FA Conventional Wisdom: I guess Fraley and Fells didn't get the memo

[AvengerRam_old]

I recall at the start of FA that some people opined that no FA would go to the Rams if another team... particularly a winning team... showed an interest.

Well, Daniel Fells returned to the Rams after being pursued by the Patriots.

Hank Fraley signed with the Rams after the Steelers reportedly showed interest (not to mention the Chiefs).

I think that some FAs - typically those who have never won a Super Bowl and are near the end of their careers - do try to catch on with contenders. Those types of veterans are not, however, the FAs the Rams are most likely to pursue.

There are a lot of reasons why a FA might choose a team. Money, of course. Style of play. Familiarity with coaching staff. Geography.

The notion that no FA will sign with a 1-15 team is simply incorrect.

[thickandthin]

Re: FA Conventional Wisdom: I guess Fraley and Fells didn't get the memo

I think they are sort of like being SJax to me, like wanting to be able to say (when the franchise gets turned around) "I helped us get to here." ya know what I mean?

[RebelYell]

Re: FA Conventional Wisdom: I guess Fraley and Fells didn't get the memo

There are a lot of reasons why a FA might choose a team. Money, of course. Style of play. Familiarity with coaching staff. Geography.

And I'll bet if you look back through the free agent signings where money was the motivation, they end up being less than stellar signings. If the team scheme isn't right for their style, if the coaches don't like them or if the motivation isn't there, success is highly unlikely. Buying a player who is just interested in getting a paycheck is a recipe for failure.

[thickandthin]

Re: FA Conventional Wisdom: I guess Fraley and Fells didn't get the memo

And I'll bet if you look back through the free agent signings where money was the motivation, they end up being less than stellar signings. If the team scheme isn't right for their style, if the coaches don't like them or if the motivation isn't there, success is highly unlikely. Buying a player who is just interested in getting a paycheck is a recipe for failure.

like Albert Haynesworth to skins?

[RebelYell]

Re: FA Conventional Wisdom: I guess Fraley and Fells didn't get the memo

like Albert Haynesworth to skins?

He certainly disappointed a lot of people in Washington.

For the Rams the guys that come to the top of the list for me are Eric Hill, Chris Claiborne, Robert Smith (see a trend?), Leslie O'Neal, Dwayne White, Seehorn, Ryan McNeal. Lot of those guys had rumors swirl about them that they were horrible in the locker room because they were all about the money. They were talking on the radio one day about a few of those guys. Ryan McNeal would supposed sit at his locker after every game on his cell phone and analyze his performance with his agent. Win or loss, it was about how it impacted his next contract.

For the NFL as a whole I'd say Scott Mitchell, Dale Carter, Gabe Wilkens (Rams fans were desperate to get the guy and thankfully we didn't offer ENOUGH), Emmit Smith / Edge James in Arizona... A lot of guys like that.