JPW Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Scout.com's Lane Adkins reports that former Texans linebacker Jamie Sharper has narrowed his choice of new teams to the Seattle Seahawks and the Cincinnati Bengals.Adkins says that Seattle has made the better financial offer, but that Sharper is wavering because the Bengals play closer to his Florida home and are coached by Marvin Lewis, his former defensive coordinator in Baltimore.Sharper, who was released two weeks ago by the Texans to save almost $5 million in salary cap room, visited the Bengals last Wednesday and Seattle on Thursday and Friday. He is expected to make his decision in the next 24 hours.Baltimore's second-round pick in 1997 out of Virginia, Sharper did not miss a start in three seasons in the middle with the Texans. He missed only one start in five seasons while playing outside for the Ravens. He will be 31 years old in November, but his last two seasons have been his most productive. In 2003, he led the NFL in tackles with 166, and he registered 139 stops in 2004. He has averaged 137.5 tackles over the last four years.http://seahawks.scout.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whur CHad At? Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Mikey won't let the Hags beat him this time. Lost Sapp, Vincent, Taylor , and bunch of other, but not Sharper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 ...as the day has stretched on I had begun to get the feeling that...odd as it may sound...Sharper might be using the hags to get a better deal with Cincy...now wouldn't that be a hoot? I swear I hadn't read your post before writing mine. I swear it!!!!! Oh, I believe you . Seriously, at this point I wouldn't even hazard a guess at how this is going to play out. My gut tells me that the hags really, really, really want Sharper but due to tight cap constraints are having trouble making the numbers work -- and unlike Clayton at espn has said aren't in a hurry to dump Chad Brown, who hasn't been willing to take as deep a cut as they want. So Sharper's camp might just be playing the Cincy card to get Seattle to put up or shut up...aw, hell, who knows? We'll find out sooner or later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 And, joisey, can we agree yet that the Bengals' chance of getting Sharper, whether they land him or not, was slightly higher than 0%? The 0% was based on the (un)liklihood of the Bengals making the best financial offer...which by all all reports they indeed have not done. And the first rule of football FA negotiations is, when the agent says it's not all about money, it's about money (see current bengals.com story for relevant Agnone quote ).If Sharper comes here for less -- or if the bengals step up and trump the hags -- l will be happy to eat a nice juicy crowburger (goes great with nati light!). But for all the current hope and speculation, I continue to hew to Deep Throat's famous advice: "Follow the money." And following the money still gets me no further than 0%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=6368I wonder if visions of picking Snyderbrenner's pocket haven't played a role in Sharper's hesitancy to finalize a deal...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin-or-bust Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I don't know why but I have a good feeling about this. I am pretty sure that Marvin has the intelligence to know that signing him would be huge in the Nati. Not only would it send the city into a fury, but I'm sure that Mike Brown sees the opportunity to increase the season ticket sales even more. They have said at some point that they want to try to sell out of season ticekts and what better way than to get a decent free agent with name recognition for a price thats not a cap-buster. Vote for Pedro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkendall Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Actually, for some reason, I don't think Sharper's decision is based off money. The longer he waits, as Hobs suggests, the more likely he'll come to Cincy -- the whole freakin' world knows Seattle offered more. (tap tap tap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=6368I wonder if visions of picking Snyderbrenner's pocket haven't played a role in Sharper's hesitancy to finalize a deal...? I think Sharper is hesitant to sign simply because NONE of the offers have been to his liking. The link JPW provided may claim that Seattle's bid is better, and it might be, but unless it's alot better I'm guessing it won't get the job done. I'm still betting that the Bengals can take advantage of Marvin's relationship with Sharper, and because of that advantage I'm counting on the Bengals getting...at the very least...the last chance to bid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Vikes board is alive with talk that Sharper (Jamie, that is) will be visiting Minnesota today...well, that would explain things. http://www.purplepride.org/vikes/index.php...der=asc&start=0We'll see if it's legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schweinhart Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I dunno...the longer Sharper waits to make a move, the greater the chance of these other teams like the Skins and Vikes join the bidding. The Bengals and Seahawks may have just set the openings bids and now the real bidders can step in. I mean Miami could use him and his fam could just drive to the game. 4 yr, $16 mill w/ $4 mill SB should be close to what Sharper can get but when Snyderbrenner gets involved, who the hell knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I dunno...the longer Sharper waits to make a move, the greater the chance of these other teams like the Skins and Vikes join the bidding. The Bengals are walking a fine line on this one. Obviously they want to sign Sharper for as little as possible and I think they've done a good job judging Sharpers market price up to this point. They might have emerged as the favorite, right? But cutting things too fine increases the odds that another team will cherry pick, and late-to-the-bargaining-table teams arrive knowing what the stalemated landscape looks like. Vote for Pedro. That said, letting a late arrival steal your girl usually means you weren't all that interested in leaving the party with her in the first place, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Section 310 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I think this is a guy who wants to come to Cincinnati but who is also interested in forcing the Bengals to up their offer. Assume he goes to Minnesota and theybest Seattle's offer. Sharper's agent can then come back to Cincinnati and make a legitimate argument that the Bengals offer is under market value.If he wanted to end up in Seattle, there is no reason he didn't make a decision yesterday. The worst case scenario for the Bengals is that Sharper really does want to play with his brother in Minnesota, and the Vikes will offer more than the Bengals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkendall Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Here's an update:Apr. 12 - Jamie Sharper has received offers from Seattle and Cincinnati, and is expected to make a decision this week, reports The Tacoma News Tribune. The Cowboys and possibly the Ravens are also pushing for the former Texans linebacker, who was released in a salary-cap move. Sharper is hoping to get $3.5 million a year in a deal. His consistent ability to make over 100 tackles a season makes him one of the best options on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 SHARPER FAMILY REUNION IN MINNY?Agent Tony Agnone tells us that rumors of linebacker Jamie Sharper heading to the Vikings are premature, and that Sharper presently is negotiating primarily with the Seahawks and Bengals.But when we asked Agnone whether the Vikings might be on the horizon for Sharper, Agnone said that they "very well could be."http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 SHARPER FAMILY REUNION IN MINNY?Agent Tony Agnone tells us that rumors of linebacker Jamie Sharper heading to the Vikings are premature, and that Sharper presently is negotiating primarily with the Seahawks and Bengals.But when we asked Agnone whether the Vikings might be on the horizon for Sharper, Agnone said that they "very well could be."http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm "Leverage says you, a change in fortune says I" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjakq27 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 SHARPER FAMILY REUNION IN MINNY?Agent Tony Agnone tells us that rumors of linebacker Jamie Sharper heading to the Vikings are premature, and that Sharper presently is negotiating primarily with the Seahawks and Bengals.But when we asked Agnone whether the Vikings might be on the horizon for Sharper, Agnone said that they "very well could be."http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm "Leverage says you, a change in fortune says I" Mr. Gibbs, is that you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Hmmmm, an internet rumor is quickly described by the agent as being premature. My scorecard now reads: Premature E-speculation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengalboomer7 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Sounds like Houdidni, just a bunch of smoke and mirrors to jack up the price. I give these agents credit though, they can be pretty creative sometimes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whur CHad At? Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 He is not going to Minny cause he wants to be a difference maker on a defense, and Minny has several difference makers on their defense after this off season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Sounds like Houdidni, just a bunch of smoke and mirrors to jack up the price. Give that man a see-gar, we have a winner! I would translate all of the comments attributed to Agnone over the last few days into normal speech...were it necessary. It isn't, since such a translation was already done a long time ago. I believe Jame Sharper's position can be summed up neatly by a classic Thamesmen tune (went to 11 on the charts, I believe)...Stop wasting my time You know what I want You know what I need Or maybe you don't Do I have to come right Flat out and tell you everything? Gimme some money Gimme sone money I'm nobody's fool I'm nobody's clown I'm treating you cool I'm putting you down But baby I don't intend to leave empty handed Gimme some money Gimme some money Don't get me wrong Try getting me right Your face is ok but your purse is too tight I'm looking for pound notes Loose change Bad checks, anything Gimme some money Gimme some money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Some Sharper tidbits in the latest bengals.com story...nothing earth-shattering..."ball is in his court" stuff.http://www.bengals.com/press/news.asp?iCur...=0&news_id=2833 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkendall Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 More.There was continuing dialogue. Contract proposals were even exchanged. But no deal was reached yesterday between the Seahawks and free-agent linebacker Jamie Sharper.Sharper visited the club last week and his agent, Tony Agnone, had said he was hoping to have a new home for his client by yesterday. The Cincinnati Bengals also are interested in Sharper, who was released two weeks ago by the Houston Texans.The Seahawks reportedly have offered more money than the Bengals. But Cincinnati is coached by Marvin Lewis, Sharper's former defensive coordinator while playing with the Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati is closer to his offseason home in south Florida.Sharper, 30, has missed only one start in eight NFL seasons and is being targeted by the Seahawks as a needed piece in their on-going effort to upgrade a defense that ranked 26th in the league last season.http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/219...harper12ww.htmlAlso posted on the BengalsBlog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkendall Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Some Sharper tidbits in the latest bengals.com story...nothing earth-shattering..."ball is in his court" stuff.http://www.bengals.com/press/news.asp?iCur...=0&news_id=2833 Notice Hobs spelled Lewis wrong? I do love the updates though on Bengals.com... Hobs knows Cincinnati's fan base. I've been going to the Seahawks website and I think its' the same scrolling info they've had the past 24 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bengalboomer7 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Typical agent speak. My guess is that he doesn't want to go to Seatlle, but it also looks like the bengals are pretty firm in the offer they made. Now, he throws in Minny to raise us up enough to bite, or raise the hawks even higher to pay for all those plane tickets to Washington Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkendall Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Some Sharper tidbits in the latest bengals.com story...nothing earth-shattering..."ball is in his court" stuff.http://www.bengals.com/press/news.asp?iCur...=0&news_id=2833Notice Hobs spelled Lewis wrong? I do love the updates though on Bengals.com... Hobs knows Cincinnati's fan base. I've been going to the Seahawks website and I think its' the same scrolling info they've had the past 24 hours. Well, I'm quoting myself. I sent Hobs a note about the error. Ok, enough talking to myself. Y'all will think I'm weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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