wow the FO made a smart move for once! I think it's a good move---even if he plays under the franchise deal, the 1 year should be good insurance against him slacking off now that he got paid

Good move. Anyone who knows their stuff knows a good above average NT is a key position in the 3-4. As for Shockey, meh.

Outstanding..................MOVE...........Soliai is one of the main reasons why we were so good against the run last year.

And about shockey ...bring him in quick because our TEnds stink...Fasano is eratic like hell.

I don't know if he is worth $12.5 Mill, but its not my pocketbook so I'm all for it! Wow, up from $550,000 last year. Thats just HUGE. I know he is doing some celebrating tonight.

If he is, he's prematurely celebrating. This CBA crap is really making it a pain in the ass to go about normal every day football stuff.

I sure as hell hope we do not have to pay Solia that type of money this year that is ridiculous, it would make him the highest paid player on the team. Yes higher then Brandon Marshall, Dansby or Jake Long... Sorry but I dont think he deserves that type of dough or belongs to be paid like he is a top 3 player on our team.. If anyone shoud get more money then Jake next year, the only sensible choice I would agree with would be Wake..

yeah it is overpaying but think of it as insurance. he has to perform for his contract this year so that he will get paid the following off season. so we overpay now to insure that he is not just a one year wonder and can consistently produce at a high level. then we pay him for what he has shown himself to be worth. i actually feel decent about this move unless a cap is put back in place cuz if that happens then he will eat up a huge chunk of cap.

downside to this is that if he slacks off then we just blew 12 mil.

also they might restructure his contract.

His agent already said they wanna do a long term deal, highly doubt he costs us 12 mil.

No way Soliai is worth 12 mil. Sit on you butt a couple years then play hard and get paid. Now that he's got the money I hope he does not go back to sitting on his butt.

mizzou15 Wrote:
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> No way Soliai is worth 12 mil. Sit on you butt a
> couple years then play hard and get paid. Now that
> he's got the money I hope he does not go back to
> sitting on his butt.


Everytime we sign someone to a big contract i have the same thought he is just gonna lay back and relax

This gives is some good leverage. Now we're set on the D-Line and could even trade someone without too much of a dropoff. I think Odrick will be back and play well. Langford has cemented his position in the starting lineup but doesn't have much trade value. On the other hand, I could see us offering Starks in a trade. The guy just came off a pro-bowl, and we still have Merling and, probably, McDaniels (assuming we re-sign him too). We'd need to pick up someone to back up Soliai, just in case, but this gives us a chance to pick up other talent once the CBA is approved.

montequi Wrote:
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> This gives is some good leverage. Now we're set
> on the D-Line and could even trade someone without
> too much of a dropoff. I think Odrick will be
> back and play well. Langford has cemented his
> position in the starting lineup but doesn't have
> much trade value. On the other hand, I could see
> us offering Starks in a trade. The guy just came
> off a pro-bowl, and we still have Merling and,
> probably, McDaniels (assuming we re-sign him too).
> We'd need to pick up someone to back up Soliai,
> just in case, but this gives us a chance to pick
> up other talent once the CBA is approved.

I agree Montequi, Starks makes sense as trade bait if possible to help us solve some other problems this offseason, that is once it is possible to do so. I still am not happy the team had to franchise Solia, I think they should have been able to work something out with him, other then making him the highest paid player on our team. That seems like they blew the negotiations, and had to make this ridiculous move to protect his rights with our team. Sorry I am not happy about it. I am happy we retained Solia and the pressure is still on him to perform I understand the argument, but a franchise tag for a guy that was close to getting cut a year ago and wasnt even a consideration for the starting NT spot until the injury to Odrick and problems with Merling. I think he played well at a position that was questionable but he did not play well enough to earn him a franchise tag paycheck. I am baffled

Crowder - given the situation, how would you have done anything differently? No CBA, so there's the 30% rule that kept him from getting much more than $650K/yr on a new contract. There was no way he'd accept that, and I understand that. He played very well this past year, IMO, but has shown a propensity for laziness or not living up to potential or whatever, so the Phins were worried about investing in a huge contract with a signing bonus that would probably rival the franchise tag in value. NT is one of the most prized FA commodities. And, let's face it, our backup plan at NT right now is one of our best DEs.

Soliai made the most of his opportunity last year (finally), and the market dictates the price for a young player at a key position. I LOVE that if he wants his next big pay day, he'll have to play hard, disciplined ball all year. Years 1-3 for him have very little to do with his value on the FA market, given his recent performance, size/strength, potential, youth, etc. It's a lot of money, but that's not the Phins fault nor Soliai's...it's the high contracts given in the past.

I get that you don't like it and the reason, I don't get how our FO blew the negotiation. But, I would like to understand how you might have done it differently if you were in their shoes.

What they really needed for Soliai is a top-heavy incentive-laden long-term contract. Unfortunately, with the CBA issue hanging over their heads, this may be the best they could do for now. Our defense was definitely our strength last year, and we can't really afford to regress (like we did on offense last year).

Guys a Center and a Kicker have been tagged this year, this an up-side-down year, I wouldn't sweat it.

What they need for Soliai is to show that he is worth that long term commitment. The guy just had one good year. This year will show what he is a bout, anything less than what he produced last year should get him a ticket out of town.

TS I was unaware that they could only offer him 30% more. That makes a little more sense to me now. However what one player makes vs another has huge implications on alot apsect of your team and other players on the team and there contracts and ongoing negotiations. As soon as that falls out of balance, the FO is doomed. I understand SOlia had them between a rock and a hard place. The 30 percent rule makes alot more sense to why they could not offer him 5 or 6 million and solve the problem. I understand with the uncertainty of the new CBA, that no team wants to give a player a long term deal, doing 1 term deals are mainly what teams are offering .
But the problem is still the problem, if Paul SOlia is the new highest paid player on the team. You will build resentment for the player being overpaid, resentment from all of the other players that feel they are better then him but dont make sh*T in comparison. To when other players are up for negtiations are gonna ask, why they dont value him like Solia, and show examples as to why that player has more value then Solia to the organization. You are basicly telling players be a lazy bum and just barely hang on to the roster spot, and then when it is your contract year, play lights out, and you still get paid.. Not an example the FO wants to make, and a tremendous mistake IMO. They are going to have to save major face by renegotiating this deal before the year starts or else I see problems inside the locker room that will cripple a team like ours in its current state.

mizzou15 Wrote:
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> What they need for Soliai is to show that he is
> worth that long term commitment. The guy just had
> one good year. This year will show what he is a
> bout, anything less than what he produced last
> year should get him a ticket out of town.


Well is just tells us what we already know SOlia will play hard in a contract year. So? So if next year we give him another big pay day, sigining bonus, and long term deal, That only prolongs finding out what he is really all about and a greater cost for only one more guaranteed year of success based on past history. Unless we figure out how to put him into a one year contract every year and the only way we do that is by overpaying which I am against in the first place.
The guy should be paid like he only stepped up one year out of 4 period, end of story. If a guy dominates for 75 to 90 percent of his last contract time then the man deserves to be paid, or if a guy out plays his contract he should get a deal. But if a guy only really plays well for 70 percent of one year of a 4 year deal or less around twenty percent of his contract time, then he should be paid much different then the other guy who did it for 70 to 90 percent of his contract. I think you let true FA value determine his value and sign him for that. Work out a deal behind close doors, that as long as we are in the ball park of the other best offers he will resign with us... I dont think any team would offer him anywhere near 12 million a year, so in the end it would most likely still work out, if that is how big of a price you have proven you are already willing to pay for his talent

I don't think the FO of the Phins is looking at the 12 mill figure as hard as they are looking at how important Soliai is for this defense to stay at the level it was last year. A lot rides on this guys big ass. For us to be an elite run stopping defense, Paul needs to repeat his performance of a year ago. Some people on the board are saying "well, this guy is gonna get paid and be lazy" ala Fat Albert. I say, this guy is going to be put under a microscope getting paid that kind of change. He's going to be pressured and pushed by the organization and the fans alike in a way he hasn't been before. For a guy that seems to have another gear in him that has to be brought forth, this is a good strategy.

Solia was not that great at the begining of this year after the Odrick injury. Starks was a beast at NT before Odrick got hurt. I am not as convinced as everyone here that he was the reason our defense was so good. Move Starks to NT and Odrick and Langford on the ends and IMO you dont miss a beat. I do like the idea of Solia solving the future NT problem. just not how it was and is being handled. Franchsing him has a greater negative effect on the whole team then just paying him his money in FA maket after the CBA. Only way this move makes sense IMO,is if there is no season, and we never have to pay him or let him play a play under the franchise tag..

Soliai really started playing well late in the 2009 season. His breakout this year was not a huge surprise.

Starks has been overmatched at NT in the few games he has played there while with us. But, he's still an excellent DE. He provides the most pass rush of any of our D-Linemen. In 2010, he had 31 sacks, hits, or pressures. Langford had 27, and McDaniels was 3rd with 18.

I think they'll wind up letting McDaniels leave, probably because he'll get a bigger contract offer than what Miami is willing to give him as a role player. Merling could be trade bait, although he sure wouldn't fetch much in return.