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Right, because I'm sure Manning didn't check the salary caps and potential competitiveness of potential suitors. Are you nuts? Rex Ryan is the most aggressive, star-hungry coach in the league. The Jets have brought in Brett Favre, Ladanian Tomlinson, and numerous other "big names" to sell tickets and, presumably, win games. Every sign of logic suggests the Jets would have pursued Manning if they had a realistic shot. Tell me how they could have swallowed a $20M cap hit this year when all they could afford were leftover free agents. If they could have simply "restructured" as you suggest, then where are the impact players this offseason and why didn't they free up more money? There were plenty of star players. Why not Mario Williams? He costs less than Manning and they need a pass rusher. You must be crazy to think the Jets just didn't want to make a splash this offseason. Crazy.
Look at what you posted. Then think, long and hard, about what you'd said earlier.
You point out all the big names they'd been able to bring in in the past, yet you still argue that this one wouldn't have been possible because of the cap. You're arguing against yourself and calling me crazy.that was probably because they couldn't afford him, or Manning would simply realize that they would have no money anywhere else and probably wasn't thrilled ending his career with Santonio Holmes as his only WR.
The difference is the Colts were smart in giving their "big money" to Manning, Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, Clark, etc. When you have your core players living up to their big contracts, you can still be competitive and even elite. The Colts were full of holes as well, but those deficiencies could be overcome with superstars playing like superstars. The Jets, on the other hand, do not have a good enough core to stay competitive. They've paid Cromartie, Harris, and Sanchez a boatload of money. This isn't Manning, Wayne, and Harrison here. These guys don't win games for you, they are merely experienced players who at times show flashes of stardom.
There is no difference. Claims were made, disaster didn't strike.
Again, the comparison between the Jets and other teams (the Pats in your other example) are not exactly apples to apples comparisons. The Pats signed some role players for under $10M per year to add to a team that was already 27-5 over the last two seasons and are well-stocked all around. The Pats are adding complementary pieces to the puzzle- the Jets will literally need to replace 10 starters on a team that wasn't even that good as it was.
Lloyd is not a role player, just to point to one signing. Second, while I enjoy watching other people playing junior GM, your notion that they'll need to replace 10 starters is premature, at best.
There's not a lot of sense arguing anymore. If you really think the Jets are not in salary cap trouble, and this offseason isn't already glaring evidence of that fact, you will obviously never accept it. The most aggressive, risk-taking management in the NFL had a very disappointing season, believes in the "win now" philosophy, and got Laron Landry, Yeremiah Bell, and Tim Tebow as their answer. Explain that.
Of course, you're again arguing against yourself here, given that the Patriots supposedly signed only "role players".....
Sometimes the answers are obvious. The cap is not a rock hard ceiling. It's an accounting figure that gets danced around with accounting maneuvers. This is obvious because we see it happen year after year after year.
Will the Jets have issues? Maybe. Are they in the sort of cap hell you're describing? Not likely, since most of the issues are of the type that work themselves out fairly easily.