Your assertion was that slot receivers are not useful when the field gets shorter. I pointed out that Edelman led the team in touchdown receptions last year. You countered that it was an anomaly. I pointed out that many slot receivers are quite prolific in the red zone. Now you're saying that comparing players across teams is not a useful exercise. I'm not sure where you want me to go here, since apparently any opinion you hold - no matter how much it runs counter to empirical evidence - is factual. Note that this particularly strain of the debate was in the context of Edelman, not Amendola.
They are not ass useful. Amendola has been in the league since 2008 and he has not even entered double digits for career touchdowns. Edelman led the team because Gronkowski was injured, Dobson was a rookie and injured and then the rest of the players were not consistent parts of the offense. He had six touchdowns to lead the Patriots, when is the last time six touchdown receptions led this team? That is anomaly; it is not usually the case. The other players you mentioned do not play the slot position the same way as Amendola, Edelman or Welker, they are more physically gifted players either in terms of height, speed or in some cases both.
I have to believe that you watched the games so I am going to go by the assumption that you saw the struggles we had in the red zone and are simply leaning on logistics to try to make your point.
As for Lloyd, I don't think that was a football decision. And his contract was structured such that releasing him would save a big chunk of money, while Amendola's is not (yet). Your constant recourse to the APY of a contract despite many people having pointed out that this is a figure of very limited utility is frustrating.
Lloyd hit our cap in 2013 for $3.5 million. If we released Amendola with a June 1 distinction, it would be $3.6 million against our cap.
What is frustrating is this misconception that we saved money for Lloyd, we did not we cut him and we took a hit, we saved money compared to what it would cost us to retain him on the roster but cutting Lloyd did not “save” money it cost money. Amendola received a $6 million bonus if we cut him this year we take a cap hit, if we cut him next year we take a cap hit, and if we cut him in 2016 we take a cap hit. No, matter what he is hitting our cap the question is when we want to take the cap hit. There is no savings against our salary cap ever, in 2015 and beyond it will cost us less to cut him than to keep him but it still will cost us something either way. The $4.8 million remaining of his bonus is a sunk cost it is going to be paid one way or another it does not matter what year you wait to cut him, the question is, will Belichick further invest in Amendola by retaining him in 2015, or will he want to cut his losses. I am not sure why you or anyone else likes to imply this belief that if we wait to cut Amendola we have anything to gain. We do not, the money is spent on Amendola the question is do you want to give him more and hope to get a return.
If Belichick can resign Edelman for say $4.5 million per season he would absolutely take the immediate cap hit for Amendola this season because in 2015 and beyond Amendola would be off his cap and he would be paying less money for that position in future years.. I anticipate Amendola to be part of a trade or released prior to March 11, or the team will let Edelman walk, they will not retain both of them for 2014 in my opinion.
