Bye-week daydreaming: 2012 cap space

[MoLewisrocks]

Brady is the one player the offense is built around. Without Brady we have many good players, but it would be tough to claim that any of them could carry this team as well as Brady does.

The defense as it is currently structured is missing that key player. The one who influences how the defense is assembled and what kind of scheme it runs. Yeah, its not reasonable to claim that any one positions on defense is as influential as the QB when it comes to winning games, but in that same breath if any one of those positions had player worth building around, the defense as a whole would improve greatly.

Every position on the defense has the capacity to disrupt a QB's/ RB's timing. One great player on defense will achieve more opportunities to disrupt that timing. Finding that player is like finding a franchise QB.

And swinging for the fences and missing on that player on defense is akin to swinging and missing on a franchise QB. The last impact players like that we hit it out of the park on were Seymour in his youth via the draft and Rodney and Vrabel in FA off the scrap heap. A costly swing and miss would be Adalius. In the long run Bill got more value out of Rodney and Vrabel because they didn't cost him a top draft pick (or any actually) or the big bucks and they pretty much played out their best days here. Seymour was fine under the circumstances because they didn't have to trade up for him, they were that bad the pick was there. And they got value out of him commensurate with what they paid him for most of his rookie deal. After that it got a little dicey.

Had we gone after lets say Peppers in FA at the expense of retaining Wilfork or Mayo or traded up in the draft to secure that guy on defense at the expense of say the pairing of young pro bowl caliber TE's not to mention a LT for the future (and jack of all trades for the present) - how much better than 13-3 and HFA throughout would we be today? I realize if you ascribe to the Michael Felger school of capology the argument would be you can have it all. And he would point to teams like the JETS and the Eagles and the Bears and a host of others who aren't in the playoffs this season and whose decisionmakers are straddling the hot seat if not shuffling to the unemployment line already because he's an idiot... There have been many pissing contests and fiery debates here over the last decade about whose approach to roster building is the best. One consistent contender is now a former GM and team president after just one colossal losing season in a decade.

Peppers deal averages almost $16M per plus incentives and was compared to Haynesworth's $18M deal in Washington that netted each team about the same results...same results the Panthers reaped from tagging him multiple years...NOTHING. I don't know but maybe the lesson if there is one to be learned is maybe you could have achieved more had you spent that money more wisely and spread it out in an effort to build aand maintain a deeper overall team. I know Bill is tempted at times, talent is seductive, but he seems to hold true to his convictions at the end of the day and while we don't win 'em all we win and contend more consistently than anyone else...over the course of a decade.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

And swinging for the fences and missing on that player on defense is akin to swinging and missing on a franchise QB. The last impact players like that we hit it out of the park on were Seymour in his youth via the draft and Rodney and Vrabel in FA off the scrap heap. A costly swing and miss would be Adalius. In the long run Bill got more value out of Rodney and Vrabel because they didn't cost him a top draft pick (or any actually) or the big bucks and they pretty much played out their best days here. Seymour was fine under the circumstances because they didn't have to trade up for him, they were that bad the pick was there. And they got value out of him commensurate with what they paid him for most of his rookie deal. After that it got a little dicey.

Had we gone after lets say Peppers in FA at the expense of retaining Wilfork or Mayo or traded up in the draft to secure that guy on defense at the expense of say the pairing of young pro bowl caliber TE's not to mention a LT for the future (and jack of all trades for the present) - how much better than 13-3 and HFA throughout would we be today? I realize if you ascribe to the Michael Felger school of capology the argument would be you can have it all. And he would point to teams like the JETS and the Eagles and the Bears and a host of others who aren't in the playoffs this season and whose decisionmakers are straddling the hot seat if not shuffling to the unemployment line already because he's an idiot... There have been many pissing contests and fiery debates here over the last decade about whose approach to roster building is the best. One consistent contender is now a former GM and team president after just one colossal losing season in a decade.

Peppers deal averages almost $16M per plus incentives and was compared to Haynesworth's $18M deal in Washington that netted each team about the same results...same results the Panthers reaped from tagging him multiple years...NOTHING. I don't know but maybe the lesson if there is one to be learned is maybe you could have achieved more had you spent that money more wisely and spread it out in an effort to build aand maintain a deeper overall team. I know Bill is tempted at times, talent is seductive, but he seems to hold true to his convictions at the end of the day and while we don't win 'em all we win and contend more consistently than anyone else...over the course of a decade.

I heard Felger ranting on his show today about how right he was/is on the cap is crap. He mentioned how people have called in to the show saying the Jets were going to be in cap hell but they continue to sign who they want. He must be ignorant to the fact they had to let 5 or 6 other good players walk to get under the cap not to mention that little trick they played with dead cap space to start the new CBA. The Jets ended up 8-8 and out of the playoffs and imploded, is Felger brain dead?

 

[brian0899]

I'd love to see Mario, and I don't think HOU tenders him (franchise) as the price is high for him - remember, it would be 125% of last year's deal (would be higher than the top 5 avg for last 5 years of DE) and that was a ton. BUT - they aren't about to trade him to NE.

I say sign Calais Campbell and LaRon Landry. Also Brandon Lloyd. MAYBE an OLB like A Spencer or Jarret Johnson...but that might not happen, not sure what they can offer.

I say trade the #1 picks down and get more picks. The only guy I would pick with ONE of the 1st rounders - for the obvious guys, not the unexpected free-fallers who slide 15 spots - would be Sanu. He is expected to go around 25-32 or in round 2, so he would be there. I'd love to see Sanu and Lloyd replace Branch and Tiquan. Then if Dwayne Allen is there also, draft him to replace Ocho - actually Hernandez becomes WR #3, as Allen is more of a true inline blocking TE. Imagine covering these receivers?

Empty backfield with Welker/Gronk/Allen/Hernandez & Lloyd? Crazy. And Sanu off the bench.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'd love to see Mario, and I don't think HOU tenders him (franchise) as the price is high for him - remember, it would be 125% of last year's deal (would be higher than the top 5 avg for last 5 years of DE) and that was a ton. BUT - they aren't about to trade him to NE.

I say sign Calais Campbell and LaRon Landry. Also Brandon Lloyd. MAYBE an OLB like A Spencer or Jarret Johnson...but that might not happen, not sure what they can offer.

I say trade the #1 picks down and get more picks. The only guy I would pick with ONE of the 1st rounders - for the obvious guys, not the unexpected free-fallers who slide 15 spots - would be Sanu. He is expected to go around 25-32 or in round 2, so he would be there. I'd love to see Sanu and Lloyd replace Branch and Tiquan. Then if Dwayne Allen is there also, draft him to replace Ocho - actually Hernandez becomes WR #3, as Allen is more of a true inline blocking TE. Imagine covering these receivers?

Empty backfield with Welker/Gronk/Allen/Hernandez & Lloyd? Crazy. And Sanu off the bench.

As fans we just don't know how the team's draft board is stacked, what deals are proposed, declined, a draftee's signability, players skills relative to the team's system, etc. I'm not too hard on BB's drafting as I try to look at what he does compared to the rest of the league. Has he missed on players? Of course. So has every other team. Has he hit on players? Absolutely. Brady covers up many warts but overall, BB has done a pretty damn good job transitioning this team from the 01-07 bunch and winning on average 12 games a year with one of those without Brady. To me, winning 12 games means that you have enough talent to win in the playoffs. That is what this team MUST do today.

The NFL draft is like the stock market/investing. You can do your homework on a stock/fund/company, see how it fits into your portfolio/investment strategy and decide how much to buy in. The market may change. Your financial needs may change. The company/fund may change. I think that is exactly how BB looks at the draft.

 

[BTTA]

The Jets ended up 8-8 and out of the playoffs and imploded, is Felger brain dead?

No. He's an entertainer pretending to be an analyst, simply to get the radio eyeballs. People complain because his analysis is so critical and dramatic but that's exactly what he's after.

 

[warx]

Like Green Bay and the Saints, we win from within.

I know an ASU fan and he hates Vontaze Burfict, he talks about stupid penalties the whole time that cost the team in key situations.

 

[brian0899]

Like Green Bay and the Saints, we win from within.

I know an ASU fan and he hates Vontaze Burfict, he talks about stupid penalties the whole time that cost the team in key situations.

NE has been winning since 2001. NO and GB have the luxury of some high draft picks like Bush and Raji. It's tougher to build from within when you are always drafting at 24 or 27. Nice job for NO and GB, but they have a ways to go - I am not counting GB's old teams...