THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
The Eagles have signed all of their draft picks, except second-rounders Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson. If they had a first-round pick this year, he likely would not be signed, either.
We say that based on a entry in John Clayton's ESPN.com Insider blog. Only three first-rounders, including Penn Charter product Matt Ryan with the Falcons, and one second-rounder have signed.
The players union is seeking a Special Master to resolve a dispute involving guaranteed bonuses and how they are calculated within the rookie salary pool. Of course, anything with long-term contracts is complicated by the fact that 2011 -- or the fourth year of contracts signed this year -- is an uncapped year.
Here is an excerpt from Clayton's blog: "Under the rookie pool, base salaries can only increase 25 percent per year, but agents found a loophole in which a draft choice can receive a one-time bonus and guarantee it in the final year of the contract. This particularly affects second-round choices because they sign four-year deals. The problem in this summer's negotiations is that there is no collective bargaining agreement in 2011 so the fourth year of the contract can't be involved in any kind of guarantees."
The sides will present their arguments and the Special Master will rule next week. Of course, Eagles rookies are expected to report Monday night to Lehigh. The agents for Jackson and Laws have not returned calls from the Daily News this week.
It would be unfortunate if players who want to be in training camp are not because of a bigger issue outside their control. If a player holds out and falls behind, that is on him. You can't blame the players here who would be following the advice of their union and trying to protect their own interests.
Les Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News since 2002. Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Paul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at the paper covering the Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.
