Peter King - Mckay negotiated the Ryan deal

[Lamond]

There is a bunch of hinky stuff going on here.

First of all, if I'm Jake Long I am pi$$ed. Anyone still believe the Dolphins didn't take advantage of him now?

Second, Tom Condon should have some 'splaining to do. He advised J. Long to sign that deal and obviously knew he was going to get more from the Falcons for Ryan?

Third, a six year deal doesn't seem, IMO, to be in Ryan's best interest either. He may get 2 bites at the apple if he's very good. Most players want to get to FA ASAP.

Maybe I'm a conspiritorialist on this one.  :-

[Feel Real Good]

1. Part of the supposed ploy between negotiating between multiple players you could draft is to throw out a slightly under market deal and see if one of them bites. Let's say the Dolphins really wanted Vernon Gholston, too. They tell him sign this under market value deal or fall to the Jets where you'll make a whole lot less than what we're offering. It's the player's decision.

2. I think Jake Long got a great contract. His bonus works out to be more per year than Ryan and he hits free agency a year earlier. If he can play, which most offensive linemen picked in the top 5 can, by 2013 he'll be making 2013 value instead of 2008 money.

3. Ryan's contract is in his best interest. If he sucks, which a lot more QBs picked in the top 5 do, he gets an extra $5 or so million of bonus money by adding the 6th year. If he's good, as a QB he'll still have a ton of miles left for maybe two more big contracts.

4. For whatever reason, agents have been able to squeeze a little more money for QBs than what their draft position would indicate. That's just life.

[The White Tiger]

Especially when a team has to pick a QB at the TOP of the draft. When you factor in that your franchise in a shambles and you've had fires sales and fir-ings then you really don't have much positiion of strength. Longs deal helped Atlanta by at least determining a "top" for this years market.

Chris that was great follow up information. Knowing that had to get a deal done put pressure on Condon to decide quickly.

No since he took the deal - does that mean he doesn't believe this kids that good because he got a good deal, fast...or does that mean that he's reputable?

[Agent Orange]

Intelligent football minds know that McKay is one of the best front office people in the league.

You are correct, and the Falcons 19 wins and 30 loss record over the past 3 seasons has proved that. Couple that with crippling yet another team's cap and dishing out $20M to a FB, yes, he's certainly one of the best front office people in the league. Did I mention that he was booted out from making FOOTBALL decisions last year?

I wish he was still drafting for them because it was bust after bust. Jenkins, Jimmy Williams, Anderson, and Hall isn't even on the team anymore, well done McKay. I appreciate the fact that you have ruined the Falcons.

The fact that he constructed the contract isn't making football and personnel decisions. He's on the business side now because of the piss poor drafting over the past 5 years. He's done nothing but hurt that franchise.

Really, he has drafted nothing but busts huh. Zero pro bowlers have been drafted by the Buccaneers since he left. Yet he's drafted Pro Bowlers, and got picks for several of the players you were mentioning, while we cannot even get a 7th rounder for a 1st round receiver. You fail to include in your 3 year theory that last year had nothing to do with his drafting or handling of the team. It was all Mike Vick. Without that they would have been fine. You also forget to add the fourth year because he has been there four seasons into your win/loss totals. I'll provide this example to mute your point...

In his first three seasons in the Falcons organization they had a record of 26-22 and won their Divisional Round playoff game, something we haven't even reached since he left. The three years before he arrived there their record was 23-24-1 with one wildcard playoff game win.

To look at this and have a perspective on what he meant to us, he left us with a Super Bowl Winner that had a record of 28-18. The following three years since he left we've got a record of 20-28 with no playoff wins. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that we would have been better off keeping McKay and ousting Chucky.This year it will be more of the same and most people know it. I'm sorry you haven't accepted that yet. Maybe next offseason after another losing year you'll be able to finally come to terms with it.

I think that when god was handing out brains, AgentOrange was too busy  on his computer posting that what we really needed was sharper teeth and missed out...

[Biggs3535]

Intelligent football minds know that McKay is one of the best front office people in the league.

Bornabuc, please go back to the sandbox.

That would not be surprising at all.

[SnookAU]

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that we would have been better off keeping McKay and ousting Chucky.This year it will be more of the same and most people know it. I'm sorry you haven't accepted that yet. Maybe next offseason after another losing year you'll be able to finally come to terms with it.

Wow, you're quite the optimistic Bucs fan.  2 division titles in three years and suddenly the world is going to end.  Bornabuc, is that you?

By the way, who was the last Pro-Bowler McKay drafted?  Barber?  ELEVEN years ago?  Rich McKay last drafted a Pro Bowler ELEVEN years ago?  And you're bragging about that?  Without doing any research, I'm sure Bruce Allen has drafted a Pro Bowler (in Oakland) since then.

The reason everyone think that McKay is such a great GM is because he SPOONFED the media and made their job easier.  In turn, the media's love affair with Rich McKay spilled over to mindless people like you who can't form an opinion on their own.

RM is a JOKE of a GM.  Yes, he was here in Tampa for the turnaround success.  But he was a PIECE of it -- it wasn't all because of him. 

But out on his own, what has he done?  NOTHING.    He's sunk the Atlanta franchise.  The 2004 Falcons team that went to the NFCCG wasn't really his team.  It was pretty much in place when he got there.  And its funny how you don't place any blame on McKay for the Vick situation last season.  But if that were Bruce Allen and the Bucs in that situation, you'd be screaming for his head on the chopping block.

[klb55]

Paying rookies these kind of dollars cannot be good for the game.   

[CurtR1995]

Ryan, the new face of the franchise, and a QB, btw, is signed and in camp.  He can now be marketed and can learn the offense.  They avoided a J. Russell fiasco and got a 6th year to avoid FA.  

Nothing to see here......

[dbucfan]

Assuming he becomes one of the top 3-5 qbs in the league you are correct Curt.  If he pulls a Ryan Leaf performance Rich will get a chance to use his degree in law, and Blank will spend more time with Home Depot to avoid the ridicule... 

[CurtR1995]

Assuming he becomes one of the top 3-5 qbs in the league you are correct Curt. If he pulls a Ryan Leaf performance Rich will get a chance to use his degree in law, and Blank will spend more time with Home Depot to avoid the ridicule...

And this wouldn't be the case if they had paid him $2M less in guaranteed money?

I think any team passing up Dorsey is nuts, but you can hardly argue with a team like Atl drafting a marketable QB and getting him into camp at what amounts to a $2M premium. 

[Lamond]

All I know is that if the Bucs had done this the villagers would be lighting their torches and heading for OBP right now.

[bradentonian]

All I know is that if the Bucs had done this the villagers would be lighting their torches and heading for OBP right now.

Drafted a franchise QB?  Unlikely

[ryan24]

Assuming he becomes one of the top 3-5 qbs in the league you are correct Curt.  If he pulls a Ryan Leaf performance Rich will get a chance to use his degree in law, and Blank will spend more time with Home Depot to avoid the ridicule... 

Yeah but what were they going to do? It's not like they could say "our offer is $20 mil guaranteed...take it or leave it". Basically...the cost is virtually locked in when they drafted the guy.

[Lamond]

All I know is that if the Bucs had done this the villagers would be lighting their torches and heading for OBP right now.

Drafted a franchise QB? Unlikely

lol brads

Why is it so hard for some folks to say how they really feel?