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NFL资深评论员亚当·施夫特（Adam Schefter）撰文分析了目前引人注目的堪萨斯城酋长队与其跑卫拉里·约翰逊（Larry Johnson）的合同纠纷，全文翻译如下：
现在，让我们停止对迈克尔·维克（Michael Vick）持续了整整一个夏天的铺天盖地的报道，取而代之，来关注另一个橄榄球事件。
训练营中最火爆的战斗不是来自堪萨斯城酋长队的四分卫布罗迪·克劳耶（Brodie Croyle）和达蒙·霍阿德（Damon Huard），而是来自酋长队与自己的跑卫拉里·约翰逊（Larry Johnson）。
过去的几个月双方都在度假，自从6月中旬开始就未进行过任何合同谈判。不过本周双方已展开了工作，第一份合同提议已经递交给了酋长队，现在比赛中的比赛开始了。
约翰逊已经给自己挖好了战壕，他拒绝在得到新合同前去球队训练营报到。
酋长队则认为他已经有了一份还剩1年期限的合同，他们将在本赛季支付给这位跑卫超过190万美元的薪水。
约翰逊正在全联盟寻求一份保证金在2800万美元左右的合同，这个数字并不难达到。三年前，圣迭戈闪电给了他们的跑卫拉达尼恩·汤姆林森（LaDainian Tomlinson）一份奖金高达2100万美元的合同。在那之后，球队的工资帽上涨了约35%，这使得汤姆林森的保证金高达2800万美元。因此这次约翰逊便不乐意拿得太少。
酋长队则只肯提供一份保证金在1100万到1400万美元之间的合同，这个价钱已经相当于联盟中跑卫的最高身价范围——旧金山49人的弗兰克·高尔（Frank Gore），他去年春天拿到的保证金是1400万美元，西雅图海鹰的绍恩·亚历山大（Shaun Alexander）去年拿到了1350万美元，亚利桑那红雀的埃德杰林·詹姆斯（Edgerrin James）去年拿到了1150万美元，新奥尔良圣徒的杜斯·麦克阿里斯特（Deuce McAllister）2005年续约时拿到了 1100万美元。这一次，酋长队当然不愿意花更多的钱。
约翰逊觉得合同所规定的本赛季190万的报酬对他来说远远不够，这190万包括170万的基本工资和20万根据调整条款而发放的额外薪水。他认为这些薪水并不能够形成足够的激励，因为一次严重的受伤就可能使他损失上百万美元。The potential lost wages are enough to keep away Johnson.
堪萨斯城酋长则是另一种观点，他们给约翰逊的每场比赛定了超过11.1万美元的奖金，只有他不报到的情况下才会拿不到工资。另外，球队可以对缺席训练营的约翰逊处以每天1.4万美元的罚款，这项处罚累积最高可以达到66万美元。潜在的工资损失可能会促使约翰逊的回归。
约翰逊认为，目前联盟中球员的津贴都在大幅提高。就在上周，印第安纳波利斯小马还给了他们的防守端锋德维特·弗里尼（Dwight Freeney）3000万美元的保证金。而在这个赛季间歇期，一些防守的中坚力量，像线卫阿达刘斯·托马斯（Adalius Thomas）和乔伊·波特（Joey Porter），以及角卫内特·克莱门茨（Nate Clements），他们每人都能得到至少2000万美元的保证金，就连堪萨斯城的近端锋托尼·冈萨雷斯（Tony Gonzalez）去年都要求了1800万美元的签字费。
酋长队知道这个赛季跑卫的特权价码是700万，而这个数字将会在明年降到650万，也就表示跑卫没有防守端锋和角卫值钱。
现在，约翰逊和酋长队在保证金上有着差不多1400万美元的分歧，而且双方都不肯让步，要是僵局继续持续下去，第三方球队将受益，因为包括绿湾包装工、田纳西泰坦、甚至纽约巨人都在为跑卫大伤脑筋，而约翰逊将是一个不错的人选。这样的交易是有可能进行的，这一结果也能让双方都得到满足。
但是目前，双方都有自己的立场，而且谁也没打算动摇。不过，酋长队的训练营定于7月27日才开始，因此双方仍然还有时间去达成协议。
在这个赛季间歇期，堪萨斯城酋长已经在四分卫特伦特·格林（Trent Green）的交易上证明了自己是何等的固执，而约翰逊也被形容为同样的态度坚决，与他强悍的运动天赋相匹配。
约翰逊与球队最后的摊牌可能会是这个夏天最引人注目的事件。
原文
（July 19， 2007） —— We interrupt the wall-to-wall Michael Vick coverage that is going to last all summer to present another football story.
The biggest training camp battle isn't going to be between Kansas City quarterbacks Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. It's going to be between Kansas City running back Larry Johnson and the Chiefs.
Over the past month， the two sides have been on vacation， not having had any contract talks since around mid-June. But each side returned this week， the first contract proposal was sent to the Chiefs， and now the game within the game begins.
Johnson is said to be dug in， entrenched， refusing to report to training camp until he has a new contract.
The Chiefs believe Johnson already has a contract， which has one year remaining on it， scheduled to pay the running back over $1.9 million this season.
Johnson is seeking somewhere in the vicinity of $28 million in guaranteed money， which is an easy enough number to trace. Three years ago， San Diego gave running back LaDainian Tomlinson a deal that included $21 million in bonuses. Since then， the salary cap has increased about 35 percent， which would make the guaranteed money in Tomlinson's deal worth about $28 million. At this time， Johnson is unwilling to take much less.
The Chiefs have countered with an offer of guaranteed money somewhere between $11 and $14 million， which is the bonus money paid to some of the game's other highest paid running backs， including San Francisco's Frank Gore， who received $14 million worth of guaranteed money last spring； Seattle's Shaun Alexander， who received $13.5 million worth of guaranteed money last year； Arizona's Edgerrin James， who got $11.5 million worth of guaranteed money last year； and New Orleans' Deuce McAllister， who landed $11 million worth of guaranteed money in his extension in 2005. At this time， the Chiefs are unwilling to pay much more.
Johnson feels like the $1.9 million that he's scheduled to make this season —— a $1.7 million base salary， plus a $200，000-plus escalator he triggered in his contract from past performance —— is not enough of an incentive to come in and play when a severe injury could rob him of millions more. The potential lost wages are enough to keep away Johnson.
Kansas City takes an opposite view. Johnson is scheduled to make more than $111，000 per game， wages he would lose if he has not reported. Plus， the Chiefs could opt to fine Johnson $14，000 each day he is not at training camp while also pursuing a pro-rated portion of his initial signing bonus that could amount to as much as $660，000. The potential lost wages could prove to be enough to bring back Johnson.
Johnson thinks， correctly， that salaries from premium NFL players are skyrocketing. Just last week， Indianapolis showered $30 million in guaranteed money on defensive end Dwight Freeney. This offseason， defensive stalwarts such as linebackers Adalius Thomas and Joey Porter， as well as cornerback Nate Clements， each received at least $20 million in guaranteed money. Even Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez commanded an $18 million signing bonus just last year.
The Chiefs know that while the "franchise" number for running backs this season is $7 million， it is projected to drop next season to $6.5 million， a number that indicates that running backs are not valued the way defensive ends and cornerbacks are.
Right now the two sides are somewhere $14 million in guaranteed money apart. Neither is in a compromising mood. Should the staredown continue， speculation about a trade will increase. Green Bay， Tennessee and even the New York Giants each have questions at running back that Johnson would help answer. A trade is a possibility here， an outcome that could appease all sides.
But right now， each side has its stance， it is a strong one， and neither is willing to budge. But the Chiefs are not scheduled to report to training camp until July 27. The two sides have until then to continue to try working out a deal.
Kansas City already proved this offseason in its dealings with quarterback Trent Green how headstrong it can be. Johnson is said to be equally resolute， an attitude matching his physical gifts.
It sets up a showdown that could be the most compelling one of the summer.
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