Jimmy Graham

deemed TE, not a WR.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...graham-deemed-tight-end-in-system-arbitration

Hey 'I'm Jimmy', u mad bro?

Yea, u mad. Maybe if you showed up against hard-hitting defenses like a man playing in the NFL should, you'd have gotten what you wanted. :lol:

I just find it funny that he actually felt he had a chance to win this. Dude is delusional.

Well, I think there was always a chance. Look at his line-up tendencies, he really does line up as a receiver in their formations almost always. I never thought it likely that he'd win his grievance, but I don't blame him for trying.

Have fun with your lower paycheck, I'm Jimmy®!

I'm actually surprised he didn't win.

Now the door is open for teams to list their franchise QBs as full backs in the roster list. Who cares what they actually do on the field, it's how the team designated them that matters, amiright?

I suspect if he had tried to change his designation to WR long before he was ever franchise tagged that the NFL would be a lot more likely to side with him.

Just a thought. Sitting around being perfectly fine listed as a TE on the Saints roster for the past four seasons, then complaining after he gets tagged as a TE just reeks of being a money grab.

Pretty ridiculous that he didn't win this actually given the language of the rule, but sadly it's not that surprising for what is an increasingly BS organization like the NFL (e.g. the completely out-in-the-open collusion that occurred during the uncapped year, the NFL's whole approach to the new CBA, the ridiculous demands to award Super Bowls, the continued pilfering of public coffers from a "non-profit organization" which is representing for-profit teams, etc.).

SacHawk2.0":2d2677fw said:

I'm actually surprised he didn't win.

Now the door is open for teams to list their franchise QBs as full backs in the roster list. Who cares what they actually do on the field, it's how the team designated them that matters, amiright?

Click to expand...

Sac, he even has TE listed as his position on Twitter! If he wants to be a WR, fine. But let him do so in a way that doesn't involve arbitration simply because he wants that extra $5M.

The NFL looked for some prior art as a basis for his claim, found nothing, and ruled accordingly. I bet they'd have sided with him if he had spent the off-season a year ago trying to change his designation.

OkieHawk":164uchqu said:

SacHawk2.0":164uchqu said:

I'm actually surprised he didn't win.

Now the door is open for teams to list their franchise QBs as full backs in the roster list. Who cares what they actually do on the field, it's how the team designated them that matters, amiright?

Click to expand...

Sac, he even has TE listed as his position on Twitter! If he wants to be a WR, fine. But let him do so in a way that doesn't involve arbitration simply because he wants that extra $5M.

Click to expand...

I honestly don't blame the guy. I'm all for players getting the most they can when they can. Football is just so hard on the body.

He may have come into the NFL as a TE, he may be listed that way, and I can understand him even putting it on his twitter considering that's what he's always been. But for all intents and purposes he's a receiver, and the Saints use him that way.

Not a great Idea for a franchise to upset a premier player just to save an extra 5 million. They pretty much just guaranteed that he won't be a Saint after this season.

Someone else will pay him what he's worth.

SacHawk2.0":my3qkfmv said:

Someone else will pay him what he's worth.

Click to expand...

How do we know he's worth WR franchise tag money? He disappears against physicality. With a bunch of the league now wanting to be tough badass masters of badassery on top of badass mountain like the Seahawks are, his overall annual performance may now just decline every year if he doesn't shape up in that regard.

SacHawk2.0":23x8hrf5 said:

OkieHawk":23x8hrf5 said:

SacHawk2.0":23x8hrf5 said:

I'm actually surprised he didn't win.

Now the door is open for teams to list their franchise QBs as full backs in the roster list. Who cares what they actually do on the field, it's how the team designated them that matters, amiright?

Click to expand...

Sac, he even has TE listed as his position on Twitter! If he wants to be a WR, fine. But let him do so in a way that doesn't involve arbitration simply because he wants that extra $5M.

Click to expand...

I honestly don't blame the guy. I'm all for players getting the most they can when they can. Football is just so hard on the body.

He may have come into the NFL as a TE, he may be listed that way, and I can understand him even putting it on his twitter considering that's what he's always been. But for all intents and purposes he's a receiver, and the Saints use him that way.

Not a great Idea for a franchise to upset a premier player just to save an extra 5 million. They pretty much just guaranteed that he won't be a Saint after this season.

Someone else will pay him what he's worth.

Click to expand...

I agree completely that they should get what they can...however, they should do so before contract negotiations start. Perception is now that he's a greedy d-bag who can't block. Actually, that is pretty accurate :lol:

OkieHawk":37hbigfp said:

Perception Reality is now that he's a greedy d-bag who can't block.

Click to expand...

FIFY.

RolandDeschain":16ql7tw7 said:

OkieHawk":16ql7tw7 said:

Perception Reality is now that he's a greedy d-bag who can't block.

Click to expand...

FIFY.

Click to expand...

:thirishdrinkers: :thirishdrinkers:

I think its very reasonable. Part of being a TE is that you can split out and you can play in line and even that you can line up as the H back. The very fact that Graham does all that but, by way of contrast, Marques Colston doesnt proves the point that Graham is a TE. He is used as TEs are used, since the early 80s TEs have been asked to be the player to move around.

Were I him, I'd just stop agreeing to split wide for New Orleans in that case.

Oh wait, he can't block, so his value is very little in that case.

Seriously though, the NFLPA really should negotiate away that franchise tag. Get all the players in a room, tell them to spend money like they were poor again for the length of this next labor deal, and then when they go on strike, they can actually maybe hold out and negotiate something in their favor.

Oh, and fire DeMaurice Smith. Actually, do that first.

We have always had TE's that caught a lot of balls like a WR..Kellen Winslow SR/Brent Jones..There are many I won't list but thats how it's always been some block /don't catch ,some do both and a lot have not blocked and caught balls..I want to say again -It's nothing new-...But this big baby Jimmy wants special treatment....All he ever does against us is be a big hitting dummy for Kam..

So I guess a major reason behind his designation was an arbitrary line drawn out from teh tackle. I guess 4 yards (12 feet for the lamen). If Graham was within this area, he was considered a TE.

The literal wording was in teh CBA about percentage of snaps and where a player lines up. So obviously, to make sure not contradict the language, they just decided to put an imaginary line for a position group.

Now I couldnt care less what Jimmy gets or doesnt get. But doesnt this set precedent on future slot receivers that are franchised. I know its not common to franchise a slot receiver, because its expensive. But if you can justify them as TE's because of this precedent, they just became a whole lot cheaper.

I dont like Jimmy (all though I think he is a freak athlete), but the ruling was pathetic when the reason why came out. Social media and a fake line drawn in the sand is pretty pathetic. But lets be honest, the NFL and its owners can easily manipulate any arbitrator. Money talks.