Spending to to the Cap.

[jct]

Let's face it, our competitors will spend to the cap.
Last year we were hamstrung by a large dead money expenditure and
also untimely retirements and injuries.
We went into the playoffs with less talent and it showed in our early exit.
The Seymour resigning was brilliant. The best stat about Seymour is that we win about 90% of the games he plays in, so if he can play 12 games (at that level) a year for the next 4 years the dynasty rolls on!!
It is apparent that some people think that his option bonus forces us to roll salary into next year thru NLTBE incentives. This is untrue because his Cap hit in 2007 is manageable.
So how can we spend to the cap THIS YEAR...
Branch can and should be extended.
Law is a possibility.
We will have a large draft class.
There will be more FA pickups.
Here are our losses to date in FA/CCs:
Mcginest
Givens
Vinateri
Davis
Fauria
Starks
Ashworth
Poole
C Brown
Chatham
Dwight
Stone
Additions:
Caldwell
Jones
Mitchell
Warfield
Gramattica
Net needs to match last years team:
2-3LBs,2WRs,TE,OL
Injury Concerns:
Harrison, Light, Koppen, Gramatica, Dillion
So in the Draft and FA we could stand to pick up:
2 LBs,2WRs, DB, C, TE, K, QB, NT, RB
My conclusion is that we must bring in more talent thru FA prior to September.
Yes our schedule should be easier.
Yes our dead money situation is improved.
Yes we ought to have a better year with retirement and injury losses.
Yes our competitors also had some FA losses.

 

[Feep_FLA]

Ty law would settle down our secondary nicely. He's worth spending money on. I, for one, would love to see Law in Pats Blue again........ They'll extend Branch and the rest will be spent wisely I am quite sure. We have too many draft picks to actually sign and make the team, 6-7 quality picks is enough. I see a lot of trading and swapping of picks come Draft W/E.... :rocker:

 

[Pats726]

The team may..and I DO expect that after BB has it sorted out with the rooks..it may happen...

 

[MoLewisrocks]

There is simply no point in spending money just because it's there. Particularly when there exists a mechanism to defer some portion of it. Kind of like a savings account.

If needs remain and talent is available that fits the system, I'm sure Belioli will persue it. If not they will decide on another course of action to utilize 2006 cap space now or going forward.

And it appears from Len P's latest contract detail on the split of the option bonus between August of this year and March of next year that there may in fact be a structure already in place that could frontload more of the bonus money into this season - thereby lowering it in 2007 and beyond.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The team will do what it needs to do to field a team capable of winning the Super Bowl this year and will spend up to the cap like they always do

That doesn't mean spending money on Free Agents simply for the sake of using money.

BB & SP are smart. Just as they have traded current year draft picks for future year draft picks when there was more value to be had in the future, I can envision a situation where the team "frontloads" some contracts to free up cap money in future years - taking advantage of a better crop of Free Agents in the future, gaining additional value because other teams are suffering the hangover effects of their current buying spree.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

There is simply no point in spending money just because it's there. Particularly when there exists a mechanism to defer some portion of it. Kind of like a savings account.

If needs remain and talent is available that fits the system, I'm sure Belioli will persue it. If not they will decide on another course of action to utilize 2006 cap space now or going forward.

And it appears from Len P's latest contract detail on the split of the option bonus between August of this year and March of next year that there may in fact be a structure already in place that could frontload more of the bonus money into this season - thereby lowering it in 2007 and beyond.

That's what I wanted to hear, that it's doable by our current mechanism(s).

As some here may have gathered, I am a big fan of using this year's cap windfal, at least in part, to defray the costs we're currently incurring, rather than to "gather" talent.

Putting the bulk of the remaining money to work on the here-and-now front does not bother me, but if you can knock off a million or two a year from the cap hit for Sey/Branch over a 4 year stretch, I think it's wise to do so. We're going into a stretch where Brady's costs are peaking - not like he can't or won't re-negotiate, but as it looks at present, 2006 is a special "notch in time" where we can prevent other players' cap hits from adding to his and forming another "need" situation every year.

I'm a fan of the four year view of this whole process - reelect BB and SP! Four more years! Four more years!

But to the point of the thread... some for now, some for later, and wiggle room, from what I can see, to assign at least some costs wherevvvvver we want. As this shapes up, it's a wonder teams find a way to handcuff themselves at all.

PFnV