For Freddy saying he will only play for DC and Dallas not getting him. Look at what is happening in the the number one league in America's upcoming draft: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft04/news/story?id=1787271&partnersite=espn sounds pretty familiar.
Yeah, except that the Chargers still have the ability to make a decision. They can keep the pick and pick someone else (like we would have liked to have done with Chad Marshall) or they can trade the pick to New York for terms that the two teams decide on. Whatever happens in this situation, I will bet you one year's worth of Adu's wages that the NFL won't make the decision for San Diego.
Only if you are a fool. Unless of course NFLHQ: 1. Takes San Diego's pick away and gives it to NYG 2. Allows NYG to sign Manning 3. Have Manning NOT count on the NYG regular roster 4. Have his salary NOT count against the NYG cap Then 5. NFLHQ does not replace the pick they took away and San Diego's next pick is their second natural pick which is now their first because their original first pick was taken away. 6. San Diego are then allowed to go find a high-level / high-salary player but can't sign him because all their internation slots are filled and they don't have any cap room and the season is going to start shortly. Then maybe it would be familiar.
As someone who has frequently given Burn fans a hard time over this issue, let me just say, bad comparison.
It is. Adu is a 15 year old boy. Should he be pulled away from his family at 15? Eli is an adult who has already lived on his own at college for many year.
Who's crying? One person laid out the reasons why it's a bad comparison and - even as a DC fan - I say he's 100 percent correct. The Adu situation is nothing like this, and Dallas should have gotten more. Don't blame us because you can't tell the diifference.
He's certainly not acting like an adult. Of course, San Diego has a history of drafting "can't-miss" quarterbacks who turn out to be basket cases, so Eli seems right down their alley.
One difference: At least for public consumption the San Diego GM told Archie, "Thank you very much. We will do what we think is in the interest of our team." Don't remember anyone in the Dallas hierarchy having the guts to make any noises like that.
I also don't recall any "I will only play for DC" pronouncements from the Adu household. Oh, wait, they didn't have to say that. Everybody here just pronounced that it was a fact "Adu won't play for anyone but DC," when it was more likely that any preliminary discussions probably started with all sides figuring out that it made good sense to keep Freddy in his comfort zone. Sucks to be Dallas, I grant you. This whole Eli thing is kind of surprising to me - I didn't peg him as the type to pull an Elway. But many of those who called Elway a spoiled brat in 1983 were calling him a great guy who really, really deserved a Super Bowl ring by 1997.
I seem to remember different. I'm pretty sure Amelia wouldn't let Freddy play anywhere but close to home, at least not while he was 14 going on 15. I'm sure Freddy's comfort zone was a major factor also. As you have pointed out to many people (quite correctly), he's very good, but he's also 14. I like Eli more than I like his brother, but that isn't saying much.
You may be right, but the point I was trying to make is that I'm guessing MLS came to that conclusion without someone having to issue a statement to the press to that effect, as Condon did re: Eli.
I think this has more to do with the differing structures of the NFL and MLS than the 'guts' of any GM
Maybe Eli just wants to play for a good organization that is committed to winning. Nobody ever labeled San Diego an organization committed to winning. As far as me posting this article, I did it because many Burn fans on these boards kept saying in a "real" league this would never have happened. While ,I agree Dallas got the short end of the stick on the deal, I think you should have gotten the number 2 pick(Marshall) and MLS should have made a special 11th pick in round 1 for you. The top player in drafts have leverage. I could post a similar link about Eric Lindros in the 1992 NHL Draft. He did the same thing. This stuff does happens in other leagues.
Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not into alternative universes. But I do think that Dallas rolled over by not even making a show of resistance to this. What if they had simply said, we're drafting who we feel will help our club. If you want us to do otherwise, DC, make us an offer. We can always draft Freddy and trade him to you if you make it worth our while. Or, they could have shopped around the number one pick to other teams. Maybe one of them could have given them more if they thought they could bring/charm Freddy to NY or Chi or LA. Or, they could have kept their moths shut, used the No.1 pick on somebody else, and dumped the whole Freddy problem in Columbus' lap, giving Crew 15 minutes to figure out what to do. That would have been the most fun. And it would have taken a lot of guts.
Those are all decent points, except I don't believe there's a chance on earth, in heaven or in hell that Amelia Adu would let her 14 year old son play anywhere but DC. EDITED to say we can debate whether or not Dallas should have tried to get more in exchange for the first pick, but I don't think it's productive to debate whether Freddy would be playing in Dallas if they hadn't given it up, because I don't think that was ever going to happen.
Players demand/express a preference in every league. The league doesn't machinate that change in every league. You're mistaking human behavior for organizational hanky-panky.