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 Ever since Bobby Engram hinted at a possible training camp hold out due to contract issues, there have been a lot of long faces in Seahawk fandom. Engram is looking for a contract extension and it looks as though the Seahawks are taking a dim view. Usually a player who wants to restructure his contract is seen as a selfish “me first” type of person. Does Bobby really fit this mold? It is considered a taboo for an organization to entertain this type of request as it sends an unfavorable message to other players that the organization can be held hostage at the players will. When a players skills diminish to the point that the organization considers the player is being paid too much for the amount of production they are getting in return, it is general practice to ask that player to restructure their contract resulting in that player taking a pay cut. This is considered normal and acceptable. The general feeling among fans is “he signed the contract, he needs to live by it”. Then there is Shaun Alexander who’s skills diminished to the point that the Seahawks asked him to restructure and take a pay cut. Alexander refused and was cut from the team. Should we have kept him and paid him the money he was due? Engram was the Seahawks leading receiver last season with 94 catches. Last year Bobby made $ 1,402,200 while Nate Burleson made $ 5,253,080 and Deion Branch made $ 8,976,471. Lets take a closer look at Engram, a player who has never really had that big “pay day”. If his motivation isn’t greed, then what is it? I believe it is something that I hope none of us will ever have to experience. Bobby has a daughter who is very ill. Engrams daughter has Sickle Cell Disease. For just a moment try to imagine one of your children stricken with a sickness, you had a great year at work, but realize you are nearing the end of your career. What would you do? Normally I am also the type that believes a player who signs a contract should shut up and play the game. But every once in a while you have a situation like this where you have to look at the whole picture. Under paid and nearing the end of the road. It seems like almost every time we needed that 3rd down catch across the middle to get a first down, Bobby was there. Bobby’s career here has produced many clutch catches that we needed to keep a drive going. Bobby always gave us hope that any game was winnable when he was in there. I hope the Seahawks organization and maybe even the players and fans re-think this over. When we needed a catch, when we needed a few more yards, when we needed a score, Bobby played. [Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums] |
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