What the heck is wrong with you all?

[wormer]

Seriously.

Why all the hand wringing about the lack of a CBA deal?

So we cut a bunch of people for next year. So what. We suck for one year. I can live with that (I've lived with that most years since 1991 anyway!!)

After that there will not be a cap in 2007 and if that happens, the chances of going back to a cap anytime soon are very small.

What is not being widely reported is there are a number of owners who DO NOT WANT a cap any more. They see this as their best chance to make that a reality. They don't mind spending cash to put a winning team on the field. (I'm sure Danny boy is one of these.)

I say, suck it up for a year then let The Danny open up his big wallet!! Now that he understands the need to let his football experts make the personnel decisions, the Skins will contend for the title for years to come!! (just not next year)

The cap did not come into existence until the early 90's. I SEEM to recall the 80's as a pretty good decade for the Skins….

[portis26]

If there is a roster overhaul, cut Brunell and let Campbell start. No need to have a vet QB in his last year during a rebuilding season.

[SkinzCanes]

If there is a roster overhaul, cut Brunell and let Campbell start. No need to have a vet QB in his last year during a rebuilding season.

I dont think that we can cut Brunell because of his cap number but if we have to cut people and play younger players then it makes no sense to start Brunell. Get Campbell in there and let him start to learn.

On a side note, on ESPN's Cold Pizza they were just talking about the CBA and they were saying that the reason that this deal wont get down i s because there are a decent number of teams that actually don't want a new CBA. For example, they said that the Packers are against extending the CBA because they are so far under the cap that they will be able to sign a lot of free agents and become contenders virtually over night. The Packers would also think that Favre would be more willing to return to the team under this scenario. On the other end of the spectrum are the Skins, Cowboys, and Texans. Supposedly these teams are against the cap because they think that they can be more competitive without a cap when they can spend as much money as they want on players.

[patjam77]

Seriously.

Why all the hand wringing about the lack of a CBA deal?

So we cut a bunch of people for next year. So what. We suck for one year. I can live with that (I've lived with that most years since 1991 anyway!!)

After that there will not be a cap in 2007 and if that happens, the chances of going back to a cap anytime soon are very small.

What is not being widely reported is there are a number of owners who DO NOT WANT a cap any more. They see this as their best chance to make that a reality. They don't mind spending cash to put a winning team on the field. (I'm sure Danny boy is one of these.)

I say, suck it up for a year then let The Danny open up his big wallet!! Now that he understands the need to let his football experts make the personnel decisions, the Skins will contend for the title for years to come!! (just not next year)

The cap did not come into existence until the early 90's. I SEEM to recall the 80's as a pretty good decade for the Skins….

my thoughts exactly!!!!!!! no cap means less restrictions when it comes time for FA... this isnt the same old skins... as long as Gibbs OR williams is at the helm, they will be making solid personel decisions and some of you won't have to keep bringing up the "redskins of old". i cannot feel sorry for any owner who whines about not being able to compete with bigger market teams... MAKE YOUR MARKET BIGGER!!!! spend the money, make your team more lucrative. look what Snyder did with the skins since he took over... the guy is a billionaire and all he wants to do is win... i support him in that, whether it's with a salary cap or without.

[fleetus]

Sounds like alot of speculation to me. Did they ACTUALLY TALK TO THE TEAMS? Of course not, because the teams aren't commenting on a negotiation in progress. Take it with a grain of salt. It is just reporters trying to generate another angle to the stroy. There is no way they could know what individual teams really want.

[fleetus]

The cap is what makes the NFL the best professional league, BAR NONE!!! If you guys want to see the cap go, then I guess you're okay with a baseball like complete lack of competition, where the Yankees outspend everyone by 100 million dollars every year and the Royals, Pirates, Brewers and Devil Rays all try to make ends meat. Give me a break.

[wormer]

Sounds like alot of speculation to me. Did they ACTUALLY TALK TO THE TEAMS? Of course not, because the teams aren't commenting on a negotiation in progress. Take it with a grain of salt. It is just reporters trying to generate another angle to the stroy. There is no way they could know what individual teams really want.

FYI- The story about some owners not wanting a cap any longer comes from Chris Mortensen of ESPN. In my experience he does not typically give info like this out unless he has it from reliable sources.

[patjam77]

The cap is what makes the NFL the best professional league, BAR NONE!!! If you guys want to see the cap go, then I guess you're okay with a baseball like complete lack of competition, where the Yankees outspend everyone by 100 million dollars every year and the Royals, Pirates, Brewers and Devil Rays all try to make ends meat. Give me a break.

apples and oranges my man. Baseball has 162 games, football has 16 that count. EVERY game means somehting in football unlike baseball. Baseball has expanded way to much, the talent is diluted and fans don't give a crap because it's just plain boring anymore. Football with or without a cap has been great. There have been dynasties with a cap and without it. the yankees win cause the put out the money, yeah they may have more resources than colorado for example but does steinbrenner just sit there and rake in money? no he fields a team and puts out a lot of money to do it. how long have the cardinals been bad in football? Texans getting anywhere? up until this year, seattle ever done a thing? they have all stunk with ot without cap. i guess i just don't understand some of you who talk about parady. in my opinion it just sound slike you feel sorry for small market millionaires.

[fleetus]

I'm not arguing, just pointing out the obvious "don't believe everything you read" adage. The media's first duty is to say something interesting to get you to watch their program. If that means quoting "unnamed sources" to spice up the story, then just take it with a grain of salt. To say t hat the VERY SMALL MARKET GREEN BAY PACKERS would actually like to lose the cap so they have to compete with 25 other teasm that could all outspend them is a REAL STRETCH. Have you see the Brewers payroll compared to the Yankees recently? It's like 40 mil vs. 240 mil!!!!!!! Case closed.

[SkinzCanes]

The cap is what makes the NFL the best professional league, BAR NONE!!! If you guys want to see the cap go, then I guess you're okay with a baseball like complete lack of competition, where the Yankees outspend everyone by 100 million dollars every year and the Royals, Pirates, Brewers and Devil Rays all try to make ends meat. Give me a break.

That is the typical nonsense argument that people make about baseball. Which teams have won the World Series in the past 5 years? Marlins, Dbacks, Angels, Red Sox, and White Sox. The only true "big market" team on that list is the Red Sox. And if you followed baseball you would know that many people are picking the Brewers as a sleeper pick for the playoffs this season. Tampa has new ownership and is going to start spending more money on the team. The only team that is really that much worse off than anybody else is the Royals, as even the Pirates are expected to really improve this year. In fact since 2000 the NFL is the only major sports league to have a single team that has won the championship 3 times so I dont think that there is very much to your argument that there will no longer be parity in the NFL. And even with the parity in the NFL how have teams like the Cardinals done in the past 10 years? No matter what type of financial system is in place there will always be teams that are so poorly managed that they have no chance of being competitive (Royals, Cardinals, etc.).

And from a pure football perspective the game will be much better without a cap. The quality of play right now is simply not very good. Check out this excerpt from Mortenson's online chat today...

Clint, Ohio: Please clarify your statement: "It's not a very good league right now in terms of quality of game..."

SportsNation Chris Mortensen: (12:20 PM ET ) The league is a bad league right now. The quality of play is marginal at best. Too many rookies and young players are forced onto the field too early. The pereception of parity - that a team can turn it around in one year - creates an owner and public unrest when things don't go right. That triggers too many firings, too many changes, and that affects the game. It's one reason why quarterbacks struggle in this league, too. Deep subject.

[COZ]

Seriously.

Why all the hand wringing about the lack of a CBA deal?

So we cut a bunch of people for next year. So what. We suck for one year. I can live with that (I've lived with that most years since 1991 anyway!!)

After that there will not be a cap in 2007 and if that happens, the chances of going back to a cap anytime soon are very small.

What is not being widely reported is there are a number of owners who DO NOT WANT a cap any more. They see this as their best chance to make that a reality. They don't mind spending cash to put a winning team on the field. (I'm sure Danny boy is one of these.)

I say, suck it up for a year then let The Danny open up his big wallet!! Now that he understands the need to let his football experts make the personnel decisions, the Skins will contend for the title for years to come!! (just not next year)

The cap did not come into existence until the early 90's. I SEEM to recall the 80's as a pretty good decade for the Skins….

I'm guessing you aren't a season ticket holder. I am and I have no desire to pay good money to watch scrubs and rookies play sub-par ball.

[fleetus]

Patjam, ALL of baseball is scewed. THE WHOLE LEAGUE!!! There are about 6 teams who have a real shot at a championship every year and maybe one or two exceptions out of left field every few years. BUT football shows parity every year. Teams like the EAGLES go from great to poor. Teams like the Seahawks and Bengals go from poor to great. Do you think the Steeler will every win a superbowl without a cap? Just look at the Pirates to answer that question, the answer is obvious.

[patjam77]

Seriously.

Why all the hand wringing about the lack of a CBA deal?

So we cut a bunch of people for next year. So what. We suck for one year. I can live with that (I've lived with that most years since 1991 anyway!!)

After that there will not be a cap in 2007 and if that happens, the chances of going back to a cap anytime soon are very small.

What is not being widely reported is there are a number of owners who DO NOT WANT a cap any more. They see this as their best chance to make that a reality. They don't mind spending cash to put a winning team on the field. (I'm sure Danny boy is one of these.)

I say, suck it up for a year then let The Danny open up his big wallet!! Now that he understands the need to let his football experts make the personnel decisions, the Skins will contend for the title for years to come!! (just not next year)

The cap did not come into existence until the early 90's. I SEEM to recall the 80's as a pretty good decade for the Skins….

I'm guessing you aren't a season ticket holder. I am and I have no desire to pay good money to watch scrubs and rookies play sub-par ball.

then give your tix to someone who roots for the team in a down year knowing that the owner will make every effort to right the ship as best he can the following season. also, that doesnt speak much of your confidence of gibbs to put a competitive team on the field. CBA or not the skins WILL struggle when campbell finally takes the helm. he'll have growing pains for sure.

[SkinzCanes]

I'm not arguing, just pointing out the obvious "don't believe everything you read" adage. The media's first duty is to say something interesting to get you to watch their program. If that means quoting "unnamed sources" to spice up the story, then just take it with a grain of salt. To say t hat the VERY SMALL MARKET GREEN BAY PACKERS would actually like to lose the cap so they have to compete with 25 other teasm that could all outspend them is a REAL STRETCH. Have you see the Brewers payroll compared to the Yankees recently? It's like 40 mil vs. 240 mil!!!!!!! Case closed.

The White Sox had a payroll of $75k last season, $130k less than the Yankees. How did things turn out for them. And how have things turned out for the Yankees since they started large amount of money on guys like Giambi and Arod? The Yankees were a dynasty because they had a core group of players that did whatever it took to win, much like the Patriots in the NFL. And you are making a huge assumption that large payroll gaurantees success....Just look at the Mets, Orioles, and Knicks and see what huge payrolls have gotten them recently.

[patjam77]

Patjam, ALL of baseball is scewed. THE WHOLE LEAGUE!!! There are about 6 teams who have a real shot at a championship every year and maybe one or two exceptions out of left field every few years. BUT football shows parity every year. Teams like the EAGLES go from great to poor. Teams like the Seahawks and Bengals go from poor to great. Do you think the Steeler will every win a superbowl without a cap? Just look at the Pirates to answer that question, the answer is obvious.

steelers have a huge following!!! what are you talking about??? the owner is just ridiculously stingy!! he never keeps talent around. you must not have read a post just a few minutes agao where someone pointed out the last 5 world series winners... he contradicts your point very effectively. oh and the eagles are like the steelers, they are one of the highest revenue grossing teams and last year jeffery laurie CHOSE to remain 8 million under the cap. no depth+injuries= the year they had last year.

[wormer]

The cap is what makes the NFL the best professional league, BAR NONE!!! If you guys want to see the cap go, then I guess you're okay with a baseball like complete lack of competition, where the Yankees outspend everyone by 100 million dollars every year and the Royals, Pirates, Brewers and Devil Rays all try to make ends meat. Give me a break.

apples and oranges my man. Baseball has 162 games, football has 16 that count. EVERY game means somehting in football unlike baseball. Baseball has expanded way to much, the talent is diluted and fans don't give a crap because it's just plain boring anymore. Football with or without a cap has been great. There have been dynasties with a cap and without it. the yankees win cause the put out the money, yeah they may have more resources than colorado for example but does steinbrenner just sit there and rake in money? no he fields a team and puts out a lot of money to do it. how long have the cardinals been bad in football? Texans getting anywhere? up until this year, seattle ever done a thing? they have all stunk with ot without cap. i guess i just don't understand some of you who talk about parady. in my opinion it just sound slike you feel sorry for small market millionaires.

BINGO! Apples and Oranges. Give me the 70's and 80's NFL over the current system anyday!

There are pros and cons to both systems. Yea- having a cap helps even the plying feild and gives bad teams the changce to get good quickly, BUT the quality of play has been signifigantly damaged by the cap as a result and the fan experience has also been damaged.

Some of the negatives of the cap are:
1- Too many rookies and young players starting.
2- Too many inexperenced QB's FORCED into starting rolls
3- Unrealistic expectations in terms of "winng now" which leads to way to much coaching turnover.
4- Coaching turnover leads to much roster turnover.
5- Rooting for the uniform not the player.
6- Loading up the cap for a 2-4 year run then having to deal wih the ensuing "cap hell" for a number of years after.

[SkinzCanes]

Patjam, ALL of baseball is scewed. THE WHOLE LEAGUE!!! There are about 6 teams who have a real shot at a championship every year and maybe one or two exceptions out of left field every few years. BUT football shows parity every year. Teams like the EAGLES go from great to poor. Teams like the Seahawks and Bengals go from poor to great. Do you think the Steeler will every win a superbowl without a cap? Just look at the Pirates to answer that question, the answer is obvious.

Baseball is screwed??? Is that why they keep shattering attendance records every year??

The Steelers....they won 4 Super Bowls prior to the salary cap era.

Bengals....they reached 2 Super Bowls prior to the salary cap era. How many have they been in since? Same with the Vikings...4 Super Bowl appearances before the salary cap, none since.

[patjam77]

Patjam, ALL of baseball is scewed. THE WHOLE LEAGUE!!! There are about 6 teams who have a real shot at a championship every year and maybe one or two exceptions out of left field every few years. BUT football shows parity every year. Teams like the EAGLES go from great to poor. Teams like the Seahawks and Bengals go from poor to great. Do you think the Steeler will every win a superbowl without a cap? Just look at the Pirates to answer that question, the answer is obvious.

a salary cap is loosely like God telling you, you've had 5 good years of life right now, nothing bad has gone wrong... you have to go thorugh 2 years of crap now and the guy next door gets to have 5 good years of prosperity. loose example but it's all i could think of right now before the boss walks by again.

[wormer]

Seriously.

Why all the hand wringing about the lack of a CBA deal?

So we cut a bunch of people for next year. So what. We suck for one year. I can live with that (I've lived with that most years since 1991 anyway!!)

After that there will not be a cap in 2007 and if that happens, the chances of going back to a cap anytime soon are very small.

What is not being widely reported is there are a number of owners who DO NOT WANT a cap any more. They see this as their best chance to make that a reality. They don't mind spending cash to put a winning team on the field. (I'm sure Danny boy is one of these.)

I say, suck it up for a year then let The Danny open up his big wallet!! Now that he understands the need to let his football experts make the personnel decisions, the Skins will contend for the title for years to come!! (just not next year)

The cap did not come into existence until the early 90's. I SEEM to recall the 80's as a pretty good decade for the Skins….

I'm guessing you aren't a season ticket holder. I am and I have no desire to pay good money to watch scrubs and rookies play sub-par ball.

So you are not willing to watch poor play for 1 season if it means 10 years of prosperity?

[fleetus]

SkinsCanes, you make a much better point than the previous posters about this issue. However, naming the World Sereis Winners alone does not describe the overall state of ALL of the baseball teams. There is quite a large percentage of baseball teams that simply do not make enough revenue and will never make enough revenue in a city of 2-3 million citizens compared to NY, LA, CHicago, Boston etc. Those teams may have one winning season out of five, hooray, good for them. Sucks to be a fan of any of those teams knwing that you are simply a farm team for the Yankees, Red Sox, Chicag and LA teams. You develop one star player from the minors after another and see every single one of them go to a bigger market. Doesn't mean they'll NEVER win, just means they will RARELY win.

In the NFL, ANY TEAM, even the cardinals, can win the Superbowl ANY YEAR. The Bengals, Rams, Packers and Steelers have proven that small market teams can win it all. More importantly than that point is that those teasm can compete on an even level with the big market teams every year. So if they lose, WE ALL KNOW WHY. Because their management and coaching and talent was less. NOT EBCAUSE THEY LOST THEIR PRIZED FREE AGENTS!!! That's how the Patriots won. Their coaching and management was second to none and thus they really EARNED THEIR SUPERBOWL TITLES. THEY DIDN"T SIMPLY OUTSPEND THEIR OPPONENTS. It makes a big difference.

[SkinzCanes]

SkinsCanes, you make a much better point than the previous posters about this issue. However, naming the World Sereis Winners alone does not describe the overall state of ALL of the baseball teams. There is quite a large percentage of baseball teams that simply do not make enough revenue and will never make enough revenue in a city of 2-3 million citizens compared to NY, LA, CHicago, Boston etc. Those teams may have one winning season out of five, hooray, good for them. Sucks to be a fan of any of those teams knwing that you are simply a farm team for the Yankees, Red Sox, Chicag and LA teams. You develop one star player from the minors after another and see every single one of them go to a bigger market. Doesn't mean they'll NEVER win, just means they will RARELY win.

In the NFL, ANY TEAM, even the cardinals, can win the Superbowl ANY YEAR. The Bengals, Rams, Packers and Steelers have proven that small market teams can win it all. More importantly than that point is that those teasm can compete on an even level with the big market teams every year. So if they lose, WE ALL KNOW WHY. Because their management and coaching and talent was less. NOT EBCAUSE THEY LOST THEIR PRIZED FREE AGENTS!!! That's how the Patriots won. Their coaching and management was second to none and thus they really EARNED THEIR SUPERBOWL TITLES. THEY DIDN"T SIMPLY OUTSPEND THEIR OPPONENTS. It makes a big difference.

I do see where you are coming from however there are solutions to this. First of all, revenue sharing is having a large impact in MLB. Teams like the Pirates, Brewers, etc. are starting to spend more money on players and have a greater chance of resigning their players (for example, Ben Sheets). The idea that there are poor owners with markets that cant support a competive team is also somewhat overblown. There are some owners who are happy to sit idly by and pocket revenue sharing money for themselves and not improve the team. I think that you would see a huge difference in MLB if they instituted some sort of salary floor, which would force owners to spend money on the team instead of simply pocketing the extra money. For example, I believe that the Royals are owned by the family that either founded Walmart or has a large financial share in Walmart (I could be wrong about this but I swear I remember reading it somewhere) so I find it hard to believe that that team couldn't spend more money for players. One more thing...revenue sharing is forcing teams like the Yankees and Sox to start trimming payroll as they did this offseason. The Yankees will trim even more money from their cap next season when players like Mussina come off the books.

[die cowboys die]

i guess i just don't understand some of you who talk about parady.

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

par·i·ty
n.

1. Equality, as in amount, status, or value.
2. Functional equivalence, as in the weaponry or military strength of adversaries: “A problem that has troubled the U.S.-Soviet relationship from the beginning has been the issue of parity” (Charles William Maynes).
3. The equivalent in value of a sum of money expressed in terms of a different currency at a fixed official rate of exchange.
4. Equality of prices of goods or securities in two different markets.

etc.

[Mursilis]

I'd love to know what % of the owners would like to return to an uncapped league. While I'm sure there are some (Jones, Synder, Kraft) that wouldn't mind it, I'm guessing a majority would want to keep the cap. Thus, if a new CBA isn't reached, I'm betting we'd see a lock-out in the near future, which isn't good for anyone. Personally, I'd like to see them extend the CBA with something similar to the current system.

[patjam77]

I'd love to know what % of the owners would like to return to an uncapped league. While I'm sure there are some (Jones, Synder, Kraft) that wouldn't mind it, I'm guessing a majority would want to keep the cap. Thus, if a new CBA isn't reached, I'm betting we'd see a lock-out in the near future, which isn't good for anyone. Personally, I'd like to see them extend the CBA with something similar to the current system.

Upshaw will recomend during a players meeting next week that they begin the process of decertifying the players union so the owners can't hold a lock-out. I read that in the washington post this morning.

[SkinzCanes]

Upshaw will recomend during a players meeting next week that they begin the process of decertifying the players union so the owners can't hold a lock-out. I read that in the washington post this morning.

Patjam do you have anymore details on that? What would it mean to decertify the union and why would that stop a potential lockout?