Film Room: Chris Baker Interview 5/6/2008
Chris Baker was on SNY’s Wheelhouse yesterday with Custer, BT and Scott Ferrall and he talked about his status with the team, how he feels about the situation and his hope for a resolution.We still hope the situation will get resolved, but Baker hasn’t played his hand well, as you can read about from an NFL Insider on Cimini’s blog.
He quotes being the third highest paid Tight End on the team, but wasn’t that of his own doing? He signed a deal and should honor it. I understand that the Jets bumped forward some money, but he clearly spent and forgot about his signing bonus that would basically make his contract come in line with the others.
The most telling part of the interview comes right at the end, asked by Brian Custer when specifically he was told about a new deal with the Jets. Baker states that open-ended promises were made at the signing of the deal (back in 2006), but doesn’t say that the Jets were telling him he was going to have his contract re-done at any time last season.
We still think that Baker has a place on this team and that he would greatly benefit the Jets game, so one would hope that the situation is resolved. All the same, Tannenbaum takes the “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” stance when it comes to holdouts. Baker has to be the first to make the move towards reconciliation, and make it known that he’s doing so with the intent of gaining a new contract. What seems more likely though is that Baker will return, Pete Kendall style, just to avoid penalties.
At that point it might be too late.
For more videos on all things New York sports, check out SNY.tv.
23 Responses to Film Room: Chris Baker Interview 5/6/2008
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klecko71 says:
agree with you zen….
but its too bad tierny joined the list of the uninformed….
that baker re-worked his deal to get more $$ up front.so yeah he is the third highest paid guy this year but thats his and his agents fault. go out and play chris….u come off as the idiot real well.
play well and its a lock they extend u…aint like franks is the TE of the future
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Harlan Lachman says:
Living in VT, I don’t get SNY. Who are these bozos? The skin head was continually baiting Baker (who much to my surprise did not take the bait — I was prepared to be hating and I just felt sad for him) and the cigarette smoking soon to be croaked voice was even more offensively baiting the kid.
I am sick and tired of so called sports journalists who fail to prepare and do their jobs. Not one of these poor excuses asked Baker to comment on the Cimini article which seems to belie his points. All accepted Bakers’s facts at face value when we know them to be false.
This doesn’t serve, Baker, the Jets, Jet fans, or even the station’s credibility.
Amazing.
harlan
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The Ed(itor) says:
Harlan,
I agree. Baker sits there and lies through his pearly whites that he is the third lowest paid TE on the team. No mention that he is making $1.65 million this year albeit some was paid up front to him last year for Cap reasons. Also none of the SNY dunderheads challenged him on WHO told him they would relook at his contract. The JETS claim no one did that. What poll did these dunderheads take to indicate most JETS fans are behind him? I don’t know any JETS fan who thinks Baker is right in this matter and deserves more money. After all he is 20th best TE (out of 32 teams) in passes caught in 2007. In a year when the JETS didn’t or couldn’t throw long. -
beansy says:
BT and Ferrall have no class. SNY is supposed to be a supporter of gang green and all there trying to do is stir up more controversy than there needs to be. When Ferrall was badgering Baker about where he wants to play…it was just pathetic.
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jos says:
Look at that bald headed suck up making it like Baker is mike ditka and there not throwing the ball to him.
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18andOne says:
Tanigin have done a great job of managing the salary cap, but this is what happens when you foward players money. They forget all about the year the got paid the big bucks to produce like an average player. Then cry foul when later when that amount shrinks to below average money for average production. If anything he should refund the Jets the money he got in the first year of his contract, because he didn’t do much that year.
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HOZ THE JET says:
don’t worry guys it seems to me that baker is about to get the pete kendall treatment and we will see how much money he will get from another team the veteran minimum?
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hey Scott Ferrall – shut the hell up instigator, who would let that voice, or that face, on television anyway… dude is tryin’ to throw more gas on the fire, he obviously knows nothing or he would know we need both Baker and Keller.
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billvv says:
There doesn’t seem to be any place on the SNY web site to take them to task for this. Anybody know if I’m missing one?
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All the competent sports commentators have ways to contact them. Enough said about the dunderheads competency.
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I’d like to see Baker stay with the team, but it won’t be the same calamity it was with Kendall if he sits out or gets traded. He is paid enough for what he does.
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JayM says:
Typical NY media, have no facts and start yelling and screaming that Baker is under paid. Brandon Tierney is a real jack ass sometimes with his responses.
You can email Tierney here BT1050@gmail.com
I sent him cimini’s blog
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Tierney had Baker on his show
http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/1050espnradio/show?showId=bt1
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Reprocity says:
I’m surprised no one really mentioned that Keller isn’t really a TE but more of an H-Back. I think baker deserves a little more because he is outplaying his contract. Lets not break the bank here but lets at least be fair. When it comes to talent… What’s a million extra worth? Can we have one more hole/need on offence? The cap is so high there wont be many June 1st cuts so the cap room we have isnt going to do us much good. I think RJ is right.. We need both Keller and Baker!
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Fred says:
I think we’ll keep Chris for this season and let Keller develope his blocking skills. Baker is still the bset all-around TE on the team, and thanks to him and his agent he’ll be worth nothing for this year!
Next year he’ll prboably be gone because he’d be getting a raise.
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Rk says:
Many of the comments are about the media and I would like to point out that Cimini’s job was done for him by the Former NFL Insider.
How lucky to cut and paste your way to a paycheck.
Also I liked Baker’s demeanor and although some say he is lying, which I don’t doubt, or at least bending the truth, I still think he was calm and collected and somewhat reasoned in that he has given a lot to this team. Yes the team gave back by giving him money early but that also isn’t more money.
I’d like to see him stay because I think he is better than the stats suggest but making a big deal out of him is just too much.
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Joe B. says:
I love how Baker cites Coles’ and Rhodes’ situations as evidence of the Jets’ “checkered past”. Where are the two of them now? Coles is a Jet for another two years, and Kerry’s locked up for five years and is now the highest-paid safety in the league.
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dakar says:
even though we gave baker $ 800,000 in nov. of last year…i say give him an increase of that same amount this year to bring him back up to his origional amount he was due to make this year…this will buy time for him and the jets for this year…if he plays better than last year then renegotiate his contract and/or trade him for some value for next year’s draft…what other way is there…
sure we can not pay him and keep him and have him play half heartedly …who knows…maybe he’ll still play whole heartedly…but when some1 who feels their worth more…they usually dont give their all…just my thoughts… -
Brandon "You're With Me"riweather says:
I understand that players are encouraged to hold out for money when they have leverage, but this crap about the jets not treating him right is just stupid.
Let’s compare baker’s 2006 deal/production to 2 other TE’s in that free agent class…
Jeb Puztzier – 1.86 Mil a year for 4 years
Career – 86 rec – 1087 yds 2 TD
2005 – 37 rec – 481 – 0 TDMatt Schobel – 1.2 Mil a year for 5 years
Career – 90 rec – 938 yds, 9 TD
2005 – 18 rec – 193 yds, 1 TDBaker – 1.65 Mil a year for 4 years
Career – 52 rec – 602 yds, 5 TD
2005 – 18 rec – 269, 1 TDThose are pretty comparable numbers – it’s not like the jets lowballed him after a bad year and he was playing out an unfair contract. Then they advance him half of his 2008 salary and they didn’t treat him right? garbage.
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Sad day for the Wheelhouse. The less Baker bought into their bull, the more questions increased in decibels and desperation.
This interview was the judicial equivalent to a prosecutor steering the witness. SNY should throw Brandon Tierney, Scott Ferrall and Brian Custer out of court and off the air for violating journalistic integrity!
Kudos to Baker for not taking on the bate. I wish he was just a professional when it comes to honoring his contract.
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Big A says:
What Baker was saying in bringing up Cles and Rhodes was that in those to sitiuations they took care of the players, but in the Kendall situation, they got rid of the player.
I think that the guy is underpaid by TE standards and if the Jets want to keep him (because he has done what they asked him to do [block]), then they should make an effort to keep him happy.
If he has not accomplished what the team expected of him, then trade him now coming of his best year statistically and sign another TE after the June 1st cuts.
What I don’t understand is why Baker did not get more looks during the season. He seemed to make some excellent plays when given the opportunity to do so. However, it seems that he was under-utilized.
If the Jets do not have big plans for Baker in their offensive scheme, there is no reason to sign him to a more lucrative deal.