(03-21-2018, 02:32 AM)JUNGLE CAT 2017 Wrote:

(03-20-2018, 04:39 PM)NYC4jags Wrote: Didn't they sign ASJ five days ago?

So we're complaining about waiting five days to release Lewis. To my knowledge two TEs were signed elsewhere in that span. Was Lewis in legit competition to land either of those jobs?

It's simply childish to cut Marcedes Lewis cuz they found out he was mad. Just stupid reasoning. Are they any adults in the Jaguars' front office? Nobody will ever accuse the Jaguars of being a classy organization, but this is right up there with announcing David Garrard as the starting quarterback at an official team pep rally and then cutting him a few minutes after the team bus dropped him off at the stadium.

What unprofessional bone-heads... what total WHIMPS exercise a contract option which gets a veteran feeling good, then claim they were sending the player smoke signals that he was going to be cut a'la a flurry of TE acquisitions?

Marcedes had every right to be mad. What Caldwell did to him was vindictive. Passive aggressive behavior. Remember that genius David Caldwell had a chance to cut Marcedes years ago. He brought in Julius Thomas. He should have released Lewis then, if he felt so poorly about him. 

In contrast, better NFL franchises know how to treat veteran players. Older Jaguars' fans can recall how Tom Coughlin used to accommodate older players. Who remembers Clyde Simmons waltzing around in a ball cap while the rest of the team struggled through July practices? I think I recall reading Tom continued to appreciate veterans likewise while he was Super Bowl winning head coach of the New York Giants. 

It's pretty much a given Marcedes Lewis holds every single Jaguars team record for tight end. Cutting him is totally low class. Odds are very high Caldwell knew his "mistake" was not clearing Marcedes out before he wasted millions and millions on Julius Thomas, an epic free agency bust. He knows Lewis well enough that he would once again rise to the challenge for his position. Caldwell cut him to eliminate a truly competitive warrior.

David Caldwell is turning into Gene Smith. At least he didn't fire the tight ends coach! Tom should fire Caldwell and find a more experienced GM.

You’re either a member of Lewis’s family or a member of a union for lazy workers. In that system the older, diminishing employees get sweetheart deals, and they’re often the most critical of the decision makers as they cling to their pensions. The NFL, by contrast, is a pure production business. There should be no waltzing around for million-dollar athletes at training camp. They should be rested more to conserve their energy over the season, but once they no longer offer significant contributions they should be moved.    

Julius Thomas was a bust but his deal was front loaded to mitigate the risk, and he was brought in to compliment Lewis’s blocking skill set under Bradley, whose offenses didn’t necessarily feature TEs. Bradley subscribed to a coordinator/philosophy of the month club, so one pass specialist paired with a blocking specialist was sufficient. It’s clear now that Caldwell/Coughlin are stocking players for a more TE-oriented offense than in the past. That’s all this move represents. 

Don’t feel sorry for Lewis. Once the dust settles, he’ll get paid well again to bobble passes and function as a glorified fullback. He’ll also flash for a game or two to convince a GM that he’s being under utilized or still has enough in the tank to warrant another season.

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