His is a wonderful universe. So much simpler than the one the rest of us live in. In McCardell's universe, children play hooky, and blame the principal. Drivers run red lights, and fault the police.
In McCardell's universe, it is perfectly acceptable for an employee to set his own wage and commence to name-calling if the boss disagrees.
Okay, so I'm being facetious. But it's not my fault. Using his own logic as a guide, I blame it on McCardell.
The holdout to end all holdouts has cost him 77 days and, judging from his latest spin, an equal number of IQ points.
McCardell just doesn't get it. He keeps blaming the Buccaneers, as if this is their choice. He keeps accusing them of having overblown egos, as if they're the ones who drew a line in the sand.
The Bucs have shown a tendency to be cold-hearted but, in this case, have done nothing wrong. And neither insults nor accusations will change that.
Every time he opens his mouth, McCardell becomes less sympathetic. Once, you might have agreed he was slightly underpaid. Now, you're starting to wonder if maybe he isn't terribly overrated.
This is what happens when you confuse value with pride. You begin to see yourself differently than how others view you.
Look, I can understand McCardell's frustration. Who among us, at one time or another, hasn't felt underpaid or under appreciated? I can even, to some degree, admire his spirit. He took a stand, and has not yet budged.
But, for heaven's sake, stop blaming others for your choices.
This is your job. Your obligations. Your teammates.
And it's your decision.
It is not Jon Gruden's fault if he believes your talent does not match the salary you're seeking. It is not Bruce Allen's fault if he believes your skills are not worth the precedent a renegotiated contract establishes.
Yes, McCardell is a fine football player. One of the best on Tampa Bay's roster. And, were he here, the Bucs would be a better team today.
But it is a question of degree. Sometimes a player is so good, he can force a team to meet his demands. McCardell thought he was that player.
He's not.
Oh, he's good. No question about that. But he's not that good. He's certainly not Terrell Owens or Randy Moss. He's not Marvin Harrison or Chad Johnson. He's not even Joe Horn or Amani Toomer.
There are 20 players who have more receiving yards than McCardell the past two seasons. That doesn't mean all 20 are better than him. But it does indicate he's not such a rare talent that the Bucs should acquiesce.
He's not so good that the Bucs cannot afford to live without him. And he's not so good that other teams are outbidding one another to get him.
McCardell's representatives keep insisting the Bucs have been offered a fourth-round draft choice in trade. Do they not realize that argument does not help? A fourth-round pick? If that's all he's worth, then he's overpaid.
Once again, we come back to McCardell's value.
I don't have a problem with an NFL player who wants to renegotiate a deal. Honestly. Unlike the NBA, NHL or major-league baseball, contracts in the NFL are largely one-way deals. Salaries are not guaranteed if players are cut.
So a player has every right to get as much up-front money as possible. If McCardell could bully the Bucs into another signing bonus, then good for him.
But he vastly overestimated his leverage.
He has been here only two years, so it's not like he was going to have a huge swell of public support. He is 34, so it's not like the Bucs see him as a long-term investment. And the team is not a playoff contender, so it's not like he could be the difference between success or failure.
So what incentive do the Bucs have?
If they allow McCardell to goad them into a new deal or a trade, what's to stop another player from doing the same thing next year? Or two more players?
In rare cases - such as Derrick Brooks three years ago - a player is so valuable and a team is so vulnerable, that a renegotiated contract makes sense. Unfortunately for McCardell, this isn't the right time or the right team.
The sooner he realizes that, the better off everyone will be. His bank account won't look so barren and the Bucs offense won't be so punchless.
His current stance accomplishes nothing. He has thrown away a ton of money by refusing to play and he's lost an immeasurable amount of respect by trying to point fingers at everyone else.
If he's not back in time for the Monday night game in St. Louis, McCardell will have lost more than $1.1-million in salary and fines.
In his universe, I suppose an accountant will take the blame.
