I'm With AJ

So the Vincent Jackson drama heated up and reached a boiling point yesterday when holdout receiver Vincent Jackson was not traded to another team and the reason was because no team was willing to give Charger GM AJ Smith what he wanted for Jackson, namely a second and another pick (4th round or higher).

AJ Smith has had the label of 'hardass' for many years and a tough negotiator...and I think what people don't realize is that AJ is actually upfront with what he really wants and doesn't budge...AJ, for the sake of actually going through the process of "negotiations" should have high-balled everyone, ask for first rounders or whatever and then negotiate down to what he really wants.  AJ's tactic, though, is golden...a team doesn't even need to consider calling AJ and nor will Smith even have to lift the phone up if the team isn't willing to accept the primary intentions of smith when working a trade.

So after Jackson wasn't traded media and fans are quick to lash out at AJ and exclaim at what a fool he was for not accepting less and moving Jackson to another team, but I am not one of those people.  I think Vincent Jackson made all the wrong moves this offseason and could likely pay dearly for his decisions.  Instead of playing out his contract and getting paid over $3 million, it sounds as if Jackson may sit the entire season and with the lockout looming for next year, would essentially not playing or paid next season and it would be 2012 when he would be looking for a new team and contract...and what team is going to line up to sign you then with 2 years removed from your breakout season and still the 2 DUI baggage.

But people think that AJ should have bent and traded Jackson to whatever team was offering the Chargers the best deal and not what AJ thinks is the best deal.  Again, not me.  Jackson was under contract to play for the Chargers and he decided that he would rather not play for the Chargers (or anyone else) unless he got paid a lot more money.  The Chargers hold his contract and all the cards in this dispute.  Why should the Chargers get penalized by accepting whatever they could get for Jackson when the team has done nothing wrong and the player is just demanding more money?  If that was the case in the NFL then players would be holding their team's ransom as much as they could.

I have not agreed with some of AJ's moves in the past, but with both Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeil's holdouts, I have supported his actions 100%.  With Shawne Merriman, I wish he would have done the same but let Merriman sign his original tender and join the team, when he was the least of the 3 holdouts I thought the Chargers needed...