San Diego Quacks

The miser's that run the San Diego "Super" Chargers picked up the mantle of management recently in forcing Antonio Gates, probably the best player on the field for the chargers last year, to sign a contract for close to half a million dollars. Nothing to scoff at for sure, but not even close to the money Gates deserved.

Gates will now miss the remaining pre-season games as well as the Chargers first regular season game, because of his reporting late to camp. Gates is another solid example of how NFL management has been flexing their collective muscle lately, kicking sand into the face of the NFL Players Association.

As the Patriots and Eagles rose to prominence, teams around the league noticed the style with which both teams deal with salary and star problems. The basic gist is to not give out big contracts to over thirty stars, hold players to their contracts (even as the team cuts whoever they want to without penalty), and worship the salary cap before all other idols. Two good examples of this attitude were the cutting of Lawyer Mallory less than a week before the Patriots season opener, and the Eagles not resigning Jeremiah Trotter to a big extension (no they let Danny Boom Boom throw millions to watch Trotter underperform).

Already this year we have had the high profile stories of Owens and Gates, big stars in the league who are awaking to the notion that the NFLPA has no real power or influence over their contracts. The NFLPA has been castrated so many times by ownership, whether its the hard salary cap or the fact that no contracts are guaranteed, their is no real Union in the NFL.

So Gates is back, and falling down most fantasy draft boards, but who knows what will become of the seeds of discontent being planted between the Owners and the Union. We have had work stoppages before in the NFL, but not since the iron clad deal that exists today. As the guaranteed money in the NBA and the MLB increases how much more sand can the NFLPA swallow?

- BL