Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Trash

Not a D&D post.

Jamal Adams...a Seahawks player that I've mentioned far too many times in this blog...is injured and out for the rest of the season.

Back in 2009, the Seattle Mariners (FWIW: the WORST baseball franchise in the history of MLB) signed a player named Chone Figgins to a four-year $36 million dollar contract (about $46.4 million in 2021). He was terrible, having his worst season of his (till then) 7 year career. The next year (2011) he was worse, being replaced halfway through the season, batting .188 in 81 games. In 2012 he started as the leadoff only to be benched by May of that year and finishing .181 in 66 game appearances (for non-baseball fans: there are 162 games per season). He was DFA'd before the final season of his contract and played nary a game of Major League Baseball (for ANY team) ever again.

General consensus around town is that the man stole money and was one of the worst, most bone-headed trade "deals" in the history of Seattle sports.

As we watched Jamal Adams fail miserably at attempting to tackle George Kittle on Sunday (launching himself out-of-bounds and out of the play...perhaps this was when he re-injured his surgically repaired shoulder), one of the fans in our section said he was worse than Brian Bosworth. "The Boz" (whose poster I had on my wall as a child) was taken with a first round draft pick in 1987 and was given a 10 year, $11M contract (back before salary cap and fixed rookie contracts) with $2.5M guaranteed. He played 24 games over three years (12 games, 10 games, 2 games) before retiring due to injury (shoulder), and was ultimately a disappointment, with few memorable moments. In terms of 2021 dollars, he made maybe $7 million in salary. Maybe.

Jamal Adams has a four year, $70M contract through 2025 of which $38M is guaranteed. Guaranteed. Meaning that even if he doesn't play another snap of football because he decides to retire...due to, for example, the fact that his shoulder simply cannot hold up under the stress of playing like an undersized linebacker...he will still receive $38 million dollars, not counting what he was paid by the Seahawks year. In a league with a hard salary cap. 

On a team that has a bargain bin offensive line that has not been able to keep its franchise quarterback from being beat up (again). On a team that has no draft picks because they traded them away to get Adams in the first place. 

I'm angry again. But I'm not terribly angry about Adams being hurt...the team plays better when he's not on the field (observe Sunday's game: Kittle went for 120 yards and two TDs in the first half...when Adams was in...and only 60 with no TDs when he was out. And the 'Hawks gave up 0 points in the 2nd half compared to 23 in the 1st half). No, I'm mad that it takes a season ending injury to get him off the field. That instead of cutting bait with Adams before the season began, they doubled-down on last season's mistake and paid the man. I'm mad that it takes a season-ending injury to bench a liability, that has helped lead the team to eight losses for the season, led to us not re-signing players like Shaquille Griffin and K.J. Wright. 

We are going to see Ryan Neal, still on his rookie contract (making league minimum) play for the rest of the season at strong safety, and I'm going to guess the defense plays better. We've already seen Neal make more (and better) plays than Adams coming off the bench. But Neal was un-drafted whereas Adams was a Top 5 pick (by the Jets).

$38 million for 12...poorly played games. That's more than $3M per game. I did the math and estimate that if I went back to my old job and worked till the age of 68 I'd earn, maybe, $1.3M for my entire life. Dammit, I can dress and be shitty on the football field for a million bucks. Do you need me to fail in pass coverage? Throw myself out of bounds? Ole running backs into the endzone on goal line plays? Jump around hooting and hollering when a receiver drops a ball? Get blocked by a skinny wide receiver and injured? Man...I can do ALL that. And at half the price.

Trash. The guy is trash. When you sign someone to the highest contract ever given for player at his position, one should not be discussing whether or not he is a "good" player...you should be debating HOW good, HOW legendary, HOW impactful he is compared to other notable, superstar players. You should be debating whether or not he's more valuable than a Bosa or Watts or Donald; you should not be debating whether or not he should have been replaced by Ryan Neal weeks ago. Pro Football Focus should not have the highest paid player at his position ranked as the #97 best player at his position...out of 64 starting safeties in the NFL.

Yeah, I'm angry. I love my family. I love Dungeons & Dragons. I love God and country and my city and state. And I love my home football team just a little less than those things. And things that hurt the things I love...like Jamal Adams...get my dander up. I guess I could care less. I guess. First World problems. People starving and dying of COVID and all that. But shoot. It's tough not to care.

Blood Bowl.

It was the second edition of the game that introduced the concept of "star players:" players with abilities and skills above and beyond those found in a player at their position. Any human team might have a human "thrower" (the BB equivalent of a quarterback) whose ability to pass the ball was head-and-shoulders above other position players. But Jacob Von Altdorf of the Reikland Reavers is/was even better, receiving a fat +2 bonus to pass attempts, plus having the "luck" skill (an individual re-roll, usable once per match). All Blood Bowl teams in 2nd edition had a maximum of 16 players on their roster, of which up to SIX (possibly seven with the BB Companion rules) could be "stars."

3E Blood Bowl (and later) re-vamped the star system, requiring teams to actually shell out money to hire mercenary stars (and pay exorbitant sums to retain them over the long haul)...or else develop them within their own system through an advancement system not too much different from D&D (players earn star player points through actions, eventually "leveling up" and gaining skills/bonuses). In theory, given enough matches and success, every single player on a late edition BB roster could...eventually...become a "star" player.

But using BB to model the actual NFL...well, that just doesn't happen in real life. In BB, players that survive will ALL (eventually) grow to be superstars. In the NFL, most players survive and yet, only have the potential to become competent veterans, not "stars." And those that DO become stars command huge salaries that...because of the salary cap...restrict the number teams can carry on their rosters. The 2E version of stars is far more representative of the "real" NFL.

I realize I've written about this before (at least in passing)...you can look at just about any team in the NFL and pick out half a dozen noteworthy players and the rest are "just guys." Competent guys, perhaps...veteran guys, perhaps. Guys who know their job and do it well. But not flashy superstars. The stars (and "stars in the making") are limited.  Not only is talent limited (in the league) but potential talent is limited. 

Making that bank.
Let's return to the Seahawks for a moment. Back when they were going to back-to-back Superbowls, the Seahawks had stellar safeties in the form of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. I understand WHY the Seahawks went after Adams in free agency...the team was trying to find a replacement for Kam, just as they acquired Quandre Diggs as a replacement for Thomas. Diggs has been fantastic: a Pro Bowl free safety. But Adams has simply failed to be the hard hitting, fear inspiring enforcer and run-stopper that Kam was. For all his reputation as a "fierce tackler" Adams is just a goblin. A speedy spark plug with great straightline speed and reckless disregard for his own body's inability to take punishment. Not the same thing at all.

But that's what was available. There was no "Kam Chancellor" on the market or available for acquisition. And the Seahawks needed/wanted another playmaker on defense, someone that could bring an attitude and fire and an ability to rush/pressure an opposing QB...but that didn't have the price-tag of a premier defensive end. Because the Seahawks couldn't afford a real "pass rusher" (the Watts, Bosa, Donald type) because they're paying a Hall of Fame quarterback $135M. 

So they picked up a blitz specializing safety instead (safeties being the lowest paid defensive players in the NFL), not realizing that part of why he was so good was the defensive scheming of Gregg Williams (defensive coordinator for the Jets during Adams's tenure on the team that drafted him). In terms of 2E Blood Bowl, the gobbo was the only star player left on the (free agency) board that the team could afford. And they've been trying desperately to make it work. Despite there being no evidence that it can work with the way Pete Carroll structures his defense.

*sigh*

Current stars on the Seahawks team:

1. Russell Wilson
2. DK Metcalf (developing)
3. Tyler Lockett
4. Bobby Wagner
5. Jamal Adams
6. Quandre Diggs
7. Michael Dickson

Everyone else qualifies as...pretty much..."just a guy." Some are playing better; some (like the offensive line) are not.

[for the record: the Super Bowl champion Seahawks had the following stars: Russell Wilson (developing), Marshawn Lynch, Max Unger, Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, Kam Chancellor, and Earl Thomas. But we had a LOT of blitzers and black ork blockers on that team (especially on the D-line), and don't have quite as many now]

Okay. That's enough venting. Sometimes you just need to exhale the bile.

6 comments:

  1. Was it the Land of Boz poster? The wizard of Oz ripoff one. My buddy had that one up and it pops in my mind whenever any one says Boz.

    More importantly will Jamal Adams go on to make a reboot of Stone Cold?

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    1. It was indeed the Land of Boz…one of the all time great posters, IMO.
      ; )

      I have never seen Stone Cold, but I imagine Jamal would do a great remake. Not even being sarcastic…he’s got a lot of energy and charisma, and it’d be fun to see him as an action hero (assuming he doesn’t take himself too seriously).

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  2. Jamal Adams is terrible. This was obvious when he was on the Jets. Watch this TD to Odell Beckham Jr from a few years ago. He bit on the play-fake and was still moving towards he line of scrimmage while Mayfield is in the middle of his throwing motion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZxuWt_CZVw

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    1. Yeah. When the trade was first made there was a local (Jets) reporter who was interviewed about him that said (basically) “he’s not as good as the hype” and “be careful what you wish for.” I haven’t seen Jeta fans…or players…crying over the trade the way Lions players exploded over the Diggs trade.

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  3. Boz did have one memorable play; when Bo Jackson ran right over him.

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    1. I was there for his first game of his career when he had an impressive, reaching interception. He wore fingerless blue gloves in an era when NO ONE wore gloves.

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