Is there really parity in the NFL?

[ice]

Reading Tomase piece earlier in the week made me think about parity.

http://patriots.bostonherald.com/pat...ticleid=193882

and if the NFL isn't really hurting the worst ran teams with it's draft set. the price teams like arizona and the lions and the browns, continually shell out for supposably the best talent each year is amazing, for athletes who haven't done anything. Miss one and your sunk fiancially. take these numbers from the article

" If there’s one quick way to hamstring a franchises’s finances, it’s by paying a top-10 pick like an established veteran superstar, and then watching him underperform.

The Pats have drafted quite well in the 20s and below without having to deal with the headache of huge contracts. Take last year’s draft. No. 10 pick Matt Leinart signed a six-year, $51 million deal with $14 million guaranteed from Arizona.

Compare that to Maroney, selected just 11 spots later, who landed a five-year, $8.735 million deal with a little over $6 million guaranteed. In the salary cap era, that’s a huge difference financially for two players who aren’t nearly that far apart in terms of ability.

The Patriots have not traded into the top 10 since Belichick arrived. "


51 million for lienhart and almost 9 for maroney that's a hugh hit.
How does a team endure with this kind of contrution each year.

It only goes to show how important the front offices of each team are.

we are blessed and I hoped we don't trade down to only incure more cost.

[zippo59]

This article is little outdated but I still think the sentiment rings true--parity is a myth.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com...56&Category=11

[Metaphors]

I think the word "parity" is the wrong word to describe what the NFL system is designed to accomplish. The system allows bad teams to improve dramatically in one season. The system also inhibits your ability to stay on top. It is more "gravity" (towards 8-8) than "parity" (all teams are the same strength).

The salary cap/free agency is certainly the centerpiece of the system. It doesn't ensure that all teams are 8-8, but it does ensure player turnover. This flux create an opportunity for poor teams and a challenge for the elite teams.

The schedule is a minor factor, but those two games against similarly "tiered" teams again provides the same dynamic as the salary cap/free agency...just to a much smaller degree.

The draft is also a strong component of this system but its impact seems to be in question. I'm not sure why since it operates just like the salary cap/free agency. You have a restricted amount of money and a pool of players to spend it on. The only difference is that poor teams have first dibs on the player pool. The ability to kill your salary cap on poor personnel decisions is EXACTLY the same (bad draft pick and bad FA acquistion hurts just the same). It all comes down to talent evaluation.

All things being equal, the system would result in "parity". The difference is in the quality (or lack thereof) of the organizations and their ability to resist "gravity".

[PATRIOT64]

Until I see the day when the whole league is anywhere between a 15-1 mark as best and the worst record being a 7-9 mark then theres parity,Until then ,NO