All About Me: The John Abraham Story

by Tyson Rauch
JetNation Senior Columnist

Picture this: You are an up and coming CPA working for a prominent accounting firm. The salary and benefits are great but for some reason every year during tax season something comes up, you suffer health problems, family problems, etc.

The firm does its best to accommodate you during these rough periods, while at the same time putting an extra burden on the rest of the staff–your co-workers. At the end of the tax season the manager brings you in for your yearly review. The company is satisfied with your work and looks forward to a productive future together, but there are a couple of problems. There are some budget issues within the firm, therefore they can only provide you with a decent bonus, coupled with substantial stock options that will vest over time and provide a nice financial payout. The manager hands you the paperwork to sign and complete the arrangement.

What do you do?

I will tell you what John Abraham did! He took that paper, ripped it up and threw it in the manager’s face.

Is this the perfect NFL analogy? No, I’m just trying to express my view of the John Abraham situation.

Is this guy friggin’ kidding me?

I am not going to go into the amount of games he missed (something like 22), the importance of the games he missed (playoffs) or the fact that the team had to deal with his various off the field problems and repeated media blunders. How in the hell can he look in the eyes of Curtis Martin, Kevin Mawae or Shaun Ellis, who bust their asses on the field, live and die to win, and even restructured their contracts and/or offered the Jets money back to help sign other players? Are they paid well? Yes, of course. But the Jets are willing to give this guy $6.7 MILLION dollars for one year. Top-five money for a guy that has proven nothing in any big game or playoff game?

For quite a while I did not agree with the Shaun Ellis signing, thinking the money would be better spent on Abe. I even went as far as to think the Jets had to re-sign J. Abe this year long term, even if that meant using the franchise tag on him instead of Lamont Jordan. I admit it, I was wrong–DEAD WRONG.

Shaun Ellis showed me a lot last year. For one, that he is a leader that wants to be here, plays hurt, and gives it everything he has. Is he John Abraham? No, but he is more of an all-around tough, physical player that this team needs.

John, you need to go and you need to go now! I can care less if you go to the Cowboys, Raiders or the New York City Dragons. I want a guy on my team that cares about winning and doing what it takes to win whether it involves personal sacrifice or financial sacrfice, like your teammates have given this squad. You obviously have no respect for this team, from as high up as Woody or Herm, to Curtis Martin and Kevin Mawae. Take you and your greed and be gone with you.

You are not needed or wanted here any longer.

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