Briggs deserves better

By Anthony Bialy  |   Friday, March 23, 2007  |  Comments( 3 )

 Chicago Bears
Say you work at Burger King, and you're tops at your job. You work hard no matter how menial the task, show up on time, and smile genuinely at customers as opposed to flipping them off and assigning them cruel nicknames the second they leave the restaurant. It would then certainly be unfortunate if the manager decided that, while you would be...
What's the buzz about?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

CommentsComments: 3
 No.1
steven		 07:55 AM
03/24/2007
The argument you make is good. But in the end, it is a business - both ways I might add, and LB knew going into last season how the NFL worked. Now is is trying to put pressure anyway he can. In the end the Chicago bears are a tad bit dumb if you ask me because they are letting a spectacle occur & create a distraction for a club that has already seen its share of woes... while instead they should be entertaining the possibility of a trade for that prize possession that they currently own. Because otherwise, they must be smart enough to realize that there is no way this guy will give the effort he did in the past nor will he risk long-term injuries so if he does play next season which I'm sure that he will end up doing at least for the minimum 6 weeks, he will be a non-factor. In the end it takes two to tango!

If Chicago wants something in return for that small little investment that they made for the past 4 years, because lets not fool ourselves, they've gotten a HUGE return on that investment already - the maximum return is now, in the form of a trade. Next year will be too late, unless they intend on tagging him two years in a row...
 No.2
Larry		 12:49 PM
07/13/2007
Wow, what a cogent argument. Comparing a minimum-wage burger flipper to an NFL player, while stating that you must believe the two jobs are the same or you're jealous and a racist/classist. Gee, that makes sense. Not.

Your article fails to bring up the most relevant point of the topic - the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. When Lance Briggs signed his contract, he agreed to operate under these rules. Hundreds and hundreds of current and former NFL players collectively bargained for Lance to be in the exact situation he's in now. It's no surprise to anyone, really.

In your analogy to the burger flipper, 'the manager' is not the one prohibiting Lance Briggs from being a UFA - it's the CBA. The Bears drafted Lance in the 3rd round - when every team had passed him up at least twice. They invested time and money and coaching resources into him and enabled him to become the player he is today. And now the Bears don't want to lose him for nothing. And they're willing to pay Lance $7.2 million this season, and $30-35 million over 5-6 years (the contract Lance turned down before last season). And since Lance hasn't signed, the Bears have acted proactively in locking up other long-term needs like Nathan Vasher and , soon, Charles Tillman.

Your class warfare argument is ignorant. The CBA determined this outcome (along with Briggs' stubbornness) long ago.
 No.3
brian		 12:57 PM
07/16/2007
I think L.B. is greedy thats all.He acts like he is an awsome LB when I would say he is just good.I truly believe he will be half the player he is today once he leaves the side of Brian Ulacher.The Bears organization is willing to pay him 7.2 million dollars compared to his very low salary this past year of what? 700,000 thats a spectacular pay raise and he's looking for more.It's greed and i think the Bears should cut him loose.Take a look at the game films how many times did Ulacher sell out and break up a play so Lance could make a play,not to mention when teams pratice or line up against the Bears defense there primary goal is to contain Brian Ulacher and it frees up Briggs.This guy has one great season and all of a sudden people think we need him badly...we don't.
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.