MoLewisrocks said:
The system works best when it acquires quality players other less fiscally responsible teams were forced to cut due to cap constraints.
Please name the current Patriot players that met your definition - a quality player that less fiscally responsible team was forced to cut due to cap constraints. When was the last time the Patriot acquired such a player?? I would say Rodney Harrison in 2003. Heath Evans does not cut it for me.
This season there were few of those kinds of players cut because of a one time mega bump in the cap due to the signing of new television deals. The cap won't be going up exponentially from here on out and salaries across the board will catch up to that bump shortly.
The cap is going to be $109 million next year, a $7 million increase. The $7 million increase is the 3rd highest increase in the salary cap era.
Year Salary Cap (per club) Increase Pct Increase
2007 $109,000,000 $7,000,000 6.86%
2006 $102,000,000 $16,500,000 19.30%
2005 $85,500,000 $4,918,000 6.10%
2004 $80,582,000 $5,575,000 7.43%
2003 $75,007,000 $3,907,000 5.50%
2002 $71,100,000 $3,700,000 5.49%
2001 $67,400,000 $5,228,000 8.41%
2000 $62,172,000 $3,819,000 6.54%
1999 $58,353,000 $5,965,000 11.39%
1998 $52,388,000 $10,938,000 26.39%
1997 $41,450,000 $673,000 1.65%
1996 $40,777,000 $3,677,000 9.91%
1995 $37,100,000 $2,500,000 7.23%
1994 $34,600,000
There has already been talk that the 2010 cap will be $150 million.
Please note that if the 32 NFL teams do not spend 84% of the cap on players this year future caps will be getting a credit making it even easier for teams in the future to stay under the cap.
As they do veteran players with too high a cap # but a little something left in the tank including that hunger for a Lombardi will become available again.
This team would be well served to keep rolling $3-5M forward for that eventuality.
When will this eventuality occur???
2007??
2008???
2009??
2010???
Let's say that the Patriots do not the Lombardi this year. Why would a veteran hungry for a Lombardi sign with the Patriots and not with the team that did win the Lombardi??
Because those kind of players sprinkled in between the real core (Brady, Bruschi, Harrison, Vrabel, Colvin and Seymour for now) and the young talent they draft well and coach up are what Belichick utilizes to maintain the system.
The system worked when the cap was going up by no more than 6 million. There is no evidence that the system will work when the cap will be going up by at least $7 million in the near future. There is no evidence that the system won't work, either. That's why they play the games. As far as I can tell, Ian allows posters to comment throughout the year and not just after the season is over. This board would be rather boring if posters were not allowed to predict/project/comment on how the future will be. IMO, it is within reason to question whether the system will continue to work. Look at the depth of this team and compare it to the depth of the 2003/2004 Patriots. This team is dependent on its star players (Brady, Seymour, Harrison, Bruschi, Vrabel, Warren, Wilfork, Light) than it has been in the past.
Guys who just want their money are the no different than talent that simply cannot play within the system, and Belioli probably wishes the fan base and the media could just understand and appreciate and freakin' come to terms with that.
It is what it is.
I hope not because I think that the NFL entered a new salary cap era.