Bortles, Manziel To Visit Texans

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

It would probably be too smart by half for somebody on the Texans to approach Bridgewater through his agent back in January and said "Look, son, now don't worry but we are going to make you our choice but we need you to help your future team."

"We want you to seem uninterested at the combine, maybe refuse to do some of the drills, then have a lackluster pro day. We don't want you to be terrible. Just tone it down a little while we try to sell the league on some other guys. That way, we can convince another team to trade up with us and we can still take you plus add some other good players in the process.

"When the time comes, we'll still pay you like a first overall pick but, until then, we're going to pretend to be uninterested in you and more impressed with other prospects so just lay low and don't worry if you don't hear from us."

A McNair team being that sneaky? Naw, I can't picture it.

I don't think we have the option to pay a later pick like a #1 overall. It is all slotted and we couldn't go over the small allowance within the slot. Bridgewater has absolutely no incentive there unless he was just dying to be a Texan. And if he was trying to control his destination he can do it more effectively from the #1 pick with more money in his pocket (like Eli).

[HPF Bob]

Originally Posted by barrett

I don't think we have the option to pay a later pick like a #1 overall. It is all slotted and we couldn't go over the small allowance within the slot.

Ah, but there are other ways of compensating a player than just money. Doesn't have to be in the contract. This isn't college. If I want my player to feel he's getting the best deal even though I'm drafting him at #4 or #5, I can work it out.

[HPF Bob]

Interesting the Jags are bringing in four QBs to evaluate and none of them are Blake Bortles! Make of that what you wish.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-...uars-wednesday

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Ah, but there are other ways of compensating a player than just money. Doesn't have to be in the contract. This isn't college. If I want my player to feel he's getting the best deal even though I'm drafting him at #4 or #5, I can work it out.

So that's all it takes is a little secret compensation? It seems like 32 teams should have been doing that for years. We could still have Mario coming off the edge. Too bad nobody but Bob thought of that.

[Warren]

If they gave him anything on value outside what’s in the contract or otherwise allowed they’d be hammered for circumventing the salary cap.

But even if they could, that would be a huge risk for Bridgewater to take. It seems like every year there is at least one player that talks about how certain teams have assured him that if he’s still on the board when the team picks they’ll take him, but when it’s their turn his phone doesn’t ring. Maybe their plans changed or maybe they lied so that some misinformation would be leaked, but either way a player would be foolish to put much stock in what a team tells him in that situation.