Dunta speaks! Dunta speaks!!
Quote:
Robinson declared he would be on “the first thing smoking” and at practice tomorrow morning if the Texans would agree not to place a franchise tag on him for a second consecutive year.
“I’d be on the way to the airport while we were talking, and be the first one at the next practice if they did that,” Robinson said in a telephone interview from Sarasota, Fla., where he is working out to prepare for the upcoming season.
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then he said...
Quote:
“We’re not inclined to agree to that,” Texans general manager Rick Smith said. “It has less to do with Dunta Robinson, and more to do with organization. We don’t feel comfortable doing that, so we’re not going to.” ...
“If Dunta were a two- or three- or four-time Pro Bowler, I’d be more comfortable with him missing training camp,” Smith said. “But he needs to be here for his teammates and for him. He plays a skilled position that the more reps, the more snaps, he gets, the better he’s going to be.
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and then he said...
Quote:
Robinson said he doesn't feel like he's asking for much. "It’s what other teams do and have done,” he said. “It’s not a crazy request. I’m trying to meet them in the middle, but they won’t come halfway. I would have been at all the offseason stuff, and at training camp from Day 1 if they just agreed to that.” ...
“He said I wasn’t a franchise tag-worthy player,” Robinson said. “If that’s the case, then why pay me franchise-level money? And possibly two years in a row? Doesn’t make sense to me.”
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/6564888.html
Finally a cool article on this subject from the chron. Thank you Jerome.
Be mad all you want at Dunta, or Rick, or the sun and moon, whatever... but Dunta sorta has a point, maybe? I mean, Dunta was asking for a contract this offseason equal to what he might have earned if proven healthy. Ok, tag him. Next year, he's either already proved it and it's easier to pay him, or he isn't worth the second F-tag.
The only reason to retain the tag would be leverage for trade value. I get that. But at what cost? The Texans need to have their best team ready on the field Week 1.