Rookie Wage Scale

So say you work at Cosco as a stock boy. Say you make a decent hourly wage and you do a good job. How would you feel if they brought in some new guy who they thought was going to be good at his job (but they couldn’t guarantee this…not even a little bit) and they offer to pay him more than you…guaranteed? I’m going to assume you’d be mad. If you aren’t mad then I’m going to assume you have the words “Punching Bag” written somewhere on your body.

Welcome to rookie wages in the NFL. Sam Bradford of “Hi, I’m coming off a shoulder injury that prevented me from doing much prior to the draft so all you had was game film of a rather soft college schedule” fame just secured a contract with 50 million in guaranteed money. The St. Louis “we’re so awful I’m pretty sure the whole city wishes we’d pull a Lebron James and take our talents to South Beach” Rams apparently didn’t care that his shoulder was wrecked all last season and he’s never been a big game QB. To them he was worth the 50 million dollar gamble. Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell be damned.

What choice, when you consider the system, did the St. Louis Rams have? A skill position player as the number 1 pick was going to require an obscene amount of money. That’s just the way the system works these days. The top 10 picks all make money that veterans salivate for. It’s hope money. It’s money they give them in hopes they will produce because many years ago some player got more than anyone had ever had, then the next guy got more. Then JaMarcus Russell wowed the Raiders for no particular reason and was given a Kings ransom and since then every top pick conversation has went like this:

Top Pick Guy: I want a lot of money.

Team: We don’t think you’ve earned it.

Top Pick Guy: Did you see Russell’s contract, I’m better than that guy.

Team: Everyone is better than that guy.

Top Pick Guy: But I’m already less fat, and I’ve already worked harder at this contract than Russell worked at for anything.

Team: Take it back! Russell held out for an awfully long time.

Top Pick Guy: Fair enough, but I want my guaranteed money. I was actually a good pro prospect.

Team: Fine. You win.

At least that’s how I assume it goes in there. There has become such an obscenity about the way that the rookies are paid we barely bat an eyelash. Sure, it’s mentioned on sports talk radio and it gets attention in a city where the big hyped rookie is holding out but we have long ignored it.

It’s because it’s the nature of the sports world. I have long given up the fight about athletes making 100 million dollars. It’s a business and in whatever warped world it is they have earned that money. The system won’t change and you can’t ask it to. But there is a difference between Julius Peppers getting 90 million to be the consistent pass rusher he has been for years, and Sam Bradford and Matthew Stafford getting more guaranteed money than anyone in the history of the NFL before they ever took the field.

And it’s appalling and amazing that the veterans don’t care more about this issue. Every dollar Sam Bradford gets is a dollar taken away from a veteran guy. There will be very few veteran guys that will earn that kind of money but it could be the difference in a guy getting cut or not.

The fraternity of NFL players is that where you don’t get in another man’s business when it comes to contract stuff but something has to be done. Probably two things:

1. Slotting Salaries- If you are picked in a certain number you get a certain contract. All money is 50 percent guaranteed. Heck, make it a 4 year deal, and include a player opt out on the 4th year. This way if you turn out to be a Matt Ryan you can do your hold out then for more money then, once you’ve really earned it.
2. Less Guaranteed Money – This is a no brainer too. If you are going to give guys huge contracts, just make it so that you only have to guarantee 25 percent of the money. If a guy really wants the full load of his money he’ll have to play his way into it.

As the CBA gets closer the players are going to need to make smart decisions. The rookie wage scale would benefit not only owners but the players too. There is nothing wrong with making max money, we should be letting the players earn it first.

Tuesday Pigskin Links

Sharktopus’ the Movie is 8 Legs and 3,000 Teeth of Pure Awesomeness [BroBible]
Yes, there’s something called a Sharktopus. Yes, it’s half-shark, half-octopus. Yes, the United States Navy has control over it. Yes, the SyFy network and Roger Corman made a movie about it. Yes, it’s called “Sharktopus.” Yes, the trailer is after the jump. Yes, you have to wach it. Now.

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9 Fictional Sports Underdogs Who Never Should Have Won [EGO TV]
Everybody loves an underdog. It warms our hearts when the scrappy “little team that could” goes up against a juggernaut, defying all logic to win the game/title/match/whatever.

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COED’s Colossal Comic-Con Cleavage Collection [120 Photos - CoEd magazine]
Every summer, nerds, geeks, dorks, and everything in between travel to San Diego, California for the Star Trek convention of the new millennium… Comic-Con.

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Tiger Woods drops the F-Bomb [Foundry Music]
Why is it news every time a professional athlete curses? During the third round of the British Open at St Andrews, Tiger Woods misses a par putt on the 13th green, and launches into a curse-filled tantrum, blurting out the F-word several times

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Showoff! [Dave and Thomas]
This dude knows how to ride a motorcycle!

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The 20 Hottest Pictures of Olivia Munn [Heavy.com]
We’ll kick things off with Olivia looking like the super crime fighter Wonder Woman. She may tell the girl with the golden lasso to suck it in her book, but I’m betting she kept this costume after the photo shoot was over.

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UPROXX Summer Guide: The Best NFL Training Camps To Attend [Uproxx]
While July’s a great month for baseball fans, it’s torture for NFL fans. Each day feels like a year as we wait for the first sign of life for the upcoming season – training camps.

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Creative Traffic Lights From Around the World [Uncoached]
I never really gave much thought to the traffic light until I stumbled across these pictures. I mean the simple red, yellow, green would appear to be enough wouldn’t it?

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Street Meet: Sports Legends

Sports legends from around the world of sports are gathered at Joe Carter Celebrity golf tournament when Scott Stephenson decides to drop by and ask questions.

Football great Jonathon Ogden gets pranked with some great athletes like Charles Barkley (Is Space Jam real?) but it’s baseball star Kenny Lofton who gets the last laugh as he steals more than just another base.

Top 10 Madden Covers

In 1988, John Madden Football was released on the Apple II. Yes, the game was originally a computer game. Thankfully the game transitioned to the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis and the rest is history.

For the young generation of children and teenagers playing Madden back in the early ‘90s, Madden was best known as “That Ace Hardware Guy” or “BOOM! Tough actin’ Tinactin!” or just that old guy who drew squiggly lines on the screen during football games. Of course, we would come to learn that John Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1970 to 1978, including his 1976 team which won Super Bowl XI.

The Madden franchise is the best-selling sports video game series of all time. After over 20 years, the namesake lives on. “Madden” has become synonymous with his video game and it will likely live on beyond his lifetime. He’s no longer in the game (Madden was replaced by Cris Collinsworth in Madden NFL 09) but his legacy will live on beyond his lifetime.

The covers of Madden have sparked controversy. There’s the so-called “Madden Curse.” But regardless, to be on the cover of the game is an honor and distinction. Some of the greatest players of all-time have graced the cover.

Now, here are the top 10 Madden covers of all time based on their look and significance.

Funny ESPY Darkside Trailer with Sandra Bullock and Peyton Manning

Somebody help Peyton Manning! He’s trapped in a house with that crazy lady from Speed.

It’s nice to see a news article about a Tennessee Vol not involving the police. A funny parody of the hit movie “Blind Side” premiered as a fake trailer at the ESPYs Thursday night. “The Darkside” features a story about an overprotective mom who likes to collect football players. Former University of Tennessee QB Peyton Manning is her latest addition.

Most of Peyton’s shots were filmed in a studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then mixed into the original movie.

And how would you like to be this kid when you were 15. Maryville High School, located just south of Knoxville, had a student named P.J. Donovan get the role as the teenage boy in pads in the trailer. He is seen in the last part of the trailer talking with Peyton and you know that kid is going to be real popular in class this fall.

He’s only in the trailer for a few seconds but if he’s smart he’ll milk it and get the best date to the prom this year.

Drew Brees Talks About the Madden Curse

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees had a busy day Thursday. Before heading out to accept four awards at ESPN’s ESPY awards, include Best Male Athlete, Brees stopped by the Tonight Show to chat with Conan O’Brien Jay Leno.

Brees is having a great year after winning the Super Bowl and taking home the MVP for that game. He was also picked by fans as the cover athlete for the best-selling Madden Football video game.

Despite the great honor of being on the cover of one of the most popular game franchises ever created, Brees acknowledge the Madden Curse (shown by itself in video 3 below) which has hampered cover athletes over the years.

Thanks to the power of fans voting for the athlete to be on the cover, Brees hopes that any power of the Madden Curse will be negated. The fate of the curse is then in the hands of the fans.

He then bribed everyone in the audience with a copy of the game. He’s a cool buy but it sounds like he’s trying to suck up a bit…

Part 1: Drew Brees tells Jay he and wife are expecting another baby.

Drew Brees continued

Part 2: Drew Brees talks new book, making cover of Madden NFL 11 and
start of football season.

Madden NFL 11

Jay asks Drew Brees if he believes in the Madden curse.

PAC 10 Gets A New Logo

The Pac-10 is done with their expansion plans for now after adding Utah and Colorado to the mix.  Even though they are technically the Pac-12 now the league has no plans on changing their name.

Instead, they have altered their primary logo to reflect a more mountainous conference. Above the “10″ you’ll notice a wave-like curve and a mountain peak.

The more modern look of the logo as compared to the old logo seems like an upgrade but I wonder if they will keep it with the new teams coming in.  Granted, it wouldn’t be too hard to change that 10 to a 12 when the new teams arrive but think of the hassle and expense. Everything they print and all the templates would have to be changed again in a short time.

That seems like a lot of trouble to go through for just a year.  Why not just wait?

The new Pac-10 logo was not supposed to be released until the end of the month but we all know how easy it is to keep secrets off the Internet these days.

Several photos have popped up showing the new logo being painted on Autzen Stadium for the University of Oregon.

Two Players Chosen in NFL supplemental draft

Two of the four players available in the 2010 NFL Supplemental Draft held Thursday were taken in the 7th round. Running back Harvey Unga of BYU and defensive tackle Josh Price-Brent of Illinois both found a home while RB Quentin Castille of Northwestern State and WR Vanness Emokpae of Truman State went undrafted.

The Supplemental Draft is held after the main draft, but before the regular season, to allow underclassmen who did not get a petition into the league for early entry before the NFL Draft deadline and now find themselves ineligible for the upcoming college season.

If a team picks up one of the players they the forfeit that their pick in the corresponding round of the next years NFL Draft.

The Chicago Bears grabbed BYU running back Harvey Unga with the 12th pick of the 7th round. Unga withdrew from BYU because of an honor code violation, only labled as  an unspecified violation of university regulations. Unga rushed for over 1,000-yards each of the past three seasons for the Cougars, with 11 TDs last year.

Unga’s baggage is minor compared to the other pick taken. Josh Price-Brent of Illinois was taken by the Cowboys in the 7th round after being arrested for a DUI and having bad grades. Price-Brent has some potential if he can keep clean and motivated, not an easy thing to do in Big-D.

Drew Brees Wins Best Male Athlete at ESPYs

Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees is bringing another trophy home to New Orleans. The Saints quarterback was voted the Best Athlete at ESPN’s award show, the ESPYs.

It’s been a fantastic run for the QB that was once shown the door in San Diego after an injured shoulder questioned his role with the team. Brees bounced back and led the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl with a stunning victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Brees received four trophies, including male athlete of the year, on Wednesday night. He also won best championship performance, best NFL player and shared the team award with his Super Bowl-champion colleagues.

Other NFL ESPY winners last night include the Vikings Brett Favre (Best Play) and the Titans Chris Johnson (Best Breakthrough Athlete).

Thursday Quick Links

Kobe Bryant Recruits Former Bitter Rival Raja Bell to Join the Lakers [The Hoop Doctors]
Word on the street is that Kobe Bryant has set up a meeting with his former rival Raja Bell to try and persuade the veteran guard to join the LA Lakers for next season. Even though Derek Fisher has just resigned with the Lakers, Kobe realizes that the Lakers don’t have a lot of veteran depth in the backcourt and Bell would be a very valuable addition come playoff time.

Packers say operating profits are down [Washington Post]
The Green Bay Packers announced Wednesday that they had posted an operating profit of $9.8 million over the last year.

Brett Favre says long-term injury isn’t a concern for him: ‘The damage has already been done’ [USA Today]
In yet another sign that Brett Favre may return for a 20th NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings next season, the QB gave a revealing interview to Men’s Journal magazine in which he indicated doing more damage to his body isn’t a big worry.

5 Movie Characters Who Would Make Kickass Wingmen [COED Magazine]
We do not always get the best wingman. But, just for the hell of it, imagine that we did get the wingman that we deserve. Imagine that things could happen like they do in the movies.

Gallery: Cars Of The Future [EGO TV]
The baby boomers thought they’d be flying around in “Jetson” cars by now, but they ended up rolling all of there scientific ambitions into joints and acid-laced sugar cubes. Thanks a lot Dr. Spock, now we’re driving around in Subaru’s and Toyota pick-ups. Here’s what are freeways and ’skyways’ could have looked like.

American History X, the Video Game [Dave and Thomas]
Sadly, for the Xbox 360 only. Now lift those knees harder. The game is a lot tougher than it looks.

Everything You Need To Know About Mad Men [Heavy.com]
The fourth season of Mad Men is set to premier July 25th on AMC, and with that in mind, we here at Heavy have decided to give all the stragglers out there a chance to catch up with this handy guide.

Gemma Arterton [Funny Crave]
Really? You need a description to check out a gallery of a sexy woman?

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