Bruschi: A REAL tip of the (salary) cap

[PatsFanInVa]

With all the talk this year about how cool it is that Randy Moss is playing for 3-5 million, and how Brady was such a great guy for restructuring, taking money tomorrow for a new receiver today, I need to mention 1 guy, and that's Ted Bruschi.

He's been playing for numbers between $1.2M to $2.5M (in cap numbers) since the first NE Super Bowl win. He's been a pro bowl guy, a super bowl guy, a team captain, a stroke comeback story... whatever you want to call him.

Some guys play their heart out, but only so many play with a goddam hole in their heart (literally.)

As often happens, a guy who doesn't look for or attract media attention is the real story. Think about what we've saved over the years, on this one key guy right in the middle of the D.

And of course coming back from the stroke to play again? Come on you know he loves the game... sure, the media did cover that. But the money thing? This guy is the epitome of Patriots selflessness (along with Troy Brown).

I know they'll both stay at it as long as they can... but with the numbers we're seeing now it's really nice to occasionally check out what some guys will do out of a desire to win, to keep a team strong.

PFnV

 

[psychoPat]

Thanks for the reminder!

I have been pretty bummed by all those false stories of what great sacrifices TB & RM made. Hah!

 

[wdkantro2]

100% agree. However, I don't think Bruschi taking the salary he is getting is much of a cut anymore, but it certainly was a few years ago.

 

[BelichickFan]

Rodney is making a pittance of what he's worth too.

I love Tommy as much as anyone but if he wants to really take one for the team he could sign a 7 year $42M contract, cost us $6M a year do a few more commercials and, voila, make a great deal for the team but still rake in $10M a year over the last 6 years of his career.

 

[BelichickFan]

100% agree. However, I don't think Bruschi taking the salary he is getting is much of a cut anymore, but it certainly was a few years ago.

That's what I meant about Rodney too - moreso for 2003, 2004 than right now.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Brady might, of course, do just that, eventually.

Bear in mind that the Pats bit the bullet on purpose, and essentially designated Brady as The Man when they cut his deal. Through 2004, the most he ever made in a season was 5M... and as I recall, he never threatened, blustered, or chafed... then he "got his" in his 2005 deal.

We all said "good for him, he deserves it!"

Well, if he deserved it when we said that, he still does.

So, it's on Tommy to decide how he'll deal with it. The preliminary indication was, he made the call to get Randy on the team... what if "I've never spent that much for a wideout and I never will" becomes the BB attitude, if Moss produces in 07 and makes big demands in 08?

Putting on my conspiracy theorist hat: it almost looks like Brady wants his new toys badly enough that he's said hey - if they produce, you can take some of it out of my hide in the "out years." Now think about how these deals work - Randy is straight-up "one and done," as of right now, at $3-5M depending on incentives. Stallworth is cheap this year, at $3.6M. Even then, playing time equates to $1.6M of that, at 100K a game, to indemnify the team (one would presume) against injuries.

But the total value of his contract is $33.6M... which makes him a 5.5M/year player, if we get past the mammoth second year of the deal (next year.)

Kelly Washington? Again, cheap this year, high next year (including the big bonus bucks), then cheap again for three years.

Welker? Welker is the one where the Pats paid up-front, and loaded the (somewhat smaller) risk on the team.

Where I am going with this, is a big time commitment next year to wideouts, but only if we keep the services of the entire ensemble cast. It's almost like throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.

And if Stallworth and Moss haul in 80+ catches each... well then, something tells me Kelly Washington didn't make it (and therefore is not going to dearly cost the team.) But beyond that, Brady can still keep more of his toys if he so desires, by making life easy on the F.O. ... but then again, we're structuring the whole WR experiment in such a way that we get to see who's who and Where's Chad before moving forward with it any further.

Yikes. 4000 yards for Brady... and then he takes a pay cut to keep all his toys? What kind of a God would people call him then?

PFnV

 

[smg93]

how Brady was such a great guy for restructuring, taking money tomorrow for a new receiver today,

Slight correction on this. He restructured his contract by taking more money earlier not later. He cut down his salary by X but increased his signing bonus by X as well. In other words he will make the same total amount of money but more of it now is in the form of a signing bonus which he gets TODAY instead of throughout the season.

The "restructuring" of his contract creates cap space because bonuses are allowed to be spread out over the life of a contract while salaries in terms of the cap are all absorbed in the year it was made.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

I know this will likely be seen as herecy but I really don't see Bruschi as being worth a nickle more than he is being paid. If you are objective, you can't really list the last time he made a "playmaker" type play beyond the "snowbowl" int vs. the dolphins. I love the guy and believe he was underpaid during his prime but it is evening out as I believe he might be OVERPAID now for what he really brings.

 

[DougGabriel2007]

LOL...KDP I'm questioning if your even a Pats fan with that opinion. The snow bowl was in 2003, he made HUGE plays in the playoffs in 2004 against Philly (INT in the 4th Q) and Indy (stripping rhodes of the ball), not to mention some plays during the season as well.....

 

[mgteich]

Bruschi's staying and starting, but 2004 was a very long time ago.

LOL...KDP I'm questioning if your even a Pats fan with that opinion. The snow bowl was in 2003, he made HUGE plays in the playoffs in 2004 against Philly (INT in the 4th Q) and Indy (stripping rhodes of the ball), not to mention some plays during the season as well.....

 

[patsfan-1982]

some people cant even walk right aftter a strok and tedy is playing pro ball so if he is a lil slower so what he is still better then a lot of higher paid ILB

 

[UGAPatsfan]

LOL...KDP I'm questioning if your even a Pats fan with that opinion. The snow bowl was in 2003, he made HUGE plays in the playoffs in 2004 against Philly (INT in the 4th Q) and Indy (stripping rhodes of the ball), not to mention some plays during the season as well.....

Your name makes me wonder the same. I knew when I posted it that it might not be popular but it doesn't make it less accurate. I'm not questioning hiis intrinsic value for God's sake, I love the guy for all he has done, but his play...it is what it is.

 

[zoostation]

Rodney and Tedy = Heart and Soul!

 

[PatsFanInVa]

smg, tu re: the restructuring. The error of looking at cap numbers rather than bonus/salary numbers.

Love the guy, but HOW do we get headlines like "Brady Saves the Pats Again", when what he did amounts to getting paid sooner not later?

On Bruschi/Harrison - point taken guys, regarding declining skills. HOWEVER, yes, Bruschi had a monster 04, and a monster 03 at that. His contract numbers were well under $2M per annum, closer to the 1M number.

Come on now. You know Bruschi was worth more than that. He just clearly didn't see the need to try to drain the team.

Least we should do is pay attention, notice it, and tip the hat. I have no desire to think about my team as one guy VS the other, and this isn't an anti-Tom rant. It's just calling it like I see it... We will miss that very affordable, very overachieving presence in the middle.

PFnV

 

[DougGabriel2007]

Um KDP, what you posted was NOT accurate. You said the last time he made a huge game changing play was 2003 vs Miami, and he made several huge plays after that in 2004....So what you said was 100% not accurate regarding that? Agreed?

If your saying Bruschi is declining, thats a whole different issue. I'm just surprised you didn't remember the HUGE plays of 2004, you know, you being a big fan and all....

 

[PatsSteve1]

Sadly, what a player did in 2004 or earlier doesn't count in 2007 or 2008. That's the NFL. When a player reaches Teddy's age and seems to be declining in value they either get cut or thier pay gets cut if thier kept. It's Teddy's last year on his deal and we all should know BB's cold as ice when it comes to declining players either making to much or wanting too much. Troy Brown played for little more than minimum wage for his years of service last year and likley will be again if he wants to play another year. Teddy may find himself in a similar situation. It's a what have you done for me today and tomorrow league -

 

[DougGabriel2007]

Whats that have to do with anything PatsSteve, the only point I'm making is that the first guy said Bruschi hasn't played any big plays since 03 and he made tons of big plays in 04, not to mention was very solid in 05 and 06. What he does in 07/08 who knows, but this has nothing to do with the fundamental point I'm making that the guy was wrong about Bruschi and how he played in 04 completely..

 

[PatsSteve1]

Whats that have to do with anything PatsSteve, the only point I'm making is that the first guy said Bruschi hasn't played any big plays since 03 and he made tons of big plays in 04, not to mention was very solid in 05 and 06. What he does in 07/08 who knows, but this has nothing to do with the fundamental point I'm making that the guy was wrong about Bruschi and how he played in 04 completely..

* My point is what happened before now doesn't mean anything in todays NFL, now does it.