Mebane

[hawknation2015]

They did the same thing last year with Zach Miller, who was also coming off an injury. In this case, Mebane called their bluff. He referred to these conversations in the past tense, so I do not get the sense that they are ongoing. Carroll has said Mebane is in the best shape of his life and on the verge of a career year, with the possibility of taking snaps at the three technique. Mebane is going to give us much better interior penetration than we had last season after he went down.

Where was the bluff?

Mebane didn't say they threatened to cut him.

That is always the potential consequence of not accepting less money. You accept less money in order to increase your chances of making the roster and perhaps adding another year to your deal. Not doing so risks getting you released or not re-signed next year.

 

[Smellyman]

Good for him for taking a pay cut.

 

[Dougula]

Did he say giggly or jiggly?

 

[Jazzhawk]

I wonder if anyone was asked to take a pay cut when he got his a few years ago and then got axed so Mebane could stay?

 

[hawknation2015]

I wonder if anyone was asked to take a pay cut when he got his a few years ago and then got axed so Mebane could stay?

I don't recall that, but I know Red Bryant wishes the Seahawks had asked him to take a pay cut before releasing him to make room for Bennett's extension last year.

Mebane wasn't complaining or sounding butthurt about these talks at all. He said he understands that this is a business, and he made the business decision not to accept a restructure this year. If anything, maybe that was the last thing he needed to motivate him to get in the best shape of his life, facing the risk of being released and going into another contract year.

 

[irocdave]

Time will tell if keeping Mebane is the right way to go, but I would say keep him and find another way with Kam.

Mebane is the only guy on the line that stuffs the run, he was on his way for NFL recognition before he was injured last year. The Hawks do not have a guy like him on the roster, they need to keep him until he proves he's not the same player he was.

 

[irocdave]

That's the thing that sucks about the NFL, guy gets hurt, the next year the team is knocking on his door looking to cut his pay to keep the guys that didn't get hurt / outplayed their contracts.

Mebane was one of the top run stuffers in the NFL for years and was also able to get decent pressure on QB's. Not any of those guys out there in his price range. Say what you want, the Hawks LB's are not great at stopping the run when the lineman don't clog up the middle, same as most LB's. He's a big part of the D, that's why he hasn't been cut and wont be until he proves he isn't at the same level pre injury.

 

[kf3339]

I don't think Schneider's heart was in it, asking Bane to take a pay cut. Just my gut feeling. Just John doing due diligence and I bet he might have even been relieved with Brandon said no.

Mebane being giggly is what gives me the feeling that there is nothing to worry about.

^ This. I didn't take his comment as anything to concern ourselves with at all. Even if they did ask him it was half-heart at best. He will be hear tearing it up this season just like the past.

 

[RW92]

So they chose to pay Cary Williams rather than Mebane. :?

I don't understand how Williams got such a big contact.

To be honest I don't think Williams was that much of a game changer for the Eagles last year. Didn't impress me.

I wouldn't have given him that big contract. Keep Mebane. Who knows maybe Seisay or possibly McNeil who has been switched to defensive back will fill in just well.

 

[MysterMatt]

Yeah, I understand why Mebane is a target, but he is also a good value right where he's at. I really, really, really don't want to see him cut. I'd rather see us trade Kearse if we really need a few million...and I don't really like that option, either.

Trade Kearse? Besides the niners, who trades for a third or fourth WR at this time of year?

Depends on the trade. I can think of several teams that could use a solid WR. I'd take a 6th for him in a heartbeat. I'd even cut him before letting 'Bane walk, and saying that hurts my soul a little.

 

[northseahawk]

So they chose to pay Cary Williams rather than Mebane. :?

I don't understand how Williams got such a big contact.

To be honest I don't think Williams was that much of a game changer for the Eagles last year. Didn't impress me.

I wouldn't have given him that big contract. Keep Mebane. Who knows maybe Seisay or possibly McNeil who has been switched to defensive back will fill in just well.

Williams was a game changer but in a negative way. I wanted 2-3 games of their game and this guy was like the weakest spot on the field. Attached and burnt badly. Worst than Simon was for us in the superbowl.

 

[Hasselbeck]

For the love of God.. can we let Cary Williams step on the field before we cut him? The Eagles defensive scheme was a joke.. hes got the size to be a nice fit here.. and if Pete wanted him, that's enough for me.. he is the DB whisperer for all intents and purposes.

As for Mebane.. I think it's pretty obvious him not taking a pay cut is the reason McDaniel was waived. They wouldn't cut both of their DT's just for the hell of it.

 

[Hasselbeck]

So they chose to pay Cary Williams rather than Mebane. :?

I don't understand how Williams got such a big contact.

To be honest I don't think Williams was that much of a game changer for the Eagles last year. Didn't impress me.

I wouldn't have given him that big contract. Keep Mebane. Who knows maybe Seisay or possibly McNeil who has been switched to defensive back will fill in just well.

Williams was a game changer but in a negative way. I wanted 2-3 games of their game and this guy was like the weakest spot on the field. Attached and burnt badly. Worst than Simon was for us in the superbowl.

Williams was also a very good corner in Baltimore before he made the jump to Philly. The Eagles defensive scheme was terrible last year and he has Earl Thomas over the top now. Don't be surprised to see Maxwell struggle just like Cary did a year ago.

 

[LudwigsDrummer]

So they chose to pay Cary Williams rather than Mebane. :?

I don't understand how Williams got such a big contact.

I agree, but every GM misses every now and then. The big picture is what matters. Seattle's GM has been pretty solid so far.

 

[northseahawk]

No one has anything against Cary williams. It's just he got extremely over paid and could possibly cost us a huge contributor like Mebane.

 

[Marlin Man]

Me and will be gone shortly, fact of life and cap. Get used to it, he did well while here and we thank him for that, but to laugh at s&p for asking him to take a pay cut, means he will soon be heading on. Fact

Right OR wrong,Mitch is Nfl fact

Next man up!

 

[Tech Worlds]

So they chose to pay Cary Williams rather than Mebane. :?

I don't understand how Williams got such a big contact.

To be honest I don't think Williams was that much of a game changer for the Eagles last year. Didn't impress me.

I wouldn't have given him that big contract. Keep Mebane. Who knows maybe Seisay or possibly McNeil who has been switched to defensive back will fill in just well.

Williams was a game changer but in a negative way. I wanted 2-3 games of their game and this guy was like the weakest spot on the field. Attached and burnt badly. Worst than Simon was for us in the superbowl.

That's impossible

 

[chris98251]

Simon was picked on and playing injured, I give him a pass, now Etric Pruitt, that's toast. Should have never been on the team let alone backing up in the Super Bowl.

 

[RiverDog]

Why are they after this poor guy. He isn't making what he hasn't earned.

Mirroring the present U.S. economy, there is a shrinking middle class in the NFL. Mebane's contract puts him in the 'middle class' category and those guys are getting squeezed out as the top end keeps demanding more and more to stay and play. (i.e. See Kam and Russ as two most recent examples).

I'm not making a commentary on the above, mostly due to lack of time, but that is simply what is taking place. There are fewer and fewer guys like McDaniels, Mebane, etc. who get to keep their 'mid-level' salaries as top-end players eat more up more of the salary cap space. What you see trending is teams having a handful of top-earners and a whole bunch of rookies and journeymen making 'low-end' money by NFL standards.

Great post, Snake!

Your theory is very plausible and should be easy to prove if someone had the time and the inclination to do so, which is to figure out what percentage of the team's cap each player has and figure the standard deviation away from the mean.

I like your thinking. No one else has made such an observation.

 

[netskier]

I like this idea too, but I think someone did write an article about this. I will try to find and cite it tomorrow.

The Star System is indeed destroying the NFL middle class, exactly in the same way that the 1% is destroying the US middle class.

Wilson and Wagner are doing to the Seahawks the same as Trump and the Walton's are doing to the country --- hollowing out the Middle Class. Only the scale is different.