Hobbs: It's All About The Money
Philadelphia Inquirer Sports Columnist Bob Ford writes about the Eagles, the Phillies, the Sixers and the Flyers.
Hobbs: It's All About The Money
Bob Ford, Inquirer Sports Columnist
Is the day gone, or did it ever exist, when professional players were willing to take less money -- even if "less" money is a pretty good living -- to stay with an organization where the likelihood of winning is better than whatever options are out there?
The New England Patriots traded cornerback Ellis Hobbs to the Eagles on Day 2 of the draft for a pair of fifth-round picks, apparently because the team and the cornerback weren't going to come to an agreement about a contract extension. That's a two-way street, of course. The Pats made their decision and Hobbs made his, and was honest about it.
If there is any team that, over the last decade, might expect that players would be willing to stay put for a few dollars less, it is the Patriots. Doesn't work that way any more, though, as Hobbs told the Boston Herald.
"There are a lot of ones that are coming up that are going to need to be paid," Hobbs said. "...There is a lot of guys out there who are not going to take the (lesser) dollar for the win. Guys really want to get what they deserve and each one of those guys that are coming up in the next year or so deserve every dollar they are going to get."
We tend to look through the wrong end of the binoculars here in Philadelphia occasionally, believing that the Eagles' way of doing business is unique. They sign good players to contracts that give them security when they are young and then don't see any need to redo those deals when the players outplay the contracts.
As Joe Banner explained last week, Sheldon Brown was happy to take the money when it was offered, getting financial security for life, and the back end of the bargain is that his signature is still on that piece of paper.
The Eagles have been a successful, winning franchise under Andy Reid, and there is every reason to expect that will continue. With the right luck, they could be Super Bowl champions before the reign of Donovan McBlog comes to an end.
That doesn't keep the players from moving on if they can get a better deal, however, something that goes for Brown, Lito Sheppard, and goes for Brian Dawkins, too, for that matter. Same goes in New England.
Hobbs is here and will probably be a productive player, but he's here because New England wasn't willing to give him what he wanted and shipped him out of town before that became a bigger problem.
"At the end of the day, we're all dollar signs," Hobbs told Sporting News Radio.
And, at the end of the day, that is how the players view the teams, too.
Comments (62)
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Really? Would you stay somewhere when somebody else was willing to pay you more?— joe$- Of course it's about the money. I'm glad Hobbs makes no bones about it. I can't blame these guys for looking for every dime they can get. Their careers are short and the contracts not guaranteed. They're no different than people in any other line of work looking to maximize the monetary value of their talent. That said, I have no sympathy for Sheldon Brown. He took the $7.5 million as "insurance" against injury or poor performance, and in exchange gave up his right to go on the open market at the peak of his career. Somehow I don't think he would think it would such a bad decision had he got a career ending injury. The names "Byron Evans" and "Damon Moore" illustrate why Sheldon took the $7.5 million signing bonus a few years ago. Yet now he's asking for more. Would he give any of that $7.5 million back had he torn up his knee or got cut?— erformc1
- The amount of money these guys earn is relative to the money they generate and the fact that they usually play for only a few years. Taking this into account, I don't blame any of them for looking for the best deal. I just expect come Sunday, that they are ready to play.— fgdavis
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- Typical.....what a joke— craigaroo74
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- Runyan said that when we signed him 9yrs ago(or whenever we did) and he was one of my favorite players.— Clarkeisgod
- Runyan said that when we signed him 9yrs ago(or whenever we did) and he was one of my favorite players.— Clarkeisgod
- We don't need another one of these guys here. Pro salaries are out of control!!! I don't understand what some of you just don't get? Don't give me they generate a ton of income, so they deserve the money. Part of the problem is the insane ticket and merchandise prices.— scars73
- Sheldon was quoted as saying it wasn't just about the money. One of the alltime lies.— PhillyPhantastico
- is it pro salaries that are out of control or Professional sports as a whole. Don't blkame the Players whent he Owners and the Leagues are truly responsible. Keep jacking up ticket prices and selling beers for 8 dollars a pop. Players aren't stupid, they see what kind of money is coming in. It's us fans that spend the money that are out of control.— Flyers2001
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- nfl careers are short and the money they make is what actually stays with them afterwards (unless your a schmuck) - not championships. They all want to win, but at the end of the day and extra million or two (and so on) is what they strive for and will go after. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themself. atleast Hobbs is honest. I'll like him as long as he plays hard and is an asset on Sundays. We should all care less what is motives are.— ag
- I don't care anymore about the owners or the players and just cheer for the colors. Players deserve whatever they can get because Jeffrey is making millions every year! If you don't like the players and owners making the money they're making, stop showing up at the games and buying merchandise! Yeah, that'll happen— reggiedunlop
- Let Banner and Jeffrey deal with that BS. All I want is the guy to show up on Sunday and do his job to teh best of his ability. I want him focused, conditioned and ready to play every down.— jakster
- This just in from Bob Ford: The NFL is a business! Shocking!— p-diddy
- Bob, garbage like this is one of the main reasons I can't stand Philly sports writers. Hobbs was just traded here two days ago, you don't know anything about the guy and you're already starting with the negative campaigning and character assassinations based on one quote taken out of context. I read that Boston Herald article. The guy was asked a direct question if players would take less to play for the Patriots. That's it. Several guys have left the Patriots over the years because they weren't willing to pay market value - Samuel, Deion Branch, etc. Frankly, the Pats didn't make any long-term offers to Hobbs and Hobbs didn't ask out. The Pats are the ones who decided to get rid of him. Quit trying to turn him into TO here. How many Eagles players over the years were willing to take less to continue playing for us? Vincent? Hugh Douglas? Bobby Taylor? Trotter? Corey Simon? Lito? Dawkins? Why isn't Dawkins the centerpiece of your article? He left for more money. Hobbs didn't leave, he got traded and he hadn't even requested out. I saw Hobbs on ESPN and I was pretty impressed. The kid had nothing but positive things to say about the Pats organization and Belichek. He also seemed genuinely excited about being part of the Eagles. Bob, how about you talk to this kid or learn something about him before you start trying to crucify him and turn Philly fans against him?— JimG
- This isn't Sheldon Brown's only opportunity to earn a paycheck. If he doesn't like what he agreed to with the Eagles, he can retire and work for a living like the rest of us. "Would you like fries with that?"— tklem
- This isn't news, everyone wants to make more money. He is in his final year of his contract and he should be talking extension. He had a decent year yesterday. I guess it's your job to try and stir the pot. Is that your life long dream to try and divide the locker room before a player even meets his new team? Find something constructive to write about.— bobf123
- Finally I found a fan in Philly that understands the pro football business. Couldn't have said it better myself reggiedunlop come on out to Hawaii and enjoy the view from the outside looking in. And for all you guys saying the Eagles don't need another guy like Hobbs, see how much you need him when you lose every week.Stop living in fantasy land, even your beloved Dawkins took the money and ran. "Cheer for the colors", reggie I'm taking your line it's perfect.— phillboyinhawaii
- I like how they all call it a business but when someone else makes more than them they get all "personal." Always ends up like that. I serched Monster.com and couldn't find any "businesses" that let you put pads on and run up and down a field and catch passes...and make a ton of money and drink crystal and party. Go figure. Maybe I should try a new search engine.— jearnha
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- I think its funny that people are now saying they "hate" Hobbs and are bashing Brown but they forgave B Dawk when he took the money and ran to a team that, even before losing its franchise QB, was not going to win anything anytime soon.— elbobbo
- "There are a lot of comes that are coming up that are going to need to be paid,". Translation please.— mikemaddog
- And here I thought players left college early because they were exceptionaly smart while picking up a degree in three years. I'm crushed.— bigphillydad
- Maddog and bigphilly.....CLASSIC! I felt the same. What is this dude saying and can Jim Johnson show him who to cover? If the receiver has a dollar hanging out of his pocket will he tackle him harder? It IS all about the money afterall.— jearnha
- ' it's just besssness' ray rhodes talking about taking care of business.— JACK V
- It's all about leverage. The teams generate huge amounts of revenue. Players and teams use what ever leverage they have to get their share of the revenue. Why do fans take it so personally? Should the owners be expected to lose money in their business activities? Should the team retain a popular hard working player whose skills have diminished? Should the players be expected to take less then their market value for the sake of the team? The fact is that it is very common for players to try to create leverage to redo their contracts. And there are teams willing to acquire those players. That's how it works.— swinger18
- Football players salaries aren't really that much out of control when you compare them to baseball players. There is no comparison there. But shouldn't the players BE PAID when they are helping line the owners pockets and fill the stands..I think so— crohnkiller
- Flyers2001 is right when he says it is the fans that are out of control. It is simple economics. If we the fans stopped going to games, stopped watching them on T.V., etc. ticket prices would come down, beer and food prices would come down and players salaries will come down. Will it happen? Probably not. As long as we are willing to pay the prices, then the madness will continue. Brown and Hobbs, et al, are symptomatic of what is wrong with American society today. Read the Lenny Dys. story in S.I. for the exteme case of sports greed....— Danny55
- If Hobbs does the job, he will be worth his arrogance. Sort of like Obama isn't it?— KGKoons
- Right on, that's the way of the world these days, from grave diggers to garbage collectors to football stars ... just because he can make millions, good on him ... I hope it can trickle down on us all :-)— petergou
last i check, Asante Samuel was all about the money, but he can back up his money with his play. And i love Asante as a player- Just view the superbowl winning catch by plaxico over hobbs, and then ask him how money is he worth?— Onlineps2beast
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- It is all about the money. The money you agreed to when you signed the last contract and took the big payday. Nobody blames the players for that, but you can't have it both ways. Brown has been solid, but not necessarily worthy of a contract extension. Hobbs is playing out his rookiw contract and depending on how he plays this year, he'll cash in.— jonnyb0916
- Owners like the Lurie clan have turned this "game" into a meat market. Can't wait to see what the future holds....start watching hockey people at least those guys spill blood for the game.— Nico Lange
- Football owners are crazy. Don't they know players would play for free just to be on TV.— tmack33
- Salaries are high because the owners are making a lot of money off of them. Owners are making a lot of money because we AGREE to pay $65 a seat, and we gobble up merchandise at inflated prices and we watch the games on TV in droves, boosting ad revenues which, in turn, yields even more money for the owners. The consumer drives it all. Never forget that.
- It's a game to us, but not to them. It's their profession - they SHOULD want to get paid, yo!— Bake McBride
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- bring back rod hood— occasionalpost
I guess now that the draft is over the writers need to concoct controversy so they have something to write about? Home made job security the way I see it. So what that he said players go for the money. I bet sportswriters do too. I haven't heard Hobbs had asked for anything so why make a story out of nothing? Just stirring the pot to get another story for tomorrow. Waste of time reading this nonsense.— tpizza- How would you react to a co-worker who said "I'm all about the money. Either I get a big raise or I'm out of here. I could care less about this company or anyone else who works here. And if I go somewhere else and get a better offer, I'm gone."? Tactless, unprofessional, immature, poor team player. Pretty much all the things you don't want in a co-worker. And when a player threatens to undermine the team to get out of a contract? That's at the fans who pay their salaries. As far as the owners go, they put up the cash to buy the team, assumed the risk, and negotiated the TV deal that made all that money available. Ticket prices are market driven. Supply and demand. I won't pay $65 for a ticket but enough people will and that's their choice. They can do whatever they want with their money.— MikeP
- How would you react to a co-worker who said "I'm all about the money. Either I get a big raise or I'm out of here. I could care less about this company or anyone else who works here. And if I go somewhere else and get a better offer, I'm gone."? Tactless, unprofessional, immature, poor team player. Pretty much all the things you don't want in a co-worker. And when a player threatens to undermine the team to get out of a contract? That's at the fans who pay their salaries. As far as the owners go, they put up the cash to buy the team, assumed the risk, and negotiated the TV deal that made all that money available. Ticket prices are market driven. Supply and demand. I won't pay $65 for a ticket but enough people will and that's their choice. They can do whatever they want with their money.— MikeP
- Trotter did it not so long ago. He wanted to stay in midnight green and did it by taking the Iggles' lesser offer. Nobody "outplays" a contract; that is bs spouted by greedy athletes and slimy agents. You never see any of these fools giving money back because they did not play as well as projected. Sheldon picked the wrong time to whine about money with so many people out of work and him being a durable but not exceptional corner.— CVN65
- Um, I work to make money. What's your reason? It's a job. Guys aren't supposed to want to get paid?— sla6yer
- I don't blame him for wanting to get as much money as he can before he retires. Players see football (and other sports) as a job and a business.— stonefly
- At least the man is honest. I respect that.— rwright611
- Amen to Hobbs! 99% of human beings get jobs to make money. Forget this passion and heart BS, that stuff is for little league. Hobbs will give 100% b/c he knows that his income depends on it. I agree with AG. All hobbs needs to do is play hard and if he is money hungry, god bless him. NBA salaries are another story though....— Philadel12
- Amen to Hobbs! 99% of human beings get jobs to make money. Forget this passion and heart BS, that stuff is for little league. Hobbs will give 100% b/c he knows that his income depends on it. I agree with AG. All hobbs needs to do is play hard and if he is money hungry, god bless him. NBA salaries are another story though....— Philadel12
- SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!— ahjii
- All I care about is parades...The eagles can talk all they want about how their way of doing business is so successful...yes, reid and company have been to 5 NFC championships, but have 0 superbowl victories to show for it...i'm getting sick of this, greedy players, greedy owners, allowing companies to put their logos on players practice uniforms, games outside the U.S., rumors of holding a super bowl in London or Mexico...it makes me sick!— relly142
- The Players and Owners are business poeple and negotiate the best they can. If Sheldon would have had or gets an injury and cannot play the Eagles would cut him and he loses any unguaranteed money. Right now his performance is at the level of players in the NFL getting a lot more money than he is. I don't blame him for wanting what he thinks he deserves and he is worth more in my opinion and should get it for his performance and durability. However Sheldon has himself in a weak negotiating position because his contract has 4 more years and Hobbs or someone else may outperform him for the starting CB spot. The Eagles can and will pay the CB who performs the best for the spot (Asante Samuel) unless that is Sheldon and the final decision on the performance will be Andy. As long as the Owners will take unhappy players from other teams in trades (Jason Peters, Terrell Owens, Ellis Hobbs) this business will continue and some of our favorite players and not so favorite players will be playing for other teams. As a diehard Eagles fan I just hope our favorite players can win Superbowls while they are here. The negotiating game is not going to change.— VegasEagleFan
- Of course. Now Mr. Ford, instead of spinning these fantasy stories about sport, why not write about the realities. Draft season just ended. Check out a random round of draft picks from 3-4 years back. Many (most?) have suffered serious injury in the NFL. Most only get to sign that one rookie contract where they have no leverage. The get a nice signing bonus that would make us all happy and get to play for league minimums for as long as a team will have them. Then they usually kick around for a few years and are out of the game with no marketable skills or future. All to enrich the likes of the Rooneys, Irsays, Johnsons and their fellow members of the lucky sperm club. I know it is a little harder for a sportswriter to sell this angle to the mindless masses than the envy the players angle, but at the end of the day, the NFL generates over $7 billion in revenue per year and the value of franchises has grown at a strong clip over the years...all on the backs of guys who are willing to lay their bodies on the line for our Sunday entertainment. Hopefully I speak for most fans when I say I would much rather see Ellis Hobbs and colleagues get big compensation for their efforts than any of the team owners.— jtj06
- the owners make tons of money, the players make pounds of money, if you are mad don't spend your ounces and the game or merchandise. hobbs get your papes stacked.— coachbarnes10
- So what? The numbers have more zeros, but that is the way it is for the vast majority of people who actully work. I don't understand why Philly fans get so upset. It is business.— dutchman
- It's called the 'business" of the NFL. Since free agency it has always been that way excluding a very few cases where the player actually would accept a cut to play. No big revelation here Bob. Just business as usual.— merlinknghts
- why is it so hard for some here to believe its a job!— Norm3
- Marian Hossa took less money to play for the Redwings, and it's working out pretty good for him so far. How many regular joes PAY to go to football fantasy camp, and these guys are complaining that $3, 5 or $7 million isn't enough, conveniently forgetting all about the HUGE signing bonus as well.— Bazalite
- Pro salaries are out of control?? Have you seen executives' salaries lately?
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About this blog
Bob Ford has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 1981, and is still trying to figure it all out. A former beat writer covering the Phillies and the 76ers, Ford became a general sports columnist for the Inquirer in 2003, following in and occasionally falling in the deep footsteps of Bill Lyon, Frank Dolson and many distinguished others. He comes to the Philly.com blogosphere after award-winning success as designer/editor of the fabulous Pen & Pencil Club softball blog. Likes: Palestra, inside-the-park home runs, sunny days. Dislikes: phony people, cloudy days, rewrites.
Reach Bob at bford@phillynews.com.
Bob Ford
Inquirer Sports Columnist
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