Donald Hayes to be released

[bideau]

The Herald is reporting that Hayes will be released on Thursday, Feb 20th. The move will save the team $1.5 Million on the salary cap. You can get the whole article at http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats02172003.htm




***edited to remove the trailing period in the URL.

[bideau]

Originally posted by FallingAlice
Hey Bideau,

I know this is slightly off-topic, but did you notice down on the notes section of that article, that Tebucky Jones has said that he will refuse to take part in Offseason camps were he to be tagged with the "Franchise Player" lable?

I like him less and less. I can understand that no player wants to be tagged with that, but every NFL team has a right to use it. Coming out and saying that you won't take part in offseason camps because you're the one who got tagged is really bad form.

Jones was a gifted athlete and a crappy player when he came to the Patriots. It took Belichik and Crennel and Mangini to develop him. I hope the ingrate goes someplace else only to see his career die a slow death.

I would tend to believe that this is posturing for negotiation. The same posturing has taken place multiple times between other teams and their potential franchise players. I don't think the Pats will put up with too much crap from him or his agent. Salary cap space is too precious to waste it on someone who will carry through on his threat.

[pookie]

Wow, what a team player Jones is, eh?

With the loss of Hayes (and I use that term loosely), does that change any of the Pats draft or FA mindset? They need a sizeable receiver. Who might the Pats go after? Will they pull another Hayes deal with a FA or draft a big receiver?

[Spirit of 76]

There seems to be a few big receivers in the draft that could be taken after the 3rd Round that would surpass Hayes' production. Not that doing that would be a major feat but, a rookie would get a little more leeway. I agree with the posturing comment on Jones but, wouldn't be too hurt if he went away. Sure he is a Teams demon and a big hitter but, I want at least one Safety in my backfield to be a ballhawk. Merton Hanks always comes to mind when I think of Free Safety.

Originally posted by FallingAlice
...did you notice...that Tebucky Jones has said that he will refuse to take part in Offseason camps were he to be tagged with the "Franchise Player" lable?

I like him less and less. I can understand that no player wants to be tagged with that, but every NFL team has a right to use it. Coming out and saying that you won't take part in offseason camps because you're the one who got tagged is really bad form.


In the Belichick camp that is akin to demanding a trade. Not only bad form, but just plain stupid and illogical. There is almost no chance that the Pats would tag Tebucky. They would have $10+ million invested in safeties. No team does that. Even if you follow the reasoning that some suggest -- to restructure Milloy -- then you end up paying Tebucky more than you are paying Milloy.

Those remarks are almost Vanderjagt-ian in terms of stupidity. (You may have heard that Vanderjagt went from by far the highest paid kicker in the league to below-average overnight after his comments about Manning and Dungy. I still think he was right about both of them but that was not a wise career move to say it in an interview. )

I would have to rate Tebucky's comments this way: He has solved the problem at safety one way or another. Either he will now have to settle for less, or they will be far more likely to go in another direction. There is no way a remark like that strengthens his negotiating position.

[dropKickMurphy]

Originally posted by FallingAlice
Hey Bideau,

I know this is slightly off-topic, but did you notice down on the notes section of that article, that Tebucky Jones has said that he will refuse to take part in Offseason camps were he to be tagged with the "Franchise Player" lable?

I like him less and less. I can understand that no player wants to be tagged with that, but every NFL team has a right to use it. Coming out and saying that you won't take part in offseason camps because you're the one who got tagged is really bad form.

Jones was a gifted athlete and a crappy player when he came to the Patriots. It took Belichik and Crennel and Mangini to develop him. I hope the ingrate goes someplace else only to see his career die a slow death.

Come on, don't you give Tebuckey ANY of the credit in his own development? I think you're jumping the gun in your condemnation of the guy. I try not to pay too much attention to this early posturing. It's a game, and as long as things get worked out before training camp starts (which, more often than not, they do) it will be quickly forgotten.
I'm still hopeful that this is what will happen in this case.

Originally posted by bideau
The Herald is reporting that Hayes will be released on Thursday, Feb 20th. The move will save the team $1.5 Million on the salary cap. You can get the whole article at http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/patriots/pats02172003.htm


The team just got better. I'm just surprised that they were willing to renegotiate -- even if it was for a greatly reduced salary. To me that is throwing good money after bad.:banghead: We need difference makers not bargains.

[dropKickMurphy]

Originally posted by NoRespect
The team just got better. I'm just surprised that they were willing to renegotiate -- even if it was for a greatly reduced salary. To me that is throwing good money after bad.:banghead: We need difference makers not bargains.

Good riddance to him. Keeping in mind that a "gratly reduced salary" is a relative term ;) and he would still be making a hell of a lot more money than most of the fans shelling out their hard earned cash to watch him play. For this, he wasn't even willing to make the commitment to learn the team's playbook.
Here's one absolute truth: If you don't make the commitment you won't be on Belichick's team very long.

[Peg]

Well said, DKM... :)
I half-kidded during the season, wondering: "Did anyone ACTUALLY give Hayes a copy of our playbook?!" Seriously! Most of the time, he was not on the same page as the rest of the guys on the field. And remember how ol' Stan was just SO SURE that Hayes would be the answer to our prayers?! LOL! :)
Yeah, it would be GREAT to have a BIG WR that is fast and has good hands, ya-da-ya-da-ya-da... But, I don't think that it is our biggest need. We need to solidy both the Defensive and Offensive Lines first and foremost. The games are won (or lost) in the trenches and everything else flows from there...