A Thought or Two About Antonio Pierce...

[Skins.Fan]

First, sorry if this belongs in a different thread. My cursory review of topics didn't seem to turn up a fitting home for it.

First let me say that he seems way too bitter about not being resigned. If I were a Giants fan, I'd be kind of miffed at the way he repeatedly says that he wanted to stay, and only left because the Giants gave him so much money. He's kind of like the guy that breaks up with his girlfriend and then talks about her constantly with each subsequent girl he dates. He continues to refer to an "insulting" offer that Washington gave him, but my money is on Pierce over-inflating his own value a bit.

Clearly, he had a good season last year, and was a nice fit in Williams' system. But that was ONE good season out of FOUR. While last year was his first chance to have significant playing time, it is still only ONE good season. Should we have paid him more than Marcus Washington, who might I add was better last year than Pierce, just because Pierce had one good season and was here before Washington? He isn't a better player, nor is he more valuable, than Washington has been to the defense, to say nothing of his not getting the Pro-Bowl nod when Washington did.

By virtue of the scheme, as in most schemes, MLB's makes a ton of tackles. His total was high due in large part to that, as well as to his skill and preparation. But he is just another example of a Gregg Williams find that turns out to be a solid contributor due to the brilliance of the scheme. The defense was third with him, and is fourth without him. It is hardly worth Marcus Washington-level cash for a player who was clearly replaceable, just to move up one spot.

This isn't my attempt to play down Pierce, or say he isn't any good. He's a fine linebacker; he's just not as valuable as he'd like to think. Every week in the NFL is someone's chance to get-revenge-on-my-old-team notoriety, but Pierce should let it go. The Redskins clearly have.

[whitskins]

I agree and I too thought he was acting bitter with all these interviews in which the only topic seems to be his old team and not his new team. This would absolutely upset me if I were a Giants fan, especially the fact that he's doing all this the week of the biggest game of the season. He seems to have a bit of an inferiority complex, like he has to prove that he's worth his massive salary at all times, which is fine, Lord knows Jeremiah Trotter never had this kind of attitude with the Skins, but he needs to move on.

Pierce is better than Marshall in the middle, but certainly not so much better as to warrant such a massive salary increase. Pierce keeps bashing the front office (by the way, dude why don't you just have the stones to refer to him as Coach Gibbs, we all know he's the "front office" you refer to) for undervaluing him, but I'd say this team is doing a pretty great job of valuing players overall, we have the 4th best defense, they have the 31st, I'll trust the guys on my team.

I hope that Pierce's emotions lead him astray in the game tomorrow. It would be nice if he weren't treated like a wounded puppy any more simply because a new Redskins regime decided that overpaying replaceable players was not a good thing.

[akhhorus]

Interesting take on things. It was odd to see Pierce harping on this issue all week. You don't see Moss harping about the Jets all the time, do you?

[DUCKIN_TACKLERS]

IMO with lavar in the lineup our D is better in the linebacking Core then last year but when he isnt in there I sure wish Marshall was in his spot with pierce in the middle. I hope lavar dosent trip on his tonque in his interview with Irvin this week and end up in the dog house again.

[Biggie]

Interesting take on things. It was odd to see Pierce harping on this issue all week. You don't see Moss harping about the Jets all the time, do you?

Unlike Pierce, Moss is performing well with his new team.

[IMALILTEAPOT]

Unlike Pierce, Moss is performing well with his new team.
pierce is playng pretty well with the giants. i believe that he leads the team in tackles and has a pick. yes, the unit as a whole isnt playing well, but individually hes doing well

[whitskins]

pierce is playng pretty well with the giants. i believe that he leads the team in tackles and has a pick. yes, the unit as a whole isnt playing well, but individually hes doing well

I think he's been hot and cold this year, and the reason is that he doesn't have much of a supporting cast. When his defense is generating turnovers then they're creating easy points for the offense and taking points away from the opposition, but against solid offenses, like the Chargers, Pierce has been clearly outmatched, simply because he has very little help.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Interesting take on things. It was odd to see Pierce harping on this issue all week. You don't see Moss harping about the Jets all the time, do you?

Didn't you conclude after looking at the deal he signed with the Jints and our proposal that there was very little difference in total contract value? The Jints offered more up front money basically? Certainly not warranting the "insulting" comment he made?

[akhhorus]

Didn't you conclude after looking at the deal he signed with the Jints and our proposal that there was very little difference in total contract value? The Jints offered more up front money basically? Certainly not warranting the "insulting" comment he made?

While his contract is worth barely more than the skins offered, the rub is that he didn't get nearly the bonus we offered him. The Giants have half of their "signing" bonus in roster bonuses, which they could forgo paying by cutting him. So, in retrospect, the Skins deal was a better one for him to have taken.

[GolfFreak]

Yeah, it's very odd that Pierce keeps saying how he really wanted to be back here than letting it go and saying the "right" things the Gints fans want to hear. I would be pretty ticked off if one of our FAs was sing the same tune as Pierce ... Gints fans should be pissed.

[PA Skins Girl]

Who was Antonio Pierce before Gregg Williams got here?

[BigPlayJay]

I have to say that I really didn't expect this kind of stuff from Pierce. I hope some on the offense have taken notice an knock the stuffing out of him this week. I'd like to see Pierce and his $$$ take on Mike Sellers one on one!

[akhhorus]

Who was Antonio Pierce before Gregg Williams got here?

Another good point lost in the shuffle here. Pierce has shown flashes, but has also gotten burned quite a bit in NY.

[Santheb]

Unlike Pierce, Moss is performing well with his new team.

50 tackles, half a sack, an INT and 5 passes defended. Doesn't sound like he's doing as bad as you make it out to be.

[SkinsKY]

50 tackles, half a sack, an INT and 5 passes defended. Doesn't sound like he's doing as bad as you make it out to be.

But he's playing on the 31st overall defense in the NFL, which has to make him a sad Panda.

[Joe-T]

But he's playing on the 31st overall defense in the NFL, which has to make him a sad Panda.

and on a team thats 4-2 and tied with us for 1st place ,their defensive stats are very misleading .Why would he or should he be sad ,more money feels he's treated better and on a 1st place team.

[smoak]

For all I have read all through Pierce's career was that he loved being a Washington Redskin and wanted to stay with the team. He was hurt we didn't match the deal which is understandable. Pierce lasted through three head coaches and four D coordinators. You simply do no do that if you can't play football. Period. For an undrafted player, he is having a great career. He is not Ray Lewis, but I certainly think he is a very capable LB in this league and would be an upgrade over Marshall IMHO.

However, the problem with Pierce is that he is comparing Gibbs' Redskins to the Spurrier era. We no longer go out and just spend like crazy. I'm sure he was offered a fair deal and the two side were reportedly close. I wish him the absolute best EXCEPT when he plays the Redskins.

[smoak]

and on a team thats 4-2 and tied with us for 1st place ,their defensive stats are very misleading .Why would he or should he be sad ,more money feels he's treated better and on a 1st place team.

Mostly because I think he really loved this franchise. Maybe it was all talk, but he always was quoted about how much he cared about the organization, fans, and his teammates.

I think the jilted lover scenario may be closer than some realize.

[redwolf1218]

Mostly because I think he really loved this franchise. Maybe it was all talk, but he always was quoted about how much he cared about the organization, fans, and his teammates.

I think the jilted lover scenario may be closer than some realize.
i think you're right because of these comments and also because he has said before that he was thankful for the chance he was given to start his career here. then as he prospered finally under Williams, he was constantly praised by the coaching staff and he was given a lot of credit for his cerebral play and leadership in the overall success of our defense.

now he may be getting some individual stats and a few more dollars, and that may be somewhat gratifying, but he's "leading" the 31st ranked defense instead of our #4 ranked defense. i would think that would bother him somewhat. he knew we'd still be good under Williams without him, but i doubt he knew he'd be part of one of the league's worst defenses in NY. the simple fact that we are still good without him and the Giants are so bad seems to have made him a little defensive, maybe even regretful?

funny how our new guys dont bad mouth their old teams in any way shape or form. Portis has always had nice things to say about Denver. Moss hasnt said much, but certainly nothing bad about the Jets. but Champ and Coles couldnt wait to mouth off. i dont remember hearing anything bad about old teams from any of our guys, they all take the high road. that may be a commentary about the kind of character that Gibbs likes to promote.

[CornerBlitz]

Yeah, it's very odd that Pierce keeps saying how he really wanted to be back here than letting it go and saying the "right" things the Gints fans want to hear. I would be pretty ticked off if one of our FAs was sing the same tune as Pierce ... Gints fans should be pissed.
I would be angry if a FA player came here and could only talk about the other team. I really hope that somehow he comes back but this is VERY rare for NFL players to be so loyal to a team, especially when there not on it.

[smoak]

For those who judge Pierce harshly, consider this:

Say out of college or HS you are offered a job doing something you LOVE, but it is only a paid internship and you have to work your way up from the bottom. Through the years you see the company hand out insane sums of money to other people and you're really looking forward to when you earn your stripes. Don't forget that all along, your revolving door of managers and general managers all praise you for your efforts and consider you a valuable cog in the machine.

Finally, one day there is a reshuffling and you get your big break. You get the chace to be more of a focal point and drive the business. You have a great year, and come time for your review everyoine praises even more than in the past. But when you go to re-sign a multi-year contract, it is half what was previously given to lesser employees, and a competitior down the street is willing to give you a little more to steal you away...

We made the right choice b/c Gibbs is cutting back on our free spending ways, but from Pierce's perspective, I understand 100% why he is upset.

[akhhorus]

and on a team thats 4-2 and tied with us for 1st place ,their defensive stats are very misleading. Why would he or should he be sad ,more money feels he's treated better and on a 1st place team.

1-He didn't get that much more money, and his bonus could be dramatic less if the Giants cut him, since its a roster bonus, not a signing bonus. The Skins offered him a real signing bonus.
2-He said he would stay if it was close. Well, it was, and he left anyways.
3-The Giants defense is only stopping 50% of their opponents' third down conversions. You can claim the yardage and points are misleading(which is crap by the way), but giving up 50% on 3rd downs shows how crappy it is.
4-And he isn't playing that well. Every time I've seen him, a RB is blowing over him or through him or a TE is beating him.

[IowaSkinsFan]

For those who judge Pierce harshly, consider this:

Say out of college or HS you are offered a job doing something you LOVE, but it is only a paid internship and you have to work your way up from the bottom. Through the years you see the company hand out insane sums of money to other people and you're really looking forward to when you earn your stripes. Don't forget that all along, your revolving door of managers and general managers all praise you for your efforts and consider you a valuable cog in the machine.

Finally, one day there is a reshuffling and you get your big break. You get the chace to be more of a focal point and drive the business. You have a great year, and come time for your review everyoine praises even more than in the past. But when you go to re-sign a multi-year contract, it is half what was previously given to lesser employees, and a competitior down the street is willing to give you a little more to steal you away...

We made the right choice b/c Gibbs is cutting back on our free spending ways, but from Pierce's perspective, I understand 100% why he is upset.

I don't understand why he is upset. He was paid for his work while he was here and he is getting paid for his work in NY. What more does he want? It's a free market economy. He, just like any other employee in the country, has the ability to look for work elsewhere if he doesn't feel he is being paid enough by his current employer.

[smoak]

I don't understand why he is upset. He was paid for his work while he was here and he is getting paid for his work in NY. What more does he want? It's a free market economy. He, just like any other employee in the country, has the ability to look for work elsewhere if he doesn't feel he is being paid enough by his current employer.

I think he honestly loved being a Redskin.

[FanFromArizona]

pierce is playng pretty well with the giants. i believe that he leads the team in tackles and has a pick. yes, the unit as a whole isnt playing well, but individually hes doing well

I think this is the source of his soreness, realizing he left fame and glory for mo' money. Coming from the viewpoint of a fan, it is ridiculous that 20 MILLION is not enough money for these players, when most people ENTIRE LIFE EARNINGS won't even ecclipse 10% of that if they are lucky.

Antonio was a major part of last year's defense, I think from his perspective he would have been a better fit in OUR defense than where he currently is, I also am beginning to suspect he realizes we are headed to the playoffs much sooner than the Giants are, the Giants D is going to hold them back from the playoffs.

[Carmelo]

Another good point lost in the shuffle here. Pierce has shown flashes, but has also gotten burned quite a bit in NY.
The system allowed for his intelligence to be slightly more important than his skill which made him a better player.

[LadyNRedskinsfan]

i still like AP, despite what i said about him in my 20 questions. :D i think he just needs to stop complaining and try to justify why we shouldnt have let him go. i think gregg williams will attack his weaknesses all game long and try to take him out of the game.

[Axegrinder]

SOUR GRAPES!!!:cry:

[IMALILTEAPOT]

i hope lemar marshall has a good game, cuz then it shows that anyone can have a big game in this defense

[FanFromArizona]

i hope lemar marshall has a good game, cuz then it shows that anyone can have a big game in this defense

Yeah, then it will prove that Antonio was just a PRODUCT of a GREAT DEFENSIVE system. I think it will be embarassing to Antonio if Lemar has a better game than him.

[Carmelo]

i still like AP, despite what i said about him in my 20 questions. :D i think he just needs to stop complaining and try to justify why we shouldnt have let him go. i think gregg williams will attack his weaknesses all game long and try to take him out of the game.
It's hard to leave the team you love. I think that this shows that he's a skins fan deep down. He's hurt. I'd be hurt too playing for my favorite teams' enemy. What would you do lady if we let the gints message board buy you out and you had to leave, lol?

[Joe-T]

After today I'm sure he's happy .:banghead: