Javon Walker had a career-high 89 catches for 1,342 yards and 12 TDs last season. John Biever/SI
	MAILBAG Submit a comment or question for Jeffri. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I give Green Bay wide receiver Javon Walker credit for showing some good sense over the last few days. He could be feuding with Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who publicly criticized Walker's decision to hold out for a new contract this offseason. Walker could be saying all the wrong things to the media. He could be acting as if the fans don't matter at all. But he hasn't done any of that. If Terrell Owens is paying attention, this is how you go about seeking a better deal.

You don't throw the quarterback under the bus, even if you have every right to. You don't make flip remarks that take on a life of their own. You play it cool. You get a strong sense of what kind of public relations storm you're about to enter. And you make your case quietly, behind closed doors, until there's no other choice but to make grandiose public threats in hopes of inflating your income.

Walker apparently understands this, most likely because his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also represents Owens. If Walker learned anything from the mess that Owens and Rosenhaus created in Philadelphia, it's that today's fans aren't sympathetic when a highly paid athlete thinks he deserves more money. The public has simply seen too many pampered jocks doused in bling while pumping their pads on MTV's Cribs and acting like a seven-figure deal doesn't go as far as it used to. When people hear about a guy like Walker holding out, they assume he's just another spoiled baller who doesn't appreciate his good fortune.

Thus far, Walker has tried not to feed into that stereotype. When he held a charity softball game in Milwaukee last weekend, he did everything possible to portray himself as the good guy everybody says he is. He told local reporters that he would never demand a trade no matter how ugly his contract negotiations become. He hoped that the fans could "forgive and forget" his actions if he's involved in a long holdout. As a nice touch, he added that loved playing in the state of Wisconsin.

Now keep in mind that Walker doesn't have to do this. He has every right to ask for more money. The fourth-year receiver has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $515,000 in base salary this season and $650,000 in 2006. I admit he's only had one huge season so far -- he made his first Pro Bowl last year after catching 89 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns -- but he'll be the best bargain in the league if he plays at that level throughout his current deal. If nothing else, he deserves more money for blossoming into the most reliable big-play target Favre has had in years.