Originally Posted by PatsFanInVa

Miguel seems to think BB/SP could choose to go higher, and break that mold, based on value to the team (I'm personally in that camp too - but it's a matter of where the powers that be peg his value.)

Originally Posted by MoLewisrocks

NOT EVEN CLOSE. We've sliced through the playoffs in 2004 with Jarvis Green (and an otherwise healthy defense albeit simultaneously minus a pro bowl corner). In relative level of importance to this team, Richard is a distant third at best behind Brady, Bruschi and Harrison. Tedy and Rodney aren't getting any younger and will need to replaced in two or three years. They may be replaced via the draft, or by players already in the system - but I doubt it. And even if they are, by then those players will be in a position to command substantial salaries if we hope to retain them through their peak years.

The beauty of Brady is two fold (at least). He can do more with less (which I did not see Richard accomplish at any point in the 2005 season) and he's willing to do it for less (which Richard says he will not). Both Bruschi and Harrison have also done more with less and for less. Their replacements cannot just be expected to provide that kind of value, although we can hope...

This thread was based on the premise that we can afford to pay Richard a contract that averages a certain amount. Truth is we can afford to pay him more. The real question is do we want to. Does his open market value fit the salary structure this team appears determined to continue operating under. Because there will always be tradeoffs. In Richard's case the tradeoff may be disrupting that entire structure. Is his particular talent worth sacrificing that broadbased philosophy? Or does his talent value perception exceed the value we place on the position? BB tries to explain this to people on a fairly regular basis.

I would like to think that Brady is the one player whose value is worth exceeding the structure. But obviously they did not. Luckily, neither did he. It's that simple. They aren't going to overpay for talent simply because someone else on the open market will. If you want to be a star and a leader on this particular team, you have to be willing to make sacrifices that may include your personal finances. It is what it is.

While BB admires sheer talent, he understands it is only as valuable to him as the remainder of the roster he is able to fashion around it. And under a hard cap spreading the value and the risk is the best model for long term success. Players with average or slightly above average talent, quality depth, and a handful of durable and reliable impact players who took a little less to allow for the rest. That's as much a part of his scheme as the X's and O's, and the part many of his staunchest critics have long held he cannot maintain indefinitely. Brady was the first big test, and the model passed. Richard is the next big test of whether or not he can. The answer will come when he is either re-signed in a manner that does not adversely impact the salary scheme or he is replaced in a manner that underscores how the scheme can adapt and move on.

Originally Posted by flutie2phelan