rskinsfan10
03-08-2006, 07:14 PM
I caught up with Doc on Monday to get his perspective on the release of LaVar Arrington. Here is a summary of our conversation:
hR: Let me start off by asking you what was your initial reaction to the news that LA had agreed to this buyout in exchange for his release?
DW: Well, we had been talking about this CBA all week, and one of the first questions John, Al and myself posed to one of our NFL insiders was what was the status of LaVar Arrington? It was my understanding that LaVar was going to count $12mil against the cap if he stayed, and if they let him go he would count $12mil against the cap. However, I remembered talking to LaVar, and he told me that I shouldn't be surprised if he bought his way out. He told me that he didn't want to try to force the issue or do anything that would jeopardize anything that was going well here in Washington. I just think that after the contract was mishandled or whatever happened with that, the injuries, the changing of the staff, it just wasn't a good mix. Once this team had success without LaVar, you then have to understand the business side of the game. If you can have success without one of your stars, then that cap comes into play. To me, the cap hangs over every player like a black cloud. I think that a lot of clubs use the cap as a means to get rid of people and not hurt their fan base by saying "sorry folks, but it was the cap that made us do this". Stephen Davis was a cap casualty, and there was nobody better in the offense at the time then Stephen when he was rolling. We've become accustomed to this because our best players eventually get their heads chopped off with the cap. It's worth it to them if they get paid because in football without guaranteed contracts, you are always fighting for bonus money. It's a wicked system that has paid guys a tremendous amount of money, but the downside is sometimes you simply play yourself out. I think that LaVar made a pretty good decision for LaVar, and I think that the Skins come out good because they needed the cap space.
hR: Having played the game yourself, do you think that this defense will be better next year without LaVar Arrington in the mix?
DW: I don't think that any defense can be measurably better without a healthy LaVar Arrington. Yes, this defense had alot of success in his absence, and you can't discount that. Those guys deserve a lot of credit for stepping in and giving this team a chance to win. It now becomes an issue as to how much should we spend to win, and that's all over the league. I can understand what they were thinking as a club because you are juggling dollars all across the board.
hR: You have had numerous opportunities to speak with LaVar. Has he given you any insight into any of the conflicting reports about his willingness to restructure his deal, or his wanting to remain a Redskin?
DW: Well, the first thing that he told me was that the report that he wrote a check to the team was false. He gave up a part of some bonus money that was due him. If you are 27yrs old, and he told me that he has been training 3hrs a day, then he is going to be in the best shape of his life. If you are 27 and are in that good of shape, then to me it's a bonanza. He had tremendous ties to this area. Believe me, LaVar isn't happy with the way that this all went down, but he said to me when I asked him would he prefer to be in the AFC, he immediately said to me that he wanted to be in the NFC East so that he can come to FedEx once a year. That tells me that at this point it's personal. He's handling it with class, but it's personal. Just like when Brian Mitchell left and went to Philadelphia. We've seen Mitchell and Art Monk, two of our most popular players, leave and go put on enemy uniforms. At the time we couldn't understand why, but it's the business of the NFL. LaVar made it a point that he wanted to come back here once a year to prove that he can be LaVar again, and I expect that out of him. I wouldn't have expected anything less from him to want to prove a point. Jeremiah Trotter left to go back to Philadelphia and had a Pro-Bowl season. People are going to have to understand that systems have a lot to do with a player's success. I don't think that we can say that this is something that didn't adversely affect LaVar. I don't think that this is something that he wanted to do. I think that it was something that he was prepared to do, but I'll never be convinced that he wouldn't have preferred to put on his #56 jersey and play with his defensive teammates and try to get this organization to the next level. Can you imagine having a $6.5mil conflict regarding your contract? I mean, I just think that there was some bad blood with his position coach that he mentioned. Clearly, they didn't have a great working relationship, but that's not uncommon. It happens. I just think that once LaVar lost his star status with this team, it became very difficult. The man is a proud warrior. He humbled himself, and he tried to do the best that he could. He wasn't just going to settle and be just a role player; that's out. He's had 5 different coordinators. He looks at his buddy Courtney Brown who has battled injuries and is trying to find his niche in this league. He was a part of that great Penn State team that didn't win a championship, and I think that those guys are still trying find a way to win a championship.
hR: I've had running debates with some fans that seem to feel that all of this is great; that the team can easily plug someone in at his position that is younger and cheaper. I personally don't believe that you simply plug just anyone into any system and success will be guaranteed. How do you feel about this type of rhetoric?
DW: You can't just plug anyone, just because they are younger and cheaper. Are we talking about the Lavar Arrington that wasn't in shape, that wasn't healthy the way that he was used to being, or are we talking about the LaVar Arrington that played some pretty good football here? I mean, we can pick this apart any way that you want to, but the bottom line is I know first hand that you really need to comfortable with the system that you are playing in. I don't think that we've seen any of this kid's real ability just yet, because the organization was so unstable throughout his entire career. I think that if you put him a system, actually if he had stayed in this one, you would have seen his best season ever. He had a good feel for his teammates, they have a good defense, a good offense; it takes a whole team man. It's unfortunate on one hand, but on the other, hey it's just business. Personally, I'm just so used to with the cap in the NFL today that a lot of your good players just having to move on that it's not a big thing. It's big if you like certain guys, but it's just the way that it is now. I just think that this thing worked out well for both parties, I really do. I don't think that LaVar should have to defend himself everyday around here, and the Skins should be able run their team they way that they want to run it, and play whomever they want to play.
hR: Let me start off by asking you what was your initial reaction to the news that LA had agreed to this buyout in exchange for his release?
DW: Well, we had been talking about this CBA all week, and one of the first questions John, Al and myself posed to one of our NFL insiders was what was the status of LaVar Arrington? It was my understanding that LaVar was going to count $12mil against the cap if he stayed, and if they let him go he would count $12mil against the cap. However, I remembered talking to LaVar, and he told me that I shouldn't be surprised if he bought his way out. He told me that he didn't want to try to force the issue or do anything that would jeopardize anything that was going well here in Washington. I just think that after the contract was mishandled or whatever happened with that, the injuries, the changing of the staff, it just wasn't a good mix. Once this team had success without LaVar, you then have to understand the business side of the game. If you can have success without one of your stars, then that cap comes into play. To me, the cap hangs over every player like a black cloud. I think that a lot of clubs use the cap as a means to get rid of people and not hurt their fan base by saying "sorry folks, but it was the cap that made us do this". Stephen Davis was a cap casualty, and there was nobody better in the offense at the time then Stephen when he was rolling. We've become accustomed to this because our best players eventually get their heads chopped off with the cap. It's worth it to them if they get paid because in football without guaranteed contracts, you are always fighting for bonus money. It's a wicked system that has paid guys a tremendous amount of money, but the downside is sometimes you simply play yourself out. I think that LaVar made a pretty good decision for LaVar, and I think that the Skins come out good because they needed the cap space.
hR: Having played the game yourself, do you think that this defense will be better next year without LaVar Arrington in the mix?
DW: I don't think that any defense can be measurably better without a healthy LaVar Arrington. Yes, this defense had alot of success in his absence, and you can't discount that. Those guys deserve a lot of credit for stepping in and giving this team a chance to win. It now becomes an issue as to how much should we spend to win, and that's all over the league. I can understand what they were thinking as a club because you are juggling dollars all across the board.
hR: You have had numerous opportunities to speak with LaVar. Has he given you any insight into any of the conflicting reports about his willingness to restructure his deal, or his wanting to remain a Redskin?
DW: Well, the first thing that he told me was that the report that he wrote a check to the team was false. He gave up a part of some bonus money that was due him. If you are 27yrs old, and he told me that he has been training 3hrs a day, then he is going to be in the best shape of his life. If you are 27 and are in that good of shape, then to me it's a bonanza. He had tremendous ties to this area. Believe me, LaVar isn't happy with the way that this all went down, but he said to me when I asked him would he prefer to be in the AFC, he immediately said to me that he wanted to be in the NFC East so that he can come to FedEx once a year. That tells me that at this point it's personal. He's handling it with class, but it's personal. Just like when Brian Mitchell left and went to Philadelphia. We've seen Mitchell and Art Monk, two of our most popular players, leave and go put on enemy uniforms. At the time we couldn't understand why, but it's the business of the NFL. LaVar made it a point that he wanted to come back here once a year to prove that he can be LaVar again, and I expect that out of him. I wouldn't have expected anything less from him to want to prove a point. Jeremiah Trotter left to go back to Philadelphia and had a Pro-Bowl season. People are going to have to understand that systems have a lot to do with a player's success. I don't think that we can say that this is something that didn't adversely affect LaVar. I don't think that this is something that he wanted to do. I think that it was something that he was prepared to do, but I'll never be convinced that he wouldn't have preferred to put on his #56 jersey and play with his defensive teammates and try to get this organization to the next level. Can you imagine having a $6.5mil conflict regarding your contract? I mean, I just think that there was some bad blood with his position coach that he mentioned. Clearly, they didn't have a great working relationship, but that's not uncommon. It happens. I just think that once LaVar lost his star status with this team, it became very difficult. The man is a proud warrior. He humbled himself, and he tried to do the best that he could. He wasn't just going to settle and be just a role player; that's out. He's had 5 different coordinators. He looks at his buddy Courtney Brown who has battled injuries and is trying to find his niche in this league. He was a part of that great Penn State team that didn't win a championship, and I think that those guys are still trying find a way to win a championship.
hR: I've had running debates with some fans that seem to feel that all of this is great; that the team can easily plug someone in at his position that is younger and cheaper. I personally don't believe that you simply plug just anyone into any system and success will be guaranteed. How do you feel about this type of rhetoric?
DW: You can't just plug anyone, just because they are younger and cheaper. Are we talking about the Lavar Arrington that wasn't in shape, that wasn't healthy the way that he was used to being, or are we talking about the LaVar Arrington that played some pretty good football here? I mean, we can pick this apart any way that you want to, but the bottom line is I know first hand that you really need to comfortable with the system that you are playing in. I don't think that we've seen any of this kid's real ability just yet, because the organization was so unstable throughout his entire career. I think that if you put him a system, actually if he had stayed in this one, you would have seen his best season ever. He had a good feel for his teammates, they have a good defense, a good offense; it takes a whole team man. It's unfortunate on one hand, but on the other, hey it's just business. Personally, I'm just so used to with the cap in the NFL today that a lot of your good players just having to move on that it's not a big thing. It's big if you like certain guys, but it's just the way that it is now. I just think that this thing worked out well for both parties, I really do. I don't think that LaVar should have to defend himself everyday around here, and the Skins should be able run their team they way that they want to run it, and play whomever they want to play.