At least two other teams are believed to be heavily in pursuit of Law — the Jets and the Jaguars. Reports out of New England this week have suggested that the Patriots might want Law to return.

“If Ty Law, once he gets well, has an interest in the Chiefs for a contract that makes sense to us, then I’m happy to talk with him,” Peterson said. “But right now my understanding is he’s looking for a big contract, but he’s not even physically well yet.”

[Mecca]

This is how I'm viewing this......
I feel this year is our last real shot at a Superbowl. I'm almost 25 years old, I've never seen this team in a Superbown. I'm sure there are posters here that are older than I am that can say the exact same thing.

This year is about the Superbowl, I don't want to sit around after this year saying "What if we got Ty Law we might have won it then". It's that kind of stuff right there, in your last legiment contention year before older players finally hit their wall. Others of them retire and you experience cap problems. Sometimes it's time to go balls out and take a risk to get a reward.

In my opinion for this year, for what this team wants to do he's worth that risk. It's not even the first 4 games that worry me. It's playoff games it's postseason play.

Ty Law brings things this team and most important this defense lacks. He brings Superbowl experience a ton of playoff experience leadership, and most importantly a swagger this defense hasn't had in years. Will some of the other signings help things like that? Sure, but I think Ty Law would be an ultimate capper to this offseason and our shot at the Superbowl.

I just don't want to be sitting around after this season talking about "if we had Ty Law it would be diferent". If this team goes balls out and gets him and doesn't win, none of us will be able to say "what if" about any player moves this year.

I don't think we'd go through a serious cap hell period just due to the amount of players that we'll lose due to retirement and cuts. We'd go through a few years of rebuilding but nothing like what the Titans are going through.

As has been said before, A few years of being bad is better than never seeing a Superbowl for your team the entire time you've been alive.

Maybe my views on this are a little selfish but sometimes that comes when you've been a fan of a team for so long. This team for the entire time I can remember back has broken my heart. Hell you tell other people you're a Chiefs fan, and they all laugh "ahaha 30 years ahaha"

I just like to be able to look back at this year after it's done and know we did all we could to win the Bowl and think. "Man that was our year right there".

[BigRedChief]

This could all be posturing by King Carl to get Law cheap. Doesn't really matter to me. We will never see Law in a KC uniform.

It looks like McCleon or the other aging CB as starters for the first four games. We could come out of those 1-3.

[FRCDFED]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

This could all be posturing by King Carl to get Law cheap. Doesn't really matter to me. We will never see Law in a KC uniform.

It looks like McCleon or the other aging CB as starters for the first four games. We could come out of those 1-3.

If Carl is hoping to get Law cheap then he will talk his way right out of the negotiations. While I agree that Law would be a risky signing because of his current physical condition I also agree that he would bring intangibles that can't be taught to this team. As Mecca stated, Law would bring a swagger and experience that could put this defense over the top, which is something I would welcome. If and I mean if we could get him for a 2-3 year deal then I would be all for it.

Other players (only a few) have fully recovered from the same injury that Law is working to come back from. The mere fact that he is putting so much effort into the comeback tells me that he will be able to play this season. The extra weight is a product of his rehab. It's simple logic that if you aren't able to exercise then you gain weight. We are going to look pretty silly criticizing him for being a little heavy and out of shape in September when he is back on the field.

I don't care if he is lined up against the 1st or 2nd WR from the opposing team. He will shut down either one. He has natural ball instincts that are very rare. Teamed with Surtain we could have the best DB tandom in the NFL. Minn would most likely be second.

Bottom line: Law will be in shape by the beginning of the season and ready to play for someone. If he is reasonable (not cheap) on his contract demands then he could play for a contender.

NE already has about 3 mil in dead cap money from releasing Law. Therefore, it would be hard to imagine him returning to NE. I won't disagree that they need him but to carry 3 mil in dead cap money on an active player is pretty ludicrous.

[TRR]

“I smile at some people out there who say, ‘Well, you should just give him X million dollars and so forth.’ Well, none of us in the National Football League have those X million dollars left. We have a cap. And very few of us have even signed one or two draft picks yet.”

Great quote. So true.

[StcChief]

Originally Posted by MichaelH

Carl is right on and has been lately. How can you offer a big contract to a player that can't perform up to it? We need to sign Derrick Johnson before anyone else.

Yep. and the rest of the draftees before during training camp.

[StcChief]

2-2 after four games.
Jets W
Raiders - W
Denver - L
Eagles - L

Then move on with Warfield back.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by nm_dbf

2-2 after four games.
Jets W
Raiders - W
Denver - L
Eagles - L

Then move on with Warfield back.

I hope you are right ole wise one.