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Magnificent Seven
02-16-2009, 08:27 PM
ENGLEWOOD — After working with nine head coaches and six general managers in his 14 years with the Atlanta Falcons, Brian Xanders has seen a lot of new eras begin and a lot of them end.

But the Broncos’ newest general manager believes he and first-year coach Josh McDaniels have a clear vision of what they want to do to shake the Broncos out of the doldrums of three consecutive playoff misses.

Xanders, appointed to his job Friday, made his first public appearance Monday, promising a unified front office and careful consideration over how the team’s salary-cap dollars are spent.

"We're evaluating the team, we're doing the best we can to build the best football team for the Denver Broncos, for the organization, for the fans across the country," Xanders said. "There’s no label to it, we want to pick the best players, put them in our system and win football games."

In a wide-ranging session that was far more centered around themes than specifics, Xanders was asked how close the Broncos were to being a playoff team as they prepare for the opening of free agency later this month and head toward the April draft.

"We're going to do the best we can to win," Xanders said. "We'll see in September and October, November, December, hopefully January and February, and see where we are. We're going to pick the best players to win football games."

Xanders did offer a glimpse at what that makeover might be in the coming weeks as, roughly three hours after he spoke, the Broncos jettisoned six players — five from their ailing defense, including defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson and his $16 million salary-cap figure.

The Broncos will have no difficulty being under the league-mandated salary cap of $123 million per team when free agency opens and the new league year begins Feb. 27, but Xanders had said earlier Monday there would be a long look at how that salary-cap money is allocated.

The Broncos had 18 players set to count more than $1 million each against the cap for the 2009 season when the day started. Ten of those players were on defense, a unit that ranked at, or near the bottom of, every major defensive category in last season’s 8-8 finish.

Xanders was asked specifically if the Broncos could have a player count $16 million against the cap. “No,” he answered. “It’s a team sport, and one person can’t take a huge burden against the existing framework of the salary cap. So we’ll try to spread it around and figure it out that way.”

Linebacker Niko Koutouvides ($3.062 million), defensive end John Engelberger ($2.185 million), safety Marquand Manuel ($1.333 million), linebacker Jamie Winborn ($2.25 million) and wide receiver Nate Jackson also were released.

Xanders, 37, also said Broncos owner Pat Bowlen approached him about his potential promotion to general manager only last Thursday. Xanders was formally announced as the team's general manager last Friday at the same time vice president of football operations/personnel Jim Goodman and his son, assistant general manager Jeff Goodman, were fired.

"It was really quick. (Bowlen) didn't say, 'Well, what's your exact philosophy.' He said, 'It's a great opportunity and I want you to have it,' " Xanders said. "And I was very honored."

Xanders, who came to the Broncos last season after 14 years with the Falcons, added he has quickly found a kindred spirit in first-year head coach Josh McDaniels in terms of the vision needed to repair a team that has won one playoff game since the start of the 1999 season and has missed the postseason each of the past three years.

"We're both competitive, we both have high passion to win football games, we both love this franchise and we both want to do everything we can to help us win," Xanders said. "We both realize we have great opportunities and we both want to fulfill those opportunities and do what Mr. Bowlen wants — and that's win football games and get him back to the Super Bowl and get the Super Bowl back to the fans."

Xanders said he might make an additional hire or two in scouting or pro personnel but that Mike Bluem, who has been with the Broncos since 1995, would continue to monitor the team's salary-cap situation day-to-day, reporting to Xanders.

Xanders and McDaniels each report to Bowlen rather than one of them reporting to the other. But Xanders, as Bowlen did Friday, promised to have little problem resolving any potential disagreements over players.

"I'll say this: There will be no disagreements, there are no ties, as Mr. Bowlen said," Xanders said. "It will be crystal clear of who we should take at that time. It will be based on who is best for us, who is going to be the best football player for the next four years out of the draft for us at a position of need."

The Broncos currently have nine picks in April's draft and eight picks in the 2010 draft, but Xanders said the team might try to secure more picks in the coming weeks, even if it dips a little more into free agency this year, a season Xanders called "transition."

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/16/new-broncos-gm-promises-spread-salary-cap-wealth/

broncosinindy
02-16-2009, 08:34 PM
Well there goes Julius peppers, Albert Hanyseworth and all of the other big names you guys wanted. looks as though we will be digging through garbage cans again lol

oobehr
02-16-2009, 08:44 PM
There goes Dre' Bly/

claymore
02-16-2009, 08:50 PM
"I'll say this: There will be no disagreements, there are no ties, as Mr. Bowlen said," Xanders said. "It will be crystal clear of who we should take at that time. It will be based on who is best for us, who is going to be the best football player for the next four years out of the draft for us at a position of need."
There also goes drafting the best available player.

underrated29
02-16-2009, 08:57 PM
I dont know why you say there goes peppers? It seems like more than likely we will go after a big name or two and a couple other smaller names.....


The one thing i do have a problem with is who/how do they plan to acquire more picks???

The only players we currently have that have any value what so ever are:

champ
dre
DJ
moss?
doom?
Our entire offense-(which i doubt we trade anyone from any position there).

So who exactly are we going to let go for more picks? If they really want to rebuild they need to get high picks which pretty much leaves only Champ and Dj and maybe dre.....

I dont like the sound of that and it makes me worried we are going to trade a good/great player for some picks....

BigAL56
02-16-2009, 09:10 PM
I only care to keep DJ and Champ...I don't really care for anyone else on that defense. I hope by the time we build our defense, our offensive players aren't going to be sick of losing and end up leaving for more money and a winning franchise. That scares me

anton...
02-16-2009, 09:12 PM
I dont know why you say there goes peppers? It seems like more than likely we will go after a big name or two and a couple other smaller names.....


The one thing i do have a problem with is who/how do they plan to acquire more picks???

The only players we currently have that have any value what so ever are:

champ
dre
DJ
moss?
doom?
Our entire offense-(which i doubt we trade anyone from any position there).

So who exactly are we going to let go for more picks? If they really want to rebuild they need to get high picks which pretty much leaves only Champ and Dj and maybe dre.....

I dont like the sound of that and it makes me worried we are going to trade a good/great player for some picks....

perhaps trading down to get more picks?

:confused:

Lonestar
02-16-2009, 09:14 PM
I dont know why you say there goes peppers? It seems like more than likely we will go after a big name or two and a couple other smaller names.....


The one thing i do have a problem with is who/how do they plan to acquire more picks???

The only players we currently have that have any value what so ever are:

champ
dre
DJ
moss?
doom?
Our entire offense-(which i doubt we trade anyone from any position there).

So who exactly are we going to let go for more picks? If they really want to rebuild they need to get high picks which pretty much leaves only Champ and Dj and maybe dre.....

I dont like the sound of that and it makes me worried we are going to trade a good/great player for some picks....

well this seems to contridcit your thoughts..

"Xanders was asked specifically if the Broncos could have a player count $16 million against the cap. “No,” he answered. “It’s a team sport, and one person can’t take a huge burden against the existing framework of the salary cap. So we’ll try to spread it around and figure it out that way.”

G_Money
02-16-2009, 09:17 PM
Xanders was asked specifically if the Broncos could have a player count $16 million against the cap. “No,” he answered. “It’s a team sport, and one person can’t take a huge burden against the existing framework of the salary cap. So we’ll try to spread it around and figure it out that way.”

Huh.

See, I thought Indy had a guy counting a ton against the cap. A couple, actually.

And Brady is not cheap. Wasn't his figure like $14+ for this year?

Maybe he just means, "Nobody who counts for $16 mil against the cap except maybe that QB in a coupla years."

Cuz it may be a team sport, and nobody showed that like NE when they were able to replace vets with lesser paid players and keep winning...

But there are some guys you pay.

So I hope his theory is flexible. No, you don't want to tie your salary cap to one guy - unless it's a guy you can't do without.

And is a 16 million player and an 8 million player somehow more risky than two 12 million players, or three 8 million players? Sure, the 16 million player is twice as risky as one of the 8s if he blows his knee out or something, but what if the 8 million players are mediocre busts? You know, like all our other FAs recently? That's still a risk.

Do you overpay for a minor god or "go cheap" and get some second and third tier players that you hope in aggregate make up the difference?

This isn't baseball. One team isn't competing with 200 million and a lot of other teams with 40. You have money to spend, and most teams spend close to the limit. Not everybody, but there's money to go around and slots to fill, and only guaranteed money is on the line.

Most teams overpay the QB, because you can't "get lucky" with a second position. If you pay a corner or a WR and he doesn't produce, well, you have other corners, maybe they'll come through for you. You don't have to break the bank for him. The mere fact that there are others on the field decreases his paycheck.

Nobody double-teams a QB, and there isn't a 2nd QB on the field if you have a sucky one.

People pay pass-rushers, blind-side protectors, and QBs, because nobody else can do what they do. It's all about the QB position.

In that sense, the one position on defense you DO try to pay for is the unstoppable behemoth who makes the QB cry. If you can find him, you give him whatever he asks for, because it changes your whole D.

If we're saving our money for Cutler and Clady - the other 2/3 of the equation - fine. But that's a couple years down the line.

In the meantime, let's not categorically deny that there are times you pay a defender an outrageous sum for what he can do, that no one else can.

You pay Reggie White, for instance. Whatever he asks you pay.

If you believe there's no Reggie White, fine. But don't say if he was there that you wouldn't pay him, because it would be stupid.

Generalities are fine. Spreading out the cap when we have so many needs is very reasonable.

But "you don't pay 16 million to one guy because it's a team sport" is a lie, or at least a misrepresentation of the facts.

Let's not start with that 72 hours into your tenure, please. We had enough of that with Sundquist.

~G

UnderArmour
02-16-2009, 09:25 PM
So how much cap room do we have now?

Lonestar
02-16-2009, 09:28 PM
So how much cap room do we have now?


alot not counting what we just spent in dead cap space just created which should be 15 mil or so after today..

BigAL56
02-16-2009, 09:33 PM
So how much cap room do we have now?

500,000,000,000,000

But Bowlen is poor according to Jrwiz, so we still screwed...we'll probably start the season with 50 mil under cap cause we can't afford anyone's bonus...sad

(just kidding jrwiz, I'm just messin around)

Lonestar
02-16-2009, 09:38 PM
I think this semi validates what I have been saying.

This will be a year where not many FA will come in and those that do will not be huge name players unless they want to take incentive deals..

We will see mostly second tier guys that are team players.. Folks that escape the first day feeding frenzy..

Fan in Exile
02-16-2009, 09:45 PM
I think you guys are reading too much into the 16million remark. It was pretty clear a reference to Robertson not some general statement about how much we may or may not pay Cutler 5 years down the road.

Lonestar
02-16-2009, 09:49 PM
I think you guys are reading too much into the 16million remark. It was pretty clear a reference to Robertson not some general statement about how much we may or may not pay Cutler 5 years down the road.

he is already getting almost that much.. after all his incentives kicked in..

I think we will not see a bunch of EXPENSIVE primadonnas (FA) brought in but will keep those we home grow, via the draft..

Fan in Exile
02-16-2009, 09:50 PM
he is already getting almost that much.. after all his incentives kicked in..

I think we will not see a bunch of EXPENSIVE primadonnas (FA) brought in but will keep those we home grow, via the draft..

I am all for that.

UnderArmour
02-16-2009, 09:52 PM
I think this semi validates what I have been saying.

This will be a year where not many FA will come in and those that do will not be huge name players unless they want to take incentive deals..

We will see mostly second tier guys that are team players.. Folks that escape the first day feeding frenzy..
I don't buy it one bit. We're going to make a run at a few big name FAs. This is a win now league. The key isn't to avoid signing free agents all together, it's to sign the RIGHT free agents. It's to sign the Ed McCaffreys and the Mike Vrabels as well as the Wes Welkers and the Adalius Thomases. The way I see it, Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, and DJ Williams are our only 3 inked in starters right now. We have 8 spots up for grabs and we need talent now. We have the offense to score now, it makes no sense to spend yet another year on patching up the defense.

Lonestar
02-16-2009, 09:57 PM
I don't buy it one bit. We're going to make a run at a few big name FAs. This is a win now league. The key isn't to avoid signing free agents all together, it's to sign the RIGHT free agents. It's to sign the Ed McCaffreys and the Mike Vrabels as well as the Wes Welkers and the Adalius Thomases. The way I see it, Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, and DJ Williams are our only 3 inked in starters right now. We have 8 spots up for grabs and we need talent now. We have the offense to score now, it makes no sense to spend yet another year on patching up the defense.


We will see who is wrong on this..

I see them doing this the long haul way.. getting solid but not Expensive Defensive guys and starting some and playing rookies and our latest batches of draftees .

Sure it is a win now league but I do not believe Pat is going break the bank to do so..

With all the signals he has been sending out since last year.. I do not see it..

And please do not shoot the messenger on this, be angry at WHO got us in this stinking mess to start with..

UnderArmour
02-16-2009, 10:04 PM
We will see who is wrong on this..

I see them doing this the long haul way.. getting solid but not Expensive Defensive guys and starting some and playing rookies and our latest batches of draftees .

Sure it is a win now league but I do not believe Pat is going break the bank to do so..

With all the signals he has been sending out since last year.. I do not see it..

And please do not shoot the messenger on this, be angry at WHO got us in this stinking mess to start with..

Break the bank? Please. We're at least 50 million under the cap. This is a franchise that has pushed the salary cap nearly every season. Even after extending Marshall, Cutler, Kuper, and Scheffler we'd still have enough under the cap to sign Peppers and Canty if we wanted to. Somehow, I don't think Pat is going to let Xanders sit by and let potentially one of the best free agent classes on defense slip by without picking up at least one big name. With 3 days left for teams to franchise, we could potentially see Suggs, Peppers, Asomaghua, Scott, Lewis, Yeremiah Bell, Channing Crowder, Chris Canty, OJ Atogue, and Haynesworth all on the open market. Nolan will definitely pull for a few of these names if come the 19th they aren't slapped. I just don't want to see the same awful defense again that we've seen for years now. I hope we sign somebody to fix this.

Lonestar
02-16-2009, 10:09 PM
Break the bank? Please. We're at least 50 million under the cap. This is a franchise that has pushed the salary cap nearly every season. Even after extending Marshall, Cutler, Kuper, and Scheffler we'd still have enough under the cap to sign Peppers and Canty if we wanted to. Somehow, I don't think Pat is going to let Xanders sit by and let potentially one of the best free agent classes on defense slip by without picking up at least one big name. With 3 days left for teams to franchise, we could potentially see Suggs, Peppers, Asomaghua, Scott, Lewis, Yeremiah Bell, Channing Crowder, Chris Canty, OJ Atogue, and Haynesworth all on the open market. Nolan will definitely pull for a few of these names if come the 19th they aren't slapped. I just don't want to see the same awful defense again that we've seen for years now. I hope we sign somebody to fix this.


While we may be under the cap we still have to have th coin almost up front for the signing bonuses..

Just because the cap is not full does not mean that Pat is going to dole out the money on FA like mikey did for 10-12 years.

For the most part that was all wasted money.. we had dead cap space of 10-25 mil a year and again this year will have about that much cleaning up mikeys messes over the past 2-3 years..

I see 4-5 second tier guys signed and the rest of the D will be filled out with existing players, rookies and UDFA brought in..

I do not see 8-10 million a year guys getting signed..

broncohead
02-16-2009, 10:52 PM
We'll sign at least 1 big name FA imo and fill in a few role players. The market is to good to pass up.

UnderArmour
02-16-2009, 11:37 PM
According to Rotoworld, the cuts save us $22.2 million under the cap. With the other $41 million, this makes us $63.2 million under the cap. Wow.

honz
02-16-2009, 11:42 PM
According to Rotoworld, the cuts save us $22.2 million under the cap. With the other $41 million, this makes us $63.2 million under the cap. Wow.

Wow indeed. Hello Julius Peppers/Terrell Suggs/Albert Haynesworth.

broncosinindy
02-17-2009, 01:01 AM
According to Rotoworld, the cuts save us $22.2 million under the cap. With the other $41 million, this makes us $63.2 million under the cap. Wow.
Those projections of 41 million included the guys we just cut. i seen a article out there before we cut anyone we had 7 million. plus the 22 25 million that leaves us with about 29-32 million

BRONCOSFREAK765
02-17-2009, 01:04 AM
I hardly doubt mr bowlen has been losing money...lol. so i don't see why everyone thinks pat won't spend money on signing bonuses.

WARHORSE
02-17-2009, 01:47 AM
While we may be under the cap we still have to have th coin almost up front for the signing bonuses..

Just because the cap is not full does not mean that Pat is going to dole out the money on FA like mikey did for 10-12 years.

For the most part that was all wasted money.. we had dead cap space of 10-25 mil a year and again this year will have about that much cleaning up mikeys messes over the past 2-3 years..

I see 4-5 second tier guys signed and the rest of the D will be filled out with existing players, rookies and UDFA brought in..

I do not see 8-10 million a year guys getting signed..


Pat Bowlens own words?

"I sign the checks around here."

Bowlen is the man in charge in Denver and has been from day one.

He has ONLY to look in the mirror for responsibility for the organization.

Its his afterall.

Check this out:

Pat Bowlen (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=113) - President and Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Williams - Executive Assistant to President and CEO
Yolanda Saltus - Special Assistant
ADVISORY DIRECTORS
Pat Bowlen (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=113) - Chairman
John Bowlen - Director
Bill Britton - Director
Tim Guard - Director
Jeff Harman - Director
Fred Hemmings - Director
Bob Masten - Director

HEAD COACH
Josh McDaniels (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=9591) - Head Coach
Mark Thewes - Assistant to Head Coach

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Joe Ellis - Chief Operating Officer
Elaine Woodworth - Executive Assistant to Chief Operating Officer
GENERAL COUNSEL/ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION
Rich Slivka - General Counsel/ Senior Vice President of Administration
Diane Nelson - Executive Assistant to General Counsel/ Senior Vice President of Administration
VICE PRESIDENTS
Dave Abrams - Vice President of Security
Jim Barlow - Vice President of Finance
Greg Carney - Vice President of Marketing
Chip Conway - Vice President of Operations
Cindy Galloway Kellogg - Vice President of Community Development
Jim Saccomano - Vice President of Public Relations


___________________ Thats alot of vice presidents dont ya think?? Seems to me theres only ONE president listed on that list, Bowlen, and the title he carries is PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.


So whos mess is it?

WARHORSE
02-17-2009, 01:54 AM
"I'll say this: There will be no disagreements, there are no ties, as Mr. Bowlen said," Xanders said. "It will be crystal clear of who we should take at that time. It will be based on who is best for us, who is going to be the best football player for the next four years out of the draft for us at a position of need."

The Broncos currently have nine picks in April's draft and eight picks in the 2010 draft, but Xanders said the team might try to secure more picks in the coming weeks, even if it dips a little more into free agency this year, a season Xanders called "transition."

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/16/new-broncos-gm-promises-spread-salary-cap-wealth/


Secure more picks? That means trade away players....or trade down........POSSIBLY.

Sounds to me like hes saying, they will draft according to need, and they will take the player they have highest ranked at prospective positions.

AND..........if you take this from his mouth, it looks like we will be spending in FAgency this year.:coffee:

Lets see what happens.

Magnificent Seven
02-17-2009, 02:00 AM
John Bowlen is Pat's son?

dogfish
02-17-2009, 04:05 AM
have yer fun talking about big name free agents now fellas, because within the next few days a good number of 'em are probably going to become unavailable when the rest of the franchise designations for this year get handed out. . . . there'll still be a few left, for sure-- definitely haynesworth, and possibly peppers if carolina tags jordan gross-- but i just read that dansby is expected to be tagged, and you can bet suggs and asomugha will be. . . there will still be some top talent, but not what we're looking at right now, and that will make the bidding for the couple of elite FAs that are available all the more fierce. . . .

personally, i'd be plenty happy to sign chris canty, and possibly a safety like oj atogwe or jermaine phillips. . . .

Traveler
02-17-2009, 05:22 AM
Adam Schefter
Broncos make moves with eye on cap space
Posted: February 16th, 2009

When the Broncos released defensive end John Engelberger, tight end Nate Jackson, linebacker Niko Koutouvides, safety Marquand Manuel, defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson and linebacker Jamie Winborn it had massive salary-cap consequences.

All together, the Broncos freed up $22,198,000 in salary-cap savings with $1,888,000 in dead money — quite a savings on players that were not being counted on to contribute much.

Here is the breakdown:

Robertson: $16,000,000 cap savings based on $16,000,000 in ‘09 money against zero dollars in prorated acceleration.

Koutouvides ($3.06 million): $1,061,000 cap savings based on $2,395,000 in ‘09 cap money against $1,333,320 in prorated acceleration.

Winborn ($2.25 million): $2,250,000 cap savings based on $2,250,000 in ‘09 cap money against zero dollars in prorated acceleration.

Manuel ($1.33 million): $1,166,000 cap savings based on $1,133,000 in ‘09 cap money against $166,000 in prorated acceleration.

Engelberger ($2.18 million): $1,164,333 cap savings based on $2,185,000 in ‘09 cap money against $166,666 in prorated acceleration.

Jackson (less than $1 million): $557,000 cap savings based on $770,000 in ‘09 cap money against 212,500 in prorated acceleration.

http://blogs.nfl.com/category/adam-schefter/

WARHORSE
02-17-2009, 11:04 AM
If Scheffter reports it...........I believe it.


Looks alot like Denver is clearing cap space quickly.


Wonder why...................:coffee:


Hmmmmmmmm...............:coffee:



CANT mean we're looking to sign some FAgents................:coffee:



So it MUST mean we just want to look at the numbers on top of the cap space list with our name next to it.......................:coffee:



HHHHHMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..................: coffee:

BroncoJoe
02-17-2009, 11:07 AM
In regard to Bowlen's finances, the local sports talk radio program were talking about the fact the Broncos are his only business. He did come from family money, but those businesses (I believe) have been sold. He could be feeling somewhat of a cash crunch considering all the wasted money he's paying out...

Just a thought -

BeefStew25
02-17-2009, 11:09 AM
I hope to god we don't throw a bunch of money at free agents. They are free agents for a reason.

I trust McDanny will use the Asante Samuel theory. Never overpay and build depth across the board.

Oh lord my heart can;t handle this.

NightTrainLayne
02-17-2009, 11:11 AM
In regard to Bowlen's finances, the local sports talk radio program were talking about the fact the Broncos are his only business. He did come from family money, but those businesses (I believe) have been sold. He could be feeling somewhat of a cash crunch considering all the wasted money he's paying out...

Just a thought -

The question is this: Is Bowlen feeling a real cash crunch .. .an inability to support the payroll? Or is a tightening financial picture making him more aware of where money is being mis-spent?

Like with most all things it's probably somewhere in the middle and a little bit of both.

I would imagine however, that if the right FA comes along that Bowlen will find the money to secure them, but he's also going to expect McDaniel to be a better custodian of his money.

Fan in Exile
02-17-2009, 11:49 AM
I think that one of the things that's been missed in all the cap questions and mikey bashing is that the salary cap is based of off TV revenue that is guaranteed. This is money that is coming in regardless of the economy, at least the tv stations haven't asked to renegotiate.

So although it's not as precise as having two entirely separate pools of money it's pretty close to it. They do have to spend a certain minimum amount on their team this year, this is money from the TV contracts that they must by contract spend on players.

Now they may be financially tapped on the front office side so they want to be under the cap to help them cover the coaching salaries, but that would be a pretty extreme case.

Askthecommish.com has a good breakdown of how it works and what the numbers are.

Incidentaly they also listed us as 34 million below the cap before this latest round of cuts.

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 11:55 AM
Pat Bowlens own words?

"I sign the checks around here."

Bowlen is the man in charge in Denver and has been from day one.

He has ONLY to look in the mirror for responsibility for the organization.

Its his afterall.

Check this out:

Pat Bowlen (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=113) - President and Chief Executive Officer
Lisa Williams - Executive Assistant to President and CEO
Yolanda Saltus - Special Assistant
ADVISORY DIRECTORS
Pat Bowlen (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=113) - Chairman
John Bowlen - Director
Bill Britton - Director
Tim Guard - Director
Jeff Harman - Director
Fred Hemmings - Director
Bob Masten - Director

HEAD COACH
Josh McDaniels (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=357&contentID=9591) - Head Coach
Mark Thewes - Assistant to Head Coach

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Joe Ellis - Chief Operating Officer
Elaine Woodworth - Executive Assistant to Chief Operating Officer
GENERAL COUNSEL/ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION
Rich Slivka - General Counsel/ Senior Vice President of Administration
Diane Nelson - Executive Assistant to General Counsel/ Senior Vice President of Administration
VICE PRESIDENTS
Dave Abrams - Vice President of Security
Jim Barlow - Vice President of Finance
Greg Carney - Vice President of Marketing
Chip Conway - Vice President of Operations
Cindy Galloway Kellogg - Vice President of Community Development
Jim Saccomano - Vice President of Public Relations


___________________ Thats alot of vice presidents dont ya think?? Seems to me theres only ONE president listed on that list, Bowlen, and the title he carries is PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.


So whos mess is it?

Yes the buck stops at Pats desk.. But who really created the total train wreck on defense for at least that past 2 years?

Who should have taken action several years ago Pat..

But we all know who was really in charge of ALL football operations since 1994 do not we..

So while Pat allowed it with his contract for life BS.. it was mikey that caused it.. with Pat thinking his friend could right the ship..

Being loyal to a friend.. Can't really fault him for that can you?

Speaking of which did you not say that you have spent time with Pat in Hawaii?

underrated29
02-17-2009, 12:09 PM
ok as for FA spending i am sure we will. Like FIE said earlier, the remark about spreading the money around was strictly about dewayne robertson. not a julius peppers....

I see us in FA like this

We get 1 of the top 3 big names at either:

DT-(not haynesworth though), but the 2 other top names,,or
DE/LB peppers, canty, whoever
S-otagwe,brown whoever.


So we will either have a premier DT (not haynes though, he wont fit here) or a premier LB/DE in Peppers or someone else. Then we will go S.


I can almost gurantee that we will take Rey in the draft. Raji is our #1, but he will be gone so thats why we spend some $$$$ on a FA DT. Then we get peppy and a S, to match with either REY in the first or Moore in the first.

broncosinindy
02-17-2009, 01:56 PM
I think that one of the things that's been missed in all the cap questions and mikey bashing is that the salary cap is based of off TV revenue that is guaranteed. This is money that is coming in regardless of the economy, at least the tv stations haven't asked to renegotiate.

So although it's not as precise as having two entirely separate pools of money it's pretty close to it. They do have to spend a certain minimum amount on their team this year, this is money from the TV contracts that they must by contract spend on players.

Now they may be financially tapped on the front office side so they want to be under the cap to help them cover the coaching salaries, but that would be a pretty extreme case.

Askthecommish.com has a good breakdown of how it works and what the numbers are.

Incidentaly they also listed us as 34 million below the cap before this latest round of cuts.

You're gonna have to show me where you read this. because at this point the broncos from every source i read was 7and change before the cuts and saved 23roughly for a grand total of 30. Remember teams are really really secret about their cap. so it will always be a mystery. all we can really do is speculate

broncosinindy
02-17-2009, 01:58 PM
ok as for FA spending i am sure we will. Like FIE said earlier, the remark about spreading the money around was strictly about dewayne robertson. not a julius peppers....

I see us in FA like this

We get 1 of the top 3 big names at either:

DT-(not haynesworth though), but the 2 other top names,,or
DE/LB peppers, canty, whoever
S-otagwe,brown whoever.


So we will either have a premier DT (not haynes though, he wont fit here) or a premier LB/DE in Peppers or someone else. Then we will go S.


I can almost gurantee that we will take Rey in the draft. Raji is our #1, but he will be gone so thats why we spend some $$$$ on a FA DT. Then we get peppy and a S, to match with either REY in the first or Moore in the first.
The remark was about DR, but i have a feeling that is how the're gonna run things from here on out. Which puzzles me about what happens when Jay and Brandon come up for contracts

underrated29
02-17-2009, 02:04 PM
I thought about that too. And if it was last year or any other year i would agree....But i think it will be different this year for a couple reasons.

1.- Our offense is fully intact, we need to win now before we start to lose players on that side of the ball.

2.- It looks as though our team is pretty much starting over fresh, and we already have more holes than draft picks, plus all the new players we are cutting. We are going to have to spend to field a roster.

3.-Bowlen wants McD and the staff to start out on the right foot, and not have it look like he made a huge mistake firing shanny. So he is going to write the checks to save face if you will. To make sure that we are only going up, and going up quickly.

These are the main reasons why i think this year will be kind of an anomoly year for us in terms of spending on some big names to give us that little extra boost..

Some big name FA, a solid draft this year and another solid draft next year= super bowl after superbowl-imo

Kaylore
02-17-2009, 02:17 PM
Secure more picks? That means trade away players....or trade down........POSSIBLY.

Sounds to me like hes saying, they will draft according to need, and they will take the player they have highest ranked at prospective positions.

AND..........if you take this from his mouth, it looks like we will be spending in FAgency this year.:coffee:

Lets see what happens.

You nailed it. They are going to spend in FA. They have a lot of holes to fill and mean to fill them. Not even Julius Peppers or Haynesworth would cost 16 million against the cap because their deals would long term and prorated over the life of the contract. Let's not take things out of context here.

Fan in Exile
02-17-2009, 02:20 PM
You're gonna have to show me where you read this. because at this point the broncos from every source i read was 7and change before the cuts and saved 23roughly for a grand total of 30. Remember teams are really really secret about their cap. so it will always be a mystery. all we can really do is speculate

I did point out that it was at askthecommish.com, if you want the link click here http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/numbers.asp

CoachChaz
02-17-2009, 02:21 PM
There are so many ways to cheat and work around the cap. They can move money 100 different ways to make things work. Wasn't it just 2 years ago when they apparently had nothing to work with and ended up signing quite a few mid-level guys after missing on Kerney

WARHORSE
02-17-2009, 02:29 PM
Yes the buck stops at Pats desk.. But who really created the total train wreck on defense for at least that past 2 years?

Who should have taken action several years ago Pat..

But we all know who was really in charge of ALL football operations since 1994 do not we..

So while Pat allowed it with his contract for life BS.. it was mikey that caused it.. with Pat thinking his friend could right the ship..

Being loyal to a friend.. Can't really fault him for that can you?

Speaking of which did you not say that you have spent time with Pat in Hawaii?

You know what?

We're talking about positional views here and I dont see it changing.

Our defense under Shanahan over the years has been fine.

There are always ALOT of factors that go into a team falling like ours did on the defensive level. We lost TWO very good players in Mobley and Wilson to injury. We also lost a young corner by the name of Darrent Williams. Its not like every year you can just say, 'lets sign the most dominant players and plug em into our defense and roll'.

Every team is handcuffed by supply and demand in the NFL. Its not like we know we really need a dominant DT........and HEY! It just so happens that the most dominant DT in the draft is sitting there for our selection at number 22.........and heres another at our second pick at 54!!........or we need a WR and ......HEY! It just so happens we have a ton of cap space and money perfectly timed to sign TJ Houshyomama whos not being franchised this year.......PERFECT!!!

There are 31 other teams out there trying to do the same thing, and I dont care what anyone else says: The fact remains that there are a TON of variables that determine winning in this league, and we had a HOF coach who at the very least brought winning ways here.


You seem really focused on all the things that DIDNT pan out for us...and for some reason keep wanting to beat a dead horse.

Shanny did it.

Shanny did it.

Shanny did it.

Yes Shanahan did it all............both good and bad.

I think you just harp too much on the negs for my taste. Thats me though.



BTW............I made the enitre story of me meeting Bowlen up.........that was a tribute to Blue Run...........and all those who believed his hogwash.......;)

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 02:34 PM
You nailed it. They are going to spend in FA. They have a lot of holes to fill and mean to fill them. Not even Julius Peppers or Haynesworth would cost 16 million against the cap because their deals would long term and prorated over the life of the contract. Let's not take things out of context here.

it is not just the cap space they have to deal with it is also CASH on hand to write those signing bonus check that for the most part get paid after the league approves the contracts.. that is money going out today and being spread over the life of the contract ..

Now I respect you knowledge of the Broncos and your sources does any of them say Mc Kid and Xanders are going to have carte blanc to writing these cup front checks..

I think everyone agrees that past practices and WASTED money have Pat at least gun shy if not cash poor, considering the 10 million or so he owes old fired coaches at this point..

Cap space we have no doubt the question is is their money in the bank to cover it, or money coming in from all income source enough to handle what hey need to do?

Ziggy
02-17-2009, 02:36 PM
You seem really focused on all the things that DIDNT pan out for us...and for some reason keep wanting to beat a dead horse.

Shanny did it.

Shanny did it.

Shanny did it.

Yes Shanahan did it all............both good and bad.

I think you just harp too much on the negs for my taste. Thats me though.




You're not the first to say something to JR. Actually I don't think you're the second or even 3rd. Although he has a high football IQ, his utter hatred for Shanahan spills out in nearly every thread and many folks around here are sick of it. It's a shame, because JR actually seems like a decent and intelligent guy.

Kaylore
02-17-2009, 02:41 PM
You're right in that the cap room is almost an imaginary number because most teams don't even have the budget to meet half of their extra cap room this year.

As for my sources, I only have one (real one) left and he is not at the facility right now and hasn't met with anyone and knows as much as you or me.

What I took away from the press conference is they are probably not going to go all Redskins/Raiders on free agency, but they are going to make sure the guys they target come in. In New England they signed some big name guys and some small name role players. I suspect it could be a mix of that.

Given the amount of room and the amount of holes (they don't even have 53 right now) I fully expect them bring a number of people in. Then after the draft you'll see more cuts once they know they have some replacements.

Fan in Exile
02-17-2009, 02:43 PM
it is not just the cap space they have to deal with it is also CASH on hand to write those signing bonus check that for the most part get paid after the league approves the contracts.. that is money going out today and being spread over the life of the contract ..

Now I respect you knowledge of the Broncos and your sources does any of them say Mc Kid and Xanders are going to have carte blanc to writing these cup front checks..

I think everyone agrees that past practices and WASTED money have Pat at least gun shy if not cash poor, considering the 10 million or so he owes old fired coaches at this point..

Cap space we have no doubt the question is is their money in the bank to cover it, or money coming in from all income source enough to handle what hey need to do?

Thing you have to keep in mind is that if we have cap space it should mean that we have money, that is barring embezzlement or something similar. Because the cap space number is determined by the gross revenue that's coming in the money is coming not from team savings but from the shared revenue of the entire league. Check here for more details: http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp

The one thing that might trip us up would be bonuses paid upfront. Then you have to have cash on hand. However that is mostly a consideration if you don't have cap space and are trying to spread things out. If you do have cap space then cash on hand isn't as big of a deal and you can give larger salaries and pay it out as the revenue comes in.

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 02:50 PM
You know what?

We're talking about positional views here and I dont see it changing.

Our defense under Shanahan over the years has been fine.

There are always ALOT of factors that go into a team falling like ours did on the defensive level. We lost TWO very good players in Mobley and Wilson to injury. We also lost a young corner by the name of Darrent Williams. Its not like every year you can just say, 'lets sign the most dominant players and plug em into our defense and roll'.

Every team is handcuffed by supply and demand in the NFL. Its not like we know we really need a dominant DT........and HEY! It just so happens that the most dominant DT in the draft is sitting there for our selection at number 22.........and heres another at our second pick at 54!!........or we need a WR and ......HEY! It just so happens we have a ton of cap space and money perfectly timed to sign TJ Houshyomama whos not being franchised this year.......PERFECT!!!

There are 31 other teams out there trying to do the same thing, and I dont care what anyone else says: The fact remains that there are a TON of variables that determine winning in this league, and we had a HOF coach who at the very least brought winning ways here.


You seem really focused on all the things that DIDNT pan out for us...and for some reason keep wanting to beat a dead horse.

Shanny did it.

Shanny did it.

Shanny did it.

Yes Shanahan did it all............both good and bad.

I think you just harp too much on the negs for my taste. Thats me though.



BTW............I made the enitre story of me meeting Bowlen up.........that was a tribute to Blue Run...........and all those who believed his hogwash.......;)


yes mikey did it.. he was present for the Superbowl wins no doubt about it but since then well some of Y'all loved the guy and thought he walked on water..

Some of us did not.. a great offensive mind not doubt about it but to be in charge of the entire program.. No..

His defense has been crumbling for almost a decade till it hit rock bottom the past 2 years and now one was more responsible for that more than mikey..

You can blame losing Mobley Wilson and Darrent but a competent guy would have had players behind them that could step in and do a decent job.. we did no and no one else tis to blame..LBs play for 4-10 years CB's less time..

the cupboard has been bare on defense for along time.. trying desperately to patch them with expensive FA was not the way to fix it.. but his beloved Offense got all the plum picks..

So kneel at mikeys shrine if you want I'll choose to move on and call a spade a spade..

Glad to know you fessed up for your Pat comments.. I had no reason not to believe you.. Sorry you felt the need to do so..

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 02:57 PM
You're right in that the cap room is almost an imaginary number because most teams don't even have the budget to meet half of their extra cap room this year.

As for my sources, I only have one (real one) left and he is not at the facility right now and hasn't met with anyone and knows as much as you or me.

What I took away from the press conference is they are probably not going to go all Redskins/Raiders on free agency, but they are going to make sure the guys they target come in. In New England they signed some big name guys and some small name role players. I suspect it could be a mix of that.

Given the amount of room and the amount of holes (they don't even have 53 right now) I fully expect them bring a number of people in. Then after the draft you'll see more cuts once they know they have some replacements.


I think your correct here with mixture but I really do not see the biggie ticket guys on the radar.. unless we can find a Wilfork type of NT..taht being the biggie exception..

The last count of players I saw was 59 after the cuts... but who knows with all the changes in bodies in the FO..

I do not think we are going to going into TC with a full allotment of players 80? like we have the past decade.. I think the O is pretty close to being where they want it UNLESS he decides to make the OLINE bigger.. maybe a BU TE and RB but the rest look pretty solid..

the huge turn over is going to be on D..

Fan in Exile
02-17-2009, 03:05 PM
I think your correct here with mixture but I really do not see the biggie ticket guys on the radar.. unless we can find a Wilfork type of NT..taht being the biggie exception..

The last count of players I saw was 59 after the cuts... but who knows with all the changes in bodies in the FO..

I do not think we are going to going into TC with a full allotment of players 80? like we have the past decade.. I think the O is pretty close to being where they want it UNLESS he decides to make the OLINE bigger.. maybe a BU TE and RB but the rest look pretty solid..

the huge turn over is going to be on D..

There's no way we don't take 80 guys into camp. The players would be risking too much when it comes to injuries and being overworked for that to happen. Besides training camp fodder is really cheap. So the risk reward ratio would be way to far off for them to even think of doing that.

Fan in Exile
02-17-2009, 03:06 PM
You're right in that the cap room is almost an imaginary number because most teams don't even have the budget to meet half of their extra cap room this year.

As for my sources, I only have one (real one) left and he is not at the facility right now and hasn't met with anyone and knows as much as you or me.

What I took away from the press conference is they are probably not going to go all Redskins/Raiders on free agency, but they are going to make sure the guys they target come in. In New England they signed some big name guys and some small name role players. I suspect it could be a mix of that.

Given the amount of room and the amount of holes (they don't even have 53 right now) I fully expect them bring a number of people in. Then after the draft you'll see more cuts once they know they have some replacements.

I'm not sure what you mean by saying that the cap is an imaginary number. The formula for figuring it out makes it pretty clear it's part of the gross revenue that the league generates that gets divided up among the teams.

I do however agree with you about how we will probably approach free agency.

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 03:15 PM
You're not the first to say something to JR. Actually I don't think you're the second or even 3rd. Although he has a high football IQ, his utter hatred for Shanahan spills out in nearly every thread and many folks around here are sick of it. It's a shame, because JR actually seems like a decent and intelligent guy.


and he will not be the last..

I am not ashamed to say I did not like mikey.. I did not hate the guy just what he did to this franchise

He gutted to force his agenda on it hired only yes men and got rid of the competent ones..

The only one that escaped untarnished was Gary..

Sorry I have Little room in my heart for little men with huge egos..

He was great OC past that IMO the Peter Principle kicked in..

Might have been a superb HC if he had not been given the GM title (De Facto) also with complete control..

I feel I have seen enough football to know good from bad and mikey well wasn't as good as everyone thought all they could see was the two Lombardi's and hear his tired we are a couple of players away he gave since at least 2002 and later..

If that was good enough for most of you fine.. I just have higher standards after watching this franchise since day one..

If we had any schmuck owner then I'd feel differently.. But Pat gave this guy carte Blanc to keep the trophy's coming in and after John and the other 4-6 HOF players retired he had nothing.. and did not have the brains to hire a Professional GM to help him..


Again if you are happy with where we are today fine I'm not..

Is that hate? I do not think so just demanding excellence he could not give..

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 03:18 PM
I'm not sure what you mean by saying that the cap is an imaginary number. The formula for figuring it out makes it pretty clear it's part of the gross revenue that the league generates that gets divided up among the teams.

I do however agree with you about how we will probably approach free agency.


think it is more like the gross TV revenue the are expected to make and the Players share IIRC about 60%.. as part of the NFLPA

I could be wrong on this but I do not think Gross total income is correct..

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 03:19 PM
There's no way we don't take 80 guys into camp. The players would be risking too much when it comes to injuries and being overworked for that to happen. Besides training camp fodder is really cheap. So the risk reward ratio would be way to far off for them to even think of doing that.


could be a totally different TC also.. we will see..

Ziggy
02-17-2009, 03:19 PM
Back on topic...... Xanders had stated that one player shouldn't take a significant chunk against the cap. I wonder if that means that they will either try to trade Champ or restructure his contract. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Broncos bring in 10 or so second and third tier free agents and undrafted free agents this year.

Lonestar
02-17-2009, 03:23 PM
Back on topic...... Xanders had stated that one player shouldn't take a significant chunk against the cap. I wonder if that means that they will either try to trade Champ or restructure his contract. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Broncos bring in 10 or so second and third tier free agents and undrafted free agents this year.


It would make more sense and then building on them with the draft to expecting rookies to start or play 60% of the time..

But I'll guess going forward expensive FA will be few and far between unless of course we see a Wilfork type NT on the market..

Fan in Exile
02-17-2009, 03:27 PM
think it is more like the gross TV revenue the are expected to make and the Players share IIRC about 60%.. as part of the NFLPA

I could be wrong on this but I do not think Gross total income is correct..

You are wrong on this, it changed with the last CBA. Per ask the Commish

The Cap is determined through a complicated calculation system, which has changed with the latest extension of the CBA. The Cap is based on income that the teams earn during a League Year. Originally that "pot" was limited to what was known as Defined Gross Revenues (DGR), which consisted of the money earned from the national televison contract, ticket sales, and NFL merchandise sales. Under the new agreement the "pot" has been expanded to include total revenue. Thus, other sources of revenue, including such other items as naming rights and local advertising, have been added. As was the case with the original DGR, the expanded revenue is divided equally amongst all 32 teams for purposes of claculating the salary cap.

Ziggy
02-17-2009, 03:27 PM
With all of the cuts going on, one has to think that this team thinks that they can find better players from other team's benches than what we currently have. I really can't argue on D. Hopefully we'll find a guy like Keith Traylor, Eddie Mac, and Howard Griffith, who were written off as scrubs by other teams and just needed a chance to compete. Those guys came in and were key cogs to championship teams.

WARHORSE
02-17-2009, 03:46 PM
yes mikey did it.. he was present for the Superbowl wins no doubt about it but since then well some of Y'all loved the guy and thought he walked on water..

Some of us did not.. a great offensive mind not doubt about it but to be in charge of the entire program.. No..

He was in charge when we built the superbowl winning teams too......remebmer?

His defense has been crumbling for almost a decade till it hit rock bottom the past 2 years and now one was more responsible for that more than mikey..
You can blame losing Mobley Wilson and Darrent but a competent guy would have had players behind them that could step in and do a decent job.. we did no and no one else tis to blame..LBs play for 4-10 years CB's less time..

You yet ignore what I said and understandably so cause you cant address it without inserting foot in mouth. Shanahan, as well as the rest of the league can and could only deal with what was available to him...........and no one can go back and tell us what he SHOULD have done to build the defense, INCLUDING who we should have picked in the drafts. And if anyone were dumb enough to do so..................I will pick you apart like a buzzard on a carcass.

the cupboard has been bare on defense for along time.. trying desperately to patch them with expensive FA was not the way to fix it.. but his beloved Offense got all the plum picks..

So kneel at mikeys shrine if you want I'll choose to move on and call a spade a spade..

There IS a Mikey shrine, and rightly so.........he will be enshrined as a HOF coach and his name will ring synonymously with the Broncos forever........but while theres no kneeling here......there also is no tomato throwing whatsoever........Its the BRONCOS SHRINE I would kneel at if I felt the need to do so. As for spade calling...........youre exactly right.......we just wish youd get to the MOVE ON part of it.

Glad to know you fessed up for your Pat comments.. I had no reason not to believe you.. Sorry you felt the need to do so.


Of course not. Which was exactly my point in opposing Blue Run and his spewing. I for one dont want to have to trudge through that when I come in here. Its enough work trying to wade through the local medias without having to worm through someone coming in here and making crap up. I dont care if its fun or not. Fun for some.........not for others.......and to each his own. We each posted our positions, and rightly so.

.


Regardless of what side of Shanahan youre on, I hope we have a great next few years, and Im excited to see The Kid do his thing.

WARHORSE
02-17-2009, 03:51 PM
and he will not be the last..

I am not ashamed to say I did not like mikey.. I did not hate the guy just what he did to this franchise

He gutted to force his agenda on it hired only yes men and got rid of the competent ones..

The only one that escaped untarnished was Gary..

Sorry I have Little room in my heart for little men with huge egos..

He was great OC past that IMO the Peter Principle kicked in..

Might have been a superb HC if he had not been given the GM title (De Facto) also with complete control..

I feel I have seen enough football to know good from bad and mikey well wasn't as good as everyone thought all they could see was the two Lombardi's and hear his tired we are a couple of players away he gave since at least 2002 and later..

If that was good enough for most of you fine.. I just have higher standards after watching this franchise since day one..

If we had any schmuck owner then I'd feel differently.. But Pat gave this guy carte Blanc to keep the trophy's coming in and after John and the other 4-6 HOF players retired he had nothing.. and did not have the brains to hire a Professional GM to help him..


Again if you are happy with where we are today fine I'm not..

Is that hate? I do not think so just demanding excellence he could not give..


Which is the reason we have a fine young offensive JUGGERNAUT growing up under Mile High.

Stupid Shanahan.






Oh, thats right..............that was the Goodmans who built the offense........who ignorant Bowlen fired the other day.:tsk:



(Its really a terrible disposition to have...........Shanny/Bronco pessimist that is, no?)

Bad Intentions
02-17-2009, 11:54 PM
Huh.

See, I thought Indy had a guy counting a ton against the cap. A couple, actually.

And Brady is not cheap. Wasn't his figure like $14+ for this year?

Maybe he just means, "Nobody who counts for $16 mil against the cap except maybe that QB in a coupla years."

Cuz it may be a team sport, and nobody showed that like NE when they were able to replace vets with lesser paid players and keep winning...

But there are some guys you pay.

So I hope his theory is flexible. No, you don't want to tie your salary cap to one guy - unless it's a guy you can't do without.

And is a 16 million player and an 8 million player somehow more risky than two 12 million players, or three 8 million players? Sure, the 16 million player is twice as risky as one of the 8s if he blows his knee out or something, but what if the 8 million players are mediocre busts? You know, like all our other FAs recently? That's still a risk.

Do you overpay for a minor god or "go cheap" and get some second and third tier players that you hope in aggregate make up the difference?

This isn't baseball. One team isn't competing with 200 million and a lot of other teams with 40. You have money to spend, and most teams spend close to the limit. Not everybody, but there's money to go around and slots to fill, and only guaranteed money is on the line.

Most teams overpay the QB, because you can't "get lucky" with a second position. If you pay a corner or a WR and he doesn't produce, well, you have other corners, maybe they'll come through for you. You don't have to break the bank for him. The mere fact that there are others on the field decreases his paycheck.

Nobody double-teams a QB, and there isn't a 2nd QB on the field if you have a sucky one.

People pay pass-rushers, blind-side protectors, and QBs, because nobody else can do what they do. It's all about the QB position.

In that sense, the one position on defense you DO try to pay for is the unstoppable behemoth who makes the QB cry. If you can find him, you give him whatever he asks for, because it changes your whole D.

If we're saving our money for Cutler and Clady - the other 2/3 of the equation - fine. But that's a couple years down the line.

In the meantime, let's not categorically deny that there are times you pay a defender an outrageous sum for what he can do, that no one else can.

You pay Reggie White, for instance. Whatever he asks you pay.

If you believe there's no Reggie White, fine. But don't say if he was there that you wouldn't pay him, because it would be stupid.

Generalities are fine. Spreading out the cap when we have so many needs is very reasonable.

But "you don't pay 16 million to one guy because it's a team sport" is a lie, or at least a misrepresentation of the facts.

Let's not start with that 72 hours into your tenure, please. We had enough of that with Sundquist.

~G


I think it means, we can't have DRob counting $16m against our cap.