Rocktober #6 – Guilty Displeasures
October 17, 2011While We’re Waiting… Dan Gilbert Will be Fine, Not Sure About the Browns Though
October 18, 2011
File this under the category of things that might not mean much at all, but I found it interesting when going back through some archives.
Tom Heckert doesn’t talk to the media frequently, but one time he did was in February of last year after the Browns finished cutting a few choice veterans. He talked about a variety of topics including the communication gap between he and the head coach with regard to Jerome Harrison, Jayme Mitchell and the wide receivers. Then he said something that got Peyton Hillis’ current agent Kennard McGuire to pipe up.
Tom Heckert was talking about former Browns’ lineman Shaun Rogers after cutting him loose. Heckert called Rogers a “different cat,” while also hinting that the Browns had tired of his not practicing every week and being listed on the injury report all the time.
“Shaun’s whole thing — and he’s stated a million times — is that he’s never been on a team that’s any good. Every team he’s ever been on has been bad. Right or wrong, I think it’s taken a toll on him.”
Kennard McGuire was (is?) Shaun Rogers’ agent and he felt the need to respond in support of his client, specifically against the words of Tom Heckert.
“I am disappointed that he felt the need to state certain thoughts about Shaun after he was released, and I’m not sure what the statement ‘different cat’ really means. I’m also not sure Mr. Heckert and Shaun ever really conversed, and I’m not sure about the trade or release, because we were told that the Browns did not want to trade Shaun when they had opportunities to do so. As far as not being able to release him, we all know that the Browns could have released him at any time.”
Of course Kennard McGuire is now the agent attempting to negotiate the new deal between the Browns and Peyton Hillis. Of course, I have no inside knowledge of the negotiations or conversations other than what has hit the media, but it makes me wonder. What kind of pitch did McGuire give to Peyton Hillis in order to score him as a client? Did that include any scare tactics warning Peyton Hillis that he shouldn’t trust the Browns because of how they treated a 31-year-old Shaun Rogers?
It is hard to believe that McGuire wouldn’t have brought up his track record with the Browns at all in getting Hillis to join his roster of clients. Is this having an effect on the tone and timbre of the negotiations and the seemingly high level of mistrust between Hillis and the Browns?
It is also worth noting that McGuire and Heckert presumably also interacted during the Jason Peters trade from Buffalo to Philly when Heckert was still in the Eagles front office. The Shaun Rogers situation obviously happened after that though.
You be the judge.
12 Comments
Maybe I’m missing part of the picture here. I can understand Hillis wanting to get paid. He had a great year in 2010. He is in his rookie contract and wants to be compensated. I understand that part as well.
On the flip side of things I also understand Heckert wanting to see more than just one year of production from the guy. The guy will want top 10 RB money based off of one year? I think if the guy plays this year and performs he’ll get the money he wants. Heckert is probably afraid that Hillis may follow in the footsteps of other 1000 yard rushers like Barry Foster, Cleveland Gary, Craig James and Ickey Woods. All of them are 1000 yard rushers and none of them repeated that one year’s performance.
When a guy is at the end of his rookie contract and already has had three agents in two years that should lead you to expect protracted negotiations. Heckert deals with a lot of blustery agents and I’ll expect Hillis to sign unless he fires this guy and hires Rosenhaus. That’s the Browns’ official notification that he intends to be gone.
I dont know whose fault it is, but I cant imagine this whole Hillis fiasco ending well at this point.
This situation has been handled terribly by all parties involved. That’s really all I can say at this point and it’s sad because I now have a really hard time seeing Hillis re-signing here
@crobarred – how dare you leave Reuben Droughns off that list 🙂
(yes, I know it was because he had 2 years – but he’s still mad)
Actually, let me re-phrase that. Heckert hasn’t done anything wrong.
The Browns handled it wrong as an organization due to two factors. First, Holmgren should’ve never made Hillis’ contract situation public on Mike & Mike prior to the season opener.
Second, Shurmur was wrong because he allowed the whole Hillis situation to remain an issue following the Miami game. All he had to say (whether it’s true or not) is that it was his decision not to play Hillis. That would’ve ended this whole circus.
@mgbode – Droughns came to mind when I looked up some of the “1 and done” runners. Let’s give Reuben an Honorable Mention.
I wonder why Holmgren hasn’t taken more flack for this. He opened his big mouth shortly before or after week 1 and said they were trying hard as heck to lock up Hillis longterm. Had he not done that, this could have all been avoided.
I was okay with this front office not ponying up money for FA’s this past offseason because there weren’t many, if any can’t misses. But, with this fiasco, not going after Lee Evans, Aaron Curry, or Brandon Lloyd (all of which were given up for peanuts and could have helped us out), I am getting a bit concerned with how this season is unfolding. We should have at least 2 1st rounders in the top 15-18 but as far as getting some supplemental players so we don’t have to wait for 5 more years on these draft picks is making it hard to watch this crap week in and week out.
@crobarred – and all is right with the world again 🙂
Holmgren and/or Heckert owe the fans a candid public statement about Hillis’s situation, at minimum. They need to do so, even if that statement amounts to a mere “We’ll evaluate the contract at the end of the year. We will not negotiate further this year.”
The controversy and distraction need to be put to bed.
am I the only one who thinks that Shurmur is the one holding Hillis out, and that directive may be coming from above? Or is my tinfoil hat too tight this morning?
Did Hillis hit on Shurmur’s wife or something? (See McDaniels, Josh)