Holdouts

Every new season for the NFL, you always get a hand full of guys hold out for a bigger paycheck, or more money. Regular ole Joe like you and me always ask the question why? We all know the reason is to get more money in most cases. What really amazing is when you get these unproven rookies holding out of training camp for more money. This year we all know about the Michael Crabtree story, and you also had Andre Smith hold out until the start of the season. We'll get to them two later, first lets look at the concept of holding out as a whole. First off, all athletes need to start realizing how much of a privilege and a blessing it is to be able to play professional sports. I understand all the hard work, time, and dedication it takes to get there, but professional athletes will always be the most overpaid workers in America. There are people in the world that will play professional sports for a fraction of the athletes make today. Yeah, of course these people won't be as good as the athletes you see on TV, but the point is that it a privilege and a blessings to be a professional athlete. Holdouts are mostly common in football, you rarely here about holdouts in the other two major sports(Baseball,Basketball). NFL rookies usually enter the league making, if not more, just as much as future hall of fame veterans, so for them to holdouts is just mind boggling to me. Michael Crabtree was only on the big radar his last couple years in college, don't get me wrong the kid can play football, but let's face it the NFL is a whole different animal then college football. I mean look at Reggie Bush, this guy was arguably one of the best players that ever step on a college football field, but look at him now. Crabtree wants more money than a guy that was pick before him, dude that makes no sense. Yes you may have had better college stats, but he make for a better pro prospect. As far as this Andre Smith character go, look I'm a SEC guy, Tennessee Volunteers,this dude never been as good as all the hype he got in my opinion, this guy has had weight issues, left the combine early, and also cut the private workout short. It would take a team like the Bengals to draft him. Mark my word "this guy will never be worth the top 5 pick he was taken! He will never make a pro bowl, and never be a factor on anybody NFL offensive line." This is the same dude that broke his foot two days after signing in a non-contact drill. Is that what we call being in shape now days? He supposedly had been working out alone while he was holding out, yeah right! He will by far be the bust of the '09 class!