If this cheers you up...

[SeanBruschi54]

According to Miguel's spreadsheet, SS Mike Doss, who was hurt most of 2006, has a voidable contract.

And according to KFFL:

http://www.kffl.com/player/5970/NFL

I just noticed that. He's only 5-10 and his stats dont jump out at you but I wonder how much he thinks he will get out in FA?

Hes good but nothing great.

Still another loss for the Colts.

 

[PatsSteve1]

NaPolian already said on Sirius NFL Radio that if they cant get into an agreement with Freeney they will use the franchise tag on him.

John Clayton reports they have only 200K in cap space. He also says a rework of Mainnings deal would free up 8 Mill. Franchise Freeney and it takes up a lot of that 8 mill, but if they do a deal with him, it free some up. They probably have some other reworks they can do to sign the more important guys unles greener pastures are elsewhere for te players. People said Mannings deal would doom them, too and it didn't. They likely won't get them all back, but I wouldn't say thier done just yet.

 

[Miguel]

That's fine, they can't pay everyone.

Who can??????

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I love urinating on bonfires...

Hey guys, here's a concept:

What if the Colts know how to play 3-card monte with contract restructuring, to come up with the cash for the guys they want to keep?

What if the guys that labored for years to get that ring and beat the Pats, decide they'd like to ride that train at least 1 more year?

What if some of the Colts' guys are intoxicated with winning now, and agree to take the oft-mentioned "home town discount?"

A raft of FA departures didn't destroy us, and it won't destroy them. Bank on it... and that's almost better. Pats/Colts might be Dallas/San Francisco for the 21st century.

PFnV

 

[Miguel]

The sky is not falling for the Colts.

How can the Colts pay their players??
1.) Convert PM's 10 million roster bonus into a signing bonus thereby saving $8.33 million on the cap. Cap savings - $8.33 million.
2.) Extend Tarik Glenn's contract by a year. Let's say that he ends up with a $2.5 million salary and a $2 million signing bonus. Savings - $1 million.
3.) Get Stokely to agree to lower his new money take from $2.6 million to $1.2 million with the opportunity to earn back the money with incentives.
Savings - $1.4 million. If he does not agree to the deal, release him for about the same amount of cap savings.
4.) Convert $2.5 million of Booger McFarland's $5.5 million salary into a signing bonus - Savings - $1.25 million.
5.) I have no clue what the Colts are going to do with Corey Simon but they could save $3.955 million on the cap by releasing him on 6/2. That 3.955 million is pretty close to what the Colts would need to sign their draft picks, pay for players 52,53 and have about $1.25 million in reserve.
6.) Convert $2 million of Robert Mathis' $3.9 million roster bonus into a signing bonus - Savings - $1.6 million.

Five simple moves that takes the Colts from $200,000 under the cap to about $13.5 million under. There are other moves available to the Colts.

I will ask for the second time.

What will be the 2007 cap numbers for the Colts' free agents??
What will be the net cap hit??

Remember since the Colts already have more than 51 players for the 2007 season that the Rule of 51 applies. If the free agent’s cap number is among the 51-highest on the team, the base salary of the player whose cap number had been 51st-highest no longer counts against the cap. In most cases, then, the effect of signing a free agent will either be $285,000 or $360,000 less than his cap number for 2007.

Please note that it appears from
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=558630
that Ricky Proehl and Matt Ulrich had phony LTBE incentives added to the contracts so the Colts' adjusted cap number will probably be higher than $109 million which can only help the Colts. As for Peyton Manning having incentives in his contract, does it not seem strange that if he did that he did not have them for his passing stats in 2004/2005 or making the Pro Bowl??

Please note that the Colts will save either $260,000 or $185,000 when Doss' contract voids as that would mean his 2007 salary would come off the books.

Please note that Freddy Keihlo is already signed for the 2007 season.

In 2005 and in 2006 the Colts were one of the youngest teams in the NFL so it appears that the Colts were depending on their ability to coach up their young players to fill in spots opened up by free agency. To me, they made the right decision - Charles Johnson filled in Ryan Diem during the Super Bowl. Nick Harper misses the 2nd half of the Super Bowl and Kelvin Hayden returns an INT for a TD.

Are the Colts really going to miss Gilbert Gardner who was on the inactive list for the latter part of the season??
Doss who was on IR??

 

[ATippett56]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

How can the Colts pay their players??
Five simple moves that takes the Colts from $200,000 under the cap to about $13.5 million under. There are other moves available to the Colts.

If Polian slaps the franchise tag on Dwight Freeney, the Colts will barely have enough room under the salary cap to pay their 2007 draft choices and maintain a comfortable margin for injury replacements.

http://www.nflpa.org/pdfs/NewsAndEvents/HotTopics/FranchiseAndTransition_2007.pdf

$13.5 million under
Slap franchise tag on Freeney - $8.644 million
Allot for Colts 2007 draft picks - roughly $3 million
Remainder - less than $1.9 million

 

[Miguel]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

$13.5 million under
Slap franchise tag on Freeney - $8.644 million
Allot for Colts 2007 draft picks - roughly $3 million
Remainder - less than $1.9 million

You seem to be forgetting the rule of 51.

Last year the Patriots' draft pick class (10 picks and not at the end of the round) had a net cap cost of $1.5 million so how could the Indy draft class in 2007 be double the cost??

You also seem to be forgetting that the Colts' adjusted cap number is probably going to be higher than $109 million.

You also seem to be forgetting about Corey Simon.

You also seem to be forgetting that the Colts will not need to create cap space to sign their draft picks until mid-July so they will be able to take advantage of the 6/2 rule to spread out dead money hits over 2 years.

You also seem to be forgetting that I had said that the Colts had other moves available to them.

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

I really don't care who the Colts can bring back. I am confident that heading into the draft the Patriots will be as strong relative to the Colts as they were at the end of the season. And I'm also confident that makes the Patriots the better team BEFORE the draft in which we have two #1s and a #2 whereas the Colts have one #1 and no #2.

How dare I say the Patriots were better ? Just because the Colts are now the SB Champions doesn't make them inherently better. It took the Patriots having the flu, more injuries and several aggregious (sp ?) calls for the Colts to win. Whining excuse making ? Maybe. But it's true. I will believe to my dying day the Patriots were better than the Colts. Too bad for us on some awful calls. Too bad for us half the defense had the flu. Too bad for us the likes of Harrison, Wilson, Colvin, even Hawkins, weren't on the field for either the whole game or most of the second half.

It's a shame but it is what it is and it's in the history books. However that doesn't mean the Colts were better and I think it's a difficult argument to make that they were - even though they won. If the Colts stay even in FA and so do we, I think we're the better team in September.

 

[gomezcat]

I was thinking that some of the better paid players in Indianapolis could "take one for the team", in the form of a renegotiated contract. Hmmm, somehow I don't think that will happen.

Edit: I just read Miguel's posts. Ho hum.

 

[RyanTheColtsFan]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

I really don't care who the Colts can bring back. I am confident that heading into the draft the Patriots will be as strong relative to the Colts as they were at the end of the season. And I'm also confident that makes the Patriots the better team BEFORE the draft in which we have two #1s and a #2 whereas the Colts have one #1 and no #2.

How dare I say the Patriots were better ? Just because the Colts are now the SB Champions doesn't make them inherently better. It took the Patriots having the flu, more injuries and several aggregious (sp ?) calls for the Colts to win. Whining excuse making ? Maybe. But it's true. I will believe to my dying day the Patriots were better than the Colts. Too bad for us on some awful calls. Too bad for us half the defense had the flu. Too bad for us the likes of Harrison, Wilson, Colvin, even Hawkins, weren't on the field for either the whole game or most of the second half.

It's a shame but it is what it is and it's in the history books. However that doesn't mean the Colts were better and I think it's a difficult argument to make that they were - even though they won. If the Colts stay even in FA and so do we, I think we're the better team in September.

The Colts were the better team this season. No argument needed. The Patriots were second best in the AFC.

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

The Colts were the better team this season. No argument needed. The Patriots were second best in the AFC.

Actually, they weren't. The set of circumstances allowed them to win. So it is written. Good for them.

But when you look past "who won" and at "who was better, everything being equal", it looks better for us in 2007 than in 2006.

Disagree ? Go back and watch the tape. Look at all the Patriots on the sidelines. Look at a ticky tack call on Brown. Look at a horrible call on Hobbs. Look at a horrible non call vs. Caldwell. Look at a horrible non call vs. Graham.

For 2006 none of that matters. You won. For 2007 it matters because you can't count on all that crap again.

The best team doesn't always win - sorry, that thinking is way too simplistic.

 

[RyanTheColtsFan]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

Actually, they weren't. The set of circumstances allowed them to win. So it is written. Good for them.

But when you look past "who won" and at "who was better, everything being equal", it looks better for us in 2007 than in 2006.

Disagree ? Go back and watch the tape. Look at all the Patriots on the sidelines. Look at a ticky tack call on Brown. Look at a horrible call on Hobbs. Look at a horrible non call vs. Caldwell. Look at a horrible non call vs. Graham.

For 2006 none of that matters. You won. For 2007 it matters because you can't count on all that crap again.

The best team doesn't always win - sorry, that thinking is way too simplistic.

So was NE better than Indy in 03, 04? How about the game in the dome in 2003 when McGinest (was it him) faked that injury to give the Patriots time to catch their breath and make the final stop? What about the opener in 2004?

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: The sky is not falling for the Colts.

So was NE better than Indy in 03, 04? How about the game in the dome in 2003 when McGinest (was it him) faked that injury to give the Patriots time to catch their breath and make the final stop? What about the opener in 2004?

Did I say that ? The playoff games, yes. The regular season ones there was so much I've probably forgotten I can't say.

I think you're smart enough to know what I'm saying. The Colts are 2006 Champions. Ick. And I'm not trying to take anything away from them. But when looking at 2007, who won is less important than how good they are and why they won. And if all teams (which they won't) go into next year the same strength as they left last year then I order them SD, NE, Ind. And for that to happen, Indy likely has to come out ahead of us in FA because 1) NE has a way better draft position and 2) NE has more growth to be expected from their second year players.