I cannot STAND DeMaurice (sp?) Smith

[Stout]

You know, that idiot that's negotiating for the players is an utter tool, and he's going to end up ruining the NFL. From the day he has first stepped onto the stage, he has done nothing but provoke, sound like a jackass, and fan the flames in these negotiations.

I understand taking a tough stance in negotiations, but you don't just come out and start loudly proclaiming your heated opposition and provoke the other side unnecessarily.

This guy, I fear, will ruin the NFL. It sounds like he's ready to drive us into a strike, and won't back down in the least. This is not a good way to enter negotiations, and running your mouth in the media as he has done is counterproductive and will set these negotiations back.

What set me off? He has told top agents not to expect anything at all, and he's let it drop in public. What an ass.

 

[Cards Czar]

I agree with you 100% on this guy.

 

[Mulli]

He has not told top agents not to expect anything? What?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

He has not told top agents not to expect anything? What?

I don't know what that even means exactly.

 

[Stout]

He has not told top agents not to expect anything? What?

I don't know what that even means exactly.

Lol sorry guys, I fixed it.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Lol sorry guys, I fixed it.

Do you have an article, or a link to what he said?

 

[kerouac9]

Yes. This is NOTHING like Roger Goddell coming out and proclaiming the 18 game regular season inevitable without going to collective bargaining. Or Goddell changing the enforcement of rules without going to collective bargaining.

Just because Gene Upshaw kowtowed to the NFL on nearly everything for two decades doesn't mean that Smith isn't doing his job. If you listen, you can hear that Goddell is quitely going to every influential sports columnist and trading access for favorable treatment when the work stoppage occurs (You can hear Bill Simmons refer to it in his podcasts). Smith doesn't have similar clout.

 

[conraddobler]

It's poor negotiating no matter what, simply because the battle is for the public opinion high ground.

At the end of the day no matter what the other side does to provoke you, you must remain calm.

He may be completely in the right but without a bit of tact he comes off in ways that IMO don't help his cause.

His problem is he's fighting with match sticks against billionaires.

The players can't go as long as the owners can IMO, and that was part of the reason Upshaw did what he did, he knew his troops would cave and they will mark my words.

Best case scenario is the players cave sooner rather than later and are allowed to save some face by owners, worst case is this drags on for quite some time until the players buckle and end up with some unconditional surrender terms IMO.

 

[Mulli]

Yes. This is NOTHING like Roger Goddell coming out and proclaiming the 18 game regular season inevitable without going to collective bargaining. Or Goddell changing the enforcement of rules without going to collective bargaining.

Just because Gene Upshaw kowtowed to the NFL on nearly everything for two decades doesn't mean that Smith isn't doing his job. If you listen, you can hear that Goddell is quitely going to every influential sports columnist and trading access for favorable treatment when the work stoppage occurs (You can hear Bill Simmons refer to it in his podcasts). Smith doesn't have similar clout.

Yep.

 

[Stout]

Yes. This is NOTHING like Roger Goddell coming out and proclaiming the 18 game regular season inevitable without going to collective bargaining. Or Goddell changing the enforcement of rules without going to collective bargaining.

Just because Gene Upshaw kowtowed to the NFL on nearly everything for two decades doesn't mean that Smith isn't doing his job. If you listen, you can hear that Goddell is quitely going to every influential sports columnist and trading access for favorable treatment when the work stoppage occurs (You can hear Bill Simmons refer to it in his podcasts). Smith doesn't have similar clout.

Yes, but there's a difference in tactics. Goodell comes out and coolly, calmly talks about the topics and presents the NFL's position. That idiot Smith comes out and just runs his mouth like an elementary school tough guy whenever he addresses the media. He's a moron.

 

[Stout]

Do you have an article, or a link to what he said?

It was reported on NFL Total Access Live at the Super Bowl.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Yes, but there's a difference in tactics. Goodell comes out and coolly, calmly talks about the topics and presents the NFL's position. That idiot Smith comes out and just runs his mouth like an elementary school tough guy whenever he addresses the media. He's a moron.

Who cares what they say or do, as long as they say it eloquently?

 

[kerouac9]

Yes, but there's a difference in tactics. Goodell comes out and coolly, calmly talks about the topics and presents the NFL's position. That idiot Smith comes out and just runs his mouth like an elementary school tough guy whenever he addresses the media. He's a moron.

Do you have a quote or a video to back this up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_x8la6B98w

Sounds pretty reasonable to me. What is he saying that makes him an "idiot"? Maybe this is a personal issue? Whenever the guy talks to NFL Network or ESPN, he's literally speaking to either the people he's negotiating with, or media who are paying the NFL hundreds of millions of dollars. If every media outlet is in bed with ownership (and there are few who aren't at this point), then every media outlet is a potential adversary.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Yes, but there's a difference in tactics. Goodell comes out and coolly, calmly talks about the topics and presents the NFL's position. That idiot Smith comes out and just runs his mouth like an elementary school tough guy whenever he addresses the media. He's a moron.

I haven't warmed to his personality, but highly doubt that the man falls under any dictionary definition of "idiot" or "moron". At the end of the day, he simply wants to make certain that his membership knows that he fought the good fight, and whatever the outcome it is seen as a victory. Same goes for Godell. It is just PR noise.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

You cant blame Smith; this is they guy the PLAYERS WANTED. He is a SHARK and is fullfilling his obligation to the Player's union who hired him to do exactly what he is doing now.

You and I may not like it, but when you look at Smith's track record this is exaclty who he is. He is the extention of what the players want and he is going to fight and do whatever it takes to win even if everyone loses in the end.

 

[WildBB]

I haven't warmed to his personality, but highly doubt that the man falls under any dictionary definition of "idiot" or "moron". At the end of the day, he simply wants to make certain that his membership knows that he fought the good fight, and whatever the outcome it is seen as a victory. Same goes for Godell. It is just PR noise.

I agree, this guy wasn't picked in a vacuum. The players assosiation knew what they wanted and were getting.

Ownership or as Bidwill puts it, "NFL teams association", trys to come accross as the reliable and moderate entity of the negotiations, when they are demanding the actual concessions from the players.

The NFLPA is simply going to try and keep what they have allready negotiated in the past. Nothing more. I'm sure they are prepared to make a modest concession as long as they are not the only ones forced to do so.

But normally in the real world, unions do not give up what was negotiated in the past. But for the good of this game and the players, I believe they're prepared to do just that.

 

[SuperSpck]

He's a lawyer specializing in unions.
That's two layers of icky.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

He's a lawyer specializing in unions.
That's two layers of icky.

I resent the first "icky"...

(and he specializes in Labour Law)

 

[Stout]

Okay. People can say he's just doing his job, or that they don't have a problem with him. That's fine. I think he's doing his job badly, because his job is to get them a good deal, not to become so adversarial as to prevent that very thing. His jabbering and strutting goes a far way towards making his job much, much harder. It also makes me dislike him in the extremis, to quote one of the best shows of all time.

As far as calling him an idiot, I should have been more specific--he's "acting" like an idiot and making his job harder than it should be.

 

[40yearfan]

The way I look at it is if the players want to split the rewards (TV contract) they should be willing to take the risks also. You have a bad season and ticket sales go down, your salary goes down also. If you get injured, a portion of your salary goes to help pay for your replacement. The players can buy insurance just like the rest of us have to do to protect our families.

If the union really does want to be a business partner as Smith suggests, they need to make provisions for the costs as well as the revenue.

 

[PDXChris]

Okay. People can say he's just doing his job, or that they don't have a problem with him. That's fine. I think he's doing his job badly, because his job is to get them a good deal, not to become so adversarial as to prevent that very thing. His jabbering and strutting goes a far way towards making his job much, much harder. It also makes me dislike him in the extremis, to quote one of the best shows of all time.

As far as calling him an idiot, I should have been more specific--he's "acting" like an idiot and making his job harder than it should be.

I agree 100%.

 

[kerouac9]

Okay. People can say he's just doing his job, or that they don't have a problem with him. That's fine. I think he's doing his job badly, because his job is to get them a good deal, not to become so adversarial as to prevent that very thing. His jabbering and strutting goes a far way towards making his job much, much harder. It also makes me dislike him in the extremis, to quote one of the best shows of all time.

As far as calling him an idiot, I should have been more specific--he's "acting" like an idiot and making his job harder than it should be.

It's like people hating Drew Rosenhaus. It's not Smith's job to make fans love him. It's Smith's job to get the best possible deal for the players that he represents. He doesn't care whether fans like him any more than Roger Goddell does. But Goddell has to stay on the good side of 32 owners or he's toast, as well as all the TV networks. Smith only has to make sure his guys get paid.

The way I look at it is if the players want to split the rewards (TV contract) they should be willing to take the risks also. You have a bad season and ticket sales go down, your salary goes down also. If you get injured, a portion of your salary goes to help pay for your replacement. The players can buy insurance just like the rest of us have to do to protect our families.

If the union really does want to be a business partner as Smith suggests, they need to make provisions for the costs as well as the revenue.

The NFL is the only professional sports league where contracts are not guaranteed. The players take risks every time they take the field. The owners have all the power in contract situations. Player salaries bear no relation to season ticket sales; player compensation is based on television revenues.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

As a side not--only sort of related--Goddell made 10 million dollars this year as commish, so him threatening to take a $1 salary is not going to hurt him. And I am sure he will get his money back in some form anyway.

 

[SuperSpck]

I resent the first "icky"...

(and he specializes in Labour Law)

I can't let facts get in the way of a good dislike.
And you'll always be terrific in my book.

 

[lobo]

Keep this in mind

A good honest negotiation is when both sides feel they got shafted so to speak. Without taking a position, I listened to the commissioner's speech today and he kept repeating himself about not negotiating in the media and "there are no deal breakers." Okay....but 10 minutes after he said that a reporter mentioned that the union wanted the owners books opened and he said (sic) "no way" ........ya' think that is not a potential deal breaker.

Here is another point..the owners surely know that the union membership is far from totally behind a strike and there are chinks in that armour. Yeah, the spokes people for the union will continue to say they are one, but the longer this goes on and if it evolves into a lockout let's see what happens. I assure you (my opinion) the players would sign on the dotted line right now for the same deal they are currently operating under.