zn wrote:

Through the first two preseason games, Pro Football Focus has the Rams’ first-team offensive line allowing just three pressures on 109 pass-blocking attempts.

I wonder if someone could make sense of that stat.

I figure they must be counting snaps per lineman. But 5 doesn’t divide into 109. So that must mean that on the 25 pass attempts (counting the sack), instead of 125 snaps (5 linemen x 25 attempts), they’re missing 16, which must mean a starting lineman missed 16 snaps.

Otherwise, to me anyway, the number “109” makes no sense.

I don’t think 5 linemen is what they are counting. They probably are counting the number of pass rushers the other team sends. It could 4 or 5 or whatever. There were probably 109 individual battles, not always involving every offensive lineman.

So @MoveTheSticks of @nflnetwork can predict the future…😳🔮 pic.twitter.com/fKuqsKJb5p

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 21, 2017

zn wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

Suh getting overpaid is not a reason to overpay Donald.

I will part this discussion noting only this different vote from me: there’s no such thing as overpaid for the best players at a position. They get what the market allows and when they get it, it sets the terms for the next round. Is Carr “worth” more than Wilson? Well the market says you look at the last benchmarks and then contracts go up. That’s just the market IMO. If nothing else, Donald has absolutely no reason to accept the idea that he should get less than Suh–he just follows the logic of the situation and says “Suh was the top DT, it’s 2 years later, my money should be more.” Same as Antonio Brown talking about Julio Jone’s 2015 deal. So we just differ on this point.

We differ. I can let it go there. 😉
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I have to add, Brown is 8.9%. WRs historically get 9.4%. WOW, Jones only got 7.6%.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Agamemnon.

zn wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

That is the market for a FA. Donald isn’t a FA, so it doesn’t strictly apply. imo
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I honestly don’t think that’s relevant. It;s the deal that sets the benchmark. That’s why Suh’s name keeps coming up in terms of setting the benchmark, and it’s out there, not just among posters. After all only one team can sign a guy, and when it signs the guy, it answers the question—what does it take to sign that guy. Then a year or 2 passes and that’s what agents talk about when they refer to the market for top players at the position, and top players at the position go well if I don’t get a percentage more than THAT then I am going to balk.

There’s no asterisks which separate “free agent contracts” from “extensions.” 2 years later, a top elite DT has to sign for a certain percentage more than Suh.

Either way it will be interesting to see what happens.

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I value Suh’s contract at 11%. Suh’s contract is an outlier. imo The most I will pay Donald is ~10%(the franchise tag for a DE = 10.08%) and length of contract affects that. A new contract and a contract extension are not the same thing unless you tear up the old contract.
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We should know by the middle of the season. 😉

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Agamemnon.

zn wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

I think that is a red herring, because who believes the Rams will really do that.

If he’s holding out over that…then, it’s moot point whether the Rams are willing or not.

Donald’s agent is trying to break new ground and change how contracts are done, and AD is buying into it apparently.

It does the Rams no good to have him already under contract if they end up playing him only half a season each of those years. He is apparently willing to go the mile on this, which means that all that leverage is completely pointless.

I thought the real compromise was to offer a shorter deal. 4 years. I am fine with that myself.

…

That is a possible compromise, but I don’t think they 20m/yr on that. But maybe they would? Not coming in doesn’t really cost Donald. The Rams losing a valuable player for 8 games cost them more than Donald losing ~about a million dollars. imo

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Agamemnon.

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/8/22/16184316/aaron-donald-los-angeles-rams-contract-extension-holdout-best-solution

I think that the best solution would be something along the lines of a 6 year, $110M contract with $65-70M guaranteed and as throw much as realistically possible in the first three years. That would put his AAV at $18.3 million – a shade below Suh and Miller, but clearly above every other interior DL. It would also move the needle for players under their rookie contracts seeking extensions and guarantees for non-QBs.

https://overthecap.com/looking-potential-extension-aaron-donald/

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams

5 years, $100M extension; to be signed in 2017 and kick in for 2019

AAV: $20.0M

2017 Salary cap: $167M

% of cap: 12.57%

——————————————————————————————————————

They use the same method for computing percent that you do, zn. I prefer mine because I can relate it to the Franchise Tag percents.
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They all add their extensions after the 2018 season. Nobody gives Donald anything for 2017 or 2018, although they use different methods to move money around and he gets some of the money early.
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I can see why Donald would not care to play 2017 for 1.8 million. He has already been paid the 3.4 million bonus booked to 2017. I imagine the Rams could try to get that back if he didn’t play in 2017.
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I am trying to give Donald “some” money for 2017 and 2018. That is my incentive to get him to sign. Nobody else seems to be doing that.
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Adding $20M/yr for 6yr allows me to structure money flow and guarantee in a convenient manner. That is why 6yrs is better.

My method for figuring Suh would equal 11%. See.
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But Donald is not a FA. The Rams control him for 4 years. It is fine to pay him, but they don’t have to give up everything.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Agamemnon.

The Rams reportedly had a valuable offer for Donald on the table before the start of training camp, but Donald’s representation insisted it was not a fair price for the Pro Bowler and decided to keep at negotiations.

Until I know the actual numbers and structure, I can’t judge the value of the contract offered to Donald. I do know what numbers and structure I would consider fair. They equal ~10% of the Cap, year by year. Plus a bit to make up for some of 2017 and 2018.

Teams will no longer be able to stop the Rams by stopping Gurley.