I understand that, but those other WR's don't come up limping with freak injuries every other game. Let's say we give him his extension and then he gets another concussion next year and is done. People will be on here complaining that we gave an aging, injury-prone WR a contract extension, just like we did with Wayne.
That's the luck of the draw. Did you see how Justin Miller got hurt? It looked exactly like an ordinary play. How about when Kiwanuka broke his fibula, or when Toomer rolled up on Shockey and broke his fibula? Three guys broke their fibulas on the Giants in a couple of weeks this year. Does that make them over the hill? When that fickle finger finds you, does that make you 'injury-prone'? You can see that a guy is a sitting duck jumping up for a ball on the sidelines in front of a charging CB, right? Just consider that when at least half of your alternatives are shut down, the defensive back is a lot more in control of the situation. Depends on how you're hit, or how you come down. I don't think you can over-emphasize the impact of an OL that just ain't stopping anybody for more than 2 seconds on every pass play.
My take on this is Coles is under contract for 2 more years at a decent salary. What I would do is sit the man down and hash out a number of options that make sense for both sides. 1. Play one more year under the current contract, but offer a 2 year extension which kicks in next year as a tender offer. That means he would be signed through 2011. I also think that in the years upcoming it will be important to build incentive based pay into the contract. 2, Define the future for Coles. What are our expectations. Personally, I would be looking to evolve Coles into a Chrebet-type of role with time. I think he can still be very productive down the road in that role. What we need is a true #1 WR with height and speed. I see Coles being able to slowly transition to the slot with time. I also think this will extend Coles' career and productivity. 3. The last option is that if this guy continues to whine and be uncooperative; trade him now while he is worth something.
I think your approach is very intelligent. Randy Moss is put in motion a lot to get him in the open. The same was done for Plaxico because he was hurt and it gave him an advantage. There's no question that Coles' static wide-out positioning results in either he runs off the CB on a deep route, or gets smashed by the CB on a short route. I also agree that building the extension of time with a trail of incentives will give him a carrot to strike for. My issue was that he wants more time commitment, so he should be given more time. I also feel as do you that there should be some fiscal give and take as well. I believe the entire team is watching how Coles, one of their real no-kidding heroes, will be treated by the NYJ. It is not a glib matter.
