2018 Will be Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Best Season:
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix found himself in a bit of hot water this week by his comments to Green Bay reporters who asked him why he chose to skip OTA’s last week. (Optional) Clinton-Dix responded in typical fashion by saying:
“I don’t have a signing bonus to be here, so that definitely played a big role in me not being here, honestly, along with my godmother not making it. It’s kind of like, I can just stay home with my family and enjoy family time while I have downtime. When the season kicks off, it’s just me up here… But (this season) I’m excited not to have that bonus in there though, honestly, because I would have definitely been here for my money”.
Although Clinton-Dix was well within his rights to skip this series of OTA’s, using the rationale that money played a factor just was not a good look. He should have just said he had a death in the family and left it at that but I digress. Anyway, let’s skip to the part where I reveal why this will be Clinton-Dix’s best season as a Packer.
It was clear that last season was not Clinton-Dix’s best by any stretch of the imagination. He had lapses in coverage, he took poor routes while covering and pursuing receivers, he missed tackles, and he showed little to no effort at times. His comments to reporters explain a lot of the problems that his teammates and the viewing audience alike noticed with his play most of last season.
Ha Ha’s Logic for Dogging It:
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was simply not motivated to play hard and risk getting injured just one season prior to entering his contract year. His pro football focus metrics back this statement up, he graded at 79.1 which is close to an “above average” grade. The drop from his usual “above average” to “high quality” grade was largely due to a lack of effort on the back end of plays as well as a few crucial blown coverages. Simply put, these issues can and will be solved with a greater attention to detail and effort along with a defensive coordinator who will hold him accountable.
Last season, Ha Ha knew that he had outperformed his contract during the first three seasons and realized that the Packers had little to no intention of signing him to an early extension in the summer. With this in mind, he figured that he would eliminate taking any unnecessary risks, which was visible in some of the plays where his effort was questioned.
In 2018 Clinton-Dix will be forced to prove that he is worthy of a long-term contract or he will continue to have offseason mini camps without a workout bonus. His motivation for a big payday will fuel a comeback season in which he will once again return to his ball-hawking, hard-hitting form and be revered as a premier free safety in the NFL once again.
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David Michalski is a recent college graduate from Princeton New Jersey who has been a life long Green Bay Packers fan. Like the great Vince Lombardi, he values God, family, and the Green Bay Packers in that order. You can follow him on twitter at @kilbas27dave
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5 responses to “Ha Ha’s Candid Remarks Reveal Where His Motivation Lies”
I wouldn’t be surprised to see HHCD traded later in August. He’s the epitome of a “Me First” player, that doesn’t go over well with management or veterans in the locker room.
Wow okay. This needs to die. You’re so wrong on this. Objectively, factually wrong.
First of all, he missed VOLUNTARY OTAs with a completely valid excuse. He is here and reporting for the MANDATORY minicamp. There. Article over, your points invalid.
But even going further — not wanting to show up for unnecessary training periods as a 5th year pro in a contract year… absolutely normal. As long as he has the coach’s blessing (which he does) it shows he’s not some holdout or “me-first” player.
People. The news cycle is slow this time of year, I get it. But we can do better than this.
Every year has voluntary OTA’s. These dates should be on your calendar as must shows. The money for these are more about dispersing for cap measures and every players contract need not have it applied. Showing up is a test of commitment to the team and one’s career. Ha Ha likely asked for a no OTA money inclusion for this simple reason,,,to do less and still get paid.
HaHa. No risk last season, no rewards. Prove yourself on the field, not with your mouth.
So he’ll just flip the switch and be all pro? Hummm. He better!!