Morgan Extends!!!

productivity includes actually playing

 

2003- Morgan on the field Panthers 11-1
Not on the field 0-4

May not be "one of the best linebackers in the NFL" but, he's healthy, the Panthers are better.

 

:laugher: Yes, this of course is where we differ. From my perspective, you can't ever learn without having some idea of who is "right." If you cannot differentiate between opinions, and make some evaluation as to the quality of the argument, then you're absolutely never going to learn. If you can't tell that my argument is better than an argument founded on Mike Golic's opinion, how will you learn? And of course I've always maintained that most people (not just here but in life) don't want to learn so much as they want to be accepted. Never establishing the relative quality of opinions and never classifying any opinion as wrong is obviously a great way of giving wider acceptance, but it's largely meaningless. In cases such as that, your opinion was accepted just for being here, not because you earned it.

Caring about being "right" is what allows me to acknowledge when I'm wrong and shift at the drop of a hat. I value the validity of my positions much more than appearance or status, so I don't mind adjusting when I learn something new or simply realize that I made a mistake. And quite frankly, if at some level you didn't know that being right was more important than being accepted, it wouldn't put you off so much that I obviously do care.



magnus:
I don't mind that Morgan is popular, as fans often make strange choices in who they latch on to. What bothers me is the perception that popularity drives some of our decisions as to who we keep and who we don't. Maybe that isn't happening, but if it is, that's definitely unwise. And sure, Morgan is better than a lot of starting middle linebackers in this league when healthy, but the question is, how much better? $5 million better? I think we both agree that he isn't.



Trashman1962:

Barrow averaged 6.3 tackles per game over the first four seasons in which he actually played, versus Morgan's 6.9. But yes, there is the small matter of Barrow having 20 sacks over that same period of time, versus Morgan's 4. And Morgan certainly does have him in interceptions, but Barrow was better in coverage, as evidenced by the rather large advantage in PDs. And let's not forget that Barrow went on to be even better than Morgan has shown himself to be so far. It is certainly possible for Morgan to eventually become the superior player, but as of now, his best season (2004) doesn't come close to Barrow's best seasons.



alexethanmysons:
According to NFL.com, that is not correct. Morgan played against Tennessee, Dallas, and Philadelphia in 2003, all of which were losses. Moreover, he was on the field for 8 of our 9 losses last season (while being absent for three of our wins). We also went 3-6 with him in the lineup during 2002, as opposed to 4-3 without him. But sure, having Morgan on the field does make us a better team, the question is how much better? I don't think anyone has yet made an argument that he makes us $5 million better. Moreover, having him constantly in and out of the lineup is a major disruption for our defense. There is some legitimacy in the thought that a slightly lesser player who is likely to play every week would be preferable to a slightly more productive player who might play and might not.

 

2004

Morgan 109 tackles in 12 games.
Spoon 110 in 16 games.

Everyone is on Morgan because of his health and everyone loves Spoon. Morgan is more productive, bottom line. I hope they re- sign Spoon. The fact is Morgan is a difference maker, Spoon is not.

It's going to be interesting to see everone change their tune about Morgan after a healthy season and posts big numbers. Yes, it is possible.

 

those stats are incorrect

Witherspoon
103 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 ints

Morgan
101, 2 , 2

 

These stats are at panthers.com.

 

Morgan beat Witherspoon per game in '04 (although by less if you include sacks, INTs, and PDs), but Witherspoon beat Morgan per game in '03. The fact is that neither player is a "difference-maker," as neither exerts force on an opposing offense the way that Peppers and Jenkins can, or any of the league's best linebackers. I will say that Morgan is definitely more talented than Witherspoon, but Witherspoon also plays every week.

 

Interesting from PFT:

MORGAN PROTECTS 2006-07 MONEY



The package given by the Carolina Panthers to linebacker Dan Morgan could end up being, in essence, a one-year, $6.5 million deal. (Actually, since he was already scheduled to make $800,000 in 2005, it would be a one-year, $6.2 million deal.)



Prior to the tenth day of the 2006 league year, the Panthers must decide whether to pay a $4 million roster bonus. Also in 2006, Morgan will receive a $500,000 reporting bonus and a $545,000 salary.



Given Morgan's history of injuries (he's missed 22 games in only four seasons), there's no guarantee that Carolina will choose to keep him beyond 2005. He's had a history of concussions -- and we're told that he's possibly one more concussion away from retirement.



So to protect the $4.5 million in bonus money in 2006 and another $2.5 million due in 2007, we're told that Morgan will purchase an insurance policy that would pay him the lost bonus money if he misses any time (game or practice) due to injury, and if the Panthers later don't pay either the 2006 or the 2007 bonus money.



The cost of the policy is in the ballpark of $300,000. But it's likely worth it, under these circumstances. Because if Morgan suffers another serious case of bumpus-on-the-nogginus, that $7 million in bonus money for 2006 and 2007 will go bye-bye.



So the end result for Morgan is a minimum one-year deal worth more than the 2005 franchise tender for linebackers, which was $5.95 million, and an additional $7 million in bonus money over the two following years that will be paid even if Morgan is sucking soup through a straw come December.

 

They extend his contract and everyone bitches. If they had not re-signed him and let him leave, everyone bitches.

I guess that means everyone is going to bitch, regardless.

 

Not really. I didn't bitch about Muhammad leaving, nor did many others even though many of us really liked the guy. Many of us had already taken the position that we'd rather see Morgan go than pay him a ton of money. I wonder if your response has to do with finding out that Morgan's won/loss record wasn't as good as you thought, or finding out that 'Spoon was better per game in '03.