All weekend the rumors swirled DE Calvin Pace was going to sign with the Miami Dolphins. This is why we call them rumors, although if you asked SI.com this past Friday, Pace was on the verge of buying South Beach property. I only can give my opinion here, but here are my best guesses as to why Pace bolted north to the Big Apple, or as my wife likes to call it – The Pit of Chaos.
1. $20 million dollar signing bonus. Hey – you can send me to Antartica for a signing bonus like that. Really that much? I will stop short of calling the Jets desperate, but this is a huge bonus for a guy that only started 6 games in three previous seasons before 2007.
2. $42 million over 6 years. That math puts Pace in the $7 million/season neighborhood. I do believe he can go knocking on Donald Trump’s door for a roof over his head.
3. Weak Free Agent Pool. I think this is probably the best guess to being reality.
4. J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!!
5. The water in Miami must have been bad
6. Bill Parcells probably yelled at Pace during a workout for the Dolphins in Miami and Pace started to cry
7. Wanted to get NY Yankees season tickets to celebrate the last season in the original Yankee Stadium and laugh when they tear it down
8. Guaranteed at least two victories in 2008 – both against the Dolphins
9. Wanted to try out his new fur coat
10. Wanted his own Jets hard hat
What else can I say? It probably won’t be the first big name to bolt the cash strapped Cardinals, but this is the reality of business and NFL Free Agency. I hear Bryant Johnson is looking to New York as well – a little further up north in Buffalo. The fact these players are willing to leave Arizona for teams like the Jets and Bills says a lot about the financial state of your Arizona Cardinals.
Scott Allen
AZScott