Christian Ponder: Rookies are hurting for money right now

Source NFL.com

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The NFL lockout has prevented Marcell Dareus from cashing in on turning pro, so he mows his godfather's lawn in exchange for a place to stay.

Other rookies are low on money, too. Von Miller sleeps in the same room he had in high school. Anthony Castonzo makes deliveries for his parents' restaurant. And Aaron Williams does ranch work, throwing hay and fixing barbed-wire fences.

"Acres and acres of land; you're always moving," Williams said. "But it's better than sitting on your butt playing Xbox."

These are odd times for rookies, and more than 150 of them gathered for an NFL Players Association-sponsored symposium that concluded Wednesday. This incoming class is unlike any other, because the lockout has indefinitely delayed that first pro paycheck.

"Guys are hurting for money right now," said quarterback Christian Ponder, a first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings. "It's a crazy time, especially with the uncertainty of when we're going to start and get some money in our pocket."

To make the situation even more gloomy for players just out of college, the league is pushing for a rookie wage scale as part of a new collective bargaining agreement.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and players association executive director DeMaurice Smith spoke to the group Wednesday but didn't offer any indication as to when the four-month-old labor dispute might end. Negotiations are ongoing, but with training camps scheduled to open in about three weeks, the season remains in jeopardy.

"You come out of college with plans of making big money, and everything goes on hold," said Dareus, the third overall pick by the Buffalo Bills. "It grinds you."

Dareus, a 320-pound defensive tackle from Alabama, said he earns his keep while living in Birmingham with his godfather.

"Everybody calls him 'Sergeant,' because he was a sergeant in the Army," Dareus said. "At 6 o'clock in the morning, we're up cutting grass. He ain't playing. He's crazy about keeping his yard cut. He has kind of a big yard. We cut it twice a week and trim his hedges. It's an all-day thing."

When asked if Sergeant provides a push mower or a rider, Dareus groaned.

"He's old school."

Dareus hardly is the only extraordinary athlete settling for an ordinary summer job. Castonzo, an offensive tackle drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts, is living with his parents in Chicago and making deliveries for their restaurant, just like he did growing up.

He's a bit bigger now, though.

"When I show up at someone's door, a 6-7, 315-pound guy, they're like, 'Oooooookay. Put the food over here, please,'" Castonzo said with a laugh. "I make basically whatever they tip me. With my parents, I'm on a volunteer basis. I'm living like I'm still a college kid -- there's no money to spend."

Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young is back with his parents, too. They live in Los Angeles, and because he played at Boise State, they appreciate the chance to see more of him lately -- up to a point.

"My mom is rooting for the lockout to continue," Young said. "But my dad is saying, 'Get out of the house, son.' He's looking up the latest on the lockout every day and telling me updates."

Miller and Ponder said they're getting by partly because they made money doing rookie-card signings.

"I saved it up, because I didn't know how long this lockout was going to be," said Miller, the second overall pick by theDenver Broncos. "So I've got a couple of dollars in my pocket."

And then there's Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who's taking the biggest financial hit of any rookie. As the top overall draft pick, he might have commanded $60 million guaranteed under the old labor system. Newton was spotted Tuesday night in Bradenton grabbing a bite at a 7-Eleven.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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I personally think the situation with the labor standoff sucks.  It sucks for us, the fans.  It sucks for the average Americans that depend on it to make a living, it sucks for these young players that are not getting paid.   

However, they are no different than any other college grad who is having a hard time finding work in a down economy.  I think that while it is challenging for these young players, that it is good for them to be grounded a little bit more for a brief time.  Maybe, just maybe this will have a lasting impact on these youngsters as they move forward into their football careers.

Houshmandzadeh: If I get on the right team, I'll shock a lot of people

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on June 30, 2011, 10:14 AM EDT

AP

T.J. Houshmandzadeh isn’t used to this role.

For much of his career, he was a sticky-fingered overachiever.  He was a seventh-round pick that rose to prominence largely because of route-running and football smarts.

Now he’s seen as the opposite: A cocky free agent disappointment, and quite possibly a guy that struggles to fit inside the team framework.  He’s the guy who dropped the final ball in Baltimore’s season last year and he won’t be back.

“I wish things had ended better. “I’m not a guy who drops the ball, but I dropped a ball that really matters. Last year was a really bad year for me on the field,” Houshmandzadeh told the Carroll County Times.

Despite rapidly declining production and advancing age, Housh thinks he can still play.

“The last two years have been the most disappointing years I’ve had. I know people will say I can’t play no more. If I get to the right team, I’ll shock a lot of people,” he said.

Houshmadzadeh realizes Baltimore doesn’t need him after drafting two player at the position.

“I wish I could come back, but I know the dynamic and how it works,” Houshmandzadeh said.  ”Not playing as much, I didn’t know how to handle it. People in the media think, ‘He’s complaining,’ but I was learning how to handle something new. It was an adjustment for me.”

We hate to be Debbie Downers, but Housh could have to learn how to handle something else new when the lockout ends. It’s quite possible he doesn’t get a contract offer for next season.

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Some say that it was the salary cap figure in Seattle that led to his abrupt departure, but my guess is that it had more to do with his disposition.  The Seahawks receiving core was was very very shallow last year, even before the injuries set in.  Then when he arrived in Baltimore, he was not at the top of the depth chart and there were rumblings of him complaining about not seeing enough action.  

For the years he was in Cincinnati he kept his mouth shut, and played his tail off, and the production followed.  Maybe he needs to give that another shot.