pats1

JoePats

Definately fair. This was probably needed as more and more teams move to a 3-4 defense.

bradmahn

I'd like to know how they are going to determine how much an outside linebacker-defensive end makes next year. Or the year after. Is there a certain percentage of snaps one must play at "defensive end" to qualify as this new designation? Do all 3-4 OLBs fall under this category? Is the play at defensive end determined by a hand on the ground?

No surprise, but I think that article doesn't do a very good job describing the new designation.

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I don't like Dungy and that's because he [was] the head coach of the Colts. Period. End of question. The degree to which I like a player or coach is predicated solely on the color of the laundry they wear on Sunday. When fans admit this and stop bashing players and coaches for any other reason, the world of sports will be infinitely improved.

DaBruinz

Actually, I don't think its fair at all. It opens the whole franchise process up to there being more designations and causing player salaries to jump more.

Next, we are going to see the OLBs wanting a different designation than the ILB/MLBs. And we're going to see OTs wanting ones different than Guards and Centers.

By the rules, the Ravens should have designated Suggs as a DE. The fact that they didn't means that they were the ones violating the rules. The league should have stepped in and said "Sorry. He played more at DE than at OLB" and therefore is a DE franchise designation. It never should have reached this point.

This is a loss for the league.

mcsully

Can't believe I"m going to do this.. But well thought out and great post :P

Rob0729

Where was Arlen Specter on this issue? He championed TO when a loophole in the CBA forced him to get traded to the Ravens instead of the Eagles. Shouldn't he have been championing Suggs since the Ravens were screwing him because of a loophole in the CBA?

I know Specter is a rightgeous man who is of utmost character, but if he doesn't watch it he is going to get pegged as a man who uses his political powers to only push his will on the NFL based on his own personal agenda and not what is actually right.

WhiZa

I completely agree. The league obviously had their best guys on some other project

Next year, all the TEs will want to be WRs because they played in the slot a few times

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JoePats

All salaries will rise with the salary cap anyway, as teams in essence don't pay players based on raw dollar values but rather percentage of the cap.

Also, by creating a new position, you are in essence lowering the value of the "top 5 contracts" at another position. For example, if Jason Taylor is considered a DE/OLB instead of a DE, then his 9 mil or whatever is no longer counted in that group. And a lower DE salary is counted, which actually lowers the DE franchise tag.

But most importantly, all DEs are not created equal, ie, Ty Warren and Dwight Freeney play the same position in name only.

And if you raise the tackle franchise tag by seperating them, you're going to end up lowering the guard/center tag. The same for other positions.

I don't think the changes are that big of a deal and increased player salaries can only go so far since it's all under a hard salary cap. You have to rob Peter to pay Paul. That's the point of the system.