Posted on 07/14/2007 6:57:10 PM PDT by PajamaTruthMafia
QUINCY - The final piece of the puzzle (or so they hope) could fall into place for the Patriots this weekend. One of Asante Samuel’s agents on Friday expressed optimism that the cornerback and the team could agree on a long-term contract before Monday’s deadline for franchise-tagged players.
‘‘We’re a lot closer than we were before,’’ said Glenn Toby. ‘‘We’re not adversaries; we’re not fighting (the Patriots). We’re fighting to get it done collectively.
‘‘We’re not looking to grab money and leave. We’re looking to build a future here. It’s worked (for Samuel and the Patriots so far). It’s been great. It’s been magic.’’
If Samuel, 26, returns to the fold, it would be the cherry on top of an offseason sundae that has seen the Patriots load up at linebacker (Adalius Thomas, Junior Seau) and receiver (Randy Moss, Donte’ Stallworth, Wes Welker and Kelley Washington) and become the trendy pick to win Super Bowl XLII.
The two sides must strike a deal by 4 p.m. Monday, or Samuel can only play for the Patriots under his one-year franchise tender, which he has yet to sign. The tender would pay him $7.79 million for the 2007 season - hardly chump change - but it would not give him the financial security of a long-term deal, which presumably would include a hefty signing bonus and a fat pay-out for the first few years.
Before Friday there had been little indication of a thaw in contract talks, with many predicting that Samuel would not report to the team until after the 10th week of the regular season - an option available to him through the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Clearly, though, Samuel’s side has seen good signs lately.
‘‘There’s been a great deal of progress,’’ said Toby, who partners with Alonzo Shavers in Columbus, Ohio-based Infinite Sports Management. ‘‘We respect Coach (Bill) Belichick - he’s a visionary; he’s got a great system. We don’t want to disrespect the system by any means. We want to do something that works.
‘‘This man (Samuel) is a Patriot. His number is still No. 22. He’s working on getting back on the field and playing with the Patriots. He’s working on getting back to business.
‘‘He’s in the business of playing. He’s not in the business of negotiating or posturing, so we’re not posturing. We want to posture by holding up a world championship trophy.’’
Samuel is coming off a career season in which he tied Denver’s Champ Bailey for the league lead in interceptions (10) and then added two more in the playoffs, both of which he returned for touchdowns.
Had he not been tagged, he might have broken the bank a la Nate Clements, the former Bills corner who inked an eight-year, $80 million free-agent deal with the 49ers. Samuel at first said he understood why the Patriots were limiting his options, but as time dragged on without a new deal in place, his patience waned.
In April he told the NFL Network he was prepared to seek a trade, saying, ‘‘I’m not happy anymore and things are not going well.’’ Samuel said the two sides had a ‘‘difference of opinion in my value.’’
Toby said Friday that was water under the proverbial bridge.
‘‘If you take a look at the quotes that Asante made, he just (basically) said, ‘Hey, I want to take care of my family. I performed really well.’
‘‘We’re past that stage.’’
The Patriots’ other top corners are Ellis Hobbs, Chad Scott, Randall Gay and free agent Tory James. Retaining Samuel, a fourth-round draft pick in 2003, would dramatically upgrade the secondary, which also features first-round draft pick Brandon Meriweather, a safety from Miami.
‘‘He’s in the best shape of his life,’’ Toby said of Samuel. ‘‘He’s focused. I think we’re going to get something done because I think this could be an amazing year.
‘‘We just have to work out the business part of it. Hopefully we can get that done. I’m sure the Patriots want to have the best personnel. It’s obvious (how good Samuel is). You saw the way he performed, you see the respect and the pride that he plays with in that city.’’
Why, exactly, are we talking about something as stupid a football when there is so much more IMPORTANT out there?
If it takes a "girlie" QB to go 8 years and never miss a start (at QB!!), in fact only missing one snap his entire career, I'll take it. No NFL QB starts for over 5 years without being tough as nails. Even Brady. He may look like Jane but he plays like Tarzan.
LOL. I know. Just razzin.
Looking forward to hearing Gil Santos’ call when Brady completes throws to Brady.
If they just avoid the injury bug (especially in the secondary) they’ll be in great shape. If they get home field advantage they’re going to be very tough to beat in January.
The most dominating D line? They are one of the better 4-3’s but not the best and no better than Miami.
Miami??? Do they still have a team?
If in your world you’ve reached the point where you can’t discuss the things in life that bring you pleasure and make life worth living, then the Terrorists have already won.
If New England ends up with an “injury plagued” ‘07 season, then they could always say, “It’s Bush’s fault!”
Care to chime on this?
Good point. Then again, I despise the so-called “professional” sports in this country and always have, so the terrorists have not affected me at all!
Moss was an angel and a workhorse compared to the true “leader” of the team, Culpepper. Moss was railroaded by Culpepper after Culpepper got jealous and whiney over Randy’s demands for the team to play harder, and also because Moss was the face of the franchise.
The Pats have themselves a ball of fire. Now the question is, are they going to make the fire roast some ribs or are they going to let it burn down their house, like how Oakland did with Moss.
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