Time to add Jerry Jones to the Christmas list
By thegregone
Today was a very good day to be a Charger fan for a number of reasons. For the first time ever my favorite General Manager in the league is (and I still can’t believe i’m saying this) Jerry Jones. Jerry Jones reminds me of P.T. ‘There’s a sucker born every minute’ Barnum. The man loves a crowd, the media attention and takes every opportunity he can get to go on ad nauseum about the greatness of his team. The next time I hear the ‘There’s a hole in the roof so God can watch his favorite team.’ line I am going to hurl all over the one who says it.However, the first reason i’m down with Jerry Jones is he was very hands on and a key piece in getting the CBA done according to the interviews of numerous parties involved. More importantly, and the reason I am really in love with the man today, is he got the New York Jets to take their grimy paws off Nnamdi Asomugha. We should all be thankful for that. Leading up to today there was a bidding war with San Francisco, Houston and the Jets as the principal characters. Houston bowed out when they chose Jonathan Joseph to be their new corner yesterday. Arizona called in last night and quickly hung up after hearing the price. Today Jerry Jones entered the fray as it all but looked like the Jets were going to get Asomugha to pair with Darrelle Revis forming the ultimate cornerback tandem. I didn’t hear the conversation but i’m sure Jerry’s pitch went something like this:
“You’re the best cornerback in the league. You deserve big money. They can pay you 12 million a season and so can I. The difference is if you live in Texas, there is no state tax. That’s more money for your family instead of all that money going to the state of New York…”
In the NFL, you have a short time to make money that will set you for a lifetime. The Jets know what the deep-pocketed ringmaster of the Dallas Cowboys was saying to Asomugha and by midday they dropped out of the race. In the end, the Philadelphia Eagles came with a better pitch and shocked the NFL by landing the biggest free agent prize. I guess the tax thing wasn’t such a huge deal in the end and perhaps the tax isn’t as high in Pennsylvania as it is in New York but just to put it in perspective, looking at the 5 year/60 million deal he got, if the state tax in New York is 5%, Asomugha would lose five hundred thousand in state tax alone per year. Even pro athletes can do a lot with a half million dollars.
Jerry managed to get Nnamdi away from the Jets, the last team to beat us in the playoffs thanks to Nate Kaeding missing all three field goals attempts. Having Revis and Asomugha on the field together would have been a daunting challenge even for the Chargers loaded offense. It got him away from the Raiders, which makes the Raiders weaker which we all love. The moves also sends him all the way to the NFC so the only time Philip Rivers will have to be concerned with Asomugha in the next three years is if the Eagles make the Super Bowl. All good things. Again, thank you Jerry Jones.
The next reason I am thankful is in regards to one of our own. Living in Phoenix, there has been a lot of talk of Malcolm Floyd coming to the Cardinals. Today, the Cardinals signed…Chansi Stuckey from Cleveland. Can anyone name any of Cleveland’s wide receivers? Me either. The fact they let him walk should be a huge red flag but the Cardinals took him which means Floyd can still come home too San Diego. Is Floyd asking too much? Something has to be amiss if the Cardinals are willing to take an also-ran from the bargain basement before M80. They just signed Kevin Kolb and he’s going to need weapons aside from Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are trying to add a corner to replace the traded Rodgers-Cromartie so maybe they’re saving their pennies to make a splash with a bigger name at corner. Floyd is the perfect #2 receiver and I along with a lot of Charger fans still hold out hope Floyd will come back and lock down our wide receiver need opposite the newly franchised Vincent Jackson. Whatever the reason is, its still a good omen for the Chargers.