Bailey: 'First and Foremost, I Want to Be Here'

[DenBronx]

EDIT: Bailey: 'First and Foremost, I want to be here'

read the full article here. http://maxdenver.com/blog1/2011/01/03/bailey-first-and-foremost-i-want-to-be-here/

[Dzone]

Gotta love Champ Bailey

[DenBronx]

Gotta love Champ Bailey

yeah the guys been an all around class act. i think he will want to wait and see who we bring in and the plans to change up the d before making a decision.

but by him saying he doesnt have a "for sale sign" on him means he will want a good contract and rightly deserved. i would think around 7-8 mill per year would be what he gets.

hopefully we find a way to keep him.

[T.K.O.]

kinda misleading ? he wants to stay here first and foremost.....but if a team with a better chance of winning comes calling "he's there":confused:
right now it would appear there are about 20 teams with a better chance of winning.
let's hope the FO decisions in the next few weeks convince him the broncos could make some big noise....real soon !!!!!!:salute:
i would hate to see champ bail right before tebow and the broncos go on a tear !!!!:D

[camdisco24]

If we don't re-sign him, I'll be extremely disappointed.

It will also make me question the front office even more than I already am.

SIGN CHAMP

[claymore]

I never saw the sense in paying bailey so much money when we sucked so bad everywhere else. If he is affordable hopefully we can get-r-done. If not, Another huge contract that doesnt include the front seven is a waste.

[spikerman]

I never saw the sense in paying bailey so much money when we sucked so bad everywhere else. If he is affordable hopefully we can get-r-done. If not, Another huge contract that doesnt include the front seven is a waste.

^^^ This.

[SR]

I'm gonna go selfish on this one. I want Champ Bailey to stay here and retire here. If he wants to win, fine, but I want him wearing the Orange and Blue.

[Northman]

“But really, the determining factor is going to be is: how big of chance of winning will I have? That’s definitely going to play a bigger part than the money part.”

That spoke the loudest to me.

[spikerman]

That spoke the loudest to me.

I don't know North. They ALL say that and I can't say I blame him. NFL careers are short; they should go with who will pay them the most. If for some reason he does choose to go with a winner, then best of luck to him. He deserves to win and it's not going to happen in Denver in the near future.

[claymore]

I'm gonna go selfish on this one. I want Champ Bailey to stay here and retire here. If he wants to win, fine, but I want him wearing the Orange and Blue.

Understandable. We all have our favorites. Cant knock Bailey love, I just never got attached because it didnt make sense to me.

[SR]

I'm not attached, but he's Champ Bailey. We're rebuilding and we need our core of players to stay in tact. We need veteran leadership and we need the locker room presence. We need him to show our young guys the way to be great. He's one of the best corners in the game and having him on our team will never hurt us.

[gnomeflinger]

Money isn't everything. He needs to end his career that will bring him the most satisfaction. Hopefully it's in Denver.

[Northman]

I'm not attached, but he's Champ Bailey. We're rebuilding and we need our core of players to stay in tact. We need veteran leadership and we need the locker room presence. We need him to show our young guys the way to be great. He's one of the best corners in the game and having him on our team will never hurt us.

Im fine with him staying as long as he doesnt break the bank to do it.

[cuzz4169]

I never saw the sense in paying bailey so much money when we sucked so bad everywhere else. If he is affordable hopefully we can get-r-done. If not, Another huge contract that doesnt include the front seven is a waste.

I agree 100%.....I hate when players talk $ because I think less of them when they do...

[Slick]

We need him at safety much more than at corner.

The good defenses are strong up the middle. Draft the NT or DT.

Sign a quality middle linebacker via Free Agency or draft one in the second. Put Champ at FS and let Renaldo Hill defend the parking lot for some other team.

I'd be willing to take my chances with Cox,Thompson and Goodman at corner if he was able to play rover behind them.

He would have way more chances to make plays for this defense at safety and he would fill a need for the next 3 to 4 years at least.

[tomjonesrocks]

Was good having you around, Champ.

Hope you get your ring elsewhere but go into the Hall as a Bronco.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

I agree 100%.....I hate when players talk $ because I think less of them when they do...

He put winning first :confused:


“But really, the determining factor is going to be is: how big of chance of winning will I have? That’s definitely going to play a bigger part than the money part.”

[nevcraw]

Alls i know.. had the various powers that be not screwed the pooch so badly on other roster moves and wasted dollars -- resigning champ would have been a forgone conclusion.. but now - me thinks he is gone..

Lenny Walls and Deltha O'neil part dux here we come...

[Lancane]

Bailey has proven to be one of the few worthy to be called a 'millenium man', he's a defining leader, class act and a terrific overall human being. I want him to return, we could use the help at the safety position with this new rebuild coming. But I fully understand if he doesn't return, he deserves a championship ring and he'll be missed greatly if that is the path he takes. But I feel comfortable saying that not since John Elway has a player been more of a Bronco then Champ Bailey.

[frauschieze]

This is what stuck out to me:


One thing that does work in Denver’s favor are recent rapid turnarounds in Atlanta in 2008 and Tampa Bay and Kansas City this year. These offer him reason to believe that the Broncos aren’t as far away as they might seem.

“That’s the funny thing about this league, anything can happen. You talk about who the great teams are, they lose one or two players and they’re not as good,” Bailey said.

“I’m hopeful that can happen here. I’m hoping I can be a part of it.”

I mean, yeah, that kind of goes without saying....but it also hammers home that the difference between good and great can be only one elite player.

I hope we can manage to hold on to Champ but I'm afraid we screwed the pooch (no offense, Nut) when we exited negotiations in October. If that's McD's fault too.....:mad: :banghead:

[BroncoStud]

This is a no-brainer, sign Bailey ASAP, he has 5 good years left, maybe 3 at CB and 3 at FS. Rod Woodson was a damn good safety at the end of his career, there is no reason Champ can't be.

This team needs more guys like Champ, he needs to retire a Bronco. This isn't a Steve Atwater situation where Steve was over-the-hill and wanted to keep starting, Champ is still playing at an elite level.

[zbeg]

I hope we can manage to hold on to Champ but I'm afraid we screwed the pooch (no offense, Nut) when we exited negotiations in October. If that's McD's fault too.....:mad: :banghead:

It wasn't. That was all Bowlen.

[hamrob]

I think he's gone. There was a reason we cut off talks in October. We had the deal pretty much done...and yanked it. They're going young...Champs going to a top 4 team.

[dogfish]

Understandable. We all have our favorites. Cant knock Bailey love, I just never got attached because it didnt make sense to me.

no, you just never warmed up to him because you pretty much suck. . . ;)

:D



in all seriousness, i see about zero chance he's not here next year barring the new CBA not including some type of franchise tag. . . do people really think we're just going to let an all-pro walk out of the goodness of our hearts or something?

[Edmonton Bronco Fan]

Encouraging. But it's nothing more than fluff right now AFAIC. I love Champ and want to see him retire a Bronco but if a great opportunity comes along that he can't pass up I certainly can't blame him one bit.

[SOCALORADO.]

We need him at safety much more than at corner.

The good defenses are strong up the middle. Draft the NT or DT.

Sign a quality middle linebacker via Free Agency or draft one in the second. Put Champ at FS and let Renaldo Hill defend the parking lot for some other team.

I'd be willing to take my chances with Cox,Thompson and Goodman at corner if he was able to play rover behind them.

He would have way more chances to make plays for this defense at safety and he would fill a need for the next 3 to 4 years at least.


I also think this is the best bet for DEN and Champ.
DEN could also draft CB Patrick Petersen to take Champs place.
I dont know how alot of you feel about Petersen, but his positional
value could be a deciding factor. Just sayin..

[broncofaninfla]

After the Mcd debacle we have so many holes to fill. Letting Champ walk only creates another. It's going to be tough to keep him though because teams will be gunning for him and offering more money. Add this the the very long list of mistakes for Mcd for not getting the deal done earlier in the year.

[frauschieze]

It wasn't. That was all Bowlen.

Source? Link? I don't remember reading anything to that effect, but I was in the middle of a hellacious semester and there's lots of Broncos news I missed right in that time frame.

[Ravage!!!]

Source? Link? I don't remember reading anything to that effect, but I was in the middle of a hellacious semester and there's lots of Broncos news I missed right in that time frame.

I don't think there is. I believe thats pure speculation on zbeg's part.

[zbeg]

Source? Link? I don't remember reading anything to that effect, but I was in the middle of a hellacious semester and there's lots of Broncos news I missed right in that time frame.

It's certainly not speculation on my part:

"The 11th-hour decision to yank Bailey from his future was not made by Broncos coach Josh McDaniels or general manager Brian Xanders.

This decision came from above. According to NFL sources close to these negotiations, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis made the call Tuesday to suspend talks until after the season."

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_16299738?source=rss

[frauschieze]

Ugh. Ellis. :tsk:

Thanks for the link. That is definitely an article I missed (one of many, I'm sure). Appreciate it!

[zbeg]

Ugh. Ellis. :tsk:

Thanks for the link. That is definitely an article I missed (one of many, I'm sure). Appreciate it!

No problem. :-) The problem is that I tend to remember things, but not where I read them. I was 100% sure this happened, but it took a fair bit of time to find this one.

I figure McDaniels (correctly) gets flogged for the personnel decisions he made, but we should at least be fair and not flog him for decisions made by Bowlen/Ellis.

[HORSEPOWER 56]

Does anyone here not think that if Bailey hits free agency that the Ravens won't be all over him like white on rice on a paper plate and a glass of milk in a snowstorm?

The Ravens will pay for talent, even if we won't. If he doesn't stay here, I'd love to see Champ catch on with a badass defense elsewhere and not always have to feel like he's the only one out there who can make a play...

[UrbanBounca]

Well, we better start looking for a CB in the draft, too. We won't be a winning team anytime soon, and you can chalk up Bailey leaving to McD.
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[SR]

Well, we better start looking for a CB in the draft, too. We won't be a winning team anytime soon, and you can chalk up Bailey leaving to McD.
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That's a load of BS. All of it.

[UrbanBounca]

That's a load of BS. All of it.

How so?
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[Clipworthy]

can the broncos staff not find their pens? not signing him yet is getting ridiculous

[SR]

That's a load of BS. All of it.

No one has said Champ won't be a Bronco except for the media. Champ wants to be in Denver. Champ wants to win. John Elway, one of the most victorious people in NFL History is in the front office now. He will bring in the people the team needs to win. I bet we're above .500 next season. That's pretty soon.

All of that pretty much puts to shame everything you said in your post. Some of you take what the media says and think it's gospel, whereas the rest of us who realize the media's number one job is to get people to read their opinionated garbage and will feed us all spoon fulls of nothing to entice us to their articles.

Champ Bailey wants to win football games. If our front office can show him that they're physically doing things to make this team a winning organization like it was 12 years ago, Champ will stay. I like our odds with him re-signing.

[UrbanBounca]

No one has said Champ won't be a Bronco except for the media. Champ wants to be in Denver. Champ wants to win. John Elway, one of the most victorious people in NFL History is in the front office now. He will bring in the people the team needs to win. I bet we're above .500 next season. That's pretty soon.

All of that pretty much puts to shame everything you said in your post. Some of you take what the media says and think it's gospel, whereas the rest of us who realize the media's number one job is to get people to read their opinionated garbage and will feed us all spoon fulls of nothing to entice us to their articles.

Champ Bailey wants to win football games. If our front office can show him that they're physically doing things to make this team a winning organization like it was 12 years ago, Champ will stay. I like our odds with him re-signing.

McD has set the Broncos franchise back for at least two years. It won't be much longer before Champ retires, and he does want a winning team now. It doesn't matter whether Elway is a winner, it's the simple fact that the Broncos aren't winning. I bet we won't be .500 for at least two more years.

See, the difference between this and the media is the fact this came from Champ's mouth. This isn't being strung around by the media, and they simply quoting him saying that he wanted to be a winner.

If we resign him, fantastic. But, IMO, our chances of signing him aren't near as high as they were when Ellis and Bowlen pulled the offer from the table.