Quote:Given how talented he's already proven he is at this level, I just can't see that happening.
THe difference with Soward was that he never really was all that good at this level, other than a single highlight or 2.
His talent level has nothing to do with it. Soward was a fairly talented player as well. After his last suspension, he didn't bother applying for reinstatement. I could see the same thing happening here.
Quote:maybe we'll get a compensatory pick at some point or something.
We're not getting anything for him unless he gets back in the league and we either trade him or release him and he gets his career back on track.
Quote:Well, to me it matters because whenever it is that Blackmon does get re-instated, that I don't want us just letting him leave scott free like that. He owes this team 2 more years, and we'd be fools to just let him walk.
I don't see this organization spending a whole lot of energy on Blackmon at this point. If he does get reinstated, I see them either shopping him for whatever they could get, or just cut him. You don't need a cancer like that in the locker room.
I just don't believe that if a team doesn't offer up some kind of draft pick for him, they are going to be lining up to sign him as a free agent.
The Jaguars just need to cut their loss, and just move on.
Quote:I don't see this organization spending a whole lot of energy on Blackmon at this point. If he does get reinstated, I see them either shopping him for whatever they could get, or just cut him. You don't need a cancer like that in the locker room.
I just don't believe that if a team doesn't offer up some kind of draft pick for him, they are going to be lining up to sign him as a free agent.
The Jaguars just need to cut their loss, and just move on.
The sooner Blackmon comes back, the less likely I believe it is that they'd be quick to move him. The more time that lingers, the less I expect to see that happen. If he misses all of next season, he's done here.
Quote:maybe we'll get a compensatory pick at some point or something.
Nope.
Quote:His talent level has nothing to do with it. Soward was a fairly talented player as well. After his last suspension, he didn't bother applying for reinstatement. I could see the same thing happening here.
Well, it has something to do with it in terms of he knows he can succeed at this level so I can't see him walking away from that for good.
Soward was talented and productive in college, but hardly proved he could play at a high level as a pro. Soward walking away from the NFL is a little bit easier to get than Blackmon doing so.
Quote:Given how talented he's already proven he is at this level, I just can't see that happening.
THe difference with Soward was that he never really was all that good at this level, other than a single highlight or 2.
I have to disagree about this. He would have/could have been a star in this league.
Quote:Nope.
Well, it has something to do with it in terms of he knows he can succeed at this level so I can't see him walking away from that for good.
Soward was talented and productive in college, but hardly proved he could play at a high level as a pro. Soward walking away from the NFL is a little bit easier to get than Blackmon doing so.
You're not looking at this from the position of an addict. They don't care about anything but getting more of whatever it is they're addicted to. They don't care what it costs them, who they hurt, or about their talents. They care about the escape. They care about the high. Nothing else matters.
Soward has laid the groundwork for what is going to happen with Blackmon.
Quote:I don't see this organization spending a whole lot of energy on Blackmon at this point. If he does get reinstated, I see them either shopping him for whatever they could get, or just cut him. You don't need a cancer like that in the locker room.
I just don't believe that if a team doesn't offer up some kind of draft pick for him, they are going to be lining up to sign him as a free agent.
The Jaguars just need to cut their loss, and just move on.
No way. Then just set the precedent of if you don't want to play here, after being a high draft pick, then just be a distraction and they'll eventially release you and get your way?? Uh, no.
He'll just go elsewhere and blow up into the career he should have had here.
He owes this team 2 years and then at that point if he wants to go elsewhere then maybe we can accomodate those wishes via trade.
It would be moronic to just let him walk.
He plays here or nowhere.
Quote:I have to disagree about this. He would have/could have been a star in this league.
Based on what?
At least Blackmon showed AT THIS LEVEL that he could play and star AT THIS LEVEL.
Soward might have been a nice college player but showed very little evidence he could be much of an impact player at the pro level.
Quote:No way. Then just set the precedent of if you don't want to play here, after being a high draft pick, then just be a distraction?? Uh, no.
He'll just go elsewhere and blow up into the career he should have had here.
He owes this team 2 years and then at that point if he wants to go elsewhere then maybe we can accomodate those wishes via trade.
It would be moronic to just let him walk.
I'm beginning to think there isn't a career beyond here. We'll see.
Quote:Based on what?
At least Blackmon showed AT THIS LEVEL that he could play and star AT THIS LEVEL.
Soward might have been a nice college player but showed very little evidence he could be much of an impact player at the pro level.
It's irrelevant. What they have in common is the fact that neither of them was able to shake their demons. It ended Soward's career, and it appears it will do the same thing to Blackmon.
Quote:I'm beginning to think there isn't a career beyond here. We'll see.
You might be proven right in the end, but I'd be flat out stunned if thats really how this ended.
Quote:You might be proven right in the end, but I'd be flat out stunned if thats really how this ended.
There's just too much stuff out there now that indicates this isn't going to end in a way that gets him back on the field.
What Khan said about it last week, calling it tragic, is accurate in the sense that this is a tremendously talented athlete who had the potential to be a star in the league. He's wasted this for the escape. The team has done all they can do at this point.
Quote:No way. Then just set the precedent of if you don't want to play here, after being a high draft pick, then just be a distraction?? Uh, no.
He'll just go elsewhere and blow up into the career he should have had here.
He owes this team 2 years and then at that point if he wants to go elsewhere then maybe we can accomodate those wishes via trade.
It would be moronic to just let him walk.
It all comes down to value. Blackmon is "tainted goods" and the risk isn't really worth the reward for many of the teams right now. I may be wrong, but I think that even IF he does get reinstated, one more "incident" could get him banned for life. If I was a General Manager I don't think that I would want to risk that, especially given the information that we have at this point.
Quote:Based on what?
At least Blackmon showed AT THIS LEVEL that he could play and star AT THIS LEVEL.
Soward might have been a nice college player but showed very little evidence he could be much of an impact player at the pro level.
Unlike you, I saw Soward first hand and live in the stadium.
Quote:There's just too much stuff out there now that indicates this isn't going to end in a way that gets him back on the field.
What Khan said about it last week, calling it tragic, is accurate in the sense that this is a tremendously talented athlete who had the potential to be a star in the league. He's wasted this for the escape. The team has done all they can do at this point.
To add to that, take a look at everything that has happened and everything that is being said. The Jaguars are "moving on" as if Blackmon won't be on the field. Cecil Shorts coming out publicly and saying that he's reached out to him and gets no response. Those are all indicators that he is done in this league.
Quote:It all comes down to value. Blackmon is "tainted goods" and the risk isn't really worth the reward for many of the teams right now. I may be wrong, but I think that even IF he does get reinstated, one more "incident" could get him banned for life. If I was a General Manager I don't think that I would want to risk that, especially given the information that we have at this point.
Blackmon is tainted goods, but he's also a guy who hasn't lifted a finger to contact members of the team, and he hasn't given any indication that he's going to apply for reinstatement.
I don't think there's really a banned for life category in the NFLPA. The closest thing is indefinitely, which is where we're at currently. If he gets dinged again, it's another situation like the one we're in, and how many more opportunities are you going to give a guy? I think the team has been as generous as they can be with him. He's on his final thread.
Quote:Unlike you, I saw Soward first hand and live in the stadium.
Soward was an interesting guy, but he wasn't as talented as Blackmon in any way except getting to the bottom of a bottle. Regardless, the talent of either player means nothing. They squandered it over an addiction. At this point, my hope for Blackmon is that he finds a way to get himself cleaned up before he winds up a real tragedy and there are no opportunities to come back in life.
Quote:To add to that, take a look at everything that has happened and everything that is being said. The Jaguars are "moving on" as if Blackmon won't be on the field. Cecil Shorts coming out publicly and saying that he's reached out to him and gets no response. Those are all indicators that he is done in this league.
Cecil's remarks mirror those of the team with what limited contact they can have with the player. It sounds like he's pretty much off the grid.
Quote:Blackmon is coming back.
We'll see. I think the odds are he isn't. The longer this lingers, the more likely it is he is done.