Do you ever even think before you post? Seemingly every time you insult others, you do so with a mistake. It's almost uncanny.
1.) Watson, for example, cost more than 600k/year with all the added bonuses. He'll cost over a million this season, and cost even more last year than he will this year, according to Miguel's salary cap page. Caldwell was a half million dollars cheaper than Watson last season, FYI.
Again I am insulted by people who don't check their facts.
Per Miguel, Watson will cost:
$560K in 2007
$660K in 2008 and
$760K in 2009.
plus work out bonuses (which I ignore for simplicity).
We have previously paid Watson $1.9M in bonuses which will count against the salary cap during 2007-2009. However, this cap hit is due whether or not Watson continues to play for the Patriots.
There are details to consider, specifically which years the $1.9M counts against the cap. But since the Patriots can easily move money between 2007, 2008 and 2009 (via trivial restructuring and LTBEs), these details don't actually impact the amount of cap space we will have available.
If you compare the total cost of cutting Watson before this season, and the total cost of cutting him after this season, it will cost the Patriots $560K more to cut him after this season, and it will cost the Patriot's salary cap $560K more over the course of the 2007-2009 seasons.
At the risk of repeating myself, the salary cap is just an accounting mechanism for tracking the actual cash paid to players. Having Watson during 2007 actually costs us $560K.
2.) To argue that the only reason he got so many catches is that he was Brady's #1 target is both asinine and incorrect. Brady's #1 target was Watson. Caldwell ended up with more catches because Watson got hurt. Furthermore, the only reason that ANY receiver gets as many catches as he does is because the quarterback throws him the ball.
I say that Brady's #1 target is the guy he threw the most passes to, and the guy who caught the most passes.
You say that its Watson, presumably because he got the most passes at the begining of the season.
Then you say that my definition of #1 target is "both asinine and incorrect".
Then you upbraid me for insulting others.
Well gosh, now I'm really going to have to take your opinion seriously.
JWS