Per PFT, 'Skins going after Peppers and Sproles

[Coach Tuesday]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising given the inevitability of an uncapped year (which likely means a permanent end to the salary cap). But it's a sad event nonetheless. As anyone who has followed baseball for the last couple of decades knows, that sport has been completely ruined by a lack of competitive balance. There are 2-3 teams in serious contention every year; everyone else is just a farm team for those hungry sharks. While baseball's overall revenue continued to climb for awhile under this system, it's clearly hemorrhaging fans and is no longer America's favorite sport.

 

Now Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones are going to model their franchises around the Yankees and Red Sox, and lots and lots of teams (the Bills included) will be left in the dust. And in my view, unlike baseball, where a small market team can use "Moneyball" tactics to become competitive every once in awhile, in football there is no chance of that happening. In fact, if a few wealthy owners stockpile all of the talent, the result will quickly become unwatchable. Think of college football when premier programs play the soft teams on the schedule early in the year. The NFL won't last long if there are frequent 70-0 games. Yet that's just around the corner. In my view the players and owners are stupid and shortsighted here - they should realize that all they're bargaining for is an increasingly bigger piece of an increasingly shrinking pie. In the long term, it's just unsustainable.

 

Someone tell me the sky isn't falling here, but I find this depressing.

[Mike In Illinois]

Isn't "the end is neigh" the mindset of all non-Redskin, non-Cowboy fans when we hear their names attached to the top Free Agents? Spending the most money on FA's doesn't mean wins- coaching goes a long way towards that, although Washington would seemingly have a good coach in place.

 

I don't think the sky is falling........ yet.

[BillsGuyInMalta]

I like how PFT mentions how they try this every offseason, and every subsequent season they fail.

 

Don't be shocked that Washington is going after the big names, this is routine for them.

[Doc]

This is the only year in which there is no salary cap. Next year may be a lockout year. The owners want a salary cap. And the Cowboys have restrictions on who they can go after in FA. That the Redskins will be going after Peppers and Sproles is another "water is wet" revelation.

[South Jersey Bills Fan]

I'm sure I don't have enough knowledge to speak on this, but what the hell...

 

I have the same "small market" complex that most have around here, but I was thinking about this the other day. It seems to me that hockey was better without a salary cap. The trade deadlines were exciting and could turn anyone into an instant contender that year. Maybe if football adopted some of the trading policies of the NHL it might turn the no cap situation into a positive.

[Poz_is_God]

it is for this exact reason why i cant stand the redskins. it happened with haynesworth last year, randle el a couple of years ago, i hope that SOMEONE breaks the cycle and stops the redskins from going crazy.

 

!@#$ DAN SNYDER!

[Doc]

it is for this exact reason why i cant stand the redskins. it happened with haynesworth last year, randle el a couple of years ago, i hope that SOMEONE breaks the cycle and stops the redskins from going crazy.

 

!@#$ DAN SNYDER!

Why do you think they adopted that POS CBA in 2006? It's because Danny boy, Jerruh, and Boob would have had to cut players left and right to get under the original 2006 cap.

[truth on hold]

Take comfort in the fact that many if not most huge ticket free agents never fulfill expectations.

 

Remember how 2 years ago Haynesworth was unstoppable in Tennessee? Last year with the Redskins all of his #'s were down, especially sacks where he went from 8.5 to 4.

 

And how about our own Nate Clements or Jason Peters?

 

Football is an extremely demanding sport. And I think in many cases when someone becomes that wealthy if they don't start playing softer.

[C.Biscuit97]

Makes sense and doesn't worry me at all. While a lot of fans here probably see the big names the Skins go after and think that's the way to approach things, it's completley wrong. Peppers doesn't play hard all the time and is a guy who once turned in a 2.5 sack season. For $15+ million plus, he will be completely overpaid.

 

So once again the Skins will be the offseason champs which will amount to nothing come the regular season. You build through the draft and sprinkle in FAs.

[stinky finger]

I'm sure I don't have enough knowledge to speak on this, but what the hell...

 

I have the same "small market" complex that most have around here, but I was thinking about this the other day. It seems to me that hockey was better without a salary cap. The trade deadlines were exciting and could turn anyone into an instant contender that year. Maybe if football adopted some of the trading policies of the NHL it might turn the no cap situation into a positive.

I absolutely agree with your first assertion.

 

Seriously though, doesn't hockey have a spending "floor"?

[l< j]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising given the inevitability of an uncapped year (which likely means a permanent end to the salary cap). But it's a sad event nonetheless.

 

[...]

 

Someone tell me the sky isn't falling here, but I find this depressing.

 

I think you are right, in that you are describing the NFL that Jones, Snyder, and some others are pushing for: an NFL that no longer follows Pete Rozelle's model.

 

But I think that, to a certain extent, Jones et al are no longer completely in the driver seat and that their version of the NFL might well be shortlived. 2 things defined their NFL, it seems: stadium upgrades or demo/rebuilds to ensure franchise competitiveness, and rapidly growing TV revenues. You want to keep up with Jones & Snyder, you better put together a state of the art facility.

 

But a good chunk of stadium work has been publicly funded and that well is probably on its way to drying up. And it will be interesting to see what happens to TV revenues the next time the contracts are renegotiated. A point of information: the TV contracts for 2011 are guaranteed, even if there is no season. DirectTV will pay $1 billion in 2011 regardless.

 

Which is to say that I could foresee future negotiations between the league and TV to be driven in part by a sense that they overpaid for broadcast rights the last time around.

 

kj

[H2o]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising given the inevitability of an uncapped year (which likely means a permanent end to the salary cap). But it's a sad event nonetheless. As anyone who has followed baseball for the last couple of decades knows, that sport has been completely ruined by a lack of competitive balance. There are 2-3 teams in serious contention every year; everyone else is just a farm team for those hungry sharks. While baseball's overall revenue continued to climb for awhile under this system, it's clearly hemorrhaging fans and is no longer America's favorite sport.

 

Now Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones are going to model their franchises around the Yankees and Red Sox, and lots and lots of teams (the Bills included) will be left in the dust. And in my view, unlike baseball, where a small market team can use "Moneyball" tactics to become competitive every once in awhile, in football there is no chance of that happening. In fact, if a few wealthy owners stockpile all of the talent, the result will quickly become unwatchable. Think of college football when premier programs play the soft teams on the schedule early in the year. The NFL won't last long if there are frequent 70-0 games. Yet that's just around the corner. In my view the players and owners are stupid and shortsighted here - they should realize that all they're bargaining for is an increasingly bigger piece of an increasingly shrinking pie. In the long term, it's just unsustainable.

 

Someone tell me the sky isn't falling here, but I find this depressing.

The Skins have been finaggling their way around the cap for the last two or 3 years. Snyder has been trying to buy a flippin' title since he's been there. It hasn't worked and neither will this. This is just going to land them in a boiling pot of sorts when the cap returns with a new agreement.

[Pirate Angel]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising given the inevitability of an uncapped year (which likely means a permanent end to the salary cap). But it's a sad event nonetheless. As anyone who has followed baseball for the last couple of decades knows, that sport has been completely ruined by a lack of competitive balance. There are 2-3 teams in serious contention every year; everyone else is just a farm team for those hungry sharks. While baseball's overall revenue continued to climb for awhile under this system, it's clearly hemorrhaging fans and is no longer America's favorite sport.

 

Now Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones are going to model their franchises around the Yankees and Red Sox, and lots and lots of teams (the Bills included) will be left in the dust. And in my view, unlike baseball, where a small market team can use "Moneyball" tactics to become competitive every once in awhile, in football there is no chance of that happening. In fact, if a few wealthy owners stockpile all of the talent, the result will quickly become unwatchable. Think of college football when premier programs play the soft teams on the schedule early in the year. The NFL won't last long if there are frequent 70-0 games. Yet that's just around the corner. In my view the players and owners are stupid and shortsighted here - they should realize that all they're bargaining for is an increasingly bigger piece of an increasingly shrinking pie. In the long term, it's just unsustainable.

 

Someone tell me the sky isn't falling here, but I find this depressing.

The Skins try and sign the biggest name in free agency every year how is this any differant? It doesnt seem to work for them.

[Preston Ridlehuber]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising given the inevitability of an uncapped year (which likely means a permanent end to the salary cap). But it's a sad event nonetheless. As anyone who has followed baseball for the last couple of decades knows, that sport has been completely ruined by a lack of competitive balance. There are 2-3 teams in serious contention every year; everyone else is just a farm team for those hungry sharks. While baseball's overall revenue continued to climb for awhile under this system, it's clearly hemorrhaging fans and is no longer America's favorite sport.

 

Now Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones are going to model their franchises around the Yankees and Red Sox, and lots and lots of teams (the Bills included) will be left in the dust. And in my view, unlike baseball, where a small market team can use "Moneyball" tactics to become competitive every once in awhile, in football there is no chance of that happening. In fact, if a few wealthy owners stockpile all of the talent, the result will quickly become unwatchable. Think of college football when premier programs play the soft teams on the schedule early in the year. The NFL won't last long if there are frequent 70-0 games. Yet that's just around the corner. In my view the players and owners are stupid and shortsighted here - they should realize that all they're bargaining for is an increasingly bigger piece of an increasingly shrinking pie. In the long term, it's just unsustainable.

 

Someone tell me the sky isn't falling here, but I find this depressing.

 

 

I completely disagree with this assessment. In Football, it will be easier for teams to be competitive without spending like the Joneses and Snyders. Football is the ultimate team game and one player rarely makes the difference, save for a franchise quarterback. The difference in College Football, and this has even changed over the years, is that top programs could sign the top 3 running backs and quarterbacks out of high school and let them compete. Unless Jones and Snyder plane on paying second and third string players starters money, there will be plenty of players to go around.

The key will continue to be, which front offices are sharp enough to hire the right people.

[Omar Little]

Let the Redskins spend all they want. Under Dan Snyder, they have never -- and I mean never -- demonstrated an ability to use their riches correctly. They're a stupid, hopeless franchise run by idiots.

 

I know Shanahan is there now, but you know why Denver fired him? Because he racked up $29 million in wasted cash on terrible free agent signings. Pat Bowlen couldn't take his haphazard spending anymore.

 

How you draft is a hell of a lot more important than signing FAs.

[Jerry Jabber]

Ever since Dan Synder bought the team, he's been trying to buy his way to a Superbowl. While no one can knock Synder for reaching into his pockets and spending money on big name players, but it's not the way to build a winning team.

[rstencel]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising given the inevitability of an uncapped year (which likely means a permanent end to the salary cap). But it's a sad event nonetheless. As anyone who has followed baseball for the last couple of decades knows, that sport has been completely ruined by a lack of competitive balance. There are 2-3 teams in serious contention every year; everyone else is just a farm team for those hungry sharks. While baseball's overall revenue continued to climb for awhile under this system, it's clearly hemorrhaging fans and is no longer America's favorite sport.

 

Now Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones are going to model their franchises around the Yankees and Red Sox, and lots and lots of teams (the Bills included) will be left in the dust. And in my view, unlike baseball, where a small market team can use "Moneyball" tactics to become competitive every once in awhile, in football there is no chance of that happening. In fact, if a few wealthy owners stockpile all of the talent, the result will quickly become unwatchable. Think of college football when premier programs play the soft teams on the schedule early in the year. The NFL won't last long if there are frequent 70-0 games. Yet that's just around the corner. In my view the players and owners are stupid and shortsighted here - they should realize that all they're bargaining for is an increasingly bigger piece of an increasingly shrinking pie. In the long term, it's just unsustainable.

 

Someone tell me the sky isn't falling here, but I find this depressing.

 

There is no minor league system in NFL like Baseball, that lower income teams can use to develop players and stockpile them for runs now and then either. The really good small income teams, seem to be able to keep a good farm system in place to make a good run every once in a while.

 

While NFL teams can hold onto players from initially for 4-5 years, with Baseball they don't even start counting as accumulated years until they hit one of the milestones related to either how many years they've been in the Bigs, or how many times they have been called up and sent down again. And then they go through arbitration years where the local team can hold onto them longer. There by giving the team more time to develop the talent before they have to worry about losing it to free agency.

 

Overall NFL system in place currently is better, as teams only have a few ways to manipulate salaries and get higher end players in ways that small market teams cant compete with. But if lose the salary cap, Baseball is better setup for small market teams to develop players, and have a chance at competing I think. Not sure how NFL could stay competitive if they keep free-agency, but lose the salary cap.

[HurlyBurly51]

But I thought the weather was why Shanny didn't come to Buffalo?

[Coach Tuesday]

And to be clear, my concern isn't that the 'Skins will sign all of the "guys we've heard of." It's that they'll drive up prices for moderate free agents in the process, making it impossible for the small market teams to compete.

[Mr. WEO]

Why do you think they adopted that POS CBA in 2006? It's because Danny boy, Jerruh, and Boob would have had to cut players left and right to get under the original 2006 cap.

Which players would they all have to cut "left and right"?

 

Anyway.....

 

 

Wow, the Skins are looking to pay fhuge money for a FA motivated by a huge contract?

 

The world IS coming to an end!