Jets-related Pats article about Adalius Thomas
MZ
So it seemed at season's end that Adalius Thomas' departure from
Foxborough was an inevitability. Communication has been non-existent,
and continues to be, and Thomas' comments at the Super Bowl made the
disconnect seem as deep as the Atlantic.
And ... nothing. Thomas is still a Patriot.
Why? Well, Thomas' deal doesn't include the kind of roster bonus in 2010
that often force these kinds of divorces. In fact, the structure of that
contract has actually kept the two sides together. For now.
Thomas collected a $12 million signing bonus in 2007 and an $8 million
option bonus in 2008. For cap purposes, those payouts were prorated over
the five and four years, respectively, that remained on the deal when
the checks were cut. So there's $4.8 million in signing bonus money and
$4 million in option bonus money that haven't yet been accounted for
against the salary cap.
Including a workout bonus, Thomas' cap charge for 2009 was just over
$6.4 million. If he's cut before the end of the league year, then $8.8
million in dead money gets accelerated on to the team's 2009 cap, and
the Patriots lack the wiggle room underneath the limit to make that move
allowable. So they have to keep him until the 2010 league year kicks off
on March 5.
Will they cut him then? There's some risk involved. The Jets are
obviously lurkers in this scenario, moreso when you consider the
relationship Thomas has with head coach Rex Ryan from his Baltimore day.
Part of Thomas' problem with the Patriots this year was the way in which
he was deployed, which would certainly figure to be less of a problem if
he were reunited with Ryan. In fact, if you go back to an ESPN The
Magazine piece on Thomas from 2006, it's not hard to see how Ryan looks
at Thomas.
"To me, the guy's like Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks," Ryan told David
Fleming back then. "LT was a great pass-rusher, very fast, athletic and
explosive. On the other side was Banks, who did all the dirty work,
taking on blocks, stuffing the run, reading plays. Adalius is a
combination of the two. For a long time, we just didn't have the guts as
coaches to put a plan in motion that let him do it all. ...
"In 10 years, when this kind of physically versatile player is a
full-blown phenomenon, people will be wondering who started the whole
trend. And you'll be able to point back to this moment and say, 'Hey, I
know who it was'."
Yeah ... So Ryan likes him quite a bit.
By whacking Thomas quickly, the Patriots might simply be giving him
passage to New York, since the Jets could plan the move around the
departure of their free agents.
If New England delays it, then the Jets could wind up being handcuffed
by the "Final Eight Plan", which has more stringent rules for conference
finalists like New York. The Jets, quite simply, might not be able to
wait for Thomas to come free, or base a significant offseason dealing
around that kind of variable. This dynamic could also affect a possible
return to Baltimore -- also a "Final Eight" team -- for Thomas.
Of course, ideally, the Patriots could trade Thomas off and get
something in return, while dictating his destination. Unfortunately for
New England, the perception he's on the outs isn't exactly a secret, and
it's usually pretty tough to deal guys that other teams know are on the
chopping block.
Harlan Lachman
MZ <ma...@nospam.void> wrote:
> http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2010/02/why_is_tho
OTOH, a team that wants him giving even little value offers the value of
keeping him off next year's most likely opponent for the AFCE
championship.
h
Michael
> http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2010/02/w...
interesting... i hope the pats send him off early so the jets can grab
him up. he'd be an advance on gall-stone and or blt. still not sold
on him though, but what the hell. not like he'd cost what peppers would
Johnctx
I wondered all along why the Pats would cut him early. He is costing
them cap space when they do so if that is what they will do why not
wait? It messes with the player & it makes it harder for any team to
get him up to speed but in that way it makes him more valuable to the Jets.
MZ
> On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:50:07 -0500 MZ <ma...@nospam.void> wrote:
>
>> Of course, ideally, the Patriots could trade Thomas off and get
>> something in return, while dictating his destination. Unfortunately for
>> New England, the perception he's on the outs isn't exactly a secret, and
>> it's usually pretty tough to deal guys that other teams know are on the
>> chopping block.
>
> productive for New England than Adalius was.
You've seen Gholston play, right?
Lemme rephrase...
You've seen Gholston warm the bench, right? :)
Ray O'Hara
"MZ" <ma...@nospam.void> wrote in message
news:qpqdnUcsZbTIX-DW...@giganews.com...
the thing is both look like they shold be studs out there.
MZ
It's possible they both just need changes of scenery. But with Ryan's
history of developing linebackers, I doubt anyone else would have better
luck with Gholston.
Ian White
I believe Rex said "If I can't make a player out of Gholston, no one
can", which pretty much means Gholston's worth less than fuck-all in any
sort of trade right now.
He's *got* to step up and show major return for his paycheck next year,
otherwise it will be his last. He's costing the team in dollars *and*
taking a spot of someone who can at least show some effort.
--
Ian
Harlan Lachman
graybeard <gray...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> But at least Thomas has shown in the past that he can actually do
> something on the field. I'm afraid that Gholston is the second coming of
> Brian Bosworth.
Bosworth could at least get paid as an actor. He was not completely
worthless.
h