MikeSpeed Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I hear the argument that if there was no draft that the NFL would become like the MLB. A few teams would win every year while the rest of the league's teams are door mats. But would this really be true in the NFL? If the salary cap was set up "cash to cap" for all teams, and include the signing bonus as part of that year's cap hit, wouldn't it make a level playing field for all teams to acquire free agents? The rich teams would still be making more than the smaller teams, but at least the competition $$ would be the same. It seems to me that salary cap structure is the biggest problem with keeping parody in the NFL. I'm not an accountant by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems to me that what the owners are really asking for is to in a sense lower the cap ceiling percentage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemac Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Without parity the NFL will just be a parody of its former self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSpeed Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Without parity the NFL will just be a parody of its former self. LOL Well played! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfaninvgs Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 They need a draft..... It's the best way to do it..... Every sport has a draft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KollegeStudnet Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 De Smith is one of the masterminds behind this--calling the draft a modern day slave trade! Overall, It's not, De Smith...IT'S A CHOICE...ask John Elway & Eli Manning! The player can decide IF he wants to enter the draft--in which he will be paid millions IF he's a first round pick. IF the player dislikes the team that drafted him...they could cry to another or do what Bo Jackson did--don't sign with Tampa! Again, the players have a choice. They can play and be rich or get jobs like the rest of us schmucks. They aren’t dragged up to the draft day podium in chains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Um, baseball does have a draft. The disparity comes from not sharing revenue as the NFL does, not from lack of a draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt328 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 De Smith is one of the masterminds behind this--calling the draft a modern day slave trade! Overall, It's not, De Smith...IT'S A CHOICE...ask John Elway & Eli Manning! The player can decide IF he wants to enter the draft--in which he will be paid millions IF he's a first round pick. IF the player dislikes the team that drafted him...they could cry to another or do what Bo Jackson did--don't sign with Tampa! Again, the players have a choice. They can play and be rich or get jobs like the rest of us schmucks. They aren’t dragged up to the draft day podium in chains. What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uticaclub Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 De Smith is one of the masterminds behind this--calling the draft a modern day slave trade! Overall, It's not, De Smith...IT'S A CHOICE...ask John Elway & Eli Manning! The player can decide IF he wants to enter the draft--in which he will be paid millions IF he's a first round pick. IF the player dislikes the team that drafted him...they could cry to another or do what Bo Jackson did--don't sign with Tampa! Again, the players have a choice. They can play and be rich or get jobs like the rest of us schmucks. They aren’t dragged up to the draft day podium in chains. Elway and Jackson had the option of playing baseball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 De Smith is one of the masterminds behind this--calling the draft a modern day slave trade! Overall, It's not, De Smith...IT'S A CHOICE...ask John Elway & Eli Manning! The player can decide IF he wants to enter the draft--in which he will be paid millions IF he's a first round pick. IF the player dislikes the team that drafted him...they could cry to another or do what Bo Jackson did--don't sign with Tampa! Again, the players have a choice. They can play and be rich or get jobs like the rest of us schmucks. They aren’t dragged up to the draft day podium in chains. Does anyone have a problem with the draft? Every sport has one its loved by the fans and seen as a fair way for talent to enter the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trolls_r_us Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Do you like Marcell Dareus? Because he would NOT be here if there was no draft. Plain and simple. Some team like NE, Dallas, Washington, Philly etc. would offer these top rookies boatloads of cash, and let's face it, the Bills would not be able to compete $$ wise and would not be high on these kids' lists of places to go for less $$ (or even the same $$). No draft=Bills are officially finished being competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 What are you trying to say here? That we should have no draft or a lower salary cap or both, please clarify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Oh yes! Having no Draft would be excellent. If you've tired of uber talented Kallage Kids holding out in the past for tens of millions in guaranteed money (Error Maybe anyone) - then you're gonna love the three ring circus that will commence when 32 teams have an "equal" shot at signing just exactly any player that they want. Oh joy! No doubt The Bills will have a hot line to the best talent coming out each year. Yeah, sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSpeed Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 My point is if each team has to include the bonus money against the cap in the year that they sign the contract then it would level competition for teams to get players. Letting the teams spread those signing bonuses out over the length of the contract gives an advantage to the wealthier teams. If the competition for signing players was even amongst all teams, then a draft in would not be necessary would it? At the very least the draft would become a better tool for the losing teams to get better, because they wouldn't have to worry about signing rookies with a huge bonus. I am not for getting rid of the draft. That is not my intension with this post. I'm trying to see how an NFL with no draft could still function and retain parity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) There's no way top 5-10 players would get that much more money. 10-40 would probably get a bump that would make small market struggle. From there on I think teams that can say "you will play here" or "we are successful developing players" will have a better than average chance - much like the UDFA process. I can't imagine 3rd rounders suddenly being huge bidding wars. Honest guess, especially with the relationships our coaches seemed to have with many of our picks I think you would have essentially seen no dareus, but more midround guys. Kind of like a tradeback. I think a guy like sheppard would've come either way. In fact I'd venture the guess ponder would be here too. As long as there's a cap, it wouldn't be smart for a team to buy up top 5 players every year. With the bust rate- ouch. Edited June 3, 2011 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metal Man Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 With the salary cap and allowable money spent being equal across the boards for all 32 teams it seems to me that the "no draft NFL" would be more about the historically successful franchises than their market size. In other words the top rookies would only want to negotiate with the perennial winners first followed by the more desirable places to live. Obviously those top teams couldn't sign everyone but it would likely mean year after year only the players those winning and geographically desirable teams didn't want would filter down to teams like the Bills. Essentially it would probably be the same as if teams like NE, Pittsburgh, Indy, Dallas, and Miami always had the tops picks and teams like the Bills, Browns, Lions and Bengals were always picking last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacus Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 (edited) My point is if each team has to include the bonus money against the cap in the year that they sign the contract then it would level competition for teams to get players. Letting the teams spread those signing bonuses out over the length of the contract gives an advantage to the wealthier teams. If the competition for signing players was even amongst all teams, then a draft in would not be necessary would it? At the very least the draft would become a better tool for the losing teams to get better, because they wouldn't have to worry about signing rookies with a huge bonus. I am not for getting rid of the draft. That is not my intension with this post. I'm trying to see how an NFL with no draft could still function and retain parity. if there is no draft, there is no salary cap since both are anti-trust violations which can not exist without a CBA. there would be no level playing field, big money teams would dominate the league Edited June 4, 2011 by spartacus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 In other words the top rookies would only want to negotiate with the perennial winners first followed by the more desirable places to live. Obviously those top teams couldn't sign everyone but it would likely mean year after year only the players those winning and geographically desirable teams didn't want would filter down to teams like the Bills. The top rookies is awful close to all the top rookies and I disagree on that. Some may rather go to team where they have good chance of starting for a number of them have egos which will only allow them to be starters. I am not saying they would choose Buffalo but where they see best combination of coaches, team and opportunity. NYS has its own drawbacks including massive taxes in Albany to fund downstate people. There will be some who will see advantage being big fish in small pond but I do not think many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I never knew there was this sentiment against the draft? The worse teams get a better opportunity to draft the top talent and improve their teams AND they have to pay the top talent more money as compensation. Who loses in this scenario? Would the alternative really make the league better or get the rookies more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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