Nice JLC article on the cap

[Skins4ever1]

OUCH!!!!

The Numbers Don't Lie, Version 2.0: Don't Believe The Hype

The Redskins have been trying to sell this idea that they have reformed their ways, are now a smarter and better front office, led by Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato. They've got free agency figured out now, aren't throwing money around, yada yada yada.

As those of you who read the original The Numbers Don't Lie post already know, no one has spent as much or as poorly as the Redskins in pro sports this decade, with virtually nothing to show for it. And, as I've pointed out on here time and time again - in the face of what others are peddling your way - the Redskins are still a big-spending team, their free agency just came in February this year (nothing new there), and was followed up by silence in March for a change.

Rather than rebuild and really get younger and make tough decisions about when to revamp the roster, they annually try to buy their way out of bad contracts. Snyder coughs up millions to rework contracts, lowering cap figures while issuing new signing bonuses, thus continuing to throw more money at often older and injury-prone players, keeping his team together for that next great Super Bowl run ... the one that never comes.

Sure, they didn't spend anything on outside players - it was a poor market and they had very limited cap space - but let's not pretend things have truly changed. Guess which NFL team is currently second in the league in signing bonuses money paid in 2008, according to NFL Management Council numbers (which I obtain through league sources)?

Yep, you got it:

1 - Oakland Raiders - $53.8 million

2 - Snyder/Cerrato - $43.5 million (that doesn't even include another $5 million in option bonuses)

How can that be? The only outside free agent this signed was Jerome Mathis, and he didn't get a bonus? And of the few free agents the Skins re-signed (Alrbight, Fabini, Frost, Cartwright), only Todd Collins got a signing bonus ($3 million). Oakland, often in a misguided efforts, spent a ton bringing in WRs Javon Walker (with a huge deal) and Drew Carter, CB Duane Starks, C John Wade, DE Kalimba Edwards, T Kwame Harris, S Gibril Wilson, KR Tim Dwight, S Donovin Darius, QB Dunate Culpepper, G Cornell Green, OL Cooper Carlisle, RB Dominic Rhodes and others. They also re-signed DL Tommy Kelly to a ridiculously huge contract.

While this kind of spending almost never works - it's generally not good to be listed just below the Raiders in a football list of any kind these days - you can no doubt see where the money went in terms of new acquisitions.

And the Redskins, what did they get for $48 million (if you include option bonuses)? Well, they kept this team together for sure, but the bulk of the money is on guys who have been hurt a lot recently or are over 30, gambling that this again will be the year, even with a tough division, a squad that just did manage to run off a miracle stretch to win 9 games and sneak in, with a rookie head coach and an offense adjusting to another new system.

Eleven million in signing bonus went to star TE Chris Cooley - which only made sense given he was carrying a massive base salary that was designed to be converted to a bonus (and thus prorated for cap purposes). Lowering star T Chris Samuels base salary was another no brainer - they converted $3.7 million to signing bonus. Guaranteeing a $2 million roster bonus due to Andre Carter, 29 this season, the only proven pass rushing threat on the roster, made sense as well. Collins, 36, got $3 million, as noted.

But major risks were made as well.

T Jon Jansen, dogged by season-ending injuries, and someone who may be making way for a youngster in the next few years, received $4.2 million in signing bonus, with the Redskins already behind the 8-ball from that huge new deal they gave him in 2007. G Randy Thomas, who like Jansen will also be 32 this season and has battled season-ending injuries, got $4.6 million. WR Santana Moss, 29, - a player Snyder and Cerrato would rather be a No. 2 option at this point and who has struggled mightily with injuries in recent years, got $2.5 million in bonus money. Receiver Antwaan Randle El, 29, yet to put together a full seasons befitting a highly paid No. 2 WR, got $1.7 million. D Lineman Phillip Daniels, 35 this season, got $300,000.

And no one benefits more from the Redskins annual scramble to get under the cap more than favorite son Clinton Portis. The RB gets a new deal, with more upfront money, just about every year, and despite battling injuries and inconsistency and the normal mounting bruises that come from playing his demanding position in the all-out manner in which he approaches it, this was his best haul yet (agent Drew Rosenahuas more than earns his 3 percent when he sits down to negotiate with the Redskins).

Portis, who will be 27 this season, received $9.32 million in signing bonus in March. Not a bad haul at all. Oh yeah, and they also guaranteed his salary for the next two seasons and also guaranteed a big portion of his 2010 salary as well. In all, the Skins guaranteed $15 million to this guy through the 2010 season. He ain't going nowhere people, for quite some time. No other club in the league would touch that deal for most any running back at this point in his career, and especially not for someone who has needed half a season to find his legs and get his conditioning down in recent years.

How many of these guys will be healthy and really contributing in a year or so? What will Snyder and Cerrato get for their money? Should they have parted with a few more guys, finally shed some bad contracts and really made a commitment to more youth right now, with Gibbs gone? Does it make sense to keep throwing money at the problem year after year? Can't you do a combination of limited spending on free agency, and still keep most of your draft picks?

Guess that all remains to be seen.

But that's roughly what you get for your $43 million, with ample holes on the roster still to fill. What about in terms of good old committed cash - where do the Skins rank there in 2008? Don't worry, they're still 8th ($111.5 million) lumped in largely with teams that made big splashes in free agency (Minnesota, San Fran, Oakland), or clubs that signed franchise players to new massive deals (Arizona - Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt - Big Ben).

If the Redskins ever do convince the Bengals to deal Chad Johnson their way - and I hear $20-million guaranteed would be Ocho Cinco's magic number - then Washington would be right back in the top 5 in the NFL in committed cash, and neck and neck with Oakland in signing bonus spending.

Everyone I speak to sez that Cincy owner Mike Brown is as stubborn as they come and no way he's going to give in to the brash WR. Some agents and execs suggest that Johnson's best bet to get traded would be to make it seem like he's thrilled to be a Bengal, but I think we're past the point of no return on that as well.

Oh, and where do the Redskins stand towards the 2009 salary cap?

Well, they currently have $118.5 million committed to their top 51 players already (with a projected cap of $123 million). That ranks 28th in the NFL, folks, in terms of available cap space. Doesn't sound like anything new-and-improved to me, but then again, I am doing this without the aid of corporate lawyers, so what do I know?

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/2008/04/the_numbers_dont_lie_version_2.html?nav=rss_blog

[WhoRUSupposed2Be]

This is old by the way...

[Robbnva]

It will take a few years for us to ever come down to the other teams numbers and if we do sign Ocho then anything we pay him will be forgotten about when he is holding the Lombardi as the MVP

[SonnyJ]

Shouldn't you be monitoring the Eagles' activities? I'm sure they've signed some 3rd string RB out of Edgewater State University that is sure to be the missing piece to the puzzle.

:laugh:

[mrredskinDgreen]

It seems like for the past 3 weeks, JLC has just been focusing on bashing the front office. I dont get this guy. I don't care to read his blog anymore that's for sure.

[chow184]

once again is any of this stuff surprising?

the guy is a horrible beatwriter..... :doh: maybe he misread the job description of beatwriter,it's to cover all the latest breaking news with the team and keep us up to date on whats going on. not beat the team to death with negative ax grinding journalism....

[Fifty Gut]

so we pass along all this bonus money to our own players instead of other teams' players and JLC wants to complain?

I understand his point. we have to do this because of all these huge contracts we handed out. oh well. atleast we never have any players that want to sit out for more money

[rhyno]

I'm sure this has already been covered, but.. Does anyone know exactly when somebody peed in Jason's cheerios? Or who? His articles have had as strong of a negative skew lately as they used to have a positive skew. Does anyone think his peers got into him? Perhaps the constant bashing on here has something to do with it. Or perhaps it has something to do with a falling out with the organization, maybe something with Zorn??

[Fred Jones]

I am by no means a cap expert. But I believe the skins pretty much used cash to create cap space. Which is what they do every year. The team simply guaranteed the money that other teams pay out in regular contracts. The team has displayed a willingness to continue the process so cutting a player doesn't hurt them as long as they don't have to cut too many players in any one off-season. Does the owner possibly lose out on money, yes, but unlike most owners he is willing to spend and eat the loss. A loss would be if a player had to retire early because of injury, ST situation or the player simply sucked like Lloyd.

Lastly, these players didn't get raises they simply got their contract money in up front cash which, of course, is guaranteed.

[McMetal]

I don't understand why a person would want a job writing about something they clearly detest. Whatever this bitter prick's Dream Job is, I hope he gets it soon and clears the way for someone with some enthusiasm and appreciation for the responsibility and dignity that (usually) come with the position.

I nominate ANY of our Mods. I would rather read anything by them than this tired whipsong.

[Genghis Khan]

so we pass along all this bonus money to our own players instead of other teams' players and JLC wants to complain?

I understand his point. we have to do this because of all these huge contracts we handed out. oh well. atleast we never have any players that want to sit out for more money

either way he would complain. If we cut some of those older guys then he would say we cut the heart of the team and got rid of most our veteran leadership.

[nightbird]

Yeah, Nice article, if by "nice" you mean shoving square facts into a round hole to fit the theory you came up with three years ago.

When we sign a bunch of other teams' players with high bonuses, it's "oh they'll never learn, you can't buy championships, you have to build from within."

When we re-up our core group of Redskins, it's "what idiots, they're re-signing a bunch of broken-down old bums who never did anything. when will they learn they've gotta clean house and start fresh."

In JLC-land, when a playoff team returns all 22 starters, plus all special teamers and key backups, that's a stupid thing to do because the team needed a "miracle run" to get to the playoffs.

I'm not a huge Snyderatto fan, but they can't win with this guy. When they do everything they can to keep a pretty good team intact, he slams them. If they trade for Chad Johnson/Lito Shepherd/Anyone, JLC will go ape.

I don't even want to know how he sizes up our draft class, which he'll no doubt do despite hardly watching any college football.

[Fifty Gut]

either way he would complain. If we cut some of those older guys then he would say we cut the heart of the team and got rid of most our veteran leadership.

I don't see the problem with guranteeing future salaries since these players are players you want to keep anyways. it puts more of a emphasis on making sure every pick and every signing is the right one, but for now, the team seems happy. there is no way in hell you can compare us to the ****ing Raiders, a real embarassment of a team. they have to overpay players these insane amounts of guranteed money cause don't no one want to play for them.

[RIDETHEWALRUS]

so we pass along all this bonus money to our own players instead of other teams' players and JLC wants to complain?

I understand his point. we have to do this because of all these huge contracts we handed out. oh well. atleast we never have any players that want to sit out for more money

Damned if we do damned if we don't. In previous years we sign outside guys to come in and trade away draft picks to get 'em and we are called foolish. Now we reward our own guys, some of whom are among the best in the game and hold onto our draft picks and we are called foolish.

When push comes to shove, who cares what jlc has to say. He is a sub-par sports writer that is genuinely hated by a large share of his market.

[Dick Edds]

I don't understand why a person would want a job writing about something they clearly detest. Whatever this bitter prick's Dream Job is, I hope he gets it soon and clears the way for someone with some enthusiasm and appreciation for the responsibility and dignity that (usually) come with the position.

I nominate ANY of our Mods. I would rather read anything by them than this tired whipsong.

tell em McMetal. Like I said in another post, this is a dead end job for him. He has no connections inside Redskin park, hence the title of his blog is extremely misleading.

I guess I'd be pissed if I had to do a job and didn't have the tools, in other words "the ability to create relationships" and have a respectful demeanor.

This message board and redskins web site makes the Post and it's "blogs" or redskins articles absolutely meaningless, because the only people who would read the Post for redskins info, know that they can come here and get a true perspective of what is going on.

Dan is making them irrelevant to the mainstream football audience.

[Hooper]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks. We have an aging team with very little depth and as much guaranteed money as anyone in the league committed to players who are injury-prone or whose best years are behind them. It's not a great situation and it will take some patience and really solid drafting to remedy. Trading multiple picks for CJ and giving him a huge deal would be insanity.

[TheLongshot]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks. We have an aging team with very little depth and as much guaranteed money as anyone in the league committed to players who are injury-prone or whose best years are behind them. It's not a great situation and it will take some patience and really solid drafting to remedy. Trading multiple picks for CJ and giving him a huge deal would be insanity.

Some of these "facts" he seems to pull out of his ass. I mean, where have there been any evidence that Snyder and Ceratto want to make Santana Moss a #2? And what is the deal with all the hate for Portis, who only does everything the team asks him to do?

I might agree with him that the contract extention for Jansen might not have been prudent, but there isn't much to be done with it now, and the bonus money needed to be done that way because that's the way the contract was structured. Everyone else we plan on keeping for at least a couple of years.

What he doesn't talk about about next year's cap is that there are a few players with big numbers who can be let go Guys like Washington, Springs, Griffin and Daniels can all be let go for savings.

I guess JLC would rather see a massive bloodletting, but I don't think that's really needed.

Jason

[sly]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks.

Here is the problem with the JLC blogs:

"As those of you who read the original The Numbers Don't Lie post already know, no one has spent as much or as poorly as the Redskins in pro sports this decade, with virtually nothing to show for it."

Statements like this, along with his "in the tank" quote, are killing the overall creditability of his posts.

[2006Skins]

I don't understand why a person would want a job writing about something they clearly detest. Whatever this bitter prick's Dream Job is, I hope he gets it soon and clears the way for someone with some enthusiasm and appreciation for the responsibility and dignity that (usually) come with the position.

I sense a little hostility. I think he's just pissed that they won't give him the "inside access" he wants or may have had in the past. Every one of his articles are like crying over spilt milk and they get old, fast.

I nominate ANY of our Mods. I would rather read anything by them than this tired whipsong

I second that. I nominate TK/21. Look out trolls

[chow184]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks. We have an aging team with very little depth and as much guaranteed money as anyone in the league committed to players who are injury-prone or whose best years are behind them. It's not a great situation and it will take some patience and really solid drafting to remedy. Trading multiple picks for CJ and giving him a huge deal would be insanity.

yeah and truth hurts when it's delivered at the end of a biased ax...

yes the skins have spent money and wheeled and dealed but do we really have NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT?

let me think....big dollar FA's played key parts us getting into the playoffs last 2/3 years and we've had a very talented and competitive team the last 4 years.

nothing to show for it?

I feel much better about the team from a talent level after gibbs retired this past year,than after spurrier quit. we definitely have some improvement&growth to show.

but the only question is will the growth continue or will it fall down due to old age like some of our aging key players who will need replacements in the next 1-3 years.

raising legit questions and being critical isn't a wrong thing to do. however having a severely polarized OPINION,and stating that opinion as fact...that can cause problems...

[corrupt3d]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks. We have an aging team with very little depth and as much guaranteed money as anyone in the league committed to players who are injury-prone or whose best years are behind them. It's not a great situation and it will take some patience and really solid drafting to remedy. Trading multiple picks for CJ and giving him a huge deal would be insanity.

Right, but the week leading up to the draft, I dont wanna know about JLC's axe to grind, I want to know about the ****ing draft.

[nightbird]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks.

From JLC's article:

"Eleven million in signing bonus went to star TE Chris Cooley - which only made sense given he was carrying a massive base salary that was designed to be converted to a bonus (and thus prorated for cap purposes)."

Ummm, so they locked up a young star with a contract designed for flexibility? Glad that this move "made sense" to you JLC.

"T Jon Jansen, dogged by season-ending injuries, and someone who may be making way for a youngster in the next few years, received $4.2 million in signing bonus."

Wow. 4.2 mill for your starting right tackle. What an outrage. Oh, he "may be making way for a youngster" so it was dumb to extend him. That makes sense.

"G Randy Thomas, who like Jansen will also be 32 this season and has battled season-ending injuries, got $4.6 million."

Yeah, he tore his triceps last year, so we should have just cut him. As we all know, offensive linemen never play well into their mid-30s.

"WR Santana Moss, 29, - a player Snyder and Cerrato would rather be a No. 2 option at this point and who has struggled mightily with injuries in recent years, got $2.5 million in bonus money."

Jeepers, breaking the bank with 2.5 guaranteed for our biggest playmaker on offense. Yeah, we totally should have released him and gotten Javon Walker instead.

"Receiver Antwaan Randle El, 29, yet to put together a full seasons befitting a highly paid No. 2 WR, got $1.7 million."

Holy moses, 1.7 million! Cap hell! And how does JLC define "highly paid No.2 wr?" Look at his deal, and compare it to a bunch of #3 and #4 receivers around the league, then come talk to me.

"What about in terms of good old committed cash - where do the Skins rank there in 2008? Don't worry, they're still 8th ($111.5 million) lumped in largely with teams that made big splashes in free agency (Minnesota, San Fran, Oakland), or clubs that signed franchise players to new massive deals (Arizona - Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt - Big Ben)."

Uh, our franchise players are Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, Chris Samuels, Clinton Portis, Andre Carter, Shawn Springs and Laron Landry, and they already have their deals. You know, the deals you just blasted.

"Oh, and where do the Redskins stand towards the 2009 salary cap?

Well, they currently have $118.5 million committed to their top 51 players already (with a projected cap of $123 million). That ranks 28th in the NFL, folks, in terms of available cap space."

Good heavens, how many times to we have to go over this? That number means nothing! Just like we were "20 million over the cap" just two months ago. It's an accounting term that is useless at this point.

"Doesn't sound like anything new-and-improved to me, but then again, I am doing this without the aid of corporate lawyers, so what do I know?"

Nothing an average eight-year-old fan doesn't know. We spent our money this year retaining our own players, with enough room to make a handful of key additions plus draft picks. It's not that complicated.

[Dick Edds]

Truth hurts. JLC is just reporting the facts, folks. We have an aging team with very little depth and as much guaranteed money as anyone in the league committed to players who are injury-prone or whose best years are behind them. It's not a great situation and it will take some patience and really solid drafting to remedy. Trading multiple picks for CJ and giving him a huge deal would be insanity.

truth does't hurt, these "facts" are not secrets that he has somehow discovered and is now enlightening all of us with.

Most knowledgeable fans on this board understand how we create cap space with cash, it has been hashed over and over and over relentlessly on this board.

I think what needs to be addressed here is the fact that he uses these facts to form his own personal opinion of player value etc, and twists it in a way to make us look like we are doomed.

Well, if that's his perspective great, but instead of bashing the FO for doing what they can to get out of this current financial situation and retain the players they view as integral to our success ... why doens't he just lay it all out and discuss the fact that he thinks Jansen (among others) is done?

Why does he beat around the bush and make his story about why it's the FO's fault that these players have not had the success we all hoped for? Because he doesn't have the balls to criticize the players he likes, he'd rather try to stick one on Snyder.

I'm hardly defending Snyder, I'm just calling a spade a spade.

[Isifhan]

There's less than a week until the draft, and he's rehashing salary cap posts.

It's just lazy journalism to me. If he wanted to make the effort he can get out to redskins park, get some players takes on the draft, the trade scenario's, hell maybe try for an interview with Vinny or someone. I'm looking forward to Jason Reid overtaking this blog.

[cfcrider]

There's less than a week until the draft, and he's rehashing salary cap posts.

It's just lazy journalism to me. If he wanted to make the effort he can get out to redskins park, get some players takes on the draft, the trade scenario's, hell maybe try for an interview with Vinny or someone. I'm looking forward to Jason Reid overtaking this blog.

Yeah, he's got a vendetta against management. They must have burned him and fired individuals who gave him access to insider information. I've sent him numerous emails, but to no avail. He's claims he doesn't read anymore than the first few sentences of any email.