<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Bengals place franchise tag on DE SmithAssociated PressCINCINNATI -- Defensive end Justin Smith, who has led Cincinnati's line in tackles in each of the last five seasons, was designated as the Bengals' franchise player Thursday.Smith would have become an unrestricted free agent March 2 if he doesn't reach a contract agreement with the Bengals before then. The franchise tag means the Bengals could keep Smith by matching any offer sheet he signed with another team.If they choose not to match another offer, the Bengals would get the other team's first-round draft picks in 2007 and 2008 as compensation.He would be guaranteed $8,644,000, the average salary of the top five defensive ends next season."This move helps us keep our core players together, and it gives us an opportunity to continue negotiating for a longer-term contract with Justin," coach Marvin Lewis said.Smith had 110 tackles in the 2006 season and ranked second on the team in sacks with 7.5. He has played all six of his NFL seasons with Cincinnati.Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2767112More proof that Free Agency is quickly becoming more Mediocre then ever, when only a decent player like Smith is getting Franchise Tagged it's pretty sad.
Yeah, having 8, 6, and 7.5 sacks over the past few years is only decent for a player who is actually good against the run.Here is his sacks over his career....8.56.55.08.06.07.5He's going to get you sacks every year. He's worth the franchise tag.
I'm not going to bother debating weather he's a 'decent' or 'good' player as it is irrelevant either way.Point is the Franchise Tag was intended for the teams to be able to keep their Franchise, or Elite, Players Instead of losing them to Free Agency with no chance to keep them (Hence the name 'Franchise'). While Justin Smith is good, he's not even the best Free Agent on his own team (Steinbach), nevermind an Elite Player. When undeserving players like Justin Smith get Franchise Tagged, added to the fact that any really good players normally get signed to a Long-Term Extension before they hit Free Agency, it just makes the Free Agent Market overly mediocre and thin and teams are then forced to overpay for Mediocre talent. Definitely a flawed system.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Feb 15 2007, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'm not going to bother debating weather he's a 'decent' or 'good' player as it is irrelevant either way.Point is the Franchise Tag was intended for the teams to be able to keep their Franchise, or Elite, Players Instead of losing them to Free Agency with no chance to keep them (Hence the name 'Franchise'). While Justin Smith is good, he's not even the best Free Agent on his own team (Steinbach), nevermind an Elite Player. When undeserving players like Justin Smith get Franchise Tagged, added to the fact that any really good players normally get signed to a Long-Term Extension before they hit Free Agency, it just makes the Free Agent Market overly mediocre and thin and teams are then forced to overpay for Mediocre talent. Definitely a flawed system.</div>Who cares about the Free Agent market being thin? That just serves teams who build through the draft. And if Justin Smith doesn't deserve the money he's about to get, then that's good for him.
Justin Smith is a "good player" IMO. He can do it all; rush the passer, stop the run, and drop back in coverage as well as any DE.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Feb 15 2007, 04:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Who cares about the Free Agent market being thin? That just serves teams who build through the draft. And if Justin Smith doesn't deserve the money he's about to get, then that's good for him.</div>Maybe, but it'd also be a major knock to the parity of the league as a whole. It'd suddenly be taking a bad team years to rebound where in the past with just one offseason it could be done.
I think that's a good thing though. A team shouldn't be able to pull what the Saints did, from a 3 win team to a playoff race to the NFC Championship. It makes it more of a challenge to the players to actually step it up to get the franchise back in shape.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Feb 15 2007, 06:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Feb 15 2007, 04:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Who cares about the Free Agent market being thin? That just serves teams who build through the draft. And if Justin Smith doesn't deserve the money he's about to get, then that's good for him.</div>Maybe, but it'd also be a major knock to the parity of the league as a whole. It'd suddenly be taking a bad team years to rebound where in the past with just one offseason it could be done.</div>Then that's that team's fault.
