(05-10-2022, 06:34 PM)Bullseye Wrote:

(05-08-2022, 09:08 PM)I am Yoda Wrote: Ngakoue still crying and blaming others for why he can't stick with a team.  Dude has some talent.  But neither he nor his agent recognize that he's a really good complementary piece, not an alpha dog.  https://nfltraderumors.co/afc-notes-colt...titans-87/

These quotes are from the article you cited.

Quote:"When I felt like I was getting disrespected...I was vocal about it.  Which I fewlt like led to this situation. ...I guess I left a bad taste in people's mouth."

(Emphasis added)

Quote:Where I messed up, is I didn't do my research on what kind of scheme they ran."  

(Emphasis added)

Both of these quotes indicate he takes at least some responsibility in his departures.

What should be of greater concern is NOT his alleged lack of personal responsibility, but the fact that some three years after he was traded, we STILL haven't replaced the production of a guy most fans here stated overvalued himself.

What SHOULD be of greater concern is in the two seasons we didn't have him on the team at all after we traded him, we've won a total of FOUR (4) games.

What SHOULD be of greater concern is once again, the team has used two premium draft choice on reaches for guys the team hoped would replace his productivity (Chaisson and Walker).

What's interesting is that the people dismissing Ngakoue and Ramsey for asking for too much money have applauded paying Christian Kirk his contract.

It seems the crime isn't being overpaid...but being outspoken.

I'm not sure why we have to continue doing PR damage control for two players with bad attitudes just because they are talented.  But, ok.

The first quote you cite is not him taking responsibility.  It's him defending himself after the fact and continuing to blame the Jags for his lack of a deal.  And the second quote is not him taking responsibility.  It's him making an excuse. "Ngakoue spoke about a troubled relationship with the Jacksonville Jaguars' ownership, which contributed to him not being able to land a long-term deal as a free agent."  Still blame shifting.  That's the opposite of taking responsibility. The fact remains he has not been able to stick anywhere.  Since nothing in the article shows he has significantly matured in the last two years or so, I have no reason to believe he'll stick in Indy, either.  I wonder if that will Shad's and Tony's fault, too?

Since the player's words are not really defensible, you shift to whataboutism.  Fortunately, the options you present are not mutually exclusive.  I've bemoaned the ineptitude of talent acquisition under the Caldwell regime in the last two days.  And let's be honest.  The reason we've only won 4 games in two years is not because we lost Ngakoue and Ramsey.  It's because the roster was otherwise hollow and we had a putrid offense.  We had a front office and coaching staff that were, by and large, the gang who couldn't shoot straight.  

The issue I raised is not that I was afraid the two players would get paid.  Both of them would have and should have.  But Ngakoue thought he was worth more than was on the table and lashed out publicly at ownership.  That's just dumb in addition to being disrespectful. He is a good complementary piece, not a center piece.  The last two seasons prove that.  My issue was that they had belligerent attitudes and that Ramsey specifically had behavior detrimental to the team.  It seems obvious he set a poor precedent and Ngakoue fully imbibed of it.  Turns out that he cost himself the millions he could have made here, the place he could have had on the team and in the city, and the embrace of a fanbase that is predisposed to liking and supporting their good players (and their average ones, too).

So even though you got there completely wrongly, you are right.  The crime was never the money.  It was always about the vocal belligerence and classless stance towards the team and owners.

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