Whose responsible for the misgivings of our youth?
Him or Herself?
His parents?
His coaches?
His agent?
Either way, someone is responsible for their thinking, their belief that everything should be given to them on a silver platter without the burden of proving they are actually worth it. Somebody is responsible for their misguide values. And in most cases, I blame their greedy agents.
Yes, as you may have already guessed, I'm talking about our pro athletes, who remind me of spoiled, greedy little kid who see nothing wrong in breaking their written word, or agreement as long as it means more bucks for them. And I don't want to hear about how a pro athlete has to make all the money they can in a short period of time on account of their careers being shorter than the average guy.
Yeah, well the average guy won't make anywhere near the amount of money a pro athlete does in a lifetime let alone in a short pro-athlete career...
But I digress.
Such is the case, I'm afraid to say, with Javon Walker. Here is an example of a young receiver with a boat-load of potential but his image of himself goes far beyond what he's actually proven. And for the world of football, and all professional sports for that matter, that's the key word: Proof. It's always about the proof.
And with that having been said, I don't care what anybody believes, one good year does not make an elite, top five receiver in a league rich with receiver talent.
Which is why I find myself wondering what makes Mr. Walker believe his argument is viable?
Okay, so he's proven that he can be the go-to man on the Packers after putting up some pretty good numbers last season. But one season surely doesn't make him the second coming of Sterling, does it? I mean, come on, let's see at least two consecutive seasons of those kinds of stats before you start demanding a bigger contract. Let's see what his numbers of last season for what they really are, good numbers, not great numbers. And again, having only done it one year thus far makes it a small peg to put your hat, Mr. Walker.
Mr. Walker wants everyone to show him the same kind of respect and gratitude as they do for all the other seasoned, top receivers in the league. Only thing is, and Mr. Walker seems to have forgotten this fact, he's not one of the seasoned, top receivers in the league. Yet.
And I say yet because I do think he can be a top five receiver in this league, but he certainly hasn't proven that with just a single season of good numbers under his belt.
Mr. Walker scoffs at the suggestion of him going back out again this season and having to prove his worth. He feels the Packers organization should take his career numbers as proof he is one of the top receivers in the NFL. Hold the phone!
This is where I get confused. Considering he's only been in the NFL for three years, and the first two years were anything but sparkling, where are those numbers he's talking about?
I mean, in 2003 wasn't exactly a Pro Bowl year for Mr. Walker. As a matter of fact, his numbers were not exactly top five numbers, either. Truth is, his numbers weren't even top thirty numbers. Yup, in 2003 he led the team in receiving with 41 receptions for 716 yards and zero touchdowns. But are those stats top receiver numbers? I don't think so.
And in his rookie year with the Packers, he had 23 catches for 319 yards and zero touchdowns. Not exactly what you'd call a stellar year by any stretch of the imagination either.
Which brings me to another point of interest. You know what might be a good measuring stick for Mr. Walker's next pay raise? The total number of TD's he's put up as a Packer. Yeah, let's see, that total number is, ah, Zero!
So I ask again, where are the numbers Mr. Walker thinks merit him a pay raise to the top five receivers in the league? And here's another thought: Is this the type of numbers Mr. Walker considers satisfactory in this league to warrant a top five paycheck? If so, at least it will be pretty hard to have an off season with mediocre stats like that year in and year out. But remember Mr. Walker believes those numbers are worthy of a top five paycheck.
And then there's the fact that he's holding out to get what he feels he's got coming. That alone sort of puts a bad taste in your mouth.
But this is where our youth of today in professional sports have really gone astray. They can't wait to get into the NFL, or the NBA, or the MLB, so they can make the big bucks. They come in all smiling and raring to go. They sign a contract promising that they'll play for the money that they agreed upon. Everything is hunky-dory. And then all of a sudden, the next thing that seemingly comes out of their mouth after a year or three is they want more money and they don't care about their signed contract. Suddenly they feel they don't have to honor their deal. Let's just tear it up and give me more money!
And as is evident in most cases, if they don't get it then they go home and pout. Throw a temper tantrum and hold out until they either get what they want or they get traded to a team that will pay the inflated contract only because they're hard up for players. And in the case of Darren Sharper, not even good players. And suddenly a team sport is reduced to a self-centered venture that the players think is okay.
Mr. Walker was quoted as saying football fans only see this situation from the fan's point of view and not the business side. But where in any business does a company pay for goods they might get in place of goods they are getting? He has still yet to prove he can deliver those goods consistently. Which brings us full circle here. Not only does Mr. Walker think his performance warrants big money, but he's proving that he will break his word on a signed deal to get it. Too bad. Doesn't say much for his character.
And his argument is that teams have the right to cut players without pay if their performance slips, but they certainly don't cut players assuming that their performance is going to slip. They wait and see the proof and then they conduct business.
Do not get me wrong here, I believe Mr. Walker can, and will, prove his worth to both himself and to the Packer organization, but let's just wait and see it done before committing the big bucks. Too many times it's the teams who get burned after paying their "star" players big contracts only to see them slip in their performance. Need I bring up the Cletidus Hunt ordeal the Packers are currently going through? And that's only the recent in a history of that sort of thing.
So I firmly believe that Mr. Walker should stop listening to his scumbag agent, whose only concern is to line his own pocket, and do what's right and far more important; honor your word and contract and prove to everyone that you are the receiver you believe yourself to be. You know the old saying; the proof is in the pudding . . . and so far, Mr. Walker hasn't even gotten the pudding to thicken yet let alone come up with a recipe that'll win a blue ribbon, or in this case a Super Bowl trophy.