Uncapped year in 2007? Interesting article....

[SkinsHokieFan]

Paul Domowitch | Turn out the lights, the parity's over...

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD COULD BE AMONG CASUALTIES IF SALARY CAP VANISHES IN '07

What would happen if football became baseball? If you took a match to the NFL salary cap and allowed teams to spend as much - or as little - as they wanted on their player payroll?

Would Jerry Jones become George Steinbrenner? Would Jeff Lurie morph into David Montgomery? Would small-market teams such as Jacksonville, New Orleans and Kansas City become little more than cannon fodder for the big-spending franchises? Would the league's "on any given Sunday" motto give way to "never in a million years"?

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/13498337.htm

My thoughts........

Obviously for the Washington Redskins, no salary cap would be a boon

Guys like Smoot and Pierce would have stayed, while we can sign top free agents and add depth through the draft

This team would have the most depth, and highest star quality in the NFL

Imagine Stephen Davis backing up Clinton Portis. A deal for Ramsey long term would already be worked out

However, an uncapped year for the rest of the NFL would be terrible. Only about 10 teams would be competitive every year, and the disparity between the haves and have nots would only increase

It is no coincidence the Packers were fairly uncompetitive from the end of Lombardi until the cap era

Or the Steelers, who could not keep up with teams like the Redskins who spent at will during the 1980s

No cap? Great for the Redskins, bad for the NFL

[PotomacSkinsFan]

wow, i didnt even realize that that was a possibility anymore.

I'll tell you what: It would NOT benefit us if Snyder spends with reckless abandon like he did in the summer of 2000. But, if he let's football people make the decisions he'd be another Jack Kent Cooke (without the class or style, of course).

:eaglesuck

[SkinsHokieFan]

wow, i didnt even realize that that was a possibility anymore.

I'll tell you what: It would NOT benefit us if Snyder spends with reckless abandon like he did in the summer of 2000. But, if he let's football people make the decisions he'd be another Jack Kent Cooke (without the class or style, of course).

:eaglesuck

That is a good point. If its Gibbs or a real GM making the decisions, and not Snyder, then the Redskins would be in amazing shape

In fact, it would stress the need once again for a "Real GM" because if Snyder can spend that much more then the next team, it would behoove him to spend wisely

But you would not see the Packers, Steelers, or Cheifs competitive for a very long time

The NFC East would turn into the AL East, with Dallas and Washington upping the ante each offseason

[SoCalSkins]

I'm all for it. There would still be revenue sharing of tv contracts, so it would not be a baseball situation. It could lead to a lockout or strike the following year, which would guarantee a Super Bowl win for us.

Even if tehre is a cap it shouldn't be a hard cap, a basketball type of cap would be better, there would be a huge incentive to retain drafted players.

[SoCalSkins]

I didn't know that an uncapped year would require 6 years of NFL experience to become a free agent. We could keep Ramsey an extra year as well.

[KDawg]

Problem being, if you try to sign these guys to more than one year contracts, the cap hit when the cap returns would kill you for signing them...

Uncapped year should be business as usual. No different than it is now with the exception of signing guys in the positions we need. No need to overpay. Pay who'll get the job done a fair amount.

[Doctor ToughLove]

All for it. Supposedly Snyder has geared a lot of contracts around this. Just like the strike seasons, the Redskins are the most prepared for it.

And if it is good for the Redskins, I don't care who it is not good for. That's competition.

[skinsfan999]

If this were to happen hypothetically couldn't the Skins just restructure all of the contracts of the players to have most of the money be payed during that year? By doing this we'd have a bunch of cap space the next year if there was then a salary cap.

:feedback:

[SkinsHokieFan]

If this were to happen hypothetically couldn't the Skins just restructure all of the contracts of the players to have most of the money be payed during that year? By doing this we'd have a bunch of cap space the next year if there was then a salary cap.

:feedback:

In theory yes

But Gene Upshaw (NFLPA head) says once there is an uncapped year, the cap won't come back

[KDawg]

If this were to happen hypothetically couldn't the Skins just restructure all of the contracts of the players to have most of the money be payed during that year? By doing this we'd have a bunch of cap space the next year if there was then a salary cap.

:feedback:

But most players and even organizations wouldn't want to do that. That would mean they'd get most of their money in one season, and would quite frankly not have much motivation for the rest of their contract length.

[gibbsteam]

Uncapped year means a man like Sean Taylor we could sign for a long term deal and pay most of the contract upfront....on the uncapped year leaving very little for the remaining years when the cap is back in place.......pay the young guns that are not health risks 50% of there contracts on the uncapped year.........example....Portis 7 year 60 million deal.....but pay him 30 million in 2007 then 2 mil in 2008....2 mill in 2009 2 mill in 2010.....5 mill in2011.........5 mill in 2012 .......and 14 mil in 2013 if we still need him with no signing bonus at all

[Seabee1973]

Im sure it will be capped but it would be nice if the skins could get some cap room so they could front load a few contracts and not have so much dead money every year.

[thinker]

It's not altogether clear to me that we totally benefit from NO cap at all. Look at our great defense. A number of the key players are not superstar million dollar babies - Ryan Clark - UDFA; Lemar - UDFA; Salave'a - street FA - Ade Jimoh - UDFA - Demetric Evans UDFA - Clemons brothers UDFA's - Khary Campbell street FA - Matt Bowen and Walt Harris - not really coveted by anyone. Boschetti, Killings, Aki Smith - UDFA's. I think it has been stated that GW prefers guys who have been rejected elsewhere and are incredibly motivated and coachable with huge chips on their shoulders.

The Yankees, cubs, Red Sox etc don't win often with their payrolls that are 2-4 times higher than the league average.

I wouldn't mind seeing a less hard cap - more like the NBA where you could have some ability to offer better deals to your own FA's and could break the cap to resign your own guys. The other part of the NBA CBA that I like is the more structured slotting of rookie contracts (eliminates all holdouts etc.) and the max contracts that teams can offer. I'd also like to see players get higher guarantees and lower bonuses so the game isn't SO much about finances and so much less about coaching and playing.

[skinsfan999]

But most players and even organizations wouldn't want to do that. That would mean they'd get most of their money in one season, and would quite frankly not have much motivation for the rest of their contract length.

Good point. I guess if that did happen it would come down to whether the player loves playing football or is just in the sport for money alone.

[docsandy]

A non-cap year would be nice for the REdskins if, as said previously, football people were making the decisions and not Snyder.. and thus Snyder could become ala JKC (but not as classy of course)!

What I'd like to see is a compromise of sorts. Have a hard minimum cap.. so teams have to spend a certain amount of money on players (so that teams that have owners not wanting to spend money are still put in the position of having to), and then perhaps have a floating max cap that allows for resigning of free agents with affecting the cap, but keeping the cap for rookies.

One of my biggest gripes is the money rookies get out of college before they are even proven in the NFL... somehow I wish that money/contract amount could be conditional, based on play (but not affected by injury).

But don't mind me.. I'm just rambling.. sortof up and in pain.. waiting for pain meds to kick in:applause:

[TheDirtbags]

to tell the truth i would rather not win at all than be like the evil empire (the yanks) or the sox (red sox of course)

[Spaceman Spiff]

Hope this happens.

I don't care if its bad for other teams, I echo DoctorToughLove's thoughts.

Teams go through up and down periods with or without a salary cap...the salary cap just speeds up the process...and in some teams cases (Bengals early 90's-prior this season) it doesn't help them at all.

I'm all about seeing Portis, Taylor, Moss, Cooley and others finishing their careers here. If not having a salary cap makes that happen, then I'm all for it. Admittedly I'm a bit pissed that I'm too young to remember the days of the Hogs, Riggo, the Posse, Smurfs etc when players spent all of or the majority of their careers in one uniform.

It would be nice to know that the core group of players won't be leaving in 3 or 4 years...

[SloppyOneXXVI]

From what I have read, (granted I don't have any sources on hand) there is only a tiny chance of this every happening. I don't know if I would like it anyway. Part of the beauty of the NFL is that, to quote Joe Gibbs, "Any team can beat any other team on any day." If only 4 or 5 teams are competitive every year this will be a league of stars instead of teams. I love the "team mentality" of the NFL, and I wouldn't sell the integrity of the game for Super Bowl wins. (well maybe one win and then back to cap rules.)

[Spaceman Spiff]

From what I have read, (granted I don't have any sources on hand) there is only a tiny chance of this every happening. I don't know if I would like it anyway. Part of the beauty of the NFL is that, to quote Joe Gibbs, "Any team can beat any other team on any day." If only 4 or 5 teams are competitive every year this will be a league of stars instead of teams. I love the "team mentality" of the NFL, and I wouldn't sell the integrity of the game for Super Bowl wins. (well maybe one win and then back to cap rules.)

Yeah, that "team mentality" of leaving the team you're on to get a higher paycheck elsewhere, ala smoot and pierce?

but then again, some others have restructured....

i dunno, i don't see this happening either.

[roqnap1]

Yeah...an NFL without a cap is a great idea....if you like $15 beers and $200 tickets. The cost will only trickle down to the fans. And you think FedEx is a Wine and Cheese crowd now!? Just wait.

If this starts to look like it's going to happen, we should all invest in our home theaters setups....as that's the only affordable way we'll be able to watch the games.

[G-Prime]

Problem being, if you try to sign these guys to more than one year contracts, the cap hit when the cap returns would kill you for signing them...

Uncapped year should be business as usual. No different than it is now with the exception of signing guys in the positions we need. No need to overpay. Pay who'll get the job done a fair amount.

No it wouldn't.. You front load the contracts. There is nothing saying you can't pay a guy 10 million of a 15 million dollar contract in the first year.

[KDawg]

No it wouldn't.. You front load the contracts. There is nothing saying you can't pay a guy 10 million of a 15 million dollar contract in the first year.

I covered that point with my second post.

[kingfish50]

For you cap lovers, I guess you like to spread the wealth around. You just love all of that mediocraty. The cap makes you get rid of players after a certian amount of years. It guarantees teams like Arizona and Detroit that will not spend the money for good talent a profit. We spend at or above the cap. They stay under and still reap all the benefits.

Players have no real loyalty to a team knowing that they'll be gone within 4-5 years. Rookies comming into the league get a huge sum of money while the veterans, who have played thier hearts out for the team are cut. They have it set up that way so the sorry, cheap teams can pick up these vets.

Oh! Greenbay was in the playoffs long after Lombardi left. Pittsburgh won how many Super bowls in the 70's? So don't throw this small market crap in everybodys face. These teams have survived and prospered long before many of us here were even thought of.

Having the cap is a form of socialist economics not free capitolism. For those old enough to remember, can you honestly say that the game is better now than before the salary cap?

[bhi4582]

You would be crazy to not like the idea of no cap. What makes you think all the sudden Joe Gibbs would stop making decisions? Also in 2000 all the moves that everyone says Snyder made weren't that bad. The only bad thing about them was they weren't good for the cap. Well, we don't have to worry about that. Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith didn't have bad seasons at all. Hell, for a few years, Bruce was the only one getting pressure on the QB.

So uncapped year, we could bring in John Abraham, get a couple WR's opposite Moss. IE, Moulds. Maybe get a good passrushing DT, a TE to compliment Cooley. That would be great!! You know Snyder has the will and the cash.

[grassyglen]

Gas up the jet, boys...we're gonna go get Stubby and Deion!