Miguel said:
But your point is not valid for all of the players. Some Patriots players did give the Patriots a discount (Colvin, Bruschi, Gorin, Hochstein). Those 4 players could have all gotten better deals. Ty Law was released and this board was full of predictions that his career was over and that he would be lucky to get a big payday. Well, Ty Law made close to $6 million this year. If anything, this board underestimated Ty Law's worth.
Dillon did not get a $10 million signing bonus.
He got a $3 million signing bonus this year along with a $1 million salary.
Next he is due a $3 million salary and a $3 million option bonus. If the Patriots do not pay the option, Dillon's 2006 salary is then increased to $6 million and becomes guaranteed.
What would you have done with Dillon??
I think it's hysterical that this thread was started by someone whose mantra used to be the Krafts are cheap.
Mikey's true agenda seems to be to prove the Pats (whatever they do) are always wrong. But he does occasionally instigate some interesting discussions.
You and mg and AJ seem to be arguing semantics. You tend to equate good cap management with with actual long range financial management of the cap and it's implications going forward. They equate it with fielding the most talented/deep team within or preferably right up to it's limits. Both views have merit from entirely different perspectives. Planning in advance on how players will be acquired, extended, retained is an important long range view, though it does little good if the team you field as a result each season is coming up just short of the goal - as has been the Eagles fate the last few seasons. But in the Eagles case this season I tend to agree with you - no amount of additional spending would have likely remedied what ails them. They weren't not paying TO to be cheap, it was on principal - the principle of not caving in to the posterboy for dysfunction. But without McNabb, despite his shortcomings, they were toast - as we too would be without Tom. Would a downhill RB or another elite receiver have helped? Possibly somewhat early on, but not nearly enough without a Pro Bowl QB. And our determination to utilize versatile plug and play type backups won't fly everywhere. The players and coaching staff have to buy into it, because it does impact paychecks and egos along the way. Mg sometimes contends that Eagles players are/should be disgusted to see that cap money languish on the table. But I have a feeling most of them would prefer to see it spent on them (the starters) rather than spread around among their backups.
As for your out of left fieldish Law comment though, he was reportedly only due to get $2.5M plus some playing time incentives, and not much more unless they made the playoffs. He is only getting $6M this year now because they restructured and gave him a $3M bonus in week 11, even though they were disappointed in overall his performance, because apparently it helps them out somehow cap wise going forward.
Some excerpts from a recent JETS Insider column by the Daily News Rich Cimini:
"When the Jets signed Ty Law in August, they envisioned him as the final piece in their championship puzzle. Eleven games into a Jets career that almost certainly will be one-and-done, Law is the puzzle. The former All-Pro cornerback is tied for fourth in the AFC with five interceptions, but he has offset those big plays with a team-high nine penalties. Because of his championship pedigree, Law commands respect in the locker room, but there are those who see him as nothing more than a hired gun, using the Jets as a brief stopover on his way to another free-agent score.
One thing is certain: Law's wallet is getting bigger.
Two weeks ago, the Jets quietly renegotiated his contract, giving him a $3 million signing bonus, according to sources. The move baffled some league insiders, but the Jets did it because they received some concessions that will help their salary cap in future years. It certainly didn't help this year; his cap number jumped from $2.9 million to $3.6 million.
Counting bonuses, Law will make $6 million this season, a huge amount for a player who has been less than advertised. "What's clear is that his skills have declined," one NFL scout said yesterday. "He looks heavier than ever before and he's not as athletic as he used to be. To compensate, he has to do a lot of holding and grabbing, which explains all the penalties."
Law is struggling with the crackdown on illegal contact - aka the Ty Law Rule. He has more penalty yardage (73) than interception-return yardage (50). He has committed three illegal-contact penalties, and the only player in the league with more is the Redskins' Walt Harris (four), according to STATS.
If Law makes his fifth Pro Bowl, it'll be a crime, according to our scout...
His surgically repaired left foot, which scared away many potential suitors, still is bothering him. According to Herm Edwards, Law aggravated his foot injury on the Saints' winning drive in the fourth quarter, causing him to miss the final three plays, including the 30-yard TD pass to Devery Henderson.
Law isn't a liability, but he's no longer an elite corner. According to STATS, he has allowed completions on 21 of the 33 passes thrown at him, a ratio that puts him 20th among 103 corners. Not bad, but not great. Law's renegotiated contract still includes that $11 million option bonus, payable next March. The Jets aren't going to pay that kind of dough to a 32-year-old corner; they may approach him about restructuring again. They realize he's not the Law of old but they believe he has value as a second-tier player at a premium position."
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/370238p-314945c.html
