Quotables: Vernon Davis wants to get paid
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis isn’t shy about his contract holdout, or his beliefs that the NFL could be doing a better job helping players manage their money.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is holding out for a better contract, and he’s not exactly trying to keep that private. The prolific tight end was the guest blogger, filling in for Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback article on Monday, and he started with a note about why he’s holding out.
It's worth noting that Davis is already the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL, behind Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten when it comes to average salary on a per-year basis. It's unclear if he's looking for more years, a higher dollar amount or just more guaranteed money given that he's getting up there in years, but the guys over at Niners Nation did have a post on what a new contract could look like.
“I expect big things from us. We all expect the same thing.”
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith didn’t have a particularly strong rookie season, and accordingly, neither did the Jets. But Smith is feeling good about 2014 and his position going forward. Speaking after hosting a youth football camp on Saturday, Smith said that there is “no comparison” to last year to be made at this point. “Last year, I was a rookie. I was learning. I’m still learning, but I was learning the offense,” Smith said, “I know the offense. Now, it’s about perfecting it.”
These quotes come from Brian Costello of the New York Post, and the folks over at Gang Green Nation weighed in on his comments as well. Smith wouldn't be the first player to talk up his team in the offseason coming off a disastrous year, but the Jets did add some quality players in Eric Decker and Chris Johnson in free agency, which should help things dramatically.
“Obviously there’s an agenda to try to get Teddy ready, and Cassel’s the starter right now.”
Ponder understands and accepts his current position. Both Matt Cassel and Teddy Bridgewater, a first-round pick this year, are getting more practice reps, and that's to be expected right now. "We'll see how it plays out once it goes to training camp, but obviously there's an agenda to try to get Teddy ready, and Cassel's the starter right now," Ponder said, according to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press.
“It’s not about filling the air with footballs ...”
-Matt Harkenreader, Bleeding Green Nation
Matt Harkenreader of Bleeding Green Nation has taken a deep, deep dive into specific statistics and how they translate to wins in the NFL. This post is the third of four, and it’s definitely worth checking out the other two. Matt summarizes his findings of the third article by saying that the NFL is not strictly a passing league, but a “quarterback’s league.”
There’s a difference, and that it’s “not about filling the air with footballs,” but rather about “giving your quarterback an environment to succeed and then having one that can execute consistently and efficiently.” The running game is a crucial component of this, falling back on the familiar “run to set up the pass” strategy.
"The offensive coaches seem eager to expand the ways in which [C.J. Spiller will] be used on the field this fall."
-Chris Brown, BuffaloBills.com
Over at the Buffalo Bills team website, Chris Brown took a look at some of the top performers during organized team activities. Among them was running back C.J. Spiller, who is healthy enough to be impressing everybody in attendance. Brown notes that Spiller is a "dynamic weapon" coming out of the backfield "and in space." Most notably, Brown says the offensive coaches "seem eager to expand the ways in which he'll be used on the field this fall."
Something Else
Gracing the front page of the NFL Reddit on Monday morning was this pamphlet that was originally mailed along with bank statements in 1970, when the AFL merged to create the league we know today. It was used to explain how the new league would be setup, including the format of the playoff system and the Super Bowl. There’s a few images worth looking at, but we’ve embedded the best one below:
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