Post by John on May 20, 2006 12:20:49 GMT -4
Notebook: Jags' Taylor dumps junk in effort to stay on field
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich had an on-field barbecue for his teammates after the final practice of their minicamp last Sunday, a nice gesture meant for team bonding.
One of the players who ventured over to see what was cooking was running back Fred Taylor, who went more for the team camaraderie than a plate full of barbecue.
In the past, Taylor might have loaded up the plate and devoured all of it, but that was the old Fred Taylor. The new, sleeker version is a walking dietician, a guy who watches every single thing he puts into his body and counts calories like Kirstie Alley.
Father Time has done that to him.
"At 30, you have to do things that you didn't do when you were younger," Taylor said as he walked from the team's practice fields into Alltel Stadium. "That's all I'm doing."
The results are eye-opening. Taylor looks years younger, his face noticeably thinner and his body weight down to 222 pounds, less than he weighed at the University of Florida.
More impressive, though, is how he looked on the field during the team's three-day camp. He looked like the Fred Taylor of his first few years in the league, an explosive runner who could turn a handoff into a 70-yard run.
Was this the same player who many in Jacksonville thought was on his way out, maybe even this year?
The Jaguars have drafted a running back in the first four rounds of each of the past three drafts, including second-round pick Maurice Drew this year, leading to speculation Taylor would be let go.
This coaching staff, led by Jack Del Rio, has never really warmed to Taylor, inherited from Tom Coughlin. The talk is this staff doesn't think he's tough enough. Del Rio, a proponent of the big back, likes fullback Greg Jones, who played well as a feature back when Taylor was hurt last year.
Even Taylor admitted this week that he thought for a moment he might be playing elsewhere in 2006.
As it is, the Jaguars would be foolish to let him go. They can't win a division without him.
It's that simple. Nobody else on the roster brings his scare-a-defense style.
Yet Taylor remains a lightning rod in Jacksonville. Fans blister him because he can't stay on the field. Fragile Fred, a name that haunted him early in his career, is coming back to the surface.
Taylor missed five games with an ankle injury last season, ending a streak of 1,000-yard seasons at three. That came after he ended the 2004 season on the sidelines with a knee injury that was far more serious than the team let on at the time.
At this time in 2005, Taylor watched the team's workouts from the sidelines. There were even doubts as to whether he would play in 2005, although those doubts proved to be way overblown. Taylor made it back, but he didn't have the type of season many expected, running for 787 yards.
The line didn't play well and Taylor had just one run of 20 yards or more after having 19 combined in the two previous seasons. He ran for only 757 yards.
But the one long run shows Taylor can still get it done. He went 71 yards for a touchdown against the Rams in October and finished with 165 yards on 22 carries. He missed four of the next five games with the ankle injury, but there was more to that.
Taylor admitted this week that he was a healthy scratch in two of those games, saying he could have played but didn't suit up because the coaches made that choice. That decision cost him $80,000 in incentive money, yet he never made an issue out of it.
Some inside the organization wondered if Taylor's silence showed he simply didn't care. Taylor said that wasn't the case -- he just didn't want to rock the boat.
He did play in the playoff loss to the Patriots, rushing for 24 yards on eight carries as the Jaguars running game was stifled. It was after that game that Taylor decided to fight the aging process.
Spending the offseason in South Florida working out, he retooled his body through hard work and diet.
Once a guy who loved junk food, he now monitors everything he eats. He has a breakfast shake in the morning, followed by two low-calorie meals and a low-calorie snack or two. He limits his carb intake, and he doesn't eat after 8 p.m.
"That's the real key," Taylor said. "That takes getting used to, but you go to bed at 10:30 and it's not that hard."
He is so obsessive about his sugar intake that he no longer rehydrates with Gatorade, instead using PediaSure, a drink made for rehydrating children because it has a lot less sugar in it.
Taylor is not working out with the Jaguars this spring, instead opting to stay in South Florida, although he will be back for the team's OTA days. Del Rio said that was fine with him, and after seeing him last weekend, he again reiterated that position.
"He looks good," Del Rio said. "I'm fine with what he's doing."
As some of his teammates struggled in the Florida sun, Taylor wasn't fazed by it.
"I could have done more," Taylor said. "I felt great."
A healthy Taylor gives the Jaguars a weapon not many teams have, a big-play runner who can go the distance, his speed still enabling him to run away from defensive backs.
But the best running Taylor is doing now is away from Father Time, which ultimately catches up to all backs.
The new, sleeker Taylor is doing his best to make sure that doesn't happen in 2006. At 30, you have to change. That's what he's doing, and that's why Fred Taylor might be ready for another big season.
Around the league
* Steelers president Dan Rooney can't be too happy about the contract extension signed by Mike Holmgren this week in Seattle. Reports are that Holmgren signed a two-year extension that will pay him $7 million this year, the final year of his original deal, and then $8 million in 2007 and $9 million in 2008. That's a big deal.
Rooney's concern would be because his coach, Bill Cowher, has two years left on his deal, and the Steelers have extended it every time it reached that point. Now in his 15th season, Cowher is coming off a Super Bowl victory over Holmgren's Seahawks. That should put his contract right up there with Holmgren's. What Cowher makes now is uncertain, but talk is he's at about $4 million a year. Holmgen and Washington's Joe Gibbs ($5 million per year) are the two highest-paid coaches.
That means we could be looking at the first mega-contract for Cowher, maybe even a $7 million per year average. The Rooney family has always been fair to Cowher, giving him an extension two years ago when he was coming off a losing season. But with that Lombardi Trophy, the price of doing business has gone up -- maybe even more so with Holmgren's deal. This one could get interesting if Cowher decides to make it that way.
* Doug Flutie retired Monday. So what? How many really knew he was still playing? If it wasn't for that comedic drop kick he had last season, the one that made a farce of a game to the delight of the buffoons on some network shows, we'd have all thought he retired years ago.
Now that he's officially hanging them up, the tributes will come. They will say how the little guy hung on for 22 years playing football in Canada and in the United States. They'll say how he defied the odds, showing that you don't have to be 6-2 to play quarterback in the NFL. They'll talk about the fight in the man, the determination to make himself an NFL quarterback when many said it couldn't be done.
Kudos to him for making it to the league, but let's not get carried away. Doug Flutie was nothing more than an NFL journeyman. In fact, he's one of the NFL's most-overrated players ever. And another thing: He really wasn't that good a teammate, which some like to portray him as being. The word is Norv Turner couldn't stand him when he was the coach in San Diego. And former Buffalo Bills quarterback Rob Johnson, who was involved in a nasty fight for the starting job with Flutie a few years back, said Flutie was a backstabber who couldn't be trusted. So as the little guy walks into the broadcast booth, let's not make him more than he was. There have been many backup quarterbacks who did what he did in the NFL. Was he a great CFL player? You bet. But so were Danny McManus, Damon Allen and Mike Clemons. Do you know they are?
* The Titans are still talking about possibly signing veteran quarterback Kerry Collins. When Steve McNair is finally gone, and he will be, the Titans will be left with Billy Volek and first-round pick Vince Young as their top two quarterbacks. Good luck winning with those two. That's why the Titans are still considering Collins, and the word is Collins is open to playing in Tennessee because it's close to his home in North Carolina.
If the Titans sign Collins, he gives them a legitimate starter. Volek is more of a backup type, despite what many would want you to believe, and Young is a ways away from being ready to play. Much of the coaching staff, including Jeff Fisher, has just one year left on their contacts. Fisher does have an option on his, but at a high price. That means this staff either has to win now or the work it is doing to prepare Young will be for the next coaching staff. Considering the Titans spent money on veteran free agents like David Givens, David Thornton and Chris Hope, it makes no sense to have a wasted season from the quarterback position. The Titans should definitely find a way to get Collins signed.
* The Titans are taking a lot of heat for they way they're treating McNair. They're squeezing the Ravens for more in a potential trade, even as McNair's future is in limbo. But the Titans won't let him work out at the team's facility, and they can't carry his $23 million cap figure. On the surface it looks like it's nasty. But McNair hasn't always been the model quarterback in Tennessee. He's had issues with his last three offensive coordinators, and the word is he isn't one to dive head first into the playbook. He also had several seasons where he didn't get his body into tip-top shape. So maybe there's more to this than we know. McNair was a darn good quarterback for the Titans. But behind the scenes, maybe there is more to this ugliness.
* When Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith suddenly retired last week, it was the end of the career of one of the least-appreciated receivers this league has seen. Smith put up some amazing numbers, yet playing in Jacksonville, he never got his due. His story is truly an amazing one. He had two serious illnesses, was cut twice and was suspended by the league for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. "I have a heck of a book in me," Smith once told me.
In fact, when Smith went to camp with the Jaguars in 1995, he was a long shot to make the team. He was signed as a street free agent after being cut by the Philadelphia Eagles and Rich Kotite. Smith then developed into one of the league's best receivers over the next 10 years. When the Jaguars cut Andre Rison in 1996, it was because they knew Smith was ready to take over. Smith and Keenan McCardell became one of the most prolific receiving duos in league history, giving the Jaguars a heck of a 1-2 punch. Smith leaves as the seventh all-time leader in catches with 862. McCardell, who is still playing with the San Diego Chargers, is 10th with 825 and will almost certainly pass his old teammate this season. That's amazing when you consider they played together for five years in Jacksonville yet received little attention for it.
The abruptness of Smith's retirement has led to some speculation that he failed a drug test, which would have resulted in a one-year suspension. Pro Football Talk, a web site that follows the league, hinted at such this week, although it didn't come right out and say Smith failed a test. Smith denied drugs had anything to do with his retirement. There is talk in Jacksonville that Smith realized he might be fazed out of the offense, so he walked away. The Jaguars, according to the coaches, put in 10-12 new pass plays, and none of them were with Smith as the focal point. "Maybe he just saw what was happening," said one Jaguars source.
If Smith did fail a test, it will eventually come out. Here's hoping he didn't. He was a class act who had a few missteps along the way, but he seemed to overcome them. Let's hope he can move into retirement without the cloud of a drug suspension hanging over his head.
* One man who has to be proud of what Smith accomplished is Ronnie Hill. The former Atlanta Falcons vice president of football operations, who was fired a year ago in a bad move, is the man who convinced the Jaguars to sign Smith. Hill was then the Jaguars director of pro personnel, and being from Mississippi, Smith's home state, knew Smith well. So he convinced the Jaguars to give him a look. Smith showed up with a book of press clippings his mother had made to help get him back in the league. When Smith ran under 4.5 at the workout, the Jaguars were still considering passing. But Hill persisted, and coach Tom Coughlin relented and signed him. Hill, by the way, is still without a job. That doesn't make sense. He is too good a football guy. Somebody needs to give him another chance.
* The word coming out of New Orleans is running back Deuce McAllister is fine with the drafting of Reggie Bush, and McAllister has said as much on the record. But we hear that privately, McAllister has been telling folks he's not real happy about the move. How could he be? He's coming off an ACL injury, but when he's on the field, he's an explosive player. Bush is bound to take away some of his carries, which would make any back angry. So while you hear all this talk about how McAllister is dealing with the addition of Bush, don't for one minute assume he's thrilled. Runners like the ball in their hands. The threat of that being taken away doesn't make any of them happy.
* The Texans are working Seth Wand at left tackle with their first unit, which means he'll have the first crack at the starting job. Want to bet he isn't there on opening day? "That guy was lost a few years ago when he played," said one personnel director. Wand didn't play at all last year, and the talk is he doesn't have the foot speed to handle speed rushers. Look for a pair of rookies, Charles Spencer from Pittsburgh and Eric Winston from Miami, to get a good chance this summer to win that job.
The Texans have only one player --right tackle Zach Wiegert -- running with the first unit in the same spot as when the season ended last year. With Wiegert at right tackle, it means Todd Wade is again a bench player. Wade was one of the many bad moves made by former general manager Charley Casserly. The Texans paid Wade big money three years ago when he was a free agent from Miami and he eventually ended up getting benched. That move ranks up there with drafting Jason Babin in the first round, using a second-round pick to take Tony Hollings in the supplemental draft and trading two picks for corner Philip Buchanon. And we wonder why this team has struggled?
* Veteran corner Ty Law is still seeking a deal that would give him $10 million in guaranteed money. Good luck. The Chiefs and Patriots remain the frontrunners for his services, but only if the asking price comes down. Any team that gives him anything close to that would be making a big mistake. Law's career is coming to an end. Big-money deals don't go to those types of players, or at least they shouldn't.
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich had an on-field barbecue for his teammates after the final practice of their minicamp last Sunday, a nice gesture meant for team bonding.
One of the players who ventured over to see what was cooking was running back Fred Taylor, who went more for the team camaraderie than a plate full of barbecue.
In the past, Taylor might have loaded up the plate and devoured all of it, but that was the old Fred Taylor. The new, sleeker version is a walking dietician, a guy who watches every single thing he puts into his body and counts calories like Kirstie Alley.
Father Time has done that to him.
"At 30, you have to do things that you didn't do when you were younger," Taylor said as he walked from the team's practice fields into Alltel Stadium. "That's all I'm doing."
The results are eye-opening. Taylor looks years younger, his face noticeably thinner and his body weight down to 222 pounds, less than he weighed at the University of Florida.
More impressive, though, is how he looked on the field during the team's three-day camp. He looked like the Fred Taylor of his first few years in the league, an explosive runner who could turn a handoff into a 70-yard run.
Was this the same player who many in Jacksonville thought was on his way out, maybe even this year?
The Jaguars have drafted a running back in the first four rounds of each of the past three drafts, including second-round pick Maurice Drew this year, leading to speculation Taylor would be let go.
This coaching staff, led by Jack Del Rio, has never really warmed to Taylor, inherited from Tom Coughlin. The talk is this staff doesn't think he's tough enough. Del Rio, a proponent of the big back, likes fullback Greg Jones, who played well as a feature back when Taylor was hurt last year.
Even Taylor admitted this week that he thought for a moment he might be playing elsewhere in 2006.
As it is, the Jaguars would be foolish to let him go. They can't win a division without him.
It's that simple. Nobody else on the roster brings his scare-a-defense style.
Yet Taylor remains a lightning rod in Jacksonville. Fans blister him because he can't stay on the field. Fragile Fred, a name that haunted him early in his career, is coming back to the surface.
Taylor missed five games with an ankle injury last season, ending a streak of 1,000-yard seasons at three. That came after he ended the 2004 season on the sidelines with a knee injury that was far more serious than the team let on at the time.
At this time in 2005, Taylor watched the team's workouts from the sidelines. There were even doubts as to whether he would play in 2005, although those doubts proved to be way overblown. Taylor made it back, but he didn't have the type of season many expected, running for 787 yards.
The line didn't play well and Taylor had just one run of 20 yards or more after having 19 combined in the two previous seasons. He ran for only 757 yards.
But the one long run shows Taylor can still get it done. He went 71 yards for a touchdown against the Rams in October and finished with 165 yards on 22 carries. He missed four of the next five games with the ankle injury, but there was more to that.
Taylor admitted this week that he was a healthy scratch in two of those games, saying he could have played but didn't suit up because the coaches made that choice. That decision cost him $80,000 in incentive money, yet he never made an issue out of it.
Some inside the organization wondered if Taylor's silence showed he simply didn't care. Taylor said that wasn't the case -- he just didn't want to rock the boat.
He did play in the playoff loss to the Patriots, rushing for 24 yards on eight carries as the Jaguars running game was stifled. It was after that game that Taylor decided to fight the aging process.
Spending the offseason in South Florida working out, he retooled his body through hard work and diet.
Once a guy who loved junk food, he now monitors everything he eats. He has a breakfast shake in the morning, followed by two low-calorie meals and a low-calorie snack or two. He limits his carb intake, and he doesn't eat after 8 p.m.
"That's the real key," Taylor said. "That takes getting used to, but you go to bed at 10:30 and it's not that hard."
He is so obsessive about his sugar intake that he no longer rehydrates with Gatorade, instead using PediaSure, a drink made for rehydrating children because it has a lot less sugar in it.
Taylor is not working out with the Jaguars this spring, instead opting to stay in South Florida, although he will be back for the team's OTA days. Del Rio said that was fine with him, and after seeing him last weekend, he again reiterated that position.
"He looks good," Del Rio said. "I'm fine with what he's doing."
As some of his teammates struggled in the Florida sun, Taylor wasn't fazed by it.
"I could have done more," Taylor said. "I felt great."
A healthy Taylor gives the Jaguars a weapon not many teams have, a big-play runner who can go the distance, his speed still enabling him to run away from defensive backs.
But the best running Taylor is doing now is away from Father Time, which ultimately catches up to all backs.
The new, sleeker Taylor is doing his best to make sure that doesn't happen in 2006. At 30, you have to change. That's what he's doing, and that's why Fred Taylor might be ready for another big season.
Around the league
* Steelers president Dan Rooney can't be too happy about the contract extension signed by Mike Holmgren this week in Seattle. Reports are that Holmgren signed a two-year extension that will pay him $7 million this year, the final year of his original deal, and then $8 million in 2007 and $9 million in 2008. That's a big deal.
Rooney's concern would be because his coach, Bill Cowher, has two years left on his deal, and the Steelers have extended it every time it reached that point. Now in his 15th season, Cowher is coming off a Super Bowl victory over Holmgren's Seahawks. That should put his contract right up there with Holmgren's. What Cowher makes now is uncertain, but talk is he's at about $4 million a year. Holmgen and Washington's Joe Gibbs ($5 million per year) are the two highest-paid coaches.
That means we could be looking at the first mega-contract for Cowher, maybe even a $7 million per year average. The Rooney family has always been fair to Cowher, giving him an extension two years ago when he was coming off a losing season. But with that Lombardi Trophy, the price of doing business has gone up -- maybe even more so with Holmgren's deal. This one could get interesting if Cowher decides to make it that way.
* Doug Flutie retired Monday. So what? How many really knew he was still playing? If it wasn't for that comedic drop kick he had last season, the one that made a farce of a game to the delight of the buffoons on some network shows, we'd have all thought he retired years ago.
Now that he's officially hanging them up, the tributes will come. They will say how the little guy hung on for 22 years playing football in Canada and in the United States. They'll say how he defied the odds, showing that you don't have to be 6-2 to play quarterback in the NFL. They'll talk about the fight in the man, the determination to make himself an NFL quarterback when many said it couldn't be done.
Kudos to him for making it to the league, but let's not get carried away. Doug Flutie was nothing more than an NFL journeyman. In fact, he's one of the NFL's most-overrated players ever. And another thing: He really wasn't that good a teammate, which some like to portray him as being. The word is Norv Turner couldn't stand him when he was the coach in San Diego. And former Buffalo Bills quarterback Rob Johnson, who was involved in a nasty fight for the starting job with Flutie a few years back, said Flutie was a backstabber who couldn't be trusted. So as the little guy walks into the broadcast booth, let's not make him more than he was. There have been many backup quarterbacks who did what he did in the NFL. Was he a great CFL player? You bet. But so were Danny McManus, Damon Allen and Mike Clemons. Do you know they are?
* The Titans are still talking about possibly signing veteran quarterback Kerry Collins. When Steve McNair is finally gone, and he will be, the Titans will be left with Billy Volek and first-round pick Vince Young as their top two quarterbacks. Good luck winning with those two. That's why the Titans are still considering Collins, and the word is Collins is open to playing in Tennessee because it's close to his home in North Carolina.
If the Titans sign Collins, he gives them a legitimate starter. Volek is more of a backup type, despite what many would want you to believe, and Young is a ways away from being ready to play. Much of the coaching staff, including Jeff Fisher, has just one year left on their contacts. Fisher does have an option on his, but at a high price. That means this staff either has to win now or the work it is doing to prepare Young will be for the next coaching staff. Considering the Titans spent money on veteran free agents like David Givens, David Thornton and Chris Hope, it makes no sense to have a wasted season from the quarterback position. The Titans should definitely find a way to get Collins signed.
* The Titans are taking a lot of heat for they way they're treating McNair. They're squeezing the Ravens for more in a potential trade, even as McNair's future is in limbo. But the Titans won't let him work out at the team's facility, and they can't carry his $23 million cap figure. On the surface it looks like it's nasty. But McNair hasn't always been the model quarterback in Tennessee. He's had issues with his last three offensive coordinators, and the word is he isn't one to dive head first into the playbook. He also had several seasons where he didn't get his body into tip-top shape. So maybe there's more to this than we know. McNair was a darn good quarterback for the Titans. But behind the scenes, maybe there is more to this ugliness.
* When Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith suddenly retired last week, it was the end of the career of one of the least-appreciated receivers this league has seen. Smith put up some amazing numbers, yet playing in Jacksonville, he never got his due. His story is truly an amazing one. He had two serious illnesses, was cut twice and was suspended by the league for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. "I have a heck of a book in me," Smith once told me.
In fact, when Smith went to camp with the Jaguars in 1995, he was a long shot to make the team. He was signed as a street free agent after being cut by the Philadelphia Eagles and Rich Kotite. Smith then developed into one of the league's best receivers over the next 10 years. When the Jaguars cut Andre Rison in 1996, it was because they knew Smith was ready to take over. Smith and Keenan McCardell became one of the most prolific receiving duos in league history, giving the Jaguars a heck of a 1-2 punch. Smith leaves as the seventh all-time leader in catches with 862. McCardell, who is still playing with the San Diego Chargers, is 10th with 825 and will almost certainly pass his old teammate this season. That's amazing when you consider they played together for five years in Jacksonville yet received little attention for it.
The abruptness of Smith's retirement has led to some speculation that he failed a drug test, which would have resulted in a one-year suspension. Pro Football Talk, a web site that follows the league, hinted at such this week, although it didn't come right out and say Smith failed a test. Smith denied drugs had anything to do with his retirement. There is talk in Jacksonville that Smith realized he might be fazed out of the offense, so he walked away. The Jaguars, according to the coaches, put in 10-12 new pass plays, and none of them were with Smith as the focal point. "Maybe he just saw what was happening," said one Jaguars source.
If Smith did fail a test, it will eventually come out. Here's hoping he didn't. He was a class act who had a few missteps along the way, but he seemed to overcome them. Let's hope he can move into retirement without the cloud of a drug suspension hanging over his head.
* One man who has to be proud of what Smith accomplished is Ronnie Hill. The former Atlanta Falcons vice president of football operations, who was fired a year ago in a bad move, is the man who convinced the Jaguars to sign Smith. Hill was then the Jaguars director of pro personnel, and being from Mississippi, Smith's home state, knew Smith well. So he convinced the Jaguars to give him a look. Smith showed up with a book of press clippings his mother had made to help get him back in the league. When Smith ran under 4.5 at the workout, the Jaguars were still considering passing. But Hill persisted, and coach Tom Coughlin relented and signed him. Hill, by the way, is still without a job. That doesn't make sense. He is too good a football guy. Somebody needs to give him another chance.
* The word coming out of New Orleans is running back Deuce McAllister is fine with the drafting of Reggie Bush, and McAllister has said as much on the record. But we hear that privately, McAllister has been telling folks he's not real happy about the move. How could he be? He's coming off an ACL injury, but when he's on the field, he's an explosive player. Bush is bound to take away some of his carries, which would make any back angry. So while you hear all this talk about how McAllister is dealing with the addition of Bush, don't for one minute assume he's thrilled. Runners like the ball in their hands. The threat of that being taken away doesn't make any of them happy.
* The Texans are working Seth Wand at left tackle with their first unit, which means he'll have the first crack at the starting job. Want to bet he isn't there on opening day? "That guy was lost a few years ago when he played," said one personnel director. Wand didn't play at all last year, and the talk is he doesn't have the foot speed to handle speed rushers. Look for a pair of rookies, Charles Spencer from Pittsburgh and Eric Winston from Miami, to get a good chance this summer to win that job.
The Texans have only one player --right tackle Zach Wiegert -- running with the first unit in the same spot as when the season ended last year. With Wiegert at right tackle, it means Todd Wade is again a bench player. Wade was one of the many bad moves made by former general manager Charley Casserly. The Texans paid Wade big money three years ago when he was a free agent from Miami and he eventually ended up getting benched. That move ranks up there with drafting Jason Babin in the first round, using a second-round pick to take Tony Hollings in the supplemental draft and trading two picks for corner Philip Buchanon. And we wonder why this team has struggled?
* Veteran corner Ty Law is still seeking a deal that would give him $10 million in guaranteed money. Good luck. The Chiefs and Patriots remain the frontrunners for his services, but only if the asking price comes down. Any team that gives him anything close to that would be making a big mistake. Law's career is coming to an end. Big-money deals don't go to those types of players, or at least they shouldn't.