Though the stories about Shaun Rogers haven’t quite reached this level, there are certainly many opinions about one of the recent Cleveland additions. As detailed earlier, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen certainly favors the trade, believing Rogers is a step in the right direction for the Browns. Colin Cowherd on the other hand, disagreed this morning, saying Rogers was fat, unmotivated and a chemistry cancer. He disagreed with Mort on pretty much every point, adding that the Browns were a bunch of ‘me’ players. I’ll not even dignify that remark.
Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press would put himself in the Cowherd group-
One of my favorite quotes in sports history comes from that legendary brain of baseball Lenny Dykstra. When he found out that his teammate, Von Hayes, a guy he wasn’t all that fond of, had been traded, he said, “Great trade. Who’d we get?”
That sums up the Rogers deal for me. Good riddance. You know how when some players leave Detroit, you have that nagging fear in the back of your mind that he’ll turn out to be really good somewhere else. “Dang it, I just know Darko will develop into a 25-15 guy every night in Orlando!” I have not one shred of fear that Rogers will become that in Cleveland. He’ll have those dominating games, but for every one of those, he’ll have three or four mail-ins. Just as we’ve come to expect from Rogers.
Don’t hold back Jamie, tell us how you really feel….
So I reached out to our friends at Ghosts of Wayne Fontes. Seeing as how they are Lion fans and not afraid to voice their opinion, I wondered what they had to say about Rogers? First, Stan fired off a response about his favorite Shaun memory-
“Big Baby. He dazzled us and restored our hopes in the Lions when he scrambled with a fumble recovery and dove into the end zone against the Broncos. It was the single greatest moment of the 2007 Lions season. Years from now, no Lion fan will ever forget the high end comedy. However, as Big Baby plowed down that field and we laughed…little did we realize that was it. Big Baby and the Lions had cohesively run out of gas. The tank was empty and not even an oxygen mask could help. The Lions won only one more game the rest of the season and it’s questionable if Big Baby had another tackle either.”
Here’s a little video of that play for some reference-
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2gWVRwLT-w&feature=related[/youtube]
After he had a little time to digest the trade Stan had this to say about it-
That all said though…I fully expect Rodgers to have one of those typical F.U for not believing in me campaigns in Cleveland. It’s a better culture and locker room in Cleveland…all pros for a lazy dude like Big Baby. Plus the motivation of playing for a winning team and something to prove. BTW, Kudos to Phil Savage for laying the blueprint on how to build an NFL roster. Smart draft picks, stock pile talent, bring in savvy veteran free agents (Jurevicius, Lewis and McGinest) for leadership. Develop the young players at the skill positions and build a strong offense line. The Browns are set to contend for the next 5 years at least.
Thanks for the point of view Ghosts, I think the Lions are getting a quality cover man in Leigh Bodden. One that will come to work and play hard every snap. Here’s hoping that this trade works out for both of us. (With Matt Millen making that pick, you better get your value from Bodden.)
UPDATE: Rogers signed a new deal with the Browns today. The deal is reported to be for 6 years and $42 million, with $20 of that guaranteed. Wow. This looks like a high end deal for a guy with weight and potential motivation issues. Browns fans can only hope we don’t have a new Gerrard Warren on our hands here.
Tony Grossi and Marla Ridenour both wrote pieces praising Rogers’ new attitude towards his career today. (Wow, as if on cue…isn’t that a coincidence?)
First, Rogers’ old contract got real ugly at the back end. He was going to be due some outrageous cash if he stayed for the length of the deal, but why redo the deal now? Whay not wait and see what you have, at least through camp? I have to shake my head at this one a little. Doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.
