Wallace Wright signs with Panthers
According to Rich Cimini, Wallace Wright has decided to go home and sign on with the Carolina Panthers. This comes after Wright, a special teams standout, was not offered a contract by the FO.
Former Jets sp tm standout Wallace Wright reportedly signs with hometown Panthers. Surprised Jets let him go.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m starting to wonder what “Trader” Mike has up his sleeve. Wallace was a stand out on special teams and with the Final 8 rules handcuffing the team, it really boggles my mind as to why the FO didn’t offer him something.
One thing is for sure though, Mike Westhoff and the STS will sorely miss Wright’s contributions. We certainly wish him luck with the Panthers.
78 Responses to Wallace Wright signs with Panthers
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dmazz says:
Not a huge deal… Special Teamers are a dime a dozen. Us Jet fans have had seldom to be proud of the last few years except for our superb specials. That could be why someone would be worried. I’m much more enthusiastic about our Defense and our up and coming Offense.
So long Wright you were good but your shoes will be filled soon enough.
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inOhio says:
Maybe off topic, but I’d like the Jets to look at Limas Sweed from Pburgh. A burner with the dropsies and the Steelers look like they’ve given up on him. Could be a 4 bagger for somebody if the kid got serious about playing.
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Tom says:
2009 team falling apart at the seams.
A little over dramatic no? -
Dylan says:
JETS ARE LOOKING TO CUT SALARY!
I don’t know how much clearer it could possibly be. There is no other explananation for the Jets playing harball with all these low salary players. It sucks, but we have to understand that this is a business. The Jets aren’t going to spend a ton of money just because they can. This isn’t baseball and the Jets aren’t the Yankees. -
E Weeks
I mentioned this a few times recently. Westoff gushed about Digs and B Smith and what they add to specials and deglected to say anything about Wright in 2 offseason interviews.
Plus 2007-2008 Wright was a stud. His “ST ace” status was downgraded this year. I saw him less and less making the big play or tackle
I do not see this as a bis loss even though I am a big Wright fan.
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manny fresh says:
i saw this comen….. jets picked up big names the last to years… now that the psl’s sold they go back to there old ways errggg
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LukeV says:
At least we can sign a free agent now!!! We’ll live without wright, he’s a career special teamer, we can plug someone else in his spot. I did like him though, so I hope he does well in Carolina… If I remember correctly, in Leons rookie season, didn’t he throw a TD pass to wright? That was a great play!
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neauone says:
Pay me a league minum and I’ll play on special teams with a machete! LOL, Seriously though, let the chips fall where they may, Wallace was probably offered a contract and he may have wanted to try the FA waters. Money, its all about the money, and putting a team on the field as economically as possible, however trying to keep the talent level where it should be. On teams with great players very few S.T. players are singled out as all everything. The Core is what the Jets are concerned with. In three years you will see an all new OL/DL.
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NYJ10 says:
the extensions will start soon, revis mangold harris brick are in line for a payday. have a feeling trader mike will trade/sign a big name soon
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BigKatt says:
Daamn. Wallace was my boy, but is is a good move for the financial long run my Tanny.
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rusty sanchez says:
i cant believe they let him go…how much money did the panthers give him that we couldnt match??with rex bein a players coach and being a final4 team we should have no problem gettin guys like wright to stay just by matching other teams offers
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gangreen4ever says:
this is starting to get a little ridiculous
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jvsvn says:
Last year at this time we had no idea who was going to play QB. Now people are freaking out because a special teamer signed with another club. That’s major progress.
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it’s march 8th, at 10 pm. football is 6 moths away………and we are taking about
wallace wright.the team is falling apart???
are you guys kidding me?
i love this website. i check on it every day of my life.
but can we all please calm down about the team falling apart because wallace wright is not here.
just read aka…drew’s blog, and everyone now go to bed. the draft is 6 weeks away.
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GANGGREEN says:
A once solid special teams units are slowing getting picked apart in free agency…Yes a few players may come and go but i think the Jets Front Office is losing sight in the terms of continuity…How many special teamers can be let go before this unit is back to the building blocks again..Westhoff is a genius but ya gotta have the players on the field to make it happen…
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MEL31602 says:
I wonder if this is precursor to Coles signing? After all if he does come here then Wallace would have been fifth or sixth receiver plus there’s Clowney and Aundrae Allison so someone would have to be let go anyway
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Brad says:
The bottom line is that our WR depth has no depth with B. Smith and Wright- neither one of them are WR’s- they are special teamers and smith is a gadget play guy in the wildcat. Everyone here has been saying we need to get another WR and when we do this one of our guys wont be suiting up. So by doing this, we are creating a space for a WR to be added. The other option was not having Clowney on the team, whom still might not make the team. I also remember Rex being very high on WR Britt Davis, and this will allow Britt to come up and be on the roster- I’m sure he is a capable gunner on ST just like Wright, but Davis has the upside of being a capable WR unlike Wright. And lets not get crazy about us having a great ST, when they cost us the Miami game- pathetic performance!
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JetObsessed28 says:
it was nice to see Wallace get in on offense towards the end of the season and playoffs…..even if it was just to block for the run…
I’m happy he’s playing for his hometown team now too.. -
jkjet64 says:
i’m with Alex on this. I liked Wallace but in no way is this panick time. Geez
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Tony C says:
Oh No!
Wallace Wright! not him! The team is falling apart! What are we going to do now???????
I didn’t even know he was on the Jets to begin with lol.
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Shamik says:
I REAAALLLY hope I’m not going to see a Mets-06 redux.
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EddieC says:
E. Weeks tone it down- if any move this offseason will destroy this team, this will NOT be it…
don’t lose faith over this minor deal
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Bent says: As primarily a gunner, he was never going to get $1.2m for a minimim RFA tender, so he hits the open market and perhaps valued returning home and getting a shot to play receiver as more important to him than staying with the Jets. It’s a shame, but they can retool the special teams over the rest of the offseason.
LukeV: One small correction: We cannot sign a free agent yet because Wright is a non-tendered RFA not a UFA. That Leon to Wright play never happened either, so you must have dreamt it!
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“Falling apart at the seams” is a little too dramatic, but I too am not sure what Mike T is planning. He makes a big splash with Cromartie, but penny-pinches TJ, trades Kerry and lets out best ST tackler walk while making sure to lock up a blocking TE? If they let Douglass walk too, I’m gonna officially wonder what the hell is going on.
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jameson says:
Not for nothing, but our favorite lil buddy, Danny Woodhead was resigned to the team, as a WR, I know he was partially responsible for the ST blunders in Miami, but he has the speed to excell in that role, just needs more experience.
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i know wright isnt gonna make or break this team but hes a pretty versatile player that dosent cost much and been on the team for a couple years jus felt he was a keeper
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hojo3 says:
I think we are in for something BIG. Both the farve trade and sanchez selection were huge surprizes! I remember we weren’t even in the discusion for farve at first. I am not sure, but either we are going to target Brandon Marshal, or move up in the draft…the lions would like to deal the #2 pick in the draft. Who knows…tanny always seems to come up with creative ways of acquiring players.
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it looks like the jets are trying to dump payroll but you gotta remember theres a new stadium that for the first time might not have sellout crowds woody has to put a good team out there to get people in the seats
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So, does this mean the Jets can now sign a FA? 5th WR/ST. Not a major loss.
I’d like to see some shoring up of the pass rush. Not sure that can be achieved in the draft.
m
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Ed L says:
….im waiting for the move from tanny
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nyj2010 says:
Relax guys he is a 5th wr who couldnt crack the receiver rotation on an admitted receiver thin team (minus the 2 big guys, Braylon and Cotch). This isn’t a disaster- that said, cmon Tanny we have a hole that YOU created- go and fix it!
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does anyone know of a pass rushing de or olb that could make an imediate impact that will still be around at 29??
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with all these salary dumps it really seems like we settin up to trade down in the draft in the top 10 somewhere
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Green Lantern "I WANT BERRY" says:
ERIC BERRRRRY! ERIC BERRY!
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PickNY says:
Come on Fellas, do you know how many hungry athletes out there looking for a job? There is plenty of cheese to spread around. There will be plenty of teams next year wishing they didn’t spend all their ducketts in the uncapped year. Remember, the economy situation, so jobs will be available for the hungry men willing to put in WORK!
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Bent says:
marc – No. See my post at 10:44
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I agree rustysanchez..I am a season tik holder..STH..and although they are about 75-80 percent sold, they need to do something big to sell the rest of the seats, which are mostly Club Seats. That is why we went for Farve, Sanchez, Edwards. I don’t think we are finished with FAs, and I definitely think we are planning to move up in the draft.
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NorCal says:
Hate to see WW go, but am happy for him. Hometown team and hopefully more $ that the Jets were willing to pay. Good for him. But hardly the end of the world. Just making roster room for another player to get a shot all while saving a coin. Change happens. Get over it.
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swizzle81 says:
Why pay a special teamer a million bucks, makes no sense, this guy could never make it as a WR anyway, YAWN.
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maybe we will all wake up tomorrow to a new jet
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hojo3, rustysanchez, and anyone who thinks that we’re trying to improve our team just to sell seats is RETARDED. That’s easily one of the dumbest things i’ve ever read on this website.
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Keep dreamin:>(
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Greengoblin says:
I’ve always been a fan of Woody Johnson and defended him on many occassions. But I have to admit that he is looking really cheap…..Tannenbaum, whom I also am a big fan of, is also flopping this offseason…I give him an F+ so far……..
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dtrain says:
I’m shocked at people with this much knowledge of the game are going crazy over this….falling apart from the seam? If Wallace Wright is our “seam” then we might as well not get any hopes about the 2010 season. I would of rather had Wallace Wright than not, but cmon, he was a 5th string WR and a special team player. Any person with heart and desire to run down field and smack somehow(and needs to do anything for a paycheck) can replace him with Westoff coaching up.
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jleonhard says:
i think the jets told taylor mays they want him i was jus on his twitter and he asked about 10 jet players including mark sanchez darrelle revis clowney and cromartie to all follow him he also said to kerry rhodes nd ssaid ur one of my idols im not lookin to take ur place
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Ryan says:
Wallace did a great job for us over the years on special teams, in a league where most special teamers get replaced every off season he kept his job for a while, certainly not a dime a dozen, but at least hell be happy playing at home
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david harris says:
taylor mays would be a mistake. what makes safeties good is their ability to see the play before it happens and be able to adapt once it does. mays sets his mind before the play and goes ahead with it even if it doesnt work out the way he thought it would. he has terrible vision on the field, he cant anticipate many passing plays, and once he gets embarrassed he becomes a nutcase and starts getting roughing penalties. as the description said on him he has tight hips so he cant really adapt well in the spur of hte moment, which means that many plays we will all smack our faces in frustration. is he an absolute beast of a man? yes… is Vernon Gholston? even more so than mays. what does that tell you? his hard hits and good combine doesnt mean squat on nfl level. just ask vernon.
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Brandon from Illinois says:
I know this is off topic, but Greg Ellis has been released from the Raiders. If the Jets lose M. Douglas, Ellis might be worth taking a look at. Negatives: #1 He’s 34 #2 He’s had injury issues lately #3 He’s most comfortable in a 4-3
Positive: #1 He’s 6’6 and 265lbs #2 He could come cheap -
Maybe I’m wrong, but it seemed to me that Taylor May’s twitter account might have been fake. It didn’t say that it was verified or anything.
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Shawn says:
Devin McCourty all day!
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Idk dylan it looks pretty real to me but its. Just somethin that caught my eye and is kinda wierd that he is talking to all those jet players
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wallace wright 15 says:
huge huge huge mistake
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dakar says:
at the end of the day he was just a ST player…not a big deal…lets move on…
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Jimmy Shnoogen says:
OK, I’m more frustrated that the Jets aren’t at least doing the Mr. T special of doing the due diligence and at least being linked to Brandon Marshall.
I understand the argument of not signing him (i.e. off the field issues, locker room distraction, Braylon’s presence etc.), and in the end if the passed on him because of that, OK fine. But at least look to be interested. Invite him in for a visit. I personally want him, but whatever.
In addition, the Jets openly link themselves to LAVERNEUS COLES!? In the words of John McEnroe: YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!? Wow, I’m annoyed at that.
THAT frustrates me more than Wallace Wright.
In my opinion anyway.
Anyone else agree somewhat??
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I do Jim. I rather get Coles on the cheaps then to get Marshall and then not be able to pay everyone next year. I could give a **** what these guys do off the field.
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I’d have to disagree with you Jimmy, i think Coles would be a way way way more practical option at WR for us. If we get Marshall that would just be another guy looking for the big bucks next year, money that should be spent on Revis Mangold and Brick.
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phil says:
not a huge loss IMO. we can draft someone in the 7th round who can make tackles on specials.
again, for all those that forget……….yes 2010 is uncapped but 2011 most likely will be capped. Mr. T is thinking about the next few years when everyone else is only thinking about next week.
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Drew says:
Okay. This is ridiculous. Wright was actually one of my favorites on the team, he brought work ethic to the team and was incredible on special teams. The fact that we couldn’t get him back is almost embarrassing.
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sunsetmusic says:
Sooooo basically if we don’t win the SUPERBOWL are we to look at this day as a defining momemt…..LOL….I don’t think so… WW = DimeADozen…. Good luck to you and nice job….
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Marvel says:
Is this what it’s come to ,debating whether or not we should have kept “Wallace Wright” .. Seriously … If some of you guys had it your way we would be paying TJ 6mill Rhodes 5mill WW 2mill BMarshall 10mill Joey porter 5-7 mill Feely 3mill…… Get the point this is why Tanny is running the show , because the crazies can’t controll their emotions.. WW cmon.. The Patriots cut star players like they cut their finger nail .. And we debate TJ & WW ..
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Marvel,
I always like when someone uses the word “Crazies”…..it just makes me laugh….good point about the Pats….Steelers do it as well and theve done well for them selves…infact they both are the best AFC teams in the 2000s…..conicidence….I think not..
Solid FO’s don’t think twice , with regards to values placed on certain players…
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JetSetRadio says:
Everyone relax jeez were talking about a special teamer i liked the swagger he brought but he can be replaced
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BigKatt,
Remember, HYPOTHETICALLY (for all those about to jump through the computer to punch me LOL), getting Brandon Marshall now would mean signing him to an offer sheet that perhaps would be front loaded in the first year (since its uncapped), leaving available funds to sign Revis, Mangold, Brick, etc.
I’m not a salary cap or contract guru, but all I was saying that Laverneus Coles, TO ME, is a waste of time. He’s injury prone, and older. I’d rather let one of the younger WR’s we have on the roster or draft a WR, to fight for the vacant Wallace Wright spot, than spend pointless millions on Coles.
Mentioning Coles in my prior post was simply to illustrate my frustration that the Mr. T & Co. are basically saying, “Hello Jets fans, just so you know, we’re going after Laverneus Coles again. But that 25 year old stud WR, who will only cost us the 29th overall pick, that catches 100 passes a year, and has had three consecutive 1000 yard seasons, he’s not worth the phone call.”
I realize that free agency just started, and there’s still much that Mr. T probably has planned. I just see the running game someone in flux and not necessarily as rock solid as we thought, and Marshall, despite all his issues, would be a FANTASTIC addition to the offense.
Simply my opinion, I’m not gonna try to shove it down anyone’s throat LOL…
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Randy says:
The person who wrote this is obviously over reacting due to the Jets letting Rhodes and Thomas Jones go and only offering Washington a 2nd round tender.Im not too worried because the Jets did address their biggest need and that was Cornerback opposite Darrelle Revis. Im sure losing TJ opens up the oportunity for Greene to shine and Washington will be back.Jets just want to see what other teams are willing to pay for Washington so they can make him a reasonable contract. Its obvious the Jets plan on drafting a safety in the draft so, a defensive end will probably be addressed in the second round. Here is what the Jets should do….in no particular order
1-Re-sign Leon Washington,Tony Richardson
2-Sign Coles to play slot receiver
3-Draft Safety in first Round
4-Draft Defensive End Second RoundThats pretty much the main issues that should be addressed.We obviously will have to settle for Folk as our Kicker(I would have kept Feely).
Id expect Rex Ryan to draft Defense for most of the draft with a few exceptions on Offense.
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bubbybrister/shovelpass says:
Oh! The Humanity !!!!
LOLWallace Wright was a nice ST player, but he proved that he was mostly one-dimensional (unlike B. Smith, Diggs, etc.). Move along, folks nothing more to see here.
Question: Do you think Cromartie can be a safety in place of Rhodes, and that we are looking , still, for our next cover corner opposite Revis?
Just thinking out of the box here…
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MD jet fan says:
He’s due to make near a million dollars as a fith year player…sorry, he had plenty of opportunities to make it as a WR, we certainly could of used one during his stay…time to go…at first year ST makes about 1/2 of what Wallace will make. That’s how it works.
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Bent says:
Bubby – you know I’ll always applaud outside the box thinking, but since Cromartie is good in man to man but bad in zone, that would suggest he wouldn’t make a great safety.
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JetOrange says:
Special Teams have taken some huge hits, the loss of Trusnick, probably Izzo, and now Wright. That being said, are the Jets clearing a roster spot for a true receiver ? Ordinarily you carry 5 WR, Smith is a special Teamer + a lot of things, can you afford to carry two special team aces in your WR corp ? The Jets don’t think so, if you are trying to get quality receivers for Sanchez. This may be an endorsement of Danny Woodhead experiment at WR.
Currently the Jets have Edwards, Cotchery, Smith, Woodhead and Clowney as your fabulous 5.
Then there is the possibility of Coles, and of course the draft. -
Bent- The year befor we got TJ, we had Ced Houston, Leon W, and Brad Smith playing runningback… Leon threw a TD pass to one of our receivers, I’m sure of it!! Any idea which one if it wasn’t Wright??
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biggkatt
except for winning dosent good teams fill the seats???i was jus arguing the fact how some people are saying that woody is trying to save money and dosent care if he wrecks this team because of a possible work stoppage 2011…i was stating that his stadium isnt soldout yet of season ticket holders and that saving money and wrecking this team isnt gonna help him achieve that goal of selling tickets in his overpriced new stadium…hows that retarded??? look at the panthers jaguars lions bills 49ers and i even think denver none made playoffs and none sellout -
mole57 says:
LukeV,
that was the last game of the season against KC in 2007, which the Jets won in OT. Leon connected with Wallace Wright for 36 yards but it wasn’t for a TD.
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Bent says:
Thanks, Mole.
Yeah, that was a cool play, but I knew Wright didn’t have a TD in the NFL.
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BigKatFan says:
he will be sorely missed
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jcjets says:
When you think about it, its really nothing new for Mr. T. He’s let TJ, Rhodes, Coles, Baker, and Pete Kendall go all over a relatively small amount of money. And while those players were not Stars, they were all solid.
I like Tannenbaum, but I do question the penny pinching in some situations.
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Honestly, I don’t know if he even would have made the final roster.
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bent – thanks for bringing back to my senses…
“Did you ever get kicked in the head with a steel-toed boot on Christmas? No, of course you haven’t, nobody has. Stupid question. Forget I said that.”
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nicko says:
dont understand the reason behind letting Wright go…that guy was a special teams stud……..and if i have to see Eric Smith at Safety im gonna flip out…that guy is not a starting safety in this league…..he couldnt cover Refrigerator Perry on a slant route
what the hell is going on? keep hartsock and gain Cromartie- lose TJ, Wright, Rhodes (all of which were for money in an UNCAPPED year) while risking leon, douglass, and TRich (also for money). This doesn’t make any sense- it seems like Woody is just being cheap, but the question is WHY? He has never acted cheap and wasn’t acting cheap when he got cromartie, so what the hell???