A CBA complaint: Best franchises are unable to remain on top under this deal

[Box_O_Rocks]

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/nfl/article/0,1375,VCS_140_4554267,00.html

It's no surprise, really, that the NFL and its players association chose to extend their labor agreement through 2011.

After all, the NFL remains everyone's idea of how a professional sports league should be run, given its profitability, rich TV deals, primacy with the sporting public, and a championship game that has become a de facto national holiday.

So why would anyone want to mess with success?

Well, maybe because the current NFL system so greatly messes with success on the field.

The NFL's salary-cap system has always made it hard for the top teams to stay that way, as successful teams are forced to make tough (or impossible) decisions about who to keep and who to let go, while less astute teams can raid the rosters of the successful teams to grab the talent they weren't smart enough to find on their own.

The result is the league's amazingly rapid standings turnover, where teams bounce from good to great to average in a short period of time, and it takes a truly inept organization (hello, Arizona Cardinals) to stay at the bottom.

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To me, there's at least a little something wrong with a system that drives everyone to the middle of the pack, and forces teams to release quality players more for reasons of salary than performance. But it seems I'm in the distinct minority about this.

Essentially, it comes down to this: if you like parity, the current system is great.

If you think the day when 32 teams finish 8-8, and it takes a team of math geniuses from Caltech and MIT to work out the tiebreakers, will be a great moment for the NFL, then by all means, welcome the extension of the existing deal.

 

[JR4]

There may be a false believe that there is parity.

I think your post is a reaction the recent difficult player losses of the Patriots.
This is understandable.
The day 32 teams finish 8-8 maybe a change is necessary. For now it
seems in recent history there are teams finishing 14-2.

Recent didtribution of wins and losses suggest that the system is not
by any means driving teams to the middle of the pack. In fact instead of a
bell curve you have double hump curve meaning there are two groups.
In fact the distribution for the last three years shows the double hump
phenomena. the two humps = The Haves and the Have nots.

Actually this seems to be an indication that in a given year there is a lack of
parity. If there were parity I believe you would see the traditional bell curve.

The reason for this double hump phenomena might be a
good research project.

 

[mgteich]

The top teams don't win under the salary cap? There is too much parity? Look at the AFC. The same nine
teams that were in the fight at the end last year are likely to be in it again, and again and again, as long as they manage, draft and coach well.

The patriots have certainly shown what can be done in the so-called age of parity (the draft giving advantage to the weak, free agency, salary cap and subsidies of unsuccessful teams).

This year the patriots may be somewhat disadvantaged by choosing to be more conservative with regard to contracts. But we will spend almost the same as everyone else, and the 2006-2009 patriots could be the best in football as the 2000-2005 patriots have been. Certainly, the same things that made us great will continue to make us great. We will be a contender every year. That is NOT parity.

Having a few million added to everyone's budget doesn't in the end make the poor teams much better. They still can't manage, can't coach and can't draft.

 

[shakadave]

Who are the other teams sitting out of FA chase?

I read that the Pats are (or were until a day or two ago) one of only 6 teams who haven't signed a free agent this year. Anyone know who the other 5 are? It would be interesting to see if there's a pattern, like quality franchises (e.g. Pittsburgh) joining us on the list.

 

[mgteich]

We have signed Caldwell, Hawkins, Poteat, and Tucker (not counting ERFA's)

I read that the Pats are (or were until a day or two ago) one of only 6 teams who haven't signed a free agent this year. Anyone know who the other 5 are? It would be interesting to see if there's a pattern, like quality franchises (e.g. Pittsburgh) joining us on the list.

 

[shakadave]

We have signed Caldwell, Hawkins, Poteat, and Tucker (not counting ERFA's)

I meant free agents from other teams, and this was right before the Caldwell news I guess.