Originally posted by andes14:
I've explained so many times. Here is why he is overpaid:
Brooks is the 6th-7th best player on our D at BEST. He is a good player, a solid player. He at this point is NOT a STAR (though clearly this contract indicates we anticipate him to be), and I personally believe that only established stars warrant north of $17M guaranteed, If you look around the league, there are tons of guys that have done more than Brooks that are making a lot less. Guys that have signed new contracts AFTER doing a lot more than Brooks (so I'm not even talking about guys underpaid on a rookie contract or something who are gonna get their money on a contract in the future).
1) Brooks being the "6th-7th best player on our D" says more about our defense than it does about his talent. You can't knock him for playing on a defensive unit that has several good players. From 1987-1992, Steve Young was the 2nd best QB on the team...does that have anything to do with his worth as a player?
2) I disagree that Brooks is being paid like a star player. If Mario Williams (a definite star player) signs a contract similar to Brooks, then you'll have a valid point. We'll see if Brooks' deal is anywhere near MW's contract. If not, then its safe to say that Ahmad was signed to a fair deal. I expect MW's deal to be significantly more than what Brooks got.
3) I disagree that there are "tons of guys" that have done more than Brooks. He isn't an elite player, but he is still better than many players at his position.
Originally posted by andes14:
An important point people are glossing over:
I hope people realize that on 1st and 2nd down, Brooks isn't even gonna be rushing the passer all that much. Aldon will be an every down player, and he will be doing most of the early down pass rushing, meaning Brooks will oftentimes be in coverage as Fangio rarely brings 5 or more rushers. If we did let Brooks walk, all we'd really need to go a long ways in replacing him would have been just a good coverage/set the edge LB, a la even our good friend Manny Lawson.
1) Brooks is great against the run, which is valuable on 1st and 2nd down.
2) Brooks is a good pass rusher, which adds unpredictability to our defense. Opposing offenses still have to account for Brooks coming off the edge, unlike Lawson.
3) Brooks is solid in coverage, which means he isn't a liability when dropping back.
If that's your minimum expectation for his role, then he's extremely valuable to our defense. Now add the fact that he's an every down player (and a good 3rd down pass rusher), a hard worker (at least in recent seasons), already knows the system, already developed chemistry with the front seven, is entering his prime (and still has room to get better), AND he wants to be here. Plus, he wasn't grossly overpaid and the team didn't break the bank to keep him. Its not worth letting him go just to save money since he does bring a lot to our team.
. Just imagine dude, 20 years from now we could all be looking back and saying this is one of the best linebacking groups ever, with a super bowl or even multiple super bowls.
sick sick sick
sick sick sick