- Today is the day that all those injured guys on IR last season get cleared to re-join the roster, stretch their legs, and start to get back into the mind-set of football. So far, 15 teams have cleared their infirmaries, but the Dolphins made no announcements today. It was also the first day that players could be waived. Again, the Dolphins made no announcements. Yep, that means Ernest Wilford is still a Miami Dolphin.
- Leigh Bodden was cut by the Lions today, as part of their efforts to clear $35 million in cap room. I didn't see Bodden play last year since he was a Lion, but he was spectacular in 2007. If he doesn't have any personality issues, I suspect the Trifecta is already working him out.
Had they been smoking crack? lol
ReplyDeleteIf that view/guess is correct, it means that Miami signed impact FAs and stole the draft!
ReplyDeleteAh, interesting time warp stuff. If only they'd read out the lottery numbers too!
ReplyDeleteHere's a Lions scouting report on Bodden, citing injuries in 05 and 06, but he seems to have remained healthy since?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2008/05/scouting_report_leigh_bodden.html
Looks like he fell out of favour pretty quickly in Detroit though. Should we be rebuilding with Lions rejects? Worth a free look though, under the "turning over every stone" category.
I would think we'd target Bodden, he's been pretty productive in his career, he has decent size and he'll be only 28 at the start of the season. At the least he could compete for a starting job or add depth.
ReplyDeleteBodden was not the problem in Detroit. He had a decent year. Detroit's problem was the front 7. The reason they let him go was because he was too expensive and they need the money for when they draft Crabtree or Percy Harvin or whomever they'll go with!
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong, but Parcells has connections to Cleveland when Bodden played there and probably has scouted him already in the past. This is Bodden's first time being a free agent in 4 or 5 years if I'm correct.
FWIW from wiki: "In 2005, Chad Johnson announced he was keeping a list of DBs who had covered him skillfully. This list was called 'Who covered 85 in '05', the Pro Bowler named Leigh Bodden #1 and called him his toughest cover after being held to a season low 2 catches and 22 yards."
ReplyDeletePer nflfanhouse, Tom Kowalski, Lions beat writer for MLive, speculates on why Bodden was such a disappointment, pointing the finger squarely at former head coach Rod Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
ReplyDeleteFormer coach Rod Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry, though, completely mishandled the situation. Bodden is a brash and confident young player who thrives on success, but the Lions messed with his head from the very beginning. Marinelli's custom of having new players "earn'' starting positions was ridiculous -- and that's been pointed out many times in this blog. It was especially foolish in the case of Bodden, who was a three-year starter with the Browns and had six interceptions the previous season. Still, Bodden was delegated as a No. 2 cornerback behind Travis Fisher for the entire training camp and preseason. It was embarrassing to Bodden.
As a result, Bodden is out after one season, which was statistically one of the worst of his six-year career.
I find the statement 'having new players "earn" starting positions was ridiculous' to be ridiculous in itself. Every player should have to earn his place, right? I understand the writer thinking Bodden had the talent to be the starter, but to say that he's automatically the starter based on the previous season is like saying in February 2008 that Ernest Wilford should be the starter....
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Wilford, 'mando writes that keeping him is much cheaper than letting him go.
ReplyDeleteThe suspense of waiting for FA and the draft is killing me! Let's get on with it, already!
Tab Perry ruptured an achilles tendon and was "waived/injured reserve", what exactly does that mean? Does Miami still own him until he's claimed by another team?
ReplyDeleteTell me about it! It looks like the fins are going to hang on to everybody until they see who the other teams cut. Good strategy, but terrible for news!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Wilford issue, Armando has a point but as usual it is not an accurate point. I can't be bothered to post a comment in there though.
Regardless of Mando's math errors, the truth is keeping Wilford would cost more than cutting him. For one, he wouldn't be able to attain any performance bonuses (he probably wouldn't anyway), he couldn't receive a roster bonus (which he will on March 1st), and also, his signing bonus if he was cut would only count against 2009, not future years. But they would save the 1.5 mill a year in base salary but pay the 1.5 mill a year in bonus money (this money has already been paid to Wilford, but when I say 'pay' I mean count against the cap). So I actuality, the team would save money by cutting him, but would be dented in the salary cap in 2009. What Armando failed to mention is that this bonus money is gone and isn't coming back. The Dolphins could've afforded to cut Wilford last year and taken the hit. They can still afford to cut him this year and be well under the cap, especially if they lose one or two of their free agents. It doesn't make sense to pay a bench warmer 1.5 mil base salary. So Wilford is done. Armando forgets that instead of acting like a man at the end of the year, Wilford whined like a little girl. Whiny unproductive wastes of space do not stay on a Bill Parcells team. He is done for.
If a player is injured while he's under contract, the team still has to pay him (probably an injury settlement). He is not part of the team, ie on the roster per se, but he is 'under contract' with the team. Once he is healed, he becomes a free agent. Since Perry had an achilles tendon injury I assume he'd likely be under contract for about a year but don't hold me to that.
ReplyDeleteSometimes another team comes along and signs the injured player. Miami did that last year with Al Johnson, as well as that linebacker...smith?
If no other team signs Perry, Miami has the option of keeping him on the IR. I think it's possible he makes it to camp and competes for the fourth or fifth spot. He was a pretty good ST guy but an achilles will probably end his returning days.