D'Qwell Jackson (1 Viewer)

[Frank Costanza's Lawyer]

Just saw this update on RotoWorld:

Browns ILB Jackson could lose starting job

Unsigned restricted free agent D'Qwell Jackson could lose his starting job this year, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Jackson is sitting out voluntary OTAs in hopes of a long-term extension, but the Browns don't appear to be budging. While Jackson led the NFL in tackles (154) in 2008, he lasted just six games last season due to a torn pectorals muscle. The Browns could send a message by opening camp with Scott Fujita and David Bowens or Chris Gocong as their starting inside 'backers.

Here's the original article:

Restricted free agent D'Qwell Jackson simply needs to wake up. The Browns have Fujita, Barton, Bowens and Gocong as legitimate inside linebackers. Yes, they also can play outside. But Jackson is another who needs to sign, because he may not even start on this team. Just like what happened at cornerback to Wright and McDonald, Jackson's world has changed with all the new players who can take his job.

Anyone have any more info on this? Is it just a beat writer's opinion or maybe posturing because of the contract situation? Or is his starting job in jeopardy?

 

[massraider]

Yeah, you know the writer is out of his tree when he writes this:

The Browns have Fujita, Barton, Bowens and Gocong as legitimate inside linebackers.

He is probably the only person on Earth with this opinion.

 

[KellysHeroes]

When Mangini doesn't like you... your not getting on the field

 

[Anthony Borbely]

This sure sounds like the Derrick Johnson situation, although I don't really think it will end the same.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Just saw this update on RotoWorld:

Browns ILB Jackson could lose starting job

Unsigned restricted free agent D'Qwell Jackson could lose his starting job this year, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Jackson is sitting out voluntary OTAs in hopes of a long-term extension, but the Browns don't appear to be budging. While Jackson led the NFL in tackles (154) in 2008, he lasted just six games last season due to a torn pectorals muscle. The Browns could send a message by opening camp with Scott Fujita and David Bowens or Chris Gocong as their starting inside 'backers.

Here's the original article:

Restricted free agent D'Qwell Jackson simply needs to wake up. The Browns have Fujita, Barton, Bowens and Gocong as legitimate inside linebackers. Yes, they also can play outside. But Jackson is another who needs to sign, because he may not even start on this team. Just like what happened at cornerback to Wright and McDonald, Jackson's world has changed with all the new players who can take his job.

Anyone have any more info on this? Is it just a beat writer's opinion or maybe posturing because of the contract situation? Or is his starting job in jeopardy?

Roto World got this from the Plain Dealer and the writer, Terry Pluto, and Pluto is pretty well dialed in to the team.One starter inside definitely will be Fujita.

D'Qwell would have the other starter job but he is holding out.

The Browns and D'Qwell are in a bit of cunundrum because Jackson said the previous regime promised him a long term extension.

D'Qwell was insulted that the Browns only tendered him a second round offer in free agency so he balked yet no team offered a second round pick for him.

When no-one bit for a second round pick he lost leverage.

If he were the only holdout linebacker then he would hold no leverage but Matt Roth also is holding out. A complicating factor is that of the 37 NFL RFAs who haven't yet signed the Browns have the most with 5. Another complicating factor is that agent Drew Rosenhaus represents SS Abram Elam and LB Matt Roth.

Roth only played in six games last year and he was producing off the charts but it was only five games so he has to prove his production over a year. If he does that then he will be compensated. Elam isn't the best cover safety and he doesn't make big plays and the Browns drafted two safeties so Abe is in big trouble if he doesn't get his butt in camp ASAP. Roth simply has to prove himself over an entire season so Rosenhaus doesn't have any leverage but that hasn't stopped him in the past and its no suprise that Rosenhaus is playing hard ball.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/394045-...el-in-cleveland

Super agent Drew Rosenhaus is known for driving hard bargains and being a royal pain in the neck to general managers and front offices everywhere.

So it should come as no surprise that Rosenhaus-represented clients like Cleveland Browns safety Abram Elam, Matt Roth and others are holding out of offseason activities and refusing to sign their tenders.

Roth demanded a trade on Monday, to which Browns general manager Tom Heckert flatly shot down.

"That's not going to happen," Heckert was quoted as saying.

Rosenhaus got where he is by maneuvering his clients into a position of strength in which to negotiate for more money.

Heckert knows Rosenhaus is holding a gun with no ammunition at the moment. The Browns have all the leverage and Rosenhaus is risking his clients a lot of money with this pointless posturing.

OTAs, admittedly, aren't really that important in the larger scheme of things, but given how much these players are paid, it's not really asking too much of these guys to show up.

Not having a contract is a valid excuse for not showing up, but if it's because an agent like Rosenhaus is giving his clients bad advice, it becomes a problem.

I have a lot to say about the current crop of holdouts, and with the exception of Phil Dawson, none of these guys are worth what they are insisting to Heckert and to the fans.

But Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer beat me to the punch here when it comes to reasons why these guys don't get a big contract and Joshua Cribbs did. I couldn't have said it any better, but let me highlight this quote.

"Tell them to make Pro Bowls like Cribbs," said Pluto. "Tell them to play with the passion of Cribbs, and be one of the most respected Browns in the community like Cribbs. Show them tapes of Cribbs and say, 'When you play like this, come back and we'll talk.'"

For all the talk players like D'Qwell Jackson and Matt Roth and Elam are spouting right now, they certainly don't have a lot to show to make any front office want to throw bags of money at them.

Jerome Harrison's holdout makes some sense in the context of his age, 27, but that's his own fault for dogging practices under Eric Mangini last year. If he wants that big contract before he's 30, he's running out of time fast.

Jackson has been an above average linebacker, but how many other teams in this league would he really be a starting linebacker for.

Roth was claimed off of waivers in the middle of the season and Elam wouldn't be a starter on just about any other team than Cleveland.

All of these guys were offered second-round tenders and 31 other teams passed. That tells you all you need to know.

So if Rosenhaus is whispering in his clients' ears right now they're worth more money, these guys need to ask themselves who Rosenhaus is working for.

Heckert knows who he's working for, he knows what the team's record was last year, and he knows exactly how much each of these players contributed.

As OTAs progress into the June minicamp, it will be interesting to see how much Rosenhaus is willing to budge when it comes to his Cleveland Browns clients because we may end up asking Rosenhaus the question he hates being asked, "What have you done for your client other than get him kicked off the team?"

Next question!

IDP saavy crowd knows Jackson's name and that automatically means he should get a raise and that his job couldn't possibly be in jeapardy but they don't realize that Bowens played great for Jackson last year when D'Qwell got hurt.Bowens is bigger and stronger and a better pass rusher but he's 34 years old and won't hold up over the course of a season. Gocong and Viekune are young and uproven and are getting reps, but the Browns would like Jackson to sign his tender and take his job back.

I don't think their would be a problem if Rosenhaus wasn't gumming up the works and this thing should be cleared up before the June 15 deadline but if it isn't and Jackson begins to miss training camp then don't assume Jackson will stroll in and take his job back.

Jackson has already back tracked on some harsh comments he made when he was only tendered a second round pick but he probably feels that if the 5 holdouts stick together that they can force the Browns hand however none of the holdouts other than Dawson has a strong case for a big long term contract.

If Rosenhaus wasn't in the picture this would already be resolved and eventually it will be but Jackson shouldn't push this thing too far. He better not miss any training camp because he's not going to get what his agent is demanding and the more time he misses the more reps his competition gets and that further lessens his leverage.

Don't expect him to sign quckly but more than likely this will clear up by the first week of training camp.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

... Don't expect him to sign quckly but more than likely this will clear up by the first week of training camp.

All of the Browns' free agents signed their tenders so the D'Qwell Jackson contract situation (and Matt Roth contract situation) is under control. http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/...ricted_fre.html

All five Cleveland Browns restricted free agents sign their tenders, source says

Published: Monday, June 14, 2010, 4:48 PM Updated: Monday, June 14, 2010, 5:42 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- All five Browns restricted free agents signed their one-year tender offers today, a league source told the Plain Dealer.

They are D'Qwell Jackson, Jerome Harrison, Matt Roth, Abe Elam and Lawrence Vickers.

 

[Drop]

Restricted free agent D'Qwell Jackson simply needs to wake up. The Browns have Fujita, Barton, Bowens and Gocong as legitimate inside linebackers. Yes, they also can play outside. But Jackson is another who needs to sign, because he may not even start on this team. Just like what happened at cornerback to Wright and McDonald, Jackson's world has changed with all the new players who can take his job.

Is there actually serious talk of Eric Wright not starting? That would really shock me considering how good he is in coverage.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Restricted free agent D'Qwell Jackson simply needs to wake up. The Browns have Fujita, Barton, Bowens and Gocong as legitimate inside linebackers. Yes, they also can play outside. But Jackson is another who needs to sign, because he may not even start on this team. Just like what happened at cornerback to Wright and McDonald, Jackson's world has changed with all the new players who can take his job.

Is there actually serious talk of Eric Wright not starting? That would really shock me considering how good he is in coverage.

The quote was comparing how the situations or as they say WORLD of the D'Qwell Jackson had changed dramatically from this time last year becaue the Browns have added a ton of LBs and a few of them have talent and others have really progressed. D'Qwell was/is the most talented but if would have continued his hold out then he would have seriously misread the tea leaves. Many here may not be aware of other players who Mangini signed from the Jets like Barton and Bowens and how he claimed Trusnik and Roth off waivers and then add in a practice guy like Bernard and then factor in Gocong and even though Jackson should easily reclaim his job if he had held out the Browns would have moved on. Jackson was a hold out and he was tendered a second round pick and no team bit. The rise in competition and no outside interest in taking him, even for a second round pick as compensation (if a team picking late in the second round didn't take a stab at him in a year considered poor at the inside LB position then you have to acknowledge that fact and that the Browns had an offer above the minimum and he was going up against the June 15 deadline and the Browns came out and said they would lower offers to the NFL allowable 10% below what was on the table). So the D'Qwell situation was different from the one the quote was comparing to, Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald.Compare D'Qwell's situation with Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald strictly on an influx of talent coming in and last year at this time their was no competition so both corner spots were given to McDonald and Wright. Now the Browns traded for CB Sheldon Brown from the Eagles and he pretty much should take, if he hasn't already, the job of Brandon McDonald. The Browns then drafted the top CB from this year's draft in Joe Haden and I'm sure the coaches would like him to start but they probably are not pushing it like they were last year when C Alex Mack started from day one and gradually got better and better as the season drew on.

Wright's job isn't in jeapardy IMHO because I think think the Browns were targeting FS Eric Berry with their top pick but when Haden was there they more than likely felt he could take the place of Brown (age 31) when he begins to slip and in the interim Haden could easily fill the nickel DB slot and push Eric Wright but I don't think the coaches are setting up the competition is such a way that they want Haden to beat out Wright. I think they want him to learn the nickel position and fill that and back up both CB spots for the inevitable dings that happen along the way.

So the quote was just comparing both positions due to an influx of talent and how this isn't like last year where their wasn't a bunch of LBs ready to take the job from D'Qwell and this year where Mangini has many options and reps that would go to good use if Jackson had continued his holdout. McDonald has pretty well already lost his job to Brown but Wright probably has his starting job locked up. Haden could push him but Eric should easily keep his starting job if he just shows up, works hard, and doesn't mess up or get injured. The above quote isn't from the main stream media covering the Browns, its from a net site and I'm not sure they even attend mini camp or training camp and I'm sure they have limited access to players/coaches or the inside scoop so it seems they were maknig a loose comparison of the two positions based on how vastly different they are compared to last year due to an influx of talent yet Wright should retain his starting job at least that is how I see it.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

... The above quote isn't from the main stream media covering the Browns, its from a net site and I'm not sure they even attend mini camp or training camp and I'm sure they have limited access to players/coaches or the inside scoop so it seems they were maknig a loose comparison of the two positions based on how vastly different they are compared to last year due to an influx of talent yet Wright should retain his starting job at least that is how I see it.

LOL, I'm wrong on the source, its from Terry Pluto of the PD (Cleveland Plain Dealer), and he is VERY dialed into the Browns. I got it confused with different net sites that tend to go-off on any player that holds out but the original quote is from Pluto and I think Terry was making a loose comparison and was not suggesting that Wright's job was threatened.He actually has a new article that just came out last night going over the holdouts because even though all five RFA (Restricted Free Agent) holdouts caved and signed their tenders before the June 15 deadline their are rumbles that some still might not show for training camp because they are not happy with thier contracts.

This update doesn't mention the CB position but it gives a great synapsis of the holdouts who signed their tenders before the June 15 deadline and of the ones who showed up for mini-camp even though they hadn't signed their tenders and goes over the other holdouts and the article even hints that one or two of the playerss still might hold out of training camp because they are not happy campers.

Go to the link for the full read which goes into each situation of the five holdout players, I just put in Pluto's take on D'Qwell Jackson because its possible that D'Qwell still might miss some camp even though he signed his tender.

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index....n_lawrence.html

Only Jerome Harrison, Lawrence Vickers look like winners among Browns' unhappy free agents: Terry Pluto

Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:34 PM Updated: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 6:35 PM

... The question is why didn't Abe Elam, Matt Roth and D'Qwell Jackson take the same path as Harrison and Vickers?

They signed a type of insurance form and showed up for at least some of the OTAs and minicamps. Even wiser was Jason Trusnik, the Nordonia product who signed his $1.7 million offer a few months ago. He realized the key word in restricted free agent is "restricted."

That means you ain't going anywhere, because the Browns could match any offer you receive. Because the Browns had the right to match any offer ... well ... there would be no offers.

So sign the one-year deal, have a good year and then cash in when you're unrestricted and teams could freely bid for you. That's how it works. In the meantime, all are being paid about $1.7 million.

... If you're Jackson, it is easy to believe you deserve a new deal because you've started 48 games for the Browns. The problem is you played only six last season, and then went down with an injury.

D'Qwell, the truth is the Browns looked stronger at inside linebacker when David Bowens took your spot leading the defense. You are a solid player, but there's a reason the Browns added Fujita and Gocong. They needed to improve at the position.

There are now rumbles that some of these guys may not show up for the start of training camp later this summer. Don't even think about that.

None of this is to attack the character of Elam, Jackson and Roth. But it is to question their judgment, and especially their agents. These guys still have a lot to prove in their pro careers, and they need to be on the field to do it.

So this thing might come up again when training camp arrives but Pluto starkly lays it out on the line. The players should honor the last year of their contracts and play for big-bucks next year. I saw enough of Roth last year to think they should have made an offer to extend him but we didn't even have a GM in place till February so that wasn't going to happen so if he has a solid season, and I think he will, then the Browns are going to end up paying him much more than what they could have signed him for this past off-season so he might walk next year unless we ink him to an extension during the season which doesn't happen very often.

Fantasy IDPers think fantasy numbers = solid NFL value and in many cases it does but even though D'Qwell Jackson makes a ton of tackles and was promised a contract extension by the previous regime he:

- gets hurt a lot

- is limited to only playing only one ILB position, every other LBer on the team has size/athelticism/pass rush to play OBL

D'Qwell is solid, when healthy, playing the UP ILB position (UP meaning he's covered with a big NT/DT or LB shading him from direct blocking so he can fill gaps and drop into coverage but not rush the passer which is the DOWN ILB position) but unfortunately D'Qwell does get hurt a lot and he's limited to only playing one aspect of the ILB position so he lacks the one aspect that Mangini lists for his defense, versatility. That is why I am high on Matt Roth, he can do so many things and do them very good so I think the Browns should try to massage some bruised egos, especially with Matt Roth but I think D'Qwell Jackson will play great for as long as he is healthy.