Bruce Irvin @ Hawks BB game 5/13/15 quote

[Missing_Clink]

Bruce is an athletic marvel but the dude is dumber than a bag of rocks. Is anyone surprised he would pop off with something like this? I'm not. Yea, he's upset the team didn't pick up the option. That's obvious. Unfortunately for Bruce and his agent, Bruce isn't smart enough to shut up and focus on killing it on the field this year.

 

[Hawknballs]

This doesn't matter, aside from being annoying to fans.

Nothing is set in stone. He still has to play this year, and play well -for us- (unless traded) to earn a contract next year from Atlanta or Seattle or any other team. Means zero.

He's kind of a dummy but for the time being he's our dummy, so hopefully he plays well this season, and that's all that matters to me. Very little chance he'd be with the team beyond next season in any regard. We don't have the money for his spot if we plan on keeping Wagner, period end of discussion. I'm sure he and his agent have already discussed that, and that's his approach.

 

[JimmyG]

We seem to follow a very familiar pattern here:

1 - Admiration and appreciation for said player

2 - Tremendous fan loyalty to the player

3 - Expectations player loyalty is shared with team

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

4 - Denigrating the player

5 - Piling on

6 - Attacking the player in other areas

7 - Being shocked that the player is not "being loyal"

8 - Dismissing the value of the player

PLAYER SIGNS

9 - Going right back to being huge fans of the player


PLAYER LEAVES

9 - Spending massive amounts of time trying to justify why that player was not really that good.


Last year, Marshawn was being ripped for "wanting too much" when his presence was important to both the offense & defense, and his success was the #1 contributor to team success. Yet his position forced him to take significant punishment that will impact his quality of life for years to come.

This year, we see plenty of people ripping Wilson for doing the same thing.

Now we have Irvin, who is understandably upset that he won't be getting the big contract and is clearly taking some of this personally. They ask him, at what seems to be an Atlanta basketball game where emotion is already flowing through all the attendees - where he wants to play. He answers Atlanta.

I am pretty sure that if a team came offering 1.5x what Atlanta offered he would pick that, but in the middle of an emotional playoff game? Is anyone really that shocked at his answer - especially considering that is nearer his original home?

I am more shocked that people are shocked.

Very well said all around.

If he signs an extension, we'll hear about how he's on the verge of being elite, took a big step forward last season, etc... if he goes, the loss will be minimized.

In fairness, this happens on all team message boards.

 

[Hasselbeck]

It doesn't feel right that the cool new trend is to be unhappy in Seattle. I know this isn't much in a vacuum, but the overall feel just doesn't seem right. There isn't a team in the league that would have picked up that option. He's whining for the sake of whining. Does it feel a bit like the first bricks are starting to fall off the castle, or am I reading way too much into this?

Reading way too much into it.

Irvin clearly isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, but I think even he had to know the money was not going to be there when KJ Wright got an extension and he didn't.

Where Irvin really screwed up was saying he's going to Atlanta no matter what. Now the Falcons can low ball the hell out of him and no other team will bother to try to negotiate sooo Bruce better hope he has one hell of a season, or his mouth just cost himself millions.

 

[Hawknballs]

It doesn't feel right that the cool new trend is to be unhappy in Seattle. I know this isn't much in a vacuum, but the overall feel just doesn't seem right. There isn't a team in the league that would have picked up that option. He's whining for the sake of whining. Does it feel a bit like the first bricks are starting to fall off the castle, or am I reading way too much into this?

This is just how you separate the mentally weak players from the ones that have their act together and should stay on the team. It works for us so we can cycle in new guys, which has to happen anyways thanks to the salary cap.

 

[Hawkfan77]

We seem to follow a very familiar pattern here:

1 - Admiration and appreciation for said player

2 - Tremendous fan loyalty to the player

3 - Expectations player loyalty is shared with team

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

4 - Denigrating the player

5 - Piling on

6 - Attacking the player in other areas

7 - Being shocked that the player is not "being loyal"

8 - Dismissing the value of the player

PLAYER SIGNS

9 - Going right back to being huge fans of the player


PLAYER LEAVES

9 - Spending massive amounts of time trying to justify why that player was not really that good.


Last year, Marshawn was being ripped for "wanting too much" when his presence was important to both the offense & defense, and his success was the #1 contributor to team success. Yet his position forced him to take significant punishment that will impact his quality of life for years to come.

This year, we see plenty of people ripping Wilson for doing the same thing.

Now we have Irvin, who is understandably upset that he won't be getting the big contract and is clearly taking some of this personally. They ask him, at what seems to be an Atlanta basketball game where emotion is already flowing through all the attendees - where he wants to play. He answers Atlanta.

I am pretty sure that if a team came offering 1.5x what Atlanta offered he would pick that, but in the middle of an emotional playoff game? Is anyone really that shocked at his answer - especially considering that is nearer his original home?

I am more shocked that people are shocked.

Very well said all around.

If he signs an extension, we'll hear about how he's on the verge of being elite, took a big step forward last season, etc... if he goes, the loss will be minimized.

In fairness, this happens on all team message boards.

I may have missed it but who is complaining about his production on the field? I think he's on the verge of being elite but his antics off the field are growing tiresome.

You know it's not impossible and it's actually OK to think a player is good but still not want them on the team...

 

[Hawkfan77]

It doesn't feel right that the cool new trend is to be unhappy in Seattle. I know this isn't much in a vacuum, but the overall feel just doesn't seem right. There isn't a team in the league that would have picked up that option. He's whining for the sake of whining. Does it feel a bit like the first bricks are starting to fall off the castle, or am I reading way too much into this?

Reading way too much into it.

Irvin clearly isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, but I think even he had to know the money was not going to be there when KJ Wright got an extension and he didn't.

Where Irvin really screwed up was saying he's going to Atlanta no matter what. Now the Falcons can low ball the hell out of him and no other team will bother to try to negotiate sooo Bruce better hope he has one hell of a season, or his mouth just cost himself millions.

Ya I don't agree there's some anti hawk trend in the lockerroom. A couple isolated incidents that will be dealt with soon enough.

 

[volsunghawk]

This doesn't bother me AT ALL.


As a previous poster said - he's in a contract year. I'm not worried about his on field performance, whatsoever.

Plus, just consider for a second - The Hawks have all but indicated that they're not planning on pursuing Bruce after this season by not picking up his option. That's fine. I love Bruce, but we can't keep em' all.

So, if the Hawks can express their intentions by not resigning, why can't Bruce?

I hope he has a phenomenal year, and either makes re-signing him a must, or drives his market value up, and he gets paid handsomely by some other team.

Well, except that the Hawks said they hope to sign him long term...

Yeah, but with Wilson and Wagner about to get paid, and the Hawks not picking up his option, that suggests that he feels that he'll have a better shot of getting paid what he wants somewhere else.

I don't mind Irvin saying he wants to be in Atlanta. Maybe he just wants to go home. He had the good fortune of already getting a ring in his short career so far, so he can chase money and familiarity all he wants now. If he has the option of possibly getting paid more than he would in Seattle, and he gets to go home and play for a coach he knows (and ostensibly likes), that sounds like a really good deal for him. Not as much for the Hawks, but I don't see Irvin as irreplaceable.

All that being said, I imagine his agent is more furious with him than anyone in the Hawks organization or on this board.

 

[Tical21]

It doesn't feel right that the cool new trend is to be unhappy in Seattle. I know this isn't much in a vacuum, but the overall feel just doesn't seem right. There isn't a team in the league that would have picked up that option. He's whining for the sake of whining. Does it feel a bit like the first bricks are starting to fall off the castle, or am I reading way too much into this?

Reading way too much into it.

Irvin clearly isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, but I think even he had to know the money was not going to be there when KJ Wright got an extension and he didn't.

Where Irvin really screwed up was saying he's going to Atlanta no matter what. Now the Falcons can low ball the hell out of him and no other team will bother to try to negotiate sooo Bruce better hope he has one hell of a season, or his mouth just cost himself millions.

Ya I don't agree there's some anti hawk trend in the lockerroom. A couple isolated incidents that will be dealt with soon enough.

It's just that they should be loving us.

We've focused our whole gameplan around Marshawn, given him space to be himself, paid him quite well, and embraced his personality. There shouldn't be any anti-Hawk sentiment there.

Just last year we paid Michael Bennett a very fair contract. He just got to play in two Super Bowls. We move him around to let him make the most of his matchups. He should be loving us. Yet we get trade demands.

We took Bruce Irvin higher than anybody else ever dreamed, which paid him more money. We hung by him through his suspension and idiocy. He played in two Super Bowls with us. We groomed him into an every down player when he wasn't one before. He should be incredibly thankful for what we've done for him. Yet he comes out with this.

Something just doesn't feel right. Who is next?

 

[volsunghawk]

It doesn't feel right that the cool new trend is to be unhappy in Seattle. I know this isn't much in a vacuum, but the overall feel just doesn't seem right. There isn't a team in the league that would have picked up that option. He's whining for the sake of whining. Does it feel a bit like the first bricks are starting to fall off the castle, or am I reading way too much into this?

Reading way too much into it.

Irvin clearly isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, but I think even he had to know the money was not going to be there when KJ Wright got an extension and he didn't.

Where Irvin really screwed up was saying he's going to Atlanta no matter what. Now the Falcons can low ball the hell out of him and no other team will bother to try to negotiate sooo Bruce better hope he has one hell of a season, or his mouth just cost himself millions.

Ya I don't agree there's some anti hawk trend in the lockerroom. A couple isolated incidents that will be dealt with soon enough.

It's just that they should be loving us.

We've focused our whole gameplan around Marshawn, given him space to be himself, paid him quite well, and embraced his personality. There shouldn't be any anti-Hawk sentiment there.

Just last year we paid Michael Bennett a very fair contract. He just got to play in two Super Bowls. We move him around to let him make the most of his matchups. He should be loving us. Yet we get trade demands.

We took Bruce Irvin higher than anybody else ever dreamed, which paid him more money. We hung by him through his suspension and idiocy. He played in two Super Bowls with us. We groomed him into an every down player when he wasn't one before. He should be incredibly thankful for what we've done for him. Yet he comes out with this.

Something just doesn't feel right. Who is next?

The only one of the three guys you mentioned who ever suggested playing for another team was Irvin. Bennett refuted rumors about wanting a trade, and Lynch never mentioned any other teams.

In other words, it's not about disliking the team or being "anti-Hawk." It's about money for Lynch and Bennett (and seeing as both are approaching an age when the Seahawks tend to have to make tough calls about cutting guys, that's understandable to a degree). And even Irvin's comments don't paint the Hawks in a negative light - especially if you consider that he is FROM Atlanta, already has a ring, and didn't have his option picked up.

 

[JimmyG]

I may have missed it but who is complaining about his production on the field? I think he's on the verge of being elite but his antics off the field are growing tiresome.

You know it's not impossible and it's actually OK to think a player is good but still not want them on the team...

Just wait.

 

[TwistedHusky]

However,

I keep seeing people pointing out that this is something the team needed to do. Yes the team needed him, yes he is effective (very) at LB, but as much as they need him they need the 8M more to sign other guys they need more.

Sure he watched guys like Earl and Kam get contracts and shown the love. Sure he was a team player and stopped focusing just on the high profile sacks, and providing more all around LB play that was needed. And he seemed to do a decent job of keeping contain, stopping the RB in his area, getting off blocks or covering a TE when needed - but the team had to make sacrifices and they had to look in other areas.

In short, he shouldn't take it personally.

Yet what are a bunch of fans doing when he gets upset/frustrated when faced with this and admits his frustration with how the team moved?

They take it personally.

I think he is a good player, and think we will miss him if he leaves. I don't believe that a public display of frustration right after being told he is not getting his option year picked up is a just cause to move on from him. He has tremendous value to the team, in his role + abilities.

Frustration in May does not automatically == frustration in Dec

 

[SirTed]

However,

I keep seeing people pointing out that this is something the team needed to do. Yes the team needed him, yes he is effective (very) at LB, but as much as they need him they need the 8M more to sign other guys they need more.

Sure he watched guys like Earl and Kam get contracts and shown the love. Sure he was a team player and stopped focusing just on the high profile sacks, and providing more all around LB play that was needed. And he seemed to do a decent job of keeping contain, stopping the RB in his area, getting off blocks or covering a TE when needed - but the team had to make sacrifices and they had to look in other areas.

In short, he shouldn't take it personally.

Yet what are a bunch of fans doing when he gets upset/frustrated when faced with this and admits his frustration with how the team moved?

They take it personally.

I think he is a good player, and think we will miss him if he leaves. I don't believe that a public display of frustration right after being told he is not getting his option year picked up is a just cause to move on from him. He has tremendous value to the team, in his role + abilities.

Frustration in May does not automatically == frustration in Dec

Bless you.

 

[northseahawk]

Did he mention playing for the Falcons next year?? I think he just said he wants to be in Atlanta next year. What if he is just trolling everyone or whoever reported this just twisted comments around and came up with this. He is going to be in Atlanta next year in the offseason because thats where he is from. If the dude so badly wants out, he could just say it openly instead of telling such a thing to some unknown reporter at a basketball game where he would probably high or drunk as hell.

 

[dontbelikethat]

His agent is like.... :34853_doh:

Hope we can end up keeping him or at least he plays out his final year like he did last year. His first two seasons were decent, but then he really turned it on last year. It was pretty obvious imo that his 5th year option was never going to get picked up. If he doesn't want to be here though, then it is what it is. PC&JS already told him that they wanted to keep him. Too much good players and not enough $$.

Excited for KPL.

 

[Hawks46]

This doesn't bother me AT ALL.


As a previous poster said - he's in a contract year. I'm not worried about his on field performance, whatsoever.

Plus, just consider for a second - The Hawks have all but indicated that they're not planning on pursuing Bruce after this season by not picking up his option. That's fine. I love Bruce, but we can't keep em' all.

So, if the Hawks can express their intentions by not resigning, why can't Bruce?

I hope he has a phenomenal year, and either makes re-signing him a must, or drives his market value up, and he gets paid handsomely by some other team.

Well, that's incorrect. The only thing it means by the Hawks not picking up his option, is that they didn't want to pay him $7.8 million this year. No other team in the league would've either. Not saying he's not a good player, because I don't think he's hit his ceiling personally, but not with last year's production.

The one thing he would've done is hurt his trade value to Atlanta. The problem is, there is no trade value to Atlanta. Anyone know who Atlanta's 1st round draft pick was ? The Falcons don't need two of those players. He can whine all he wants, he's not going there for anything more than a value contract.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Did he mention playing for the Falcons next year?? I think he just said he wants to be in Atlanta next year. What if he is just trolling everyone or whoever reported this just twisted comments around and came up with this. He is going to be in Atlanta next year in the offseason because thats where he is from. If the dude so badly wants out, he could just say it openly instead of telling such a thing to some unknown reporter at a basketball game where he would probably high or drunk as hell.

It's just a dumb thing to say or tweet.

If he's pissed and wants out, then he should bust his ass on the field this year and make his open market value skyrocket. Not kill any leverage and negotiating power he and his agent have by telling everyone he ONLY wants to play in Atlanta.

Just confirms that Bruce isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

 

[vin.couve12]

Obviously it's understandable that the average fan takes things far too personally and emotionally about things like this, but the flaming and blatant name calling of Irvin is uncalled for. He proved himself a playmaker this season and sees that a guy like Wright, who isn't a playmaker, has a nice contract that is probably more than what he's worth and also sees that Avril has a nice fat contract and knows he had more sacks than Avril last year in a part time role no less. On top of that, he sees a QB who's trying to take money out of other player's pockets when he really hasn't earned the fattest contract ever and a teammate who plays next to him who has actually earned a top LB contract.

Where is he supposed to think he fits in? Would he not like to play at home with a DC who he's familiar with?

I think there's a lot of irony in calling the guy "whiney" or worse. Probably ought to check yourself before your wreck yourself.

 

[vin.couve12]

At any rate, assuming this relationship can't be repaired it makes the most sense to trade him this offseason where we can get something in return. Maybe throw in Baldwin for a bigger payoff. He's going to be another headache at some point and would be closer to home too.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Obviously it's understandable that the average fan takes things far too personally and emotionally about things like this, but the flaming and blatant name calling of Irvin is uncalled for. He proved himself a playmaker this season and sees that a guy like Wright, who isn't a playmaker, has a nice contract that is probably more than what he's worth and also sees that Avril has a nice fat contract and knows he had more sacks than Avril last year in a part time role no less. On top of that, he sees a QB who's trying to take money out of other player's pockets when he really hasn't earned the fattest contract ever and a teammate who plays next to him who has actually earned a top LB contract.

Where is he supposed to think he fits in? Would he not like to play at home with a DC who he's familiar with?

I think there's a lot of irony in calling the guy "whiney" or worse. Probably ought to check yourself before your wreck yourself.

All we're saying is it was dumb for him to continue to say and tweet dumb things that aren't helping his cause. IMO he's delusional if he actually thinks he earned his option.

#1 thing in this league that earns you the most money..............consistency, and my friend Irvin has been anything but. Flashes of brilliance inbetween long periods of low productivity. That does not equal 7.8M option, nor a new long term huge deal equaling what his fellow D-lineman make.

It equals no option for you and at most a middle of the road 2-3 year extension offer, which is what Schneider said they were working on.