I don’t have to “respectfully disagree” when you are outright lying, at least partially because I don’t respect you. I didn’t start the article by taking shots at someone. I started the response by pointing out that your claims throughout your article are ridiculous. You are intentionally or – at very least – incompetently disseminating false information. You completely made up the “facts” on which you based your article. That isn’t okay, and you should be ashamed for that attempt. It is a bit difficult to draw someone else’s class into question when you are simply making up your own argument with no factual support.

Your explanation of the differences in our financial figures are actually the exact opposite of accurate. For starters, MJD already collected his signing bonus. He was already paid. His salary cap hit is over $8 million, which includes the pro-rated amounts of bonuses that he was already paid, but the team only “owes” him a hair over $4 million. And last I checked MJD had run up over $750,000 in penalties for his non-appearance, so that number has fallen to around $3.5m.

And yes – San Diego absolutely never had any intention of pursuing Mario Williams. Not only was Mario Williams coming off of injury (which SD needs no part of), but he is a natural 4-3 defensive end. He would be best used as a 3-4 OLB in San Diego’s system. Though Williams is an elite 4-3 DE, he would be only a good 3-4 OLB. He doesn’t possess the coverage skills required of linebackers. He would be a third down pass-rusher or rotational player. Why would any team pay the “elite 4-3 talent” price when they would only get the “good 3-4 talent” for their investment? Houston switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 last year with Wade at defensive coordinator. Though Mario was a good situational pass-rusher at OLB before his injury, he was hardly an every down defender. That is exactly why Houston waved goodbye and didn’t match Buffalo’s offer. Mario Williams belongs in a 4-3 defense. Forcing him into a 3-4 role would be a waste of his talents.

You talk about how MJD would be different from a normal 29 year-old primary RB because he split carries with Jackson, but the truth is that his usage rate (total plays instead of just rushes, but note that even his rushes are peculiarly high) is significantly higher than most other backs over the last few years, so his knees have clearly seen the standard wear and tear. If you don’t recall, the reason people were hesitant to pursue him last year was because he had so many recent knee surgeries, and it came out that he had no more cartilage in one of his knees. You’re right that MJD would be “different than (sic) the average primary RB”; he will probably be a bit worse. His health is probably a little closer to the average 29-year old right now, so in 2 years, he may have more in common with a 31 year old back. San Diego traded up because they believe in Ryan Mathews. A.J. Smith hasn’t proven to be one to give up. He gave Buster Davis and Larry English as many shots as he could to prove they weren’t his mistakes. He’s not going to walk away before his investment pays out.

And finally, did you really just try to use the Willis McGahee argument? It worked in this one rare case, so someone should invest $40 mil on the hope that it will work again! The entire reason you are aware of Willis McGahee’s success at 30 is because of how peculiar that level of success has been at that age. That example actually teaches the exact opposite lesson from what you claimed.

I’m afraid you simply don’t understand the game of football a a deep enough level to make these sorts of arguments, Kenny. The fact you completely missed the 3-4/4-3 differences makes this clear.