Fast forward to the postseason and the Super Bowl odds found at BetUs show that the Saints are once again among the favorites.

So what changed?

Well, the Saints may have suffered from a Super Bowl hangover, which is normal, but they have sobered up. After only four wins in their first seven games, they won seven of their remaining nine with one of those losses coming to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a meaningless Week 17 game.

As it stands now, the only team that is higher than them on the totem pole in the NFC – according to the odds makers – is the Atlanta Falcons, who have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. It just so happens that the Saints were the only team to defeat the Falcons at the Georgia Dome this season.

But before you go betting the Saints to repeat as champions, keep in mind that this team comes into the playoffs limping. Running backs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas are injured, safety Malcolm Jenkins hurt his knee in Week 17 and his status is unknown, wide receiver Marques Colston had arthroscopic knee surgery last week and may or may not play, and tight ends Jeremy Shockey and Jimmy Graham are both banged up and may not play.

The Saints still have Drew Brees and that might be all they need in the Wild Card weekend against the Seattle Seahawks, but with a slew of injuries, they may not last long. This isn’t the same Saints team that won it all last season.

Are Saints Too Banged Up To Repeat? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Darren Heitner: How did you get the nickname, “Big Daddy”?

Richard “Big Daddy” Salgado: It was given to me by a college teammate at the University of Maryland where I played offensive guard (1985-89) who was a lot bigger than me.  Thinking back he was about 6’9 and well over 300 pounds.

Heitner: Tell us about your company, Coastal Advisors, and what sets it apart from the competition.

Big Daddy: I developed Coastal Advisors LLC (www.coastaladvisorsllc.com) about 15 years ago and it’s become a niche market, which is now a growing trend in locker rooms across the country. It was important for me in the early years to stress that disability and life insurance is a serious issue and needs to be handled by people who specialize in it.  In recent years through clients, networking and my reputation, my business has grown to where now 20-30% of my clients find me.  My biggest battle can be discussing these issues with agents or the players’ “money guy” because they don’t want to give up control and they don’t specialize in the industry.  As I tell them, they won’t see me negotiating any player contracts or investing players’ money in the stock market, but to leave the disability and life insurance to me. You can visit www.coastaladvisorsllc.com for additional information and see me with my clients.

Heitner: How big of a gamble is it for a professional player to perform without proper insurance?  What about an amateur athlete?

Big Daddy: It depends on where the player is at with his contract status.  If it’s a player who’s going into the last year of a contract or going to become a free agent and they were to get hurt and can’t perform to the best of their ability, a new contract will be highly unlikely.  Having disability will let the player sleep better at night knowing that if something, God forbid, were to happen, then the disability insurance is in place to compensate for the loss of income on the field.

Heitner: Many players come to you for advice outside of insurance questions. What would you tell a player to look for who asks about hiring a particular agent?

Big Daddy: In regards to the amateur athlete… it depends on the athlete and where they expect to be drafted.  If it’s a player that’s a first or second round draft pick in the NFL, then he’s a guy that should look at disability insurance.  If it’s a guy who will be a late rounder or a free agent, they’ll probably not qualify for disability insurance.  For example Willis McGahee is a guy who took out a “loss of value” policy and unfortunately was injured in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.  So even though he was drafted late in the first round, he wasn’t a top 10 pick so the “loss of value” policy was in place to compensate for lost money.  Willis was not a client of mine, but his injury combined with the quality of player he was and that he was at a recognizable school like the University of Miami playing on National television in the Fiesta Bowl, shed light on how important my business is for future top prospects in any sport.  In fact, the following year I signed my first top college athlete in Larry Fitzgerald (3^rd pick overall for the Arizona Cardinals in 2004) while he was a senior at the University of Pittsburgh.  A few years later Chris Long out of the University of Virginia and 2^nd overall pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2008 came to me for protection for his senior year.

Heitner: How closely do you work with player agents?  Are there any, in particular, that you have worked with more than others?

Big Daddy: I work with a lot of agents who represent players in all areas of professional sports.  As the business has grown and I’ve become known as the guy when it comes to disability insurance for professional athletes, I get a lot of referrals from agents telling other agents within their agency or telling the parents of an athlete.  As far as agents I work with, I’ve worked with Octagon’s Doug Hendrickson, CAA’s Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, as well as Neil Schwartz and Jonathon Feinsod of Schwartz & Feinsod.

Heitner: Do you have any interesting stories to share from your insurance work with many players on the New York Giants club?

Big Daddy: I have several current and former New York Giants as clients.  To name a few, Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey, William Joseph, Shaun Williams, Justin Tuck, Chris Snee, Shaun O’Hara.  As far as interesting stories, all I can say is it was fun following my clients during their Super Bowl XLII run and knowing that I had taken care of their off-the-field business allowing them to concentrate on everything else.

Heitner: Justin Tuck says that playing without a policy is akin to “Russian Roulette.”  Is that true, and if so, why?

Big Daddy: Playing NFL football without insurance is like “Russian Roulette.”  However it depends on the situation, everything is on a case by case basis, there’s some guys who need it and some that don’t.  I’m not someone who will sell any player insurance just for the sake of selling them something.  As I mentioned earlier, a player entering the draft or about to renew a contract would be in the market for disability insurance, whereas a player nearing the end of their career may not be.

Heitner: Should sports agents look into their own insurance?  What types?  How common is it for agents to pass up on getting insurance and regret it later on?

Big Daddy: Yes, I’ve done business with some of the sports agents themselves, they’re just like everyone else.  Along the same lines, I’ve done work with coaches in the NFL and at the college level as well as members of the media.  When dealing with agents and non-athletes, it’s mostly with life insurance and future estate and financial planning, which are two other large part of my business.  Disability and life insurance is important whether you’re a school teacher, a police officer, lawyer or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  I’ve just developed a niche where 80% of my clientele are professional athletes or elite college athletes who will be entering the pro ranks in the coming years.

Q&A With Richard “Big Daddy” Salgado from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• The man who fired Rosenhaus = Anquan Bolden
• The man who re-hired Rosenhaus = Jeremy Shockey
• The recipient of a 2-year contract extension with the Dolphins = Will Allen

Interestingly, Rosenhaus still represents Anquan’s brother, D.J., for the time being.  The rumor is that CAA and Eugene Parker are on Anquan’s short list as a replacement for Rosenhaus Sports Representation.

Karlos Dansby thinks Anquan made the right move:

“You have to make the right decision for you and your future and I think ‘Q’ made a great decision. He was being slandered in the media because of the decisions he was making through his representation.  For him to change his representation like that is big, man.  That says a lot about him.”

Rosenhaus Fired, Hired, And Busy from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Before Bowl season, he was listed as the best Offensive Lineman going into the 2009 NFL Draft.  Then he was banned from playing in the Sugar Bowl for apparently having dealing with an agent (which is a big no-no when you are a collegiate athlete).  Even though Smith was suspended from what would probably have been the most important single game of his young career, no one thought that it would take any toll on his draft stock.

The winner of the Andre Smith sweepstakes was Alvin Keels and Global Management Group.  Many rumors had been circulating that Todd France and FAAM were the favorites, but Keels came out on top.  For the time being.  I doubt that Keels knew what he was getting into when the talented O-Lineman signed with his company.  Andre Smith ended up showing at the NFL Combine unfit to perform, refused to participate, and then fled the scene.  To make matters worse, the picture above came out and the press was eating it up.

Then Smith scored a 17 on his Wonderlic Test.  And then, with only days remaining before the NFL Draft, Smith dropped Keels in favor of Priority Sports.  Somehow, some way, Smith was a top 10 pick.  His thanks to Priority Sports was a big middle finger.  Yesterday, Jim Trotter of SI.com reported that Smith dropped Priority Sports and guess who Smith is apparently going to hire to fill the void…Alvin Keels.

This is what Keels had to say in response:

“I haven’t been rehired yet,” Keels told us via e-mail.  “Honestly, I might not get him back.  If I do get him back it definitely wasn’t planned that he fire then rehire me.”

But who fires an agent only to re-hire him later? Oh wait, apparently Jeremy Shockey is in the midst of doing the same thing with Rosenhaus Sports Representation as we speak.

Interestingly, Neil Stratton of InsideTheLeague.com reports that even before Smith first hired Keels, he was with DeBartolo Sports.  That means that once Smith officially signs with a new agent (or a new agent who also happens to be a former agent), it will be the fourth time he has signed on the dotted line.  Andre Smith has still not taken a snap in a professional game.

Who Wants To Be Andre Smith’s Agent? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Johnson recently commented that he wants to be traded and is unhappy with QB Carson Palmer.  It all started a couple years ago when Ocho Cinco attempted to restructure his contract.  Since then, he has constantly complained to the Bengals organization and has even mentioned being traded several times.  He has tried the Rosenhaus tactic of holding out and not showing to training camp, as Vinson recently discussed.  He threatened to remain on the sideline this season, and then came down with a sprained ankle right as camp started.  Johnson stopped complaining for a day, showed up to camp, and the Bengals said they would “talk” to him about his contract at the end of this year.  Great move by the Bengals to shut Chad up for this season, or at least shut him up regarding contractual issues for the time being.

After all the bickering and talking by Chad Johnson, are the Bengals finally ready to deal him to another team?  T.O. had a similar problem and image as Johnson does now, but in Dallas, he has shut-up and we have seen a different side of Owens.  Rosenhaus and Owens have taken a different route and attempted to be less vocal (at least less vocal for T.O.).  Owens appears to be a changed man in Dallas.

Terrell Owens used to have this “badboy” image in the media.  Since signing with Dallas, T.O. has toned down his comments and pre-season antics and demands.  He has not stopped his on-the-field antics and still mimics Chad Johnson’s behavior after scoring touchdowns; however, T.O. has not been as vocal off the field.  T.O. even pulled a Jerry Maguire and started crying last year, when he was questioned about “his quarterback”, Tony Romo.  Has Owens gone soft since entering the heat of Dallas or is he getting smarter and shutting up?  Is this a new strategy by Rosenhaus for his clients?

Looking at other players who have piped up, we see that this caused a different reaction in the clubhouse than Johnson’s outspoken style.  Players such as Jeremy Shockey and Jason Taylor have both been traded this pre-season after asking to be traded and talking to the media about being unhappy.  Oddly enough, Shockey is another Rosenhaus Sports Representation client.

Rosenhaus made the hold out scenario famous, and he still is advising his players that holding out is not necessarily a bad tactic.  Although Drew appears to have changed his ways with the media and is not as vocal with the press, he still is getting the job done.  He is now dealing with managers and team officials before going to the media and has showed his clients the green lately.  But why is this not working with Chad Johnson?  Does he talk to the media too much?

Maybe it is time Drew talks to Chad and gives him the speech that Jerry Maguire gave Mr. Tidwell.  If Rosenhaus won’t tell Johnson to shut it for a while and just play, maybe the mutual agreement between the two parties (reviewing Ocho Cinco’s contract after the season) will get the hint across.  Johnson came back from his ankle surgery to practice for the first time on Monday.  Perhaps we will now see a less Chaddy side of Johnson.

Should Rosenhaus Give Ocho Cinco “The Talk?” from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• The Nationals had no problem signing its top draft picks last year, but this year, no such luck thus far [Top Five Picks, Team at Odds Over Bonuses].
• Goodbye to a man who opened up a new market for agents recruiting foreign clients [Nomo's impact hit Majors like a 'tornado'].
• We’ve discussed buscones before.  Here is one tied to our boy, Michael Inoa [Ties between Dominican prospects and bookie raise concerns for MLB].
• I am still not convinced that Gus is guilty [Despite smuggling conviction, agent has no regrets].

Basketball

• The Vegas Summer League has experienced tremendous growth [Summer League on firm ground].
• Is there a higher valued position player than a superstar point guard right now? [Report: Jazz, Williams agree to four-year, $70M extension].
• adidas better get ready to send me a pair [Bulls' Rose gets shoe deal].

Football

• The other Long has signed, meaning that the top 4 picks are with their respective teams for the start of training camp [Rams first-round pick Long agrees to six-year deal].
• Jason Taylor to the Redskins…Jeremy Shockey to the Saints.  Two of my favorite players no longer playing for my favorite teams.
• Brian Urlacher has the potential to make $43.5 million between now and when he turns 35-years-old [Sources: Urlacher to get raise with revised contract].
• The Chargers are showing a lot of faith in someone who is injury prone [Chargers DE Castillo gets $43M in 5-year extension].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules