Show me the Money

Training camps are winding down. Teams have taken the field in pre-season games. It is a time where teams bond, position battles are won, and rookies and young players have a chance to learn the playbook and solidify themselves as potential contributors to the team. There are currently 3 rookies who still have not reported to camp. Andre Smith, Mike Crabtree, and Aaron Maybin.

Andre Smith:

Andre Smith was picked 6th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. Reports are that he is seeking a 5 year $40 million dollar deal. Apparently the Bungles have offered a five year $33 million dollar deal. Smith was slated to be the starting Left Tackle for the Bungles. In what already was a risky pick given Smith's on and off the field activities for Alabama, he has done nothing to shake his image as a overweight, lazy, slob. I watched the first episode of HBO's Hard Knocks which gives an in-depth look at the Bengals Training camp. They had some footage of Andre Smith working out at home and the man just looks outs of shape and about 12 years old. All that being said he did dominate in college at a major SEC program so the man obviously has some skill, just don't know if the passion or drive is there. Being a LT will probably make it hard for him to come in and play and make an impact even if he does sign.

Micheal Crabtree:

Probably the most exciting and potentially game changing player to still not be signed has to be the 49er's Crabtree. The world class receiver from Texas Tech has been playing hard ball with the 49ers over his rookie deal. Though reports can't be confirmed, there has been some talk that Crab is willing to sit out the entire 09 season and re-enter the draft next year. There is no question that his foot injury probably hurt his stock a little and that is why he slipped to ten. There is still not excuse for the Raiders to select Derius Heyward-Bey at number 7. I don't care if the guy ends up being a hall of famer, it is a bad pick. You could have easily traded down and picked up DHB way later in the first (second) round if you wanted as I can't imagine him going in front of the likes of Crab, Maclin, Harvin, Nix, etc. That being said Al Davis I am sure told his head coach the Cable guy to grab someone really fast. They then looked at the combine results, sorted by speed as if it were a game of Madden, and said okay this guy.

Crabtree is bitter and wants to be paid top 5 money. Does he deserve it, yeah probably. He deserved to be a top five pick, but guess what he went 10. Since you went ten, that means you should be paid as the 10th overall pick. I understand where he is coming from, but his argument is really not that sound. The 49ers desperately need a player of Crab's talent and he could help whatever QB (hill, smith?) they ultimately decide to go with.

Aaron Maybin:

This pick stings my heart a little. I remember on draft day I wasn't really disappointed with the pick, just kind of blah. Aaron Maybin is a small speedy end (think Aaron Schoebel). It will be fun to one day (if Maybin ever plays) to watch him and Schoebel run wide out to the sidelines and then try to converge on QB, but both massive Tackles just swing around and never let them get close to a pressure. Using the Al Davis theory, it wouldn't surprise me of Ralph Wilson made this decision under the basis of trying to come up with a cool nickname for his defensive ends like "The Aaron Army" or "Aaron Squared."

Remember Maybin is kind of an unproved quantity where he only started one season for Penn State in the over matched slow Big Ten. Everyone has said that his deal relies on the Crabtree deal finally coming to fruition, and since they appear no where close, Maybin may be out for some time. He has already missed the entire Bills training camp. At least he put on some serious size this off-season (big ups to powertrain).