Rumor: St. Louis and Miami in a bidding war over Atogwe

I dont see it, they arent dumping a sheet load of cash for this guy, coming off 2 pretty big injures.....forget what rumors, and fanhouse is saying.....if the price is right, they we will do it, but I can see somebody overpaying for him..

 

I have heard that Clark's plans were really never to come to Miami. I heard all along he was going to re sign with the Steelers no matter what, but was just testing waters for a little bit. He said it wasn't about the money and I remember how he left early from the visit to go resign back with the Steelers.

Rolle on the other hand, I don't think we really wanted that bad. I'm sure we would have taken him for the right price, but I think our team was more intrigued in Sharper and Atogwe. Because word got out about a month and a half ago that Atogwe wasn't going to sign the tender and become a UFA. I still think we are going to make a push, for the reason that our FS spot is week and the fact that we just got rid of two overpaid contracts in Smiley and Torbor. It seems like we are trying to free up some space to bring someone in.

 

Well, there are significant differences. First, Wilson had some success as a FS in NY before being misused in Oakland. He has a SS body, but a FS mentality. He wasn't very successful here that was obvious, but he still represented better than what we had (we had lost R. Hill and the draft for Clemons had not even occurred). He was one of the top couple of S available. He did not work out, no doubt, but some of that had to do with our dearth of coverage ability by the ILBs.

There is a chance that Atogwe won't work out either and if he's signed, we'll all have the same high expectations as we did for Wilson, but I believe that Atogwe is a much better FS than Wilson ever was. Additionally, we've shored up the ILB position as well so that there'll be less of a chance that whoever is playing FS will get caught out of position trying to make up for deficiencies of the ILBs. If the Nolan Pressure Plan works along the DL, that'll make things that much better for the Ss and the CBs anyway.

I still suspect we will not land Atogwe. I think that Ireland will or has made a fair offer for a guy who is in the second tier of Ss in the league, but very good. If he wants to come here, it'll be on those terms...jmvho. I think he will be very satisfied to stay in StL. for equal money...

 

Well, we made (reportedly) a slightly better offer than Pitts, but it was obvious that he really wanted to stay there. For nearly the same money and to not have to uproot his family, learn a new system, on a team that was still rebuilding, etc...that was his decision and one I very well may have made in his situation.... I also read that he changed his mind while here and just left, but that's fine. It's not like we are one piece away from a championship or that we blew him away with an offer...

As to Rolle, remember he was a hometown boy and his interest in coming here probably had a lot to do with that. As I recall, the G-men offered him more than the Fins or Arizona. This regime has a methodology in how they approach and bid for FAs. They made what they considered to be a fair offer. We were simply outbid. I suppose they were more interested in either Sharper or Atogwe, as I would be too, but I doubt they were 'waiting' on either Sharper or Atogwe. The indications were that Sharper and the Saints had a wink-nod agreement for when he was declared healthy and that proved to be pretty much the case. There was no way they were hoping that Atogwe would become available. The fact that the Rams are still in the running for him indicates that it was a big risk to bind our hopes of finding a solid FS to Atogwe. I just don't think they'd operate that way. They must feel they have options on the roster...Many of us don't agree, but then we don't see these kids every day either...

 

If only I could write those checks......

 

Atogwe is looking for a Monopoly Money type of deal. This was put up today.

Posted by Mike Florio on June 3, 2010 7:53 AM ET
The Detroit Lions, who could use a strong complement to promising second-year safety Louis Delmas, have emerged as a potential suitor for free-agent safety O.J. Atogwe.

According to Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com, the Lions are taking a "hard look" at Atogwe, the Rams' franchise player in 2009 who secured his freedom as of June 2 after the Rams opted not to re-issue his restricted free agency tender. Doing so would have bumped his salary from $1.226 million to nearly $7 million, due to an esoteric CBA rule with which we've sufficiently bored you in the past.

Kowalski reports that Atogwe's salary demands are "extremely high," which helps explain the absence of a quick deal. So either his expectations will drop or he'll wait for someone to overpay.

The Rams remain the team most likely to land Atogwe, but the Dolphins are in the mix, too.

 

Hey, I grew up in St. Louis, left at age 27 about 31 years ago. It is a great place to be from!

 

Any updates today on this suppose bidding war? I've read where its true and its not true.

 

This is from the Post Dispatch up there. This guy Bernie is a reporter in St. Louis. As far as I know, this is what was put up today from a broadcast on radio with the Rams GM yesterday. I will see if I can find what I read in regards to OJ and his agent believe he should be the highest paid FS in the NFL.

From Bernie Miklasz:

I thought Billy Devaney explained it pretty well in so many words: they have offered a lot -- he claims the Rams have "gone beyond and above" what they wanted to pay in a multi-year deal. But Atogwe and his rep clearly believe there's a better contract out there than what the Rams are offering. The Rams are betting that there isn't a better contract out there.

In other words: the Rams have one value on Atogwe, and Atogwe and his rep have a different opinion on what that value should be.

 

Yeah, he wants to stay in St. Louis and is trying to get other bidders. Rude awakening for him is that no one really cares that he's available.

No one.

Oh well. Once he comes down off his delusional 'price' he'll get work.

 

Sharper? Why didnt we bring Sharper in and make him an offer then? Reports were only the Saints and Jax made Sharper an offer. Considering a lot of fans were all over Sharper, if we brought him in and made him an offer, someone would have wrote about it.

As for Rolle, you dont offer a guy a 30 million contract unless you want him.

 

Can someone just sign him already!? The anticipation is killing me...I can't sleep!

 

I sacrificed 2 kitty cats to the football gods to make sure this happens for us. While sitting naked in a bean bag chair eating cheetos.

 

Vick would be proud.

 

Thats EXACTLY what is going on. He may have a few teams interested but not at the price his agent has set, whatever that is. Even his present team, the Rams are not that dumb. The skins just said the same thing about the price being too high. As I have said, Atogwe is good but not in the amount of dollars his agent is asking. He will end up back with the Rams and dislocate his other shoulder and it will be another bad decision by the Rams piled onto the 8 thousand other bad decisions by the Rams. There is no mystery at all here folks. Atowes agent is asking, what apparently, is the moon for him. All the teams know the asking price. Let him stay with the Rams and steal their money. Their fans will cheer victory, he always was coming here all along and then cry when he is hit with a piece of steel girder falling from the Edward Jones Dome and miss the entire season. Watch, the Rams are so badly cursed.

O.J. Atogwe-DB- Rams Jun. 3 - 3:43 pm et


Coach Mike Shanahan suggested that the Redskins are at least looking into free agent O.J. Atogwe as a possible addition.

"We're always interested in upgrading our football team," said Shanahan. "And if it helped us with the right situation and the price was right, and somebody is available, we're always going to look into it." Atogwe played under coordinator Jim Haslett in St. Louis. Similar to the Lions, the Redskins won't show serious interest unless Atogwe lowers his asking price.