What we too easily forget...

[vorbis]

I think the whole "there's currently no free agency and there may not be for a while" thing should probably be a pretty big part of conversation too, but oh well.

i wonder if whenever the CBA is solved there will be a window of a few weeks or so for teams to have exclusive negotiating rights with their own FA's, before it becomes the giant free-for-all that it looks like it will be.

[Liminy]

It's a good point. It's also the same way when people complain about the way athletes play the game or make plays in the game. People act as though it is as easy as it sounds to go out there every week and throw/catch/hold on to a ball, or block/tackle/int/force fumble, but you have to remember, I think the biggest fault of these players and coaches that the fans don't understand is that they are human

[scarface]

as a fan, Superbowl or bust, nothing else matters, we dont buy tickets to see coaches families.

Unless they have hot wives and/or daughters.

[JawnyBlaze]

That's what we collectively pay them billions of dollars to do...

So those guys should just put their lives on hold and sacrifice anything and everything to make sure you're entertained, right?

[BBQ&Beer]

That's what we collectively offer them billions of dollars to do...

FTFY.

Oh, and should they say no... well we have every right to call them stupid, pussies, etc... but when we do so, we remove the proverbial doubt once we open our mouths.

[Zcustom]

Nice thought, but at the same time there are thousands of military families in the same position, doing it for far less.

<<<<< Son of a E5 Staff Sgt USMC

Hoo ra!

[therealmjl]

But....but we want teh super bowl!

[hepcat]

On the flip side of the coin, these guys make millions. Even assistant coaches make 6 figures. If you work for the NFL in coaching capacity, you're financially secure. I'm not saying it's easy to uproot and move somewhere new, but it's sure much more simple when money isn't an issue.

[Fright]

If you don't like cooking, don't become a cook.

These guys knew what they signed up for. I'd move to China and back for what these guys are making.

[HSCBandit07]

It's as easy as hiring people to do the moving for you. You just bring your family along on the plane and try not to get lost in your new mansion when you get there haha. That said, the NFL players that make league minimum must have some really dedicated wives and families (not that the league minimum leaves them hurting).

[PanthaSan]

It's as easy as hiring people to do the moving for you. You just bring your family along on the plane and try not to get lost in your new mansion when you get there haha. That said, the NFL players that make league minimum must have some really dedicated wives and families (not that the league minimum leaves them hurting).

I am sure they have moving hassles and expenses covered.

When I worked for Halliburton/KBR and had to go somewhere for a year or so, they would move my house. They come, pack it up, relocate everything and un pack according to where we wanted stuf. They would even haul the vehicles we didn't want to drive. All paid for by the company.

I had to do this 4 times and each one was great. The company also had a program that assisted in finding us a house and renting or selling the house we were leaving.

When I worked overseas, the host country would do the similar thing if I wanted to relocate the family there. I just went for a month to month rotation. i didn't like the option of raising my daughters in an Arab country.

I am not too worried about the coaches.

[Mr. Scot]

That's what we collectively pay them billions of dollars to do...

Do they have a collective back account?

Individual players don't make "billions". Most don't even make millions. Only the stars do.

Yes, they make more money than most of us do. That doesn't mean they have less right to family and personal lives than the rest of us, and it doesn't mean that they owe us a level of personal sacrifice that we couldn't rightly expect out of the average person.

[OneBadassCat]

...when it comes to coaching searches, free agents, drafts, etc.

These are real human beings with complete lives that we're discussing here. Many of them, especially the coaches, have families. Those families have lives outside of football too. Ron Rivera, for example, has had to move his wife and children clear across the country. If you think that's easy, then chances are you've never done it.

We sometimes wonder why a coach might make a decision to stay with an inferior team or keep a job with less money and/or prestige. For guys who have families, just imagine walking in on your wife and kids one day and saying "Hey guess what; we're moving clear across the country. Say goodbye to the friends and/or family, jobs, school, activities and places you love because in two weeks they're going to be a few thousand miles away."

Try that, and see how it goes over :eek:

Likewise, free agents sometimes have families, friends, girlfriends, or perhaps just lifestyles that they really enjoy. It's part of the game that they know what they have could be gone without much notice, but that doesn't make it any easier. Draftees, less of an issue because they have little control, but still it's worth remembering that they're not only moving from one place to another, but also going from being a student to being a professional.

And yes, you do have to keep personalities in mind. You might ask "why didn't we sign that coach / go after that free agent / draft that guy"? Think of it this way. How many of you have had to work with someone that got on your last nerve pretty much from the moment you saw them? Well, that happens in locker rooms and team offices too.

Fans lamented for a long time that the team let Scott O'Brien move on to a new job. Nobody that had to work with him was especially sad to see him go, though. Likewise, we remember Charles Haley being phenomenal on the field with the Cowboys. Teammates remember him as the guy who used to sit naked and touch himself inappropriately in the middle of the locker room. We don't always hear about those things, but it goes on, and sometimes it plays a part in whether a team decides to draft or sign a particular player.

It's pretty easy to look at a Madden screen or a fantasy roster and make changes, on a weekly basis if needed.

In the real world, there are families to consult, houses to sell, offices to clean out/set up, people to get along with, and a million other things that regular people have to deal with too.

Keep that in mind when you look at team movements and changes.

You don't have to be all gay about it.

[blackcatgrowl]

Loads of fans whine about why we don't get this guy or that guy. The point here is that it's not as simple was saying "we want him, so we'll get him".

Which is why the draft is one of the best places to take a chance on a player. They are young, often have no ties to hold them down. They rarely reject their draft team's contract (or really get a chance to). They often only know only a few people people in the league, and are forming relationships.

Great place to pick up our next QB!