Welcome to the blog, Jason Reid! Reid used to write for "The Washington Post," but seems to have taken a job with ESPN.com. Good for him. It's nice to move up (it's considered "up" so I'll just say it's "up" because the pay is most likely increased) in the world. Jason Reid is one of the brave souls who is willing to speak about the cruelty of the salary cap in sports and how it causes professional athletes to be grossly underpaid for the services they provide. There are also professional athletes who are grossly overpaid for the services they provide, but those aren't as much fun to talk about. Let's conveniently ignore those athletes. Instead, Reid focuses on how the salary is cruel to superstars like Russell Wilson and LeBron James. Yes, he uses the word "cruel" in this context. As if limiting LeBron James to earnings of $22 million in a year instead of his real free market value with no salary cap is on par with other cruel acts that take place in the world. I think Jason Reid needs some perspective and he also needs to stop using some slightly fuzzy math.
Let's talk about the myth that superstar athletes in the NFL and NBA are compensated fairly.
Let's talk about your definition of "fairly." Is it "fairly" compared to the rest of the free world and the average compensation of a worker? Or is it "fairly" compared to their skill set and how easy it is to find a similar skill set among other citizens of the free world? In and of themselves, professional athletes have a difficult skill set to replicate simply by existing as professional athletes. Because Russell Wilson plays in the NFL, this means he has a skill set that most other people do not. So what is "fair" should be relative to other NFL players. If anything, the rookie salary cap, not the NFL's overall salary cap for each team, is what has caused Russell Wilson to not be compensated fairly during his career.
The first issue with this column is that the salary cap is not cruel. It's a matter of fact. Just as state employees have a cap on how much they are able to earn in their respective field, for example a great teaching administrator can only earn so much in that position, the NFL and NBA have a cap on how much players can earn. Is it cruel that I earn more than someone who works as an administrative assistant to a City Manager, even though he/she has the exact same skill set in their field as I have in mine? No, it's a matter of fact for the field that we are both in. So for Russell Wilson and LeBron James it's not "unfair," it's a matter of fact in that player's chosen sport.
The second issue is nobody wants to hear about how NFL and NBA players are not compensated fairly. If there were no salary cap in these two sports then these players could earn more money. Using words like "fairly" and "cruel" overshadows and diminishes the point Jason Reid wants to prove by making it seem like he's trying to evoke sympathy for these players. He's not doing a very good job of proving his point.
The truth is, the best players in those leagues are grossly underpaid because of the salary cap. For Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, that's a bad system.
Relative to football players, the rookie salary cap is why Russell Wilson is underpaid. Once Wilson gets a chance to hit free agency or accepts a contract offer from the Seahawks, he will no longer be underpaid. This comparison across different leagues isn't a very good comparison because each professional sport has it's own salary structure and revenue-sharing which can determine the salary cap and money available to pay these athletes. It's like saying I am underpaid in my profession compared to an investment banker. Sure, I am underpaid compared to an investment banker, but I'm not an investment banker. If I were an investment banker and earned what I earn now, there is a chance I would be underpaid compared to what others in my field earn. Similarly, stating because I'm an investment banker who earns $100,000 a year, then claiming I'm underpaid because a financial planner earns $250,000, wouldn't be a correct way to frame the argument in my opinion. To say, "Oh, well, if there was a different salary structure in place that had no salary cap then Russell Wilson would earn more money" may be a good point. To say he is underpaid compared to other athletic professions because this separate salary structure with no salary cap does not exist in the NFL is not a good point. Wilson should be compared to other NFL players to determine if he is underpaid.
Seattle knows what it has: Wilson is a keeper. But at what salary? Like
all teams, the Seahawks must balance their desire to reward Wilson with
the need to maintain cap flexibility. Obviously, those issues are at
odds.
Even if there were no salary cap, the Seahawks would have to balance their desire to reward Wilson with the amount of money the organization can afford to spend on Wilson. There is a reason even MLB teams, who play in a sport with no salary cap, can't go out and spend $100 million on a free agent. So even when there isn't a salary cap, there is still the profitability issue and spending ability related to this profitability issue that exists which prevents a team from rewarding their own players at maximum market value. Assuming every NFL team's spending ability is equal and endless is a faulty assumption. So there will always be some sort of budget professional franchises have where the player's reward must be balanced with payroll flexibility. It's shocking to Jason Reid that a salary cap designed to level the playing field does in fact level the playing field.
Although Wilson is a face-of-the-franchise performer, the former
third-round draft pick won't be paid what he deserves for his role in
the NFL's ongoing economic boom.
He will be paid what he is worth compared to other NFL players.
Players who produce at a high level while leading their teams to
championships provide the foundation of a league that reportedly
generated about $10 billion in revenue last season.
Yes, the NFL earned that amount of money. Each individual team didn't earn $10 billion last season.
In contrast, this season's salary cap is set at $143.28 million per team. That's a small slice of a very big pie.
So Jason Reid's point is that the NFL makes a lot of money and each individual employee of the NFL or employee of an NFL team doesn't see a big slice of this very big pie? Much like how my company earns a lot of money and I only get a small slice of a very big pie? So the NFL players are being treated like 99.5% of American employees are treated to where they only earn a small subset of what the company earns as a whole. Excuse me if I can't quite muster up some more sympathy for Russell Wilson when he wants $25 million per year and is only being offered $18 million per year. I'm guessing Jason Reid earns a very small slice of what ESPN makes every single year. Does that mean he is underpaid? Does that mean Skip Bayless is underpaid because he only earns a few million of what ESPN earns every year? Of course not.
Even if Wilson receives a record package -- with an average salary of $22 million, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the NFL's highest-paid player -- he'll still be a bargain based on the league's immense profitability.
This is a remarkably stupid comment. People can get their panties in a wad over CEO compensation, but compared to how much Bank of America makes annually in revenue, that would mean Kenneth Lewis was actually underpaid when he made $24.8 million while being bailed out by the federal government. As long as you use the logic that Jason Reid uses then the idea Lewis was underpaid may make sense. Who knew Lewis was so underpaid at the time?
The buzz is that the Seahawks, despite Wilson's impressive
accomplishments for a quarterback at the outset of his career, would
rather not break new salary ground because they don't have to (Wilson is
under the team's control for at least three more seasons).
And, of course, if it wasn't such a cruel fact of life that there is a salary cap in the NFL then Russell Wilson would be able to earn untold millions on the free market over the next three seasons, right? Wait, that's not right at all. Even if there was no salary cap and 15 NFL teams were looking to pay Russell Wilson $500 million to be their quarterback, Wilson can't even hit free agency for another three years. Not to mention, during two of those years Wilson would be one of the highest-paid players at his position. So again, Jason Reid is trying so hard to make it seem like if it weren't for the salary cap then Russell Wilson would be rolling in dough right now. That's not entirely true. Though, he could be rolling in dough compared to other athletes at his position if he were franchised for two straight seasons.
However, the argument that Wilson is nothing more than a game manager is
ridiculous. That became clear after Wilson rallied the Seahawks to
victory over the Packers in last season's NFC Championship Game.
Whether Russell Wilson is a game manager or not is irrelevant. Argue the point, don't try to create a whole new discussion because the topic for this column is inherently weak.
And ask yourself this about Wilson: How much could he command in free agency if there were no salary cap?
Ask yourself this about this question: Do you know the answer to the question or are you just speculating in order to prove your point? Ask yourself this as well: If the NFL had no salary cap would it improve the game?
With elite signal-callers in high demand, the list of bidders,
undoubtedly, would be long for a charismatic winner who won't turn 27
until November. There's no way of determining how much Wilson would
receive in such a scenario.
I would disagree that the list of bidders would be long. Just like the list of serious bidders for an MLB free agent isn't long, there would be an even smaller list of NFL teams who would pursue Russell Wilson if he were a free agent in an NFL without a salary cap. The teams that would seriously pursue Wilson would be teams that don't currently have a starting quarterback under contract and would be willing to pay the amount of money Wilson would want.
In fact, I think I could make an argument that the list of bidders for Wilson would be higher with the salary cap and non-guaranteed salary structure the NFL has. If the 49ers want to pursue Russell Wilson then it's a lot easier to do that knowing that they don't have to pay Colin Kaepernick his full contract AND Kaepernick would have (under Reid's theory) gotten an even bigger, guaranteed contract if the NFL was a free market when the 49ers re-signed him. This means the 49ers would have a more difficult time of moving Kaepernick in a trade or would have to eat a lot of the contract if it were 100% guaranteed. This would obviously affect their ability to sign Russell Wilson. Under the non-guaranteed salary structure, the 49ers could cut ties with Kaepernick and sign Wilson, fully knowing they aren't on the hook for Kaepernick's entire salary.
I'm getting off-point. My point is the list of suitors for Russell Wilson wouldn't be as long as Jason Reid thinks because NFL teams who have a quarterback and don't want to pay for Wilson's contract demand won't be in the running for his services.
Wilson's situation is a glaring example of why the cap doesn't work for superstars, sports attorney David Cornwell says.
"Why should a Super Bowl-winning, and two-time Super Bowl-appearing,
quarterback be fighting for money?" Cornwell, who represents 2015 No. 1
pick Jameis Winston, said in a phone interview the other day.
So a sports attorney who represents NFL players think that these NFL players should get paid more, meaning the attorney representing that NFL player would get paid more? No way! So David Cornwell holds this opinion based on his own selfish need to make as much money as possible and this affects whether his opinion truly has merit or not? You don't say. Who would have thought that money and having a stake in how money is distributed could affect a person's opinion on a topic? Certainly not me.
"If [teams] can cut players when they don't perform to their contracts,
why can't we have a system where players are guaranteed to benefit [as
much as they should] when they perform?"
Because the NFL union didn't negotiate guaranteed contracts into the latest collective bargaining agreement. Had they chosen to do so, then perhaps the players would be guaranteed to benefit when they perform. Also, guaranteed contracts are an entirely different issue from the cruelty of the salary cap. Jason Reid's shaky writing skills are combining these two issues, but they are two separate issues. The NBA does have fully guaranteed contracts and they still have a salary cap. So it's not the NFL owner's fault the players don't have fully guaranteed contracts, because the players chose not to negotiate this into the latest CBA. I understand the point, but I get a little tired of the players and ancillary figures to the players bitching about non-guaranteed contracts. They could have negotiated this into the latest CBA and chose not to. David Cornwell nor Jason Reid should talk about the unfairness of non-guaranteed contracts when it was the NFL players who chose not to pursue this.
NFL players are compensated spectacularly (the league's starting salary
is $435,000). Anyone who suggests otherwise should be ridiculed.
(points at Jason Reid and then begins ridiculing him)
But relative to the revenue they generate, superstars have been exploited historically.
Relative to the revenue they generate nearly every employee is exploited historically. There's no point in running a business if the employees eat up all the profits with their compensation. It sort of defeats the purpose of the business if all revenues go to the employees doesn't it? Relative to the revenue the NFL generates, even Roger Goodell is exploited using Jason Reid's logic.
And the salary cap, designed to foster competitive balance among teams,
has improved the owners' bottom lines much more than it has benefited
their most important employees.
And of course because there is no salary cap in baseball, the owners are poor and can't make any money of their teams. Right? Speaking of bottom lines, even if there was no salary cap, NBA and NFL teams still have bottom lines that they must meet in order to make money. This is yet another point that Jason Reid is missing, that professional sports organizations still have budgets and a set amount that they will spend on their most important employees.
"As a general proposition, there's a strong argument that can be made
that, when properly applied, a salary cap can be good for the overall
good of the game," said Cornwell, who worked for the NFL early in his
career.
"But there are so many moving parts to determine if it's
properly applied. And, there's no question about it: The current
salary-cap structure is especially harmful to the best players."
And notice how David Cornwell doesn't make mention of when the salary cap is good for the overall good of the game. He says, "Sure, a salary cap can be great, but this one is super-bad," without mentioning when a salary cap could be "properly applied." If there is any salary cap, then there is a good chance the best employees won't be receiving their top market value, but this also doesn't mean these employees are underpaid.
One issue that David Cornwell doesn't address is how the salary cap treats the 95% of the NBA players who aren't superstars. There are far more NBA players who aren't superstars than there are players who are superstars. Wouldn't the true test of a salary-cap structure be how players in that sport are compensated over all skills levels, not based simply on how much money superstars can earn?
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James
has dominated the NBA over the past seven seasons, winning four league
MVP awards and twice being selected the NBA Finals MVP. Yet, James, who
this week became an unrestricted free agent for the third time, has
never had the NBA's highest salary.
Who did have the highest salary during this time? Other superstars who are exploited by the salary cap in the NBA. I like how Jason Reid is all, "Superstars should be compensated like they are superstars. See, LeBron hasn't ever been the highest paid player in the NBA," then ignores who was the highest paid player in the NBA over this time. I'm guessing it's probably another superstar who is supposedly held down by the salary cap. Whoops.
By signing contracts that have included escape clauses, James has
maximized his earning potential, re-entering free agency and receiving
new deals as the cap has increased. Unfortunately for James, cap rules
limit how much he can earn based on many factors. There's no telling
what teams would offer James if the salary cap were not a factor.
There is no telling. What I believe I can tell is that whatever team offered James this contract also has a budget they can spend on other players which will be greatly affected by how much James earns.
NBA revenue is about $5 billion.
NBA revenue is $5 billion, but every NBA team doesn't have revenue of $5 billion. I feel like Jason Reid is seeing this $5 billion figure and saying, "Hey, LeBron James only earns $20+ million of this! Look at his value to the league!" This isn't the best way to argue LeBron James is underpaid. If James earned $100 million this season on the NBA's $5 billion in revenue then he's still only earning 2% of the overall revenues of the NBA. Is LeBron James more important to the NBA than that? I'm sure Jason Reid would argue he is.
When one the greatest players in NBA history fails to get close to fair
contract value because of the salary cap, major change is needed.
Jason Reid is all over the place. One minute he's talking about the NFL's salary cap, then he's talking about the NFL's non-guaranteed salary structure and now he's back using his fuzzy math discussing how the overall revenues of the NBA are $5 billion and he thinks LeBron James should get a larger piece of this. All while not realizing each NBA team (and there are 30 of them) doesn't earn $5 billion each year.
"It's indefensible that LeBron James exposes himself to the risk of
injury by opting out and taking one-, two-year deals to get higher
salary-cap numbers," Cornwell said. "And it's not just an issue for the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
David Cornwell seems to really struggle with personal responsibility and how these NFL and NBA players are partly responsible for their situation. LeBron James doesn't have to sign a one or two year contract. I bet the Cavs would love it if he signed a longer deal, but LeBron chooses to sign these contracts to max out his earnings. So I don't know if it's "indefensible" that LeBron has to opt-out and take these shorter contracts, but it's something he has chosen to do in order to capture a few extra million dollars that he doesn't need to live his life. It's really hard for me to feel bad for LeBron James because he opts out of a contract in order to earn a few extra million dollars. That's not something I can relate to. LeBron chooses to opt out to capture as much money as possible. That's his choice.
"All of the other owners shouldn't want him to do it ... because a
rising tide lifts all ships. That's what the superstar players provide.
Why would anyone want to risk [losing] those players because of the
salary cap?"
I don't understand. Where would these players go to earn more money playing basketball? Is Cornwell saying that LeBron would leave the Cavs because he keeps opting out of his deal? Because I'm pretty sure the other NBA owners would like that very much, because it means they have a shot at signing LeBron James. Also, if I'm not wrong, James can get the most money by re-signing with the Cavs. So I'm not entirely sure where the risk of losing these players may exist.
That's a good question.
Is it a good question? Where would a superstar player go instead of playing in the NBA with a salary cap?
But with revenues ballooning for owners in the NFL and NBA under the
salary cap system, it's a risk they're apparently willing to take.
Yes, revenues are ballooning from television deals and the like, which is why the salary cap keeps rising in both sports. A salary cap prevents star players from earning their maximum potential on the free market, but it's not a "cruel" system, these players aren't really underpaid, and the fact the NBA have revenues of $5 billion doesn't mean that each of the 30 teams has unlimited money they are able to spend on their employees. Sure, the NBA teams make money even if they claim they don't, but even MLB teams (and they have no salary cap) have a budget they must meet. Revenues are ballooning, which is why the salary cap is rising, but I don't feel bad for LeBron James or Russell Wilson because they have a limit on how much they can earn. A salary cap structure isn't an ideal system to maximize a player's earnings, but it's not a cruel system either. Get some perspective.
Showing posts with label salary cap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salary cap. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
2 comments MMQB Review: The Insanity of the NFL Has Blown Peter's Mind Until It Blows His Mind Again Next Year Edition
We still have open spots in the fantasy baseball league and if anyone
wants to join then send me an email to bengoodfella@yahoo.com and I
will send you an invite.
Peter King detailed his brief trip to Iceland in last week's MMQB. Peter also dismissed the importance of signing big name free agents and spending money early in free agency, all while saturating his coverage in MMQB with rumors and discussion of where the big name free agents will land and which teams will be spending money early in free agency. This week talks about the Sam Bradford trade to the Eagles, thoughts on the free agency moves that "shook up" the football world (not that Peter would ever go overboard with hyperbole or anything...this has been the craziest offseason since at least last year's offseason though), puts a timeline to Darrelle Revis because Peter can't get enough of discussing Revis, and laughably says he spoke with "someone" on the competition committee about rule changes regarding what constitutes a catch and everyone knows that "someone" was Jeff Fisher. I mean, come on, Peter has mentioned 2-3 times in MMQB he's had conversations about Jeff Fisher and what constitutes a catch. I would bet this "someone" is Fisher.
The NFL’s opening weekend is 26 weeks away, which is why there’s no good reason to say the sky is falling in any NFL market.
I hope Peter is sure to tell other sportswriters that the sky is not falling in any NFL market as they award the "winners" and "losers" of the free agency period.
And of course, what follows in this MMQB will be Peter's judgments on what NFL teams did or didn't do in free agency. The sky isn't falling, but judgment day for offseason moves has arrived.
This morning, before I get to one of the strangest weeks in NFL offseason history, three notes:
CRAZIEST NFL OFFSEASON EVER!*
*Until the next offseason
In Hawaii early this morning Eastern Time, the National Football League Players Association elected DeMaurice Smith to a third three-year term as executive director. It seems amazing that Smith was elected unanimously on the first ballot, seeing that he had eight challengers in an impassioned run-up to the vote. Smith was vulnerable in this election, for many reasons—including the impression that he did a bad deal with the 2011 CBA and his consistently contentious relationship with the league—but none of his challengers could muster the required 17 of 32 votes from the player reps who spent the weekend listening to proposals for the job.
It's almost like the NFL players eventually recognized the big beef they had with Smith was the result of an agreement they themselves had approved.
There’s some noise out there that Adrian Peterson could be traded to Arizona. Well, I guess he could, at some point. But the money would be a major problem. I spoke with a reliable Cardinals source Sunday night, and the three years and $45 million left on Peterson’s contract is an absolute non-starter with the Cards.
What? Why would paying a running back $15 million per year be a non-starter? Though I do like the idea if Peterson landed with the Cards then sportswriters would talk about how Bruce Arians made a brilliant move, while Chip Kelly continues to be beaten up for signing DeMarco Murray for less money than Peterson makes.
It's funny how things change so quickly. Last year, Kelly was the darling of the NFL media and this year Arians is inching his way to being the darling. I can't wait for a sportswriter to point out that if Arians is so great then how come he has zero playoff or Super Bowl victories?
Two other detrimental factors: Arizona loves the running-back crop in this draft, and the Cardinals, with the 23rd and 55th overall picks, would be able to get a very good one. And Peterson turns 30 on Saturday. Not an optimum age for a back, even one who got so little wear on his tires in 2014.
I believe Todd Gurley will be a Top 10 running back in the NFL. So if I were any team who was in position to draft him then I would not be paying big money for a running back. That includes Chip Kelly and the Eagles, though I guess he doesn't love Gurley as much as I do.
And new Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford, who flies from his home in Oklahoma to Philadelphia this morning to get on a new rehab track for his left ACL injury, still needs to be pinched. Bitterness-free, Bradford can’t believe his good fortune.
Well, Bradford is just going to miss the Rams propelling themselves into Super Bowl contention based on the trade they just made with the Eagles. It's just like how Jeff Fisher worked three additional first round picks from the Redskins into zero playoff appearances.
A little history here: When Jimmy Johnson took over the Cowboys a quarter-century ago, he was Chip Kelly.
What? Reincarnation IS real? I hope I come back as someone really cool when/if I'm reincarnated. Wait, doesn't a person have to be dead before that person's soul can be reincarnated? Wait even more, how was Johnson Chip Kelly 25 years ago and now Chip Kelly is Johnson? Come to think of it, I had never heard of Chip Kelly 25 years ago. Did Chip Kelly kill Jimmy Johnson and steal his soul? I haven't seen Johnson in a while, so not only is Chip Kelly making the personnel moves he wants to make that go against conventional wisdom but he's stealing the soul of others now? What an asshole.
College coach with a satchel of ideas he would bring to the big leagues—a small and fast defense, a willingness to trade in a league that hated trading (Dallas made 55 trades in his tenure), hubris, believing that what won in college could win in the NFL, and being married to no individual player or coach. It worked. Dallas won three Super Bowls, two with Johnson as coach and then one with Barry Switzer coaching Johnson’s players.
Oh. Well, Johnson was sort of married to Emmitt Smith wasn't he? He and the Cowboys were all bold about letting Smith hold out prior to the 1993 season, then backed down and gave him a new contract once they lost two games to start the 1993 season. I'm sure that was all Jerry Jones' fault. We know he was always hesitant to pay his own players.
“Does Kelly remind you of you, 25 years ago?” I asked Johnson the other day.
“Well, in some ways,” Johnson said. “I really like what I have seen out of Chip Kelly. Chip called me and we visited a couple times, and what I heard from him, I liked.
Chip Kelly has visited Jimmy Johnson a couple of times and now Peter says Johnson is a sounding board for Kelly. Maybe, but it doesn't sound like they are BFF's or anything like that.
“The similarities? We’re both confident, both competent, both know how to win. We talked after he got the new responsibilities this year.
These are the new responsibilities that Kelly insisted just fell in his lap and he in no way requested that he be given them.
I just said, ‘Go with people you believe in, and go with players who fit your personality and fit your system.’ I have talked to Bill Belichick about this too. Certain players are going to be successful in his system and not in others.”
JIMMY JOHNSON IS A SOUNDING BOARD FOR BILL BELICHICK!
So does this mean that Jimmy Johnson is the respected ex-head coach who deals out advice to current head coaches? He is the Tony Dungy for NFL head coaches I guess.
The most controversial trade of them all last week was Bradford and a fourth-round pick to Philadelphia for Nick Foles and a second-round pick. Bradford’s played seven games in the past two years. He’s had two ACL tears to the same knee. By the time this season kicks off, he will have not played in a regular-season game for 22 months. That concerns most everyone who loves the Eagles.
(Bengoodfella tapes his mouth shut about which team these types of injuries to Bradford never seemingly concerned because it's all over now and there is no need to harp on how a fan base's time and money was wasted because the head coach for the Rams knew he wasn't going to get fired simply based on the reputation the media furthers that he is an extremely good head coach)
“Oh yeah,” Johnson said. “The last conversation was over an hour, going over everything. He was loading his guns.”
But then Johnson had to tell Kelly that he couldn't actually shoot LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles to remove them off the roster, he had to waive or trade them instead. Chip Kelly silently put his loaded guns back up and started to remake the Eagles roster in the image he wanted, much to the horror of the sports media.
So you’re Chip Kelly, and you look at the quarterback landscape, and this is what you see:
The quarterback you want, Marcus Mariota, going somewhere in the top five or six picks of the 2015 draft, and you’re picking 20th, and you know it’ll obliterate two drafts to have a chance to move up to get him.
So is it known that Kelly wants Mariota or is this just someone that has been constantly repeated so much it is accepted as fact because Kelly hasn't refuted this belief enough?
Nick Foles, who had a very hot streak in 2013, but just isn’t accurate enough downfield for your taste.
Well, I'm not sure how much more Kelly is going to like Bradford then.
One interesting, but flawed, prospect: Sam Bradford, the first pick in the 2010 draft, who’d played for an offensively challenged team in St. Louis—and played but seven games in the past two seasons because he tore his left ACL in two straight seasons. Bradford was intriguing because he’d operated a fast-paced spread scheme at Oklahoma, and Kelly was playing a fast-paced spread scheme with the Eagles (though with some significant differences).
So Sam Bradford has been in the NFL for five seasons now and he'll be 28 years old in November, but he's still a "prospect." Sure, whatever truth tickles Peter King the most.
“Usually,” Bradford said from his home in Oklahoma City, “when you get to go to a new team, you’re going somewhere that’s rebuilding, or somewhere starting over. How often do you get to a team that’s won 10 games the last two years?
Yeah, but the Eagles have zero playoff wins and zero Super Bowl titles under Chip Kelly, so there is clearly something wrong with his plan two seasons into having said plan.
Bradford flies from Oklahoma to Philadelphia today to start his second act. It’s a strange situation in this way: He tore his ACL in mid-season 2013 and went into rehab led by Reggie Scott, the Rams’ trainer. After tearing the same ACL again last August in a preseason game, he went back to work with Scott to rehab it all over again. And last Tuesday, after a rehab session with Scott at the Rams’ facility in suburban St. Louis, Bradford was told by coach Jeff Fisher that he’d been traded. Bradford was in his car going home when Kelly called to welcome him to the Eagles. They’d never spoken before. Bradford didn’t have a chance—and still hasn’t had one—to thank Scott for all the work he did with him for two years.
If only there was a way to use correspondence sent over a computer or a phone line in order to get a chance to thank Scott for all the work he did for Bradford over the years. Bradford will just have to send his best carrier pigeon to get the message to Scott, but only as soon as he gets the opportunity to write the message out and put it in the pigeon's mouth. Who knows when that will be?
“I don’t think you let it bother you,” Bradford said. “The past two injuries, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. I just think I’ve been unlucky. It just happened.
How about the injury Bradford suffered at Oklahoma and the six games he missed in 2011? I guess that was bad luck too. By the way, the idea Bradford is a better downfield passer and more accurate than Nick Foles is great. Bradford's career completion percentage is 58.6% and he's never completed more than 60.7% of his passes in a season.
“I think I will be as good as I have ever been playing the position. And playing for Chip excites me. I love being challenged. I want to soak up all of it.’’
Soaking it up while in a hot tub rehabbing an injury of course.
It’s not a honeymoon in every precinct. Philadelphia’s doubting Kelly right now, and there’s still an outside chance he could shock the world and pick Mariota to be his guy at quarterback, should Mariota go tumbling down the draft board. But with the first game six months away, there will be plenty of time for apoplexy. Let’s enjoy one man gambling his future on a quarterback with a wounded knee.
I do agree with this though. I love how the sports media is SHOCKED and ANGERED that Chip Kelly is making such a huge mistake to count on Sam Bradford to stay healthy, yet where was this absolute SHOCK and ANGER the past few years when the Rams were counting on Sam Bradford to stay healthy for an entire season? I guess the Rams got the benefit of the doubt because they drafted Bradford, but I still find the reactions interesting. It's not like the Rams weren't counting on Bradford to be healthy in the same way Chip Kelly is relying on him, but rarely did I read criticism prior to the 2014 season of Jeff Fisher for relying on Bradford. Now Chip Kelly has traded for Bradford and his sanity is being questioned.
Twenty thoughts on the week that shook the NFL.
Only twenty thoughts? I just want to make sure we still get the ten other things that Peter thinks later in this MMQB as well. I need at least 30 of Peter King's thoughts in each MMQB.
2. But signing Darren McFadden? He’s a Dallas backfield place-holder, for just $200,000 in guarantees. The 2008 fourth overall pick could be on the team as part of a running back committee in September (I keep thinking Todd Gurley’s an ideal fit in Dallas late in round one), or he could be gone. We’ll see what the running back market dictates.
Considering the offensive line that McFadden played behind in Oakland and the lack of big money guarantees with his talent level, that's a really smart risk the Cowboys took to sign McFadden. He's always injured, but he's really talented too.
3. No question in my mind we’ll see a bunch of Michael Johnson-type contracts out of the Class of 2015 free agents. In other words, one and done. One mediocre season, and on the street a few rich men will go.
Which is why Peter's constant discussion of the early days of free agency, while dismissing the early days of free agency as not that important strikes me as so odd. He and THE MMQB seem to buy into the early days of free agency hype, while also dismissing the long-term importance of these large contracts handed out. That's how it works. The hype of free agency is written about, despite the lack of a correlation in teams that spend big in free agency and win the Super Bowl the following season.
9. One thing we know now: It’s likely that the Jets would have blown out of the water any offer for Revis. So at first blush, I thought the Patriots erred and should have spent the money the Jets did. But now it’s apparent the Jets would have just upped the ante, and Revis would have ended up in New Jersey anyway.
I think this was pretty much known at the time too, no? I remember talk that the Jets were going to do what they had to do in order to get Revis back to New York. Maybe I am misremembering.
12. So happy about this: Schneider, Chip Kelly, Mickey Loomis, Ryan Grigson, John Dorsey and Les Snead are not your father’s GMs and club architects. They trade. They take chances. That’s what made last week so fun, and so compelling.
Except who is the outlying GM on that list who is "compelling" and makes trades, but these trades haven't yet resulted in a playoff appearance? Peter won't mention that part when lauding Snead for taking chances. It's fun to take chances, but it's better when these chances actually lead to a playoff appearance.
13. Michael Johnson can’t complain about free agency. Not at all. He made $9 million in salary and bonus last year jumping from Cincinnati to Tampa to rush the passer. His production was measly: 28 pressures/hits/sacks in 648 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. And so the Bucs, who owed him $7 million guaranteed this year, cut him anyway. The Bengals signed him Sunday, and he’ll make $6 million for Cincinnati. So one of the least productive pass-rushers in football will make $22 million in 2014 and ’15 combined. What a country.
I dislike it when Peter writes "what a country" in MMQB when discussing situations like Michael Johnson's situation. Peter writes about sports for a living and makes six or seven figures doing this. His saying "what a country" while doing a job thousands of others would love to do at his compensation level seems a bit ironic to me.
14. Jabaal Sheard’s a great signing in New England. The Patriots like big bodies who can rush the passer and are durable enough to handle run duties. At 264 pounds, Sheard’s a player who should have been a Patriot all along, and should have been picked atop the second round in 2011.
"Sheard's a player who should have been a Patriot all along." Peter gets paid six or seven figures to write things like this. What a country.
What does this statement even mean? As if every football player who can rush the passer and handle run duties needs to be a Patriot? Like no other NFL team is looking for a player like that? Other teams are like, "Nah, we're good. We don't need a player who can rush the passer and stop the run." Only the Patriots are smart enough to realize the value of these players.
15. Now that Trent Richardson has been cut loose by Indianapolis, let’s assess one of the worst draft picks in modern NFL history. Not just because Richardson has been terrible in the NFL, but think of this: Cleveland had the fourth pick in the 2012 draft. Minnesota had the third pick. To ensure that they’d get Richardson, the player they were desperate to have, the Browns moved from four to three in round one, giving Minnesota fourth, fifth and seventh-round picks to move one slot.
Yeah, but Peter's boy, Ryan Grigson then followed this up by giving up a first round draft pick for Trent Richardson. But hey, Grigson is compelling and takes chances so Peter will let him off the hook. It's nice to have a franchise quarterback to shield a GM from some criticism.
This is always a dangerous game to play,
Which means (repeat after me), Peter is going to immediately choose to play this game. It's always easy to know Peter will do something after he states that something probably shouldn't be done.
but the Browns, had they bypassed Richardson and kept the fourth pick and the picks in rounds four, five and seven, could have had linebacker Luke Kuechly, wide receiver Jairus Wright, running back Alfred Morris and either kicker Justin Tucker or linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Now, the trade of Richardson for Indy’s first-round pick in 2014 did salvage some shred of value for Richardson. Then the Browns used that pick to trade up four slots to select Johnny Manziel. Had they bypassed Manziel, Cleveland could have had a Joe Haden corner partner, Bradley Roby, in the first round, and with that pick in the third round, wideout depth in Donte Moncrief. I repeat: This is a dangerous game to play, because I don’t know who the Browns had on the draft board near those slots. But if Manziel flunks out as a Brown, the amazing thing will be that they had two chances to get the high 2012 pick right and failed at each.
Here's another fun game to play. Which player could the Colts have chosen with the 26th pick in the draft that they traded to the Browns for Trent Richardson? Yes, I know that game isn't one Peter will play because Grigson's team isn't failing like the Browns are, but again, it's nice to have Andrew Luck to cover up for mistakes and shield Grigson from some criticism.
The Colts could have drafted:
Bradley Roby
Joel Bitonio
Jordan Matthews
Jeremy Hill
Carlos Hyde
Jarvis Landry
Justin Britt
Martavis Bryant
But nah, let's keep pointing and laughing at the Browns while forgetting the Colts traded a first round pick for Richardson AFTER they knew he wasn't a very good NFL running back.
The Darrelle Revis timeline since his first go-round with the New York Jets:
Much like his obsession with Nnamdi Asomugha's free agency a few years ago, Peter seems to be a bit obsessed with Darrelle Revis and his free agency adventures over the past couple of years. I guess Peter really likes to discuss cornerbacks who are considered to be the best in the free agent class.
March 10, 2015: Rather than pay Revis $20 million in 2015, the Patriots release him. This means that, though he signed two contracts totaling $128 million, Revis actually saw $28 million of it.
Someone alert the authorities! Revis only saw $28 million of his two contracts totaling $128 million. There's a wrong been done!
In 24 months, Revis was (and is being) coached by Rex Ryan, Greg Schiano, Bill Belichick, and the coach he just met—Todd Bowles. In just over two years, he’s had six general managers: Mike Tannenbaum, John Idzik, Mark Dominik, Jason Licht, Bill Belichick (and Nick Caserio, the Patriots’ personnel czar) and Mike Maccagnan. He played in green, pewter red, red/white/blue, and green again.
So what exactly was it like?
And it's important not to forget that Revis made the decision to be coached by all of these coaches and play for five of those GM's. Otherwise, he made the decision to force a trade from the Jets, sign with the Patriots, and then sign with the Jets. Let's hold off a bit on the sympathy for his plight.
Revis: “Getting hurt, tearing my ACL, and getting prepared for the next season, trade talks and me leaving, not knowing where I’m going to play football, what my future is, and then playing in Tampa, getting traded to Tampa, and then getting released by them and trying to figure out the best place to try to win, and I felt the best place was New England. So, it’s been a crazy two or three years in my career.
Part of the reason Revis didn't know where he was playing football in a few of these instances is because he chose free agency through how his contract was set up or he requested a trade. Only a fool would really think Revis would see the back-end of a $96 million contract that is non-guaranteed or the Patriots would pay him $20 million for the 2015 season.
Three questions with founder of Over The Cap
I’ve gained a lot of respect for 39-year-old engineer (that’s his real job) Jason Fitzgerald and his site, Over The Cap, which catalogs NFL contracts and how teams are doing managing their salary caps.
The MMQB: You wrote Thursday that the Ndamukong Suh contract in Miami is particularly onerous. What concerns you in the future about that deal for the Dolphins, and how will they handle it?
Fitzgerald: In order to fit Suh within their cap easily this season, the Dolphins opted for a structure that will see Suh count for only $6 million against the cap, despite the annual contract value of $19.1 million. That leaves Suh with an average cap charge for the 2016-2018 seasons of $21.9 million. Quite honestly I am not sure how you compete in the NFL for a championship with those figures, especially for a defensive tackle.
It’s a situation where a team or a person gets it in their mind that they need a player to make an impact on an organization, and they lose sight of what they may be giving up to get that.
This is otherwise known as "what happens during free agency in almost every major sport."
“It’s home. It’s family. As much as my wife and kids are family, so is the Rooney family and my team and coaches.”
—Ben Roethlisberger, on signing a five-year, $99 million extension with the Steelers on Saturday.
The fact the Steelers were giving Roethlisberger approximately $50 million of this $99 million guaranteed didn't hurt his feelings of family towards the Rooney family and the Steelers organization either. Money is a great way to make someone feel like a part of the family.
“That was a big thing with him. It is with most quarterbacks. He didn’t look anybody off. He’s a competitor, though. He threw three interceptions in this game, and he just kept throwing. He wasn’t scared of us.”
—University of Louisville cornerback Gerod Holliman on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, to Robert Klemko of The MMQB. Holliman led the nation with 14 interceptions in 2014, including two off Winston.
This is compared to other college quarterbacks who aren't required to look off a safety because the offensive scheme is designed for him to simply have one read and then throw to the open man. I know this isn't criticism necessarily from Holliman, but the rare college quarterback is able to look off a safety and get the ball to another open guy on a consistent basis.
Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week
I didn’t travel in the past seven days. But I did get a good Stories of New York tale from my old boss at “Inside the NFL” on HBO, Brian Hyland, from a Manhattan scene he experienced Saturday. Sharing it:
“Subway elevator this morning. Little old man in a wheelchair, wearing a Yankee hat and a heavy coat for the cold rain. He has a helper but it ain’t easy getting through the door onto the street. I help push him through onto Fort Washington Avenue. As I maneuver to help, he helps me. We’re squeezing him through the heavy green door and as he reaches to push, the sleeve of his coat on his arm moves up towards his elbow. And there I see it. In fading black ink. Covered with arm hair but clear. The number the Nazis gave him. Part of him. Forever on his arm.
“We get him through the door, he says, ‘Thanks, young man’ and his helper pushes him down Fort Washington Avenue. Another random Saturday morning in New York City that takes your breath away.”
This is a pet peeve of mine. "Another random Saturday morning in New York City that takes your breath away." As if there are no Holocaust survivors in any other part of the United States. No other interesting and great moments happen in other United States cities. ONLY IN NEW YORK CITY does this type of thing happen. We all know that New York City is so fucking special because those people who live there won't stop telling us about how special the city is. Great, good for you. Everything you think is special to New York City isn't necessarily exclusive to that city. It's just other citizens of other cities don't take the time to tell you how special their city is.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think, after speaking to someone who was a part of the competition committee’s deliberations over the past two weeks,
Gee, I wonder who this "someone" is? Peter has talked to Jeff Fisher 2-3 times in MMQB about the competition committee and his feelings on any rule changes regarding what constitutes a catch. If the "someone" Peter is talking about here agrees with Jeff Fisher, (a) why the secretiveness? and/or (b) what are the odds this "someone" is actually Jeff Fisher?
I would be surprised if anything significant was changed on what constitutes a catch when the league meetings begin next Sunday in Phoenix. There could be a minor tweak to the rule, but the feeling I get regarding the tenor in the room over the past couple of weeks is this: Committee members feel receivers need to maintain control when going to the ground.
So basically Peter is reporting the same thing that Jeff Fisher, the head of the competition committee, has been saying for most of the offseason? This is news, but who is this "someone" that Peter is talking to about what constitutes a catch if this "someone" isn't the same person that Peter has been talking to all offseason about what constitutes a catch? I find it odd that Peter uses the term "someone" here when the opinion held agrees with the head of the competition committee's opinion. If this committee member isn't Jeff Fisher, why is he concerned his name will be tied to an opinion that Jeff Fisher has repeatedly states he agrees with?
2. I think this is what I thought after the esteemed Charley Casserly said on NFL Network following Marcus Mariota’s Pro Day: “Not a sure thing. If you’re going to take him, you’ve got to hold your breath.” What if Mariota—and this is a huge “what if” because of all the teams that need quarterbacks in the draft this year—starts to tumble down the draft board in round one? What if Washington passes on him at 5, and the Jets have some cold feet at 6, and GM Les Snead of the Rams loves Nick Foles and sees bigger needs at 10, and the Browns at 12 and the Texans at 16 and the Browns again at 19 all have cold feet for one reason or another? All of those things are incredibly unlikely, but what if? What if Mariota is staring Sam Bradford-loving Chip Kelly in the face at 20, or if Kelly sees Mariota tumbling at 12, 13, 14, and he thinks he’s just got to go for the gusto now? That would be one of the best stories in recent draft history, Kelly getting Mariota.
Stop rosterbating, Peter. I like how he is openly cheering for a storyline that will allow him to write easy stories and reinforces the perception he is trying to give in MMQB. What makes Mariota going to Kelly's Eagles a better story than any other college coach drafting or having a chance to draft his old college quarterback? Other than the media has forced the whole "Kelly wants Mariota" perception down the throats of the public, even though at this point there isn't much reality behind this perception, of course.
3. I think, drifting back to reality, I absolutely do not believe it’s going to happen. But it’s not an impossible dream. Just an unlikely one.
Okay, first, this thought #3 should be up with thought #2 since it is a continuation of thought #2. Second, it's the impossible dream for a sportswriter who wants easy stories to write and confirmation of a perception to be reinforced. There's nothing like reading about the media openly cheering for certain storylines to develop.
4. I think Trent Richardson goes down in NFL history as one of the strangest stories. Ever.
Why is "ever" a separate sentence? It fits into the sentence. Easily.
5. I think this is the best way to put the biggest deal of the weekend in perspective: Ben Roethlisberger will be only be 37 at the end of his 16th season as Steeler quarterback in 2019—if he lasts that long, of course—and that’s an age when quarterbacks are still having peak seasons. Today, with quarterbacks doing so much in the offseason to stay healthy and make their careers last, I really like what the Steelers did.
That does put the Roethlisberger contract in perspective for me. My perspective is altered by knowing quarterbacks who are older can still serve a purpose to their team, but mostly altered by my newfound knowledge that Peter liked what the Steelers did in extending Roethlisberger.
They told the world that Roethlisberger is their quarterback for life.
Well except for the fact, as Peter just noted, this is an age when quarterbacks are still having peak seasons when Roethlisberger's contract runs out. So he is the Steelers' quarterback for life, except for the part where Peter thinks Roethlisberger will be playing at a high level and his contract will have run out.
9. I think the Jets must not have liked their roster very much. They signed, re-signed or traded for 11 players in the first three days of the 2015 league year.
What was to like about the roster? The Jets have a new GM and new head coach. Changes happen when new head coaches and GM's are hired. Of course, as we learned with Chip Kelly turning over the Eagles roster, many personnel changes are only allowable when discussing unsuccessful NFL teams.
10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:
a. If I had one wish for ESPN (well, this wouldn’t be the one, I guess, but it would be in the top 10), I would wish its anchors would stop saying Team X “punched their ticket” for the NCAA tournament. First: Team X would have “punched its ticket.” Second: Well, it’s a brutal cliché.
What a country.
b. I live in New York. I can’t name one active Knick.
You admit to not watching the NBA. The fact you can't name one active Knick probably speaks to your distaste for the NBA as much as it speaks to the anonymity of the Knicks players. I do like how Peter is viewing the Knicks relevance through the lens of how much he knows about the team. This is something sportswriters love to do. They don't watch or enjoy a sport/team, so obviously that sport/team isn't relevant anymore. Why wouldn't Peter's worldview speak to the relevance of a sport or team?
c. Knicks versus Lakers on Thursday night. Looked at the box score Friday morning. Never heard of any of the 10 starters in the game.
Again, you don't really watch college basketball or the NBA.
f. A few random college basketball observations:
Wish you wouldn't. Do this. Ever.
i. What a weekend for Notre Dame, beating Duke and North Carolina on back-to-back days in the state of North Carolina.
It was in North Carolina, but it helps the Duke fans in the crowd were cheering for Notre Dame and the UNC fans in the crowd were cheering for Notre Dame. The game being played in North Carolina is an advantage until the fans of one North Carolina-based team choose to cheer against another North Carolina-based team. It's not always an advantage to play in North Carolina in certain situations. After being defeated by Notre Dame, Duke fans in attendance were openly cheering for Notre Dame against UNC.
k. Four conferences played their tourneys in Vegas? What a country.
Stop writing "what a country."
n. This Cuban baseball player stuff is really crazy. Crazier than NFL free-agent money. Boston paid $133 million to sign Rusney Castillo and 19-year-old Yoan Moncada, with limited scouting opportunities of them. It’s got to be sports’ version of Russian Roulette.
All of a sudden when the Red Sox start signing Cuban players Peter starts to notice how crazy it is that MLB teams sign these Cuban players without knowing a ton about them. Hey Peter, MLB teams have been signing players from overseas, while having limited opportunities to scout these players, for over a decade now. I know! It's amazing this didn't start when the Red Sox started spending money on Cuban players.
The Adieu Haiku
I like lots of trades.
The NFL’s not like that.
Kudos, Chip Kelly.
Chip Kelly can make all kinds of trades without having to ask anyone's permission. What a country.
Peter King detailed his brief trip to Iceland in last week's MMQB. Peter also dismissed the importance of signing big name free agents and spending money early in free agency, all while saturating his coverage in MMQB with rumors and discussion of where the big name free agents will land and which teams will be spending money early in free agency. This week talks about the Sam Bradford trade to the Eagles, thoughts on the free agency moves that "shook up" the football world (not that Peter would ever go overboard with hyperbole or anything...this has been the craziest offseason since at least last year's offseason though), puts a timeline to Darrelle Revis because Peter can't get enough of discussing Revis, and laughably says he spoke with "someone" on the competition committee about rule changes regarding what constitutes a catch and everyone knows that "someone" was Jeff Fisher. I mean, come on, Peter has mentioned 2-3 times in MMQB he's had conversations about Jeff Fisher and what constitutes a catch. I would bet this "someone" is Fisher.
The NFL’s opening weekend is 26 weeks away, which is why there’s no good reason to say the sky is falling in any NFL market.
I hope Peter is sure to tell other sportswriters that the sky is not falling in any NFL market as they award the "winners" and "losers" of the free agency period.
And of course, what follows in this MMQB will be Peter's judgments on what NFL teams did or didn't do in free agency. The sky isn't falling, but judgment day for offseason moves has arrived.
This morning, before I get to one of the strangest weeks in NFL offseason history, three notes:
CRAZIEST NFL OFFSEASON EVER!*
*Until the next offseason
In Hawaii early this morning Eastern Time, the National Football League Players Association elected DeMaurice Smith to a third three-year term as executive director. It seems amazing that Smith was elected unanimously on the first ballot, seeing that he had eight challengers in an impassioned run-up to the vote. Smith was vulnerable in this election, for many reasons—including the impression that he did a bad deal with the 2011 CBA and his consistently contentious relationship with the league—but none of his challengers could muster the required 17 of 32 votes from the player reps who spent the weekend listening to proposals for the job.
It's almost like the NFL players eventually recognized the big beef they had with Smith was the result of an agreement they themselves had approved.
There’s some noise out there that Adrian Peterson could be traded to Arizona. Well, I guess he could, at some point. But the money would be a major problem. I spoke with a reliable Cardinals source Sunday night, and the three years and $45 million left on Peterson’s contract is an absolute non-starter with the Cards.
What? Why would paying a running back $15 million per year be a non-starter? Though I do like the idea if Peterson landed with the Cards then sportswriters would talk about how Bruce Arians made a brilliant move, while Chip Kelly continues to be beaten up for signing DeMarco Murray for less money than Peterson makes.
It's funny how things change so quickly. Last year, Kelly was the darling of the NFL media and this year Arians is inching his way to being the darling. I can't wait for a sportswriter to point out that if Arians is so great then how come he has zero playoff or Super Bowl victories?
Two other detrimental factors: Arizona loves the running-back crop in this draft, and the Cardinals, with the 23rd and 55th overall picks, would be able to get a very good one. And Peterson turns 30 on Saturday. Not an optimum age for a back, even one who got so little wear on his tires in 2014.
I believe Todd Gurley will be a Top 10 running back in the NFL. So if I were any team who was in position to draft him then I would not be paying big money for a running back. That includes Chip Kelly and the Eagles, though I guess he doesn't love Gurley as much as I do.
And new Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford, who flies from his home in Oklahoma to Philadelphia this morning to get on a new rehab track for his left ACL injury, still needs to be pinched. Bitterness-free, Bradford can’t believe his good fortune.
Well, Bradford is just going to miss the Rams propelling themselves into Super Bowl contention based on the trade they just made with the Eagles. It's just like how Jeff Fisher worked three additional first round picks from the Redskins into zero playoff appearances.
A little history here: When Jimmy Johnson took over the Cowboys a quarter-century ago, he was Chip Kelly.
What? Reincarnation IS real? I hope I come back as someone really cool when/if I'm reincarnated. Wait, doesn't a person have to be dead before that person's soul can be reincarnated? Wait even more, how was Johnson Chip Kelly 25 years ago and now Chip Kelly is Johnson? Come to think of it, I had never heard of Chip Kelly 25 years ago. Did Chip Kelly kill Jimmy Johnson and steal his soul? I haven't seen Johnson in a while, so not only is Chip Kelly making the personnel moves he wants to make that go against conventional wisdom but he's stealing the soul of others now? What an asshole.
College coach with a satchel of ideas he would bring to the big leagues—a small and fast defense, a willingness to trade in a league that hated trading (Dallas made 55 trades in his tenure), hubris, believing that what won in college could win in the NFL, and being married to no individual player or coach. It worked. Dallas won three Super Bowls, two with Johnson as coach and then one with Barry Switzer coaching Johnson’s players.
Oh. Well, Johnson was sort of married to Emmitt Smith wasn't he? He and the Cowboys were all bold about letting Smith hold out prior to the 1993 season, then backed down and gave him a new contract once they lost two games to start the 1993 season. I'm sure that was all Jerry Jones' fault. We know he was always hesitant to pay his own players.
“Does Kelly remind you of you, 25 years ago?” I asked Johnson the other day.
“Well, in some ways,” Johnson said. “I really like what I have seen out of Chip Kelly. Chip called me and we visited a couple times, and what I heard from him, I liked.
Chip Kelly has visited Jimmy Johnson a couple of times and now Peter says Johnson is a sounding board for Kelly. Maybe, but it doesn't sound like they are BFF's or anything like that.
“The similarities? We’re both confident, both competent, both know how to win. We talked after he got the new responsibilities this year.
These are the new responsibilities that Kelly insisted just fell in his lap and he in no way requested that he be given them.
I just said, ‘Go with people you believe in, and go with players who fit your personality and fit your system.’ I have talked to Bill Belichick about this too. Certain players are going to be successful in his system and not in others.”
JIMMY JOHNSON IS A SOUNDING BOARD FOR BILL BELICHICK!
So does this mean that Jimmy Johnson is the respected ex-head coach who deals out advice to current head coaches? He is the Tony Dungy for NFL head coaches I guess.
The most controversial trade of them all last week was Bradford and a fourth-round pick to Philadelphia for Nick Foles and a second-round pick. Bradford’s played seven games in the past two years. He’s had two ACL tears to the same knee. By the time this season kicks off, he will have not played in a regular-season game for 22 months. That concerns most everyone who loves the Eagles.
(Bengoodfella tapes his mouth shut about which team these types of injuries to Bradford never seemingly concerned because it's all over now and there is no need to harp on how a fan base's time and money was wasted because the head coach for the Rams knew he wasn't going to get fired simply based on the reputation the media furthers that he is an extremely good head coach)
“Oh yeah,” Johnson said. “The last conversation was over an hour, going over everything. He was loading his guns.”
But then Johnson had to tell Kelly that he couldn't actually shoot LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles to remove them off the roster, he had to waive or trade them instead. Chip Kelly silently put his loaded guns back up and started to remake the Eagles roster in the image he wanted, much to the horror of the sports media.
So you’re Chip Kelly, and you look at the quarterback landscape, and this is what you see:
The quarterback you want, Marcus Mariota, going somewhere in the top five or six picks of the 2015 draft, and you’re picking 20th, and you know it’ll obliterate two drafts to have a chance to move up to get him.
So is it known that Kelly wants Mariota or is this just someone that has been constantly repeated so much it is accepted as fact because Kelly hasn't refuted this belief enough?
Nick Foles, who had a very hot streak in 2013, but just isn’t accurate enough downfield for your taste.
Well, I'm not sure how much more Kelly is going to like Bradford then.
One interesting, but flawed, prospect: Sam Bradford, the first pick in the 2010 draft, who’d played for an offensively challenged team in St. Louis—and played but seven games in the past two seasons because he tore his left ACL in two straight seasons. Bradford was intriguing because he’d operated a fast-paced spread scheme at Oklahoma, and Kelly was playing a fast-paced spread scheme with the Eagles (though with some significant differences).
So Sam Bradford has been in the NFL for five seasons now and he'll be 28 years old in November, but he's still a "prospect." Sure, whatever truth tickles Peter King the most.
“Usually,” Bradford said from his home in Oklahoma City, “when you get to go to a new team, you’re going somewhere that’s rebuilding, or somewhere starting over. How often do you get to a team that’s won 10 games the last two years?
Yeah, but the Eagles have zero playoff wins and zero Super Bowl titles under Chip Kelly, so there is clearly something wrong with his plan two seasons into having said plan.
Bradford flies from Oklahoma to Philadelphia today to start his second act. It’s a strange situation in this way: He tore his ACL in mid-season 2013 and went into rehab led by Reggie Scott, the Rams’ trainer. After tearing the same ACL again last August in a preseason game, he went back to work with Scott to rehab it all over again. And last Tuesday, after a rehab session with Scott at the Rams’ facility in suburban St. Louis, Bradford was told by coach Jeff Fisher that he’d been traded. Bradford was in his car going home when Kelly called to welcome him to the Eagles. They’d never spoken before. Bradford didn’t have a chance—and still hasn’t had one—to thank Scott for all the work he did with him for two years.
If only there was a way to use correspondence sent over a computer or a phone line in order to get a chance to thank Scott for all the work he did for Bradford over the years. Bradford will just have to send his best carrier pigeon to get the message to Scott, but only as soon as he gets the opportunity to write the message out and put it in the pigeon's mouth. Who knows when that will be?
“I don’t think you let it bother you,” Bradford said. “The past two injuries, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. I just think I’ve been unlucky. It just happened.
How about the injury Bradford suffered at Oklahoma and the six games he missed in 2011? I guess that was bad luck too. By the way, the idea Bradford is a better downfield passer and more accurate than Nick Foles is great. Bradford's career completion percentage is 58.6% and he's never completed more than 60.7% of his passes in a season.
“I think I will be as good as I have ever been playing the position. And playing for Chip excites me. I love being challenged. I want to soak up all of it.’’
Soaking it up while in a hot tub rehabbing an injury of course.
It’s not a honeymoon in every precinct. Philadelphia’s doubting Kelly right now, and there’s still an outside chance he could shock the world and pick Mariota to be his guy at quarterback, should Mariota go tumbling down the draft board. But with the first game six months away, there will be plenty of time for apoplexy. Let’s enjoy one man gambling his future on a quarterback with a wounded knee.
I do agree with this though. I love how the sports media is SHOCKED and ANGERED that Chip Kelly is making such a huge mistake to count on Sam Bradford to stay healthy, yet where was this absolute SHOCK and ANGER the past few years when the Rams were counting on Sam Bradford to stay healthy for an entire season? I guess the Rams got the benefit of the doubt because they drafted Bradford, but I still find the reactions interesting. It's not like the Rams weren't counting on Bradford to be healthy in the same way Chip Kelly is relying on him, but rarely did I read criticism prior to the 2014 season of Jeff Fisher for relying on Bradford. Now Chip Kelly has traded for Bradford and his sanity is being questioned.
Twenty thoughts on the week that shook the NFL.
Only twenty thoughts? I just want to make sure we still get the ten other things that Peter thinks later in this MMQB as well. I need at least 30 of Peter King's thoughts in each MMQB.
2. But signing Darren McFadden? He’s a Dallas backfield place-holder, for just $200,000 in guarantees. The 2008 fourth overall pick could be on the team as part of a running back committee in September (I keep thinking Todd Gurley’s an ideal fit in Dallas late in round one), or he could be gone. We’ll see what the running back market dictates.
Considering the offensive line that McFadden played behind in Oakland and the lack of big money guarantees with his talent level, that's a really smart risk the Cowboys took to sign McFadden. He's always injured, but he's really talented too.
3. No question in my mind we’ll see a bunch of Michael Johnson-type contracts out of the Class of 2015 free agents. In other words, one and done. One mediocre season, and on the street a few rich men will go.
Which is why Peter's constant discussion of the early days of free agency, while dismissing the early days of free agency as not that important strikes me as so odd. He and THE MMQB seem to buy into the early days of free agency hype, while also dismissing the long-term importance of these large contracts handed out. That's how it works. The hype of free agency is written about, despite the lack of a correlation in teams that spend big in free agency and win the Super Bowl the following season.
9. One thing we know now: It’s likely that the Jets would have blown out of the water any offer for Revis. So at first blush, I thought the Patriots erred and should have spent the money the Jets did. But now it’s apparent the Jets would have just upped the ante, and Revis would have ended up in New Jersey anyway.
I think this was pretty much known at the time too, no? I remember talk that the Jets were going to do what they had to do in order to get Revis back to New York. Maybe I am misremembering.
12. So happy about this: Schneider, Chip Kelly, Mickey Loomis, Ryan Grigson, John Dorsey and Les Snead are not your father’s GMs and club architects. They trade. They take chances. That’s what made last week so fun, and so compelling.
Except who is the outlying GM on that list who is "compelling" and makes trades, but these trades haven't yet resulted in a playoff appearance? Peter won't mention that part when lauding Snead for taking chances. It's fun to take chances, but it's better when these chances actually lead to a playoff appearance.
13. Michael Johnson can’t complain about free agency. Not at all. He made $9 million in salary and bonus last year jumping from Cincinnati to Tampa to rush the passer. His production was measly: 28 pressures/hits/sacks in 648 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. And so the Bucs, who owed him $7 million guaranteed this year, cut him anyway. The Bengals signed him Sunday, and he’ll make $6 million for Cincinnati. So one of the least productive pass-rushers in football will make $22 million in 2014 and ’15 combined. What a country.
I dislike it when Peter writes "what a country" in MMQB when discussing situations like Michael Johnson's situation. Peter writes about sports for a living and makes six or seven figures doing this. His saying "what a country" while doing a job thousands of others would love to do at his compensation level seems a bit ironic to me.
14. Jabaal Sheard’s a great signing in New England. The Patriots like big bodies who can rush the passer and are durable enough to handle run duties. At 264 pounds, Sheard’s a player who should have been a Patriot all along, and should have been picked atop the second round in 2011.
"Sheard's a player who should have been a Patriot all along." Peter gets paid six or seven figures to write things like this. What a country.
What does this statement even mean? As if every football player who can rush the passer and handle run duties needs to be a Patriot? Like no other NFL team is looking for a player like that? Other teams are like, "Nah, we're good. We don't need a player who can rush the passer and stop the run." Only the Patriots are smart enough to realize the value of these players.
15. Now that Trent Richardson has been cut loose by Indianapolis, let’s assess one of the worst draft picks in modern NFL history. Not just because Richardson has been terrible in the NFL, but think of this: Cleveland had the fourth pick in the 2012 draft. Minnesota had the third pick. To ensure that they’d get Richardson, the player they were desperate to have, the Browns moved from four to three in round one, giving Minnesota fourth, fifth and seventh-round picks to move one slot.
Yeah, but Peter's boy, Ryan Grigson then followed this up by giving up a first round draft pick for Trent Richardson. But hey, Grigson is compelling and takes chances so Peter will let him off the hook. It's nice to have a franchise quarterback to shield a GM from some criticism.
This is always a dangerous game to play,
Which means (repeat after me), Peter is going to immediately choose to play this game. It's always easy to know Peter will do something after he states that something probably shouldn't be done.
but the Browns, had they bypassed Richardson and kept the fourth pick and the picks in rounds four, five and seven, could have had linebacker Luke Kuechly, wide receiver Jairus Wright, running back Alfred Morris and either kicker Justin Tucker or linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Now, the trade of Richardson for Indy’s first-round pick in 2014 did salvage some shred of value for Richardson. Then the Browns used that pick to trade up four slots to select Johnny Manziel. Had they bypassed Manziel, Cleveland could have had a Joe Haden corner partner, Bradley Roby, in the first round, and with that pick in the third round, wideout depth in Donte Moncrief. I repeat: This is a dangerous game to play, because I don’t know who the Browns had on the draft board near those slots. But if Manziel flunks out as a Brown, the amazing thing will be that they had two chances to get the high 2012 pick right and failed at each.
Here's another fun game to play. Which player could the Colts have chosen with the 26th pick in the draft that they traded to the Browns for Trent Richardson? Yes, I know that game isn't one Peter will play because Grigson's team isn't failing like the Browns are, but again, it's nice to have Andrew Luck to cover up for mistakes and shield Grigson from some criticism.
The Colts could have drafted:
Bradley Roby
Joel Bitonio
Jordan Matthews
Jeremy Hill
Carlos Hyde
Jarvis Landry
Justin Britt
Martavis Bryant
But nah, let's keep pointing and laughing at the Browns while forgetting the Colts traded a first round pick for Richardson AFTER they knew he wasn't a very good NFL running back.
The Darrelle Revis timeline since his first go-round with the New York Jets:
Much like his obsession with Nnamdi Asomugha's free agency a few years ago, Peter seems to be a bit obsessed with Darrelle Revis and his free agency adventures over the past couple of years. I guess Peter really likes to discuss cornerbacks who are considered to be the best in the free agent class.
March 10, 2015: Rather than pay Revis $20 million in 2015, the Patriots release him. This means that, though he signed two contracts totaling $128 million, Revis actually saw $28 million of it.
Someone alert the authorities! Revis only saw $28 million of his two contracts totaling $128 million. There's a wrong been done!
In 24 months, Revis was (and is being) coached by Rex Ryan, Greg Schiano, Bill Belichick, and the coach he just met—Todd Bowles. In just over two years, he’s had six general managers: Mike Tannenbaum, John Idzik, Mark Dominik, Jason Licht, Bill Belichick (and Nick Caserio, the Patriots’ personnel czar) and Mike Maccagnan. He played in green, pewter red, red/white/blue, and green again.
So what exactly was it like?
And it's important not to forget that Revis made the decision to be coached by all of these coaches and play for five of those GM's. Otherwise, he made the decision to force a trade from the Jets, sign with the Patriots, and then sign with the Jets. Let's hold off a bit on the sympathy for his plight.
Revis: “Getting hurt, tearing my ACL, and getting prepared for the next season, trade talks and me leaving, not knowing where I’m going to play football, what my future is, and then playing in Tampa, getting traded to Tampa, and then getting released by them and trying to figure out the best place to try to win, and I felt the best place was New England. So, it’s been a crazy two or three years in my career.
Part of the reason Revis didn't know where he was playing football in a few of these instances is because he chose free agency through how his contract was set up or he requested a trade. Only a fool would really think Revis would see the back-end of a $96 million contract that is non-guaranteed or the Patriots would pay him $20 million for the 2015 season.
Three questions with founder of Over The Cap
I’ve gained a lot of respect for 39-year-old engineer (that’s his real job) Jason Fitzgerald and his site, Over The Cap, which catalogs NFL contracts and how teams are doing managing their salary caps.
The MMQB: You wrote Thursday that the Ndamukong Suh contract in Miami is particularly onerous. What concerns you in the future about that deal for the Dolphins, and how will they handle it?
Fitzgerald: In order to fit Suh within their cap easily this season, the Dolphins opted for a structure that will see Suh count for only $6 million against the cap, despite the annual contract value of $19.1 million. That leaves Suh with an average cap charge for the 2016-2018 seasons of $21.9 million. Quite honestly I am not sure how you compete in the NFL for a championship with those figures, especially for a defensive tackle.
It’s a situation where a team or a person gets it in their mind that they need a player to make an impact on an organization, and they lose sight of what they may be giving up to get that.
This is otherwise known as "what happens during free agency in almost every major sport."
“It’s home. It’s family. As much as my wife and kids are family, so is the Rooney family and my team and coaches.”
—Ben Roethlisberger, on signing a five-year, $99 million extension with the Steelers on Saturday.
The fact the Steelers were giving Roethlisberger approximately $50 million of this $99 million guaranteed didn't hurt his feelings of family towards the Rooney family and the Steelers organization either. Money is a great way to make someone feel like a part of the family.
“That was a big thing with him. It is with most quarterbacks. He didn’t look anybody off. He’s a competitor, though. He threw three interceptions in this game, and he just kept throwing. He wasn’t scared of us.”
—University of Louisville cornerback Gerod Holliman on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, to Robert Klemko of The MMQB. Holliman led the nation with 14 interceptions in 2014, including two off Winston.
This is compared to other college quarterbacks who aren't required to look off a safety because the offensive scheme is designed for him to simply have one read and then throw to the open man. I know this isn't criticism necessarily from Holliman, but the rare college quarterback is able to look off a safety and get the ball to another open guy on a consistent basis.
Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week
I didn’t travel in the past seven days. But I did get a good Stories of New York tale from my old boss at “Inside the NFL” on HBO, Brian Hyland, from a Manhattan scene he experienced Saturday. Sharing it:
“Subway elevator this morning. Little old man in a wheelchair, wearing a Yankee hat and a heavy coat for the cold rain. He has a helper but it ain’t easy getting through the door onto the street. I help push him through onto Fort Washington Avenue. As I maneuver to help, he helps me. We’re squeezing him through the heavy green door and as he reaches to push, the sleeve of his coat on his arm moves up towards his elbow. And there I see it. In fading black ink. Covered with arm hair but clear. The number the Nazis gave him. Part of him. Forever on his arm.
“We get him through the door, he says, ‘Thanks, young man’ and his helper pushes him down Fort Washington Avenue. Another random Saturday morning in New York City that takes your breath away.”
This is a pet peeve of mine. "Another random Saturday morning in New York City that takes your breath away." As if there are no Holocaust survivors in any other part of the United States. No other interesting and great moments happen in other United States cities. ONLY IN NEW YORK CITY does this type of thing happen. We all know that New York City is so fucking special because those people who live there won't stop telling us about how special the city is. Great, good for you. Everything you think is special to New York City isn't necessarily exclusive to that city. It's just other citizens of other cities don't take the time to tell you how special their city is.
Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think, after speaking to someone who was a part of the competition committee’s deliberations over the past two weeks,
Gee, I wonder who this "someone" is? Peter has talked to Jeff Fisher 2-3 times in MMQB about the competition committee and his feelings on any rule changes regarding what constitutes a catch. If the "someone" Peter is talking about here agrees with Jeff Fisher, (a) why the secretiveness? and/or (b) what are the odds this "someone" is actually Jeff Fisher?
I would be surprised if anything significant was changed on what constitutes a catch when the league meetings begin next Sunday in Phoenix. There could be a minor tweak to the rule, but the feeling I get regarding the tenor in the room over the past couple of weeks is this: Committee members feel receivers need to maintain control when going to the ground.
So basically Peter is reporting the same thing that Jeff Fisher, the head of the competition committee, has been saying for most of the offseason? This is news, but who is this "someone" that Peter is talking to about what constitutes a catch if this "someone" isn't the same person that Peter has been talking to all offseason about what constitutes a catch? I find it odd that Peter uses the term "someone" here when the opinion held agrees with the head of the competition committee's opinion. If this committee member isn't Jeff Fisher, why is he concerned his name will be tied to an opinion that Jeff Fisher has repeatedly states he agrees with?
2. I think this is what I thought after the esteemed Charley Casserly said on NFL Network following Marcus Mariota’s Pro Day: “Not a sure thing. If you’re going to take him, you’ve got to hold your breath.” What if Mariota—and this is a huge “what if” because of all the teams that need quarterbacks in the draft this year—starts to tumble down the draft board in round one? What if Washington passes on him at 5, and the Jets have some cold feet at 6, and GM Les Snead of the Rams loves Nick Foles and sees bigger needs at 10, and the Browns at 12 and the Texans at 16 and the Browns again at 19 all have cold feet for one reason or another? All of those things are incredibly unlikely, but what if? What if Mariota is staring Sam Bradford-loving Chip Kelly in the face at 20, or if Kelly sees Mariota tumbling at 12, 13, 14, and he thinks he’s just got to go for the gusto now? That would be one of the best stories in recent draft history, Kelly getting Mariota.
Stop rosterbating, Peter. I like how he is openly cheering for a storyline that will allow him to write easy stories and reinforces the perception he is trying to give in MMQB. What makes Mariota going to Kelly's Eagles a better story than any other college coach drafting or having a chance to draft his old college quarterback? Other than the media has forced the whole "Kelly wants Mariota" perception down the throats of the public, even though at this point there isn't much reality behind this perception, of course.
3. I think, drifting back to reality, I absolutely do not believe it’s going to happen. But it’s not an impossible dream. Just an unlikely one.
Okay, first, this thought #3 should be up with thought #2 since it is a continuation of thought #2. Second, it's the impossible dream for a sportswriter who wants easy stories to write and confirmation of a perception to be reinforced. There's nothing like reading about the media openly cheering for certain storylines to develop.
4. I think Trent Richardson goes down in NFL history as one of the strangest stories. Ever.
Why is "ever" a separate sentence? It fits into the sentence. Easily.
5. I think this is the best way to put the biggest deal of the weekend in perspective: Ben Roethlisberger will be only be 37 at the end of his 16th season as Steeler quarterback in 2019—if he lasts that long, of course—and that’s an age when quarterbacks are still having peak seasons. Today, with quarterbacks doing so much in the offseason to stay healthy and make their careers last, I really like what the Steelers did.
That does put the Roethlisberger contract in perspective for me. My perspective is altered by knowing quarterbacks who are older can still serve a purpose to their team, but mostly altered by my newfound knowledge that Peter liked what the Steelers did in extending Roethlisberger.
They told the world that Roethlisberger is their quarterback for life.
Well except for the fact, as Peter just noted, this is an age when quarterbacks are still having peak seasons when Roethlisberger's contract runs out. So he is the Steelers' quarterback for life, except for the part where Peter thinks Roethlisberger will be playing at a high level and his contract will have run out.
9. I think the Jets must not have liked their roster very much. They signed, re-signed or traded for 11 players in the first three days of the 2015 league year.
What was to like about the roster? The Jets have a new GM and new head coach. Changes happen when new head coaches and GM's are hired. Of course, as we learned with Chip Kelly turning over the Eagles roster, many personnel changes are only allowable when discussing unsuccessful NFL teams.
10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:
a. If I had one wish for ESPN (well, this wouldn’t be the one, I guess, but it would be in the top 10), I would wish its anchors would stop saying Team X “punched their ticket” for the NCAA tournament. First: Team X would have “punched its ticket.” Second: Well, it’s a brutal cliché.
What a country.
b. I live in New York. I can’t name one active Knick.
You admit to not watching the NBA. The fact you can't name one active Knick probably speaks to your distaste for the NBA as much as it speaks to the anonymity of the Knicks players. I do like how Peter is viewing the Knicks relevance through the lens of how much he knows about the team. This is something sportswriters love to do. They don't watch or enjoy a sport/team, so obviously that sport/team isn't relevant anymore. Why wouldn't Peter's worldview speak to the relevance of a sport or team?
c. Knicks versus Lakers on Thursday night. Looked at the box score Friday morning. Never heard of any of the 10 starters in the game.
Again, you don't really watch college basketball or the NBA.
f. A few random college basketball observations:
Wish you wouldn't. Do this. Ever.
i. What a weekend for Notre Dame, beating Duke and North Carolina on back-to-back days in the state of North Carolina.
It was in North Carolina, but it helps the Duke fans in the crowd were cheering for Notre Dame and the UNC fans in the crowd were cheering for Notre Dame. The game being played in North Carolina is an advantage until the fans of one North Carolina-based team choose to cheer against another North Carolina-based team. It's not always an advantage to play in North Carolina in certain situations. After being defeated by Notre Dame, Duke fans in attendance were openly cheering for Notre Dame against UNC.
k. Four conferences played their tourneys in Vegas? What a country.
Stop writing "what a country."
n. This Cuban baseball player stuff is really crazy. Crazier than NFL free-agent money. Boston paid $133 million to sign Rusney Castillo and 19-year-old Yoan Moncada, with limited scouting opportunities of them. It’s got to be sports’ version of Russian Roulette.
All of a sudden when the Red Sox start signing Cuban players Peter starts to notice how crazy it is that MLB teams sign these Cuban players without knowing a ton about them. Hey Peter, MLB teams have been signing players from overseas, while having limited opportunities to scout these players, for over a decade now. I know! It's amazing this didn't start when the Red Sox started spending money on Cuban players.
The Adieu Haiku
I like lots of trades.
The NFL’s not like that.
Kudos, Chip Kelly.
Chip Kelly can make all kinds of trades without having to ask anyone's permission. What a country.
Monday, February 24, 2014
4 comments Bill Simmons Writes about Steve Nash's Comeback Attempt, But Has to Make it Just a Little Bit About Himself Out of Habit
Bill Simmons and Grantland has done a pretty good series about Steve Nash and his attempts to come back from injury to play again in the NBA for the Lakers. The video is very well done and it's not hard to find yourself cheering for Nash to come back and be productive. Bill Simmons provides an introduction to the video in written form, and rather than give a brief introduction and let the video speak for itself, Bill writes 2600 words and just has to make it a little bit about himself. I'm not sure Bill understands how to write a column or even an introduction to a video without making it just a little bit about himself. He's under the impression everything is about him anyway. So watch the video, it's good, here's the overly-long introduction, which isn't so good.
2014: $9,300,500
2015: $9,701,000
Steve Nash wears no. 10 for the Lakers, but it’s really 9.3. Next season, that turns into 9.7. Those are the numbers Lakers fans see. They see a walking cap figure.
You already know what I'm going to write here. Bill is speaking for Lakers fans, they only see Nash as a commodity because fans are only capable of viewing athletes in that way, blah, blah, blah...don't try to think you speak for the fans. Bill isn't going to stop doing this of course.
You can’t blame them for feeling that way.
I don't know if Lakers fans see it exactly this way, Nash as a walking cap figure, but they could see him as a guy who is expensive and isn't playing right now, yet a player who provides a lot of value if/when he makes it back to be productive.
Adam Silver once told me his league had evolved into a 10-month sport: from preseason (October) all the way through free agency and summer league (end of July).
This is your reminder that Bill Simmons has talked to Adam Silver before.
It’s a nonstop frenzy of mock drafts, calculated leaks, fake trades, unsubstantiated rumors, misleading tweets and hopeful executives knocking on front doors at 12:01 a.m., with everything feeding off the collective sophistication of the fans.
Not that Bill is off topic or anything right now, but Steve Nash's attempted comeback has very little to do with the sophistication of the fans or how long the NBA season really lasts. But again, Bill has talked to Adam Silver. This is important to know.
Believe me, we didn’t always inhale summer that way.
Yes I know, I wasn't born just a few years ago and have memory recall that goes back further than the year 2000. For some reason, Bill feels the need to educate his readers on what the NBA used to be like, as if his readers are mouth-breathing morons who aren't capable of understanding the sophistication of the game without him spoon-feeding it to his readers. It's ironic, given that Bill calls the fans collectively sophisticated yet seems to want his readers to "believe me" the game wasn't always a nonstop frenzy. The collective sophistication of the fans must stop when it comes to remembering what the NBA was like 10-15 years ago.
Right after ESPN.com hired me in 2001, I wrote a column handing out Boogie Nights quotes as “awards” for the NBA’s best and worst offseason signings. I didn’t have a feel for ESPN’s readers yet.
Will this piece go over people’s heads? Is there too much salary stuff in here? Do people care? Is this too nerdy? How many readers actually give a crap?
Thirteen years later, that piece reads as if I deliberately dumbed it down.
So to summarize Steve Nash's attempted comeback attempt so far:
1. The NBA is a 10-month sport now, because Adam Silver told Bill this.
2. Bill wants us to know it wasn't always that way.
3. Here is a link to a column that Bill wrote and here are Bill's thoughts at the time about the column.
4. Bill didn't think his fans were that smart and dumbed the article down.
It certainly appears so far that Steve Nash's comeback attempt is mostly about Bill Simmons and his thoughts 13 years ago about the NBA. I'm surprised Nash even got camera time in the accompanying video.
I don’t remember cap figures mattering for me until 1994, when I came to the horrifying realization that I understood the cap better than my beloved Celtics did.
"I, I, I, me, me, me. Let's talk about my favorite NBA team and how I'm smarter than they were in 1994. Me, me, me, I, I, I."
As if Bill Simmons couldn't write an introduction to a Steve Nash comeback video, that's right it's not even supposed to be an entire column but an introduction to a video about an NBA player's comeback attempt, without talking about the Boston Celtics. There's absolutely no reason for Bill to talk about one of his old columns, there's absolutely no reason to talk about the Celtics, and there is no absolutely no reason to talk about whether Bill was smarter than the Celtics front office in 1994. Yet, Bill can't write anything without either (a) making it about him in some way or (b) shoehorning in a brief discussion about his favorite teams. The world revolves around Bill and his past/present thoughts. Look no further than this introduction accompanying a video about a non-Celtics player comeback efforts to see this as a true.
That summer, we were already saddled with Sherman Douglas’s never-ending contract,
"We" huh? I didn't realize Bill played for the Celtics team in 1994.
(Checks Celtics 1994-1995 roster and doesn't see Bill on the roster)
Xavier McDaniel’s expiring toilet-clogger and two more years of the late Reggie Lewis’s expensive salary.
Again, if you can find the correlation between Steve Nash preparing a comeback attempt and the cap situation of the 1994 Celtics then you are a better person than me. You also probably are a big, big Bill Simmons fan.
Why did Reggie stay on Boston’s cap after he tragically passed away in 1993? Two words: David Stern. One of many reasons I didn’t write a “Farewell, David” column.
You screwed over the Celtics, David Stern! Bill Simmons never forgets and this is one more reason Celtics fans are just so tortured and downtrodden. The team isn't on pace to make the NBA Playoffs this year. Has an NBA team never not made the playoffs in such tortured fashion? If Bill wrote columns still then he would write 10,000 words about how the Celtics 13-14 season is the most tortured season of any non-playoff team ever.
That didn’t stop our bumbling general manager, M.L. Carr, from splurging close to $40 million on Dee Brown, Pervis Ellison and an aging Dominique Wilkins. Suddenly 80 percent of our cap was earmarked for two washed-up stars, a fat point guard, a guard without a position, a center who never played and someone who wasn’t alive. We had no way to improve — no real assets, no future stars, nothing. We were trapped under .500 for years.
I can't imagine how Bill survived this period. Most likely he just did what he has done with the Bruins and Red Sox when those two teams haven't been very good. He made an excuse about how he's a "widow" and then stated he didn't like these teams because "they weren't very fun to watch." What this really means is "I only pay attention to my favorite teams if they are winning games."
To nobody’s surprise, the ’95 Celtics lost 47 games before getting bounced by Orlando in Round 1.
I'm sorry, Round 1 of what? Round 1 of the NBA Non-Playoff Teams Playoffs? That's right, the season that Bill is complaining about the Celtics made the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. So there were six teams in the Eastern Conference who were worse than the Celtics. Granted, the Celtics were bad for a period of time after this season, but the season Bill is complaining about the Celtics made the playoffs.
I stopped for gas, bought a Sunday Globe and flipped to the sports section. Unbelievably, improbably, incredibly, Wilkins was reportedly ditching Boston to play in Greece. And I’m in the middle of nowhere, holding a gasoline nozzle with one hand and the newspaper with the other, and I’m yelling, “YES! YES! YES!!!!! CAP SPACE!!!!!”
This is a true story. I believe it. Hey, remember when this introduction was about Steve Nash's retirement? Well, it's not really. This introduction to a video about Steve Nash is really about Bill Simmons' need to bitch about a Celtics team from 20 years ago. Not that Bill makes everything about him, because he would never do that.
Just a few weeks later, M.L. squandered that miracle by gift-wrapping Dana Barros $20.8 million over six stupefying years. Overpaying a 5-foot-9 point guard when we already had Douglas, Brown AND David Wesley?
M.L. eventually solved that glut by dealing Fat Sherm for Todd Day, a.k.a. The Least Likable Celtic of All Time. Not even one of M.L.’s five worst moves.
So Bill has bitched that Sherman Douglas was on the Celtics team and now he is bitching that Douglas got traded. Also, Todd Day was better than Sherman Douglas, no matter whether Bill found him likable or not. Likable doesn't have anything to do with it. But hey...Steve Nash...retirement...anyone?
And what about M.L. naming himself coach as well? Since the Internet hadn’t taken shape yet, I couldn’t vent about Bizarro Red Auerbach to anyone other than my father and my friends. I didn’t have a column or a podcast, I didn’t have a message board … shit, I didn’t have email. I wanted to climb Mount Washington, Balboa-style, stand at the top and scream, “M.L. CARR IS RUINING MY TEAM!!!!”
Bill was tortured that he didn't even have a forum to tell everyone how tortured he was. This is the worst thing that can happen. Bill was tortured by not being able to convey how tortured he had become.
So that’s when I started caring about cap figures.
I routinely criticize Bill for not just being able to say something. He has to describe how he feels rather than just stating the feeling he has. Bill tends to do this a lot when he shoehorns in a pop culture reference to state how something made him feel rather than just saying how he felt. The previous paragraphs are a cousin to this trend. Rather than just stating, "I paid attention to the salary cap during the 1994-1995 season when the Celtics made dumb moves and M.L. Carr screwed up the team's cap by signing Dana Barros," Bill has to go into an overly-long story and bring the focus back onto him and what he wanted to say. Bill Simmons doesn't know how to not make something about him.
I look at Gerald Wallace and think, $30.3 million through 2016. Knicks fans look at Amar’e Stoudemire and think, Off the cap summer after next. Phoenix fans see Emeka Okafor and think, $14.5 million, expiring, what can we get for him? Pistons fans look at Josh Smith and think, I have 54 million more reasons to handcuff Joe Dumars to a radiator in my basement.
And Lakers fans look at Steve Nash and think, 9.3 this year, 9.7 next year.
Actually, when comparing Nash's cap figure to Okafor, Wallace Stoudemire, and Josh Smith it doesn't seem as intimidating. Nash is owed $19 million over the next two seasons and if he is able to come back healthy then he could be worth this money. I can't read the minds of an entire fan base, so I'm sure because Bill sees Gerald Wallace as nothing but a cap figure then Lakers fans see Steve Nash as only a cap figure. After all, Bill speaks for fans everywhere.
It’s no different from how I thought of ’Nique at that Vermont gas station — when I didn’t care about his 25,389 career points or his dunking-in-traffic legacy. I only cared that ’Nique was in the way. And that’s how Lakers fans feel about Nash.
This might be true, but it's always dangerous to assume that your thoughts are the same thoughts shared by others. Somehow Bill has gotten away with doing this for almost 15 years now.
It’s a cruel finish for such a wonderful player. I never saw Cousy and Oscar, obviously. I only caught the tail end of Frazier and the second (and inferior) incarnation of Tiny. I caught everything Magic and everything Isiah; they’re 1-2 on the “Best Point Guards I Ever Watched” list.
"I, I, I, me, me, me."
Nash peaked on those “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns teams, when Phoenix built him a high-powered Formula One racing car — with Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and a rotating cast of 3-point bombers as the engine, and Mike D’Antoni as the lead mechanic — knowing that Nash and Nash alone could steer such a complicated vehicle.
Halfway through the column and finally there is a discussion about Steve Nash. We should feel lucky Bill mentioned Nash at all in his introduction to a video about Steve Nash. We could have gotten a season-by-season breakdown of the Celtics cap figures instead.
Maybe they never won a title, but Chris Connelly nailed it when he called them “critically acclaimed.” Not the worst legacy in the world.
Yet much like saying a player "Was the least likable" this ultimately means nothing. The Suns didn't even make an NBA Finals. They were fun to watch, which I'm pretty sure isn't Steve Nash's ultimate career goal that he wants to achieve.
When he battled nerve damage in his back last November, rumors stupidly swirled that Nash might retire. You know, because it’s so easy to walk away from 10 million bucks.
Bill knows Steve Nash, as he will make quite clear in the next paragraph so he probably really does know better than I do, but Nash has interests outside of basketball and he seems to be a very well-rounded individual. I can see him not playing again if his nerve damage was too much to handle and he wanted to focus on his other life aspirations. It's not easy to walk away from $10 million but Steve Nash isn't your typical athlete either.
Steve Nash? I thought he’d already arrived. I thought he was there. And then, one night … my phone rang.
It was him.
Oh, the drama!
Bill even tries to make Steve Nash's comeback attempt phone call about him in just a little way. And no, Bill still won't get to the point and has to relate his relationship with Steve Nash over the years before he gets to the point he discusses the first part of the Grantland "The Finish Line" video documentary.
I have known Steve Nash for nearly five years.
(Stands up and gives Bill an ovation while Bill jerks off to the sight of himself in the mirror)
We met by phone during the summer of 2009, when Nash needed a copilot for a potential book project. Teaming up for a modern-day version of Life on the Run or The Game absolutely intrigued me, especially after chatting with Nash and finding out how perceptive he was. For instance, Nash didn’t just play with Stoudemire.
I always love Bill's use of italics. It really emphasizes what he's trying to say.
This was a whole other level of thinking. I was doing backflips. This could have been, potentially, one of the great sports books.
Not that Bill has an ego or anything, but he could have helped write one of the great sports books.
Steve Nash would be allowing us behind the curtain.
Plus, Bill was writing the book, which automatically means it would be better than any other book that had ever been written.
Over the course of a few phone calls and emails, Nash smartly realized he could never publish the book he wanted to write. Not while he was still playing, anyway. He couldn’t be candid about teammates and coaches as he was leading them. Impossible.
Deep down, I knew this — that’s why I urged him to scribble out some thoughts while being as frank as possible. I promised I would never show anyone those emails. (And I won’t.)
What a good friend Bill is. The fact Bill needs to tell us he won't show anyone those emails tells me two things. (1) Bill really, really wants to show someone those emails so he can show the world how Steve Nash opened up to him and (2) he could just delete them and Nash would never have to worry about Bill showing someone these emails, but Bill is holding out to still write this book with Nash and that's why he has kept the emails he would never show anyone.
Nash became involved with one of my big projects, 30 for 30, codirecting our film about Canadian hero Terry Fox. We spent a night at Sundance eating dinner with an oversize group;
"Me, me, me, I, I, I, myself, myself, myself."
I realize Bill is giving his perspective on Steve Nash, but Bill has a unique way of making this introduction about him and his feelings as it pertains to Steve Nash. This is an introduction to a series of videos about Steve Nash's comeback, not the history of how Bill Simmons came to know Steve Nash. Yet, that's what the reader has gotten so far.
After Nash’s Fox film received universally positive reviews, we remained in touch and recorded a few podcasts, crossing paths by accident a couple more times. His move to Los Angeles opened the door for a belated collaboration. Well, for about three seconds. Almost immediately, Nash’s first Lakers season degenerated into a full-fledged soap opera — Starring Dwight! And Kobe! And Jimmy! And Phil! And Mike Brown as Mike! — right as Nash’s divorce trial became weekly TMZ fodder. I never felt right about following up.
A solid year passed. My phone rang one night.
Nash???
Now Bill is 75% through this introduction and he finally gets to the part where he explains why Steve Nash has agreed to do these series of videos for Grantland. We have had to suffer through the history of Bill's friendship with Steve Nash, the 1994-1995 Celtics salary cap situation, and Bill telling us how Lakers fans feel about Steve Nash's cap figure.
Did he have anything left … or did he just WANT to have something left? And how could he tell the difference?
He wouldn’t know for sure unless he killed himself to come back. And that’s what he had been doing, Steve Nash said. For weeks and weeks. He figured he could play quality basketball once a week. But in the NBA, you need to do that three or four times a week. That’s the subtle difference between being productive and being a scrub.
This is what the brief introduction to the first part of the video should have been, not Bill's feelings about the NBA's salary cap.
Now, imagine you’re me.
I'd rather not. It would cause me to hate myself.
You’re sitting home on some random night watching hoops when the phone rings. It’s one of the five or six best point guards who ever lived, a two-time MVP, one of the most entertaining players of the past 40 years. He’s talking candidly, telling you about his myriad problems, vowing that he isn’t done yet.
That makes you feel very special about yourself, doesn't it? And after all, aren't these series of videos chronicling Nash's comeback attempt about Bill and how it feels to talk to Steve Nash about his feelings?
Halfway through the phone call, I started to comprehend the stakes. We finally had a chance to pull off that Life on the Run/The Game idea, only in video form, and in real time. You read those books, as great as they are, while already knowing the ending. This time around, the ending would write itself. We could root for Nash as it happened.
It's a great idea with a self-involved introduction.
I took the other side, believing the Lakers would be foolish to use the stretch. Wasn’t Nash more valuable as an expiring deal, both as a potential trade piece and a 2015 cap hold before free-agent studs like Kevin Love become available? Then again, the Lakers have done a variety of silly things lately. Who knows? Nash and I batted around the various scenarios like we were Wilbon and Kornheiser. Only later did I realize how surreal it was to discuss Cap Figure Nash with Real Person Nash.
Bill and Steve are like super-besties now. And yet again, while in the middle of telling us how this video series came together Bill has to put the focus back on him and how it felt to be talking to Steve Nash. That's really what this introduction is about. It's about how Bill Simmons feels while talking to Steve Nash...well, and the 1994-1995 Celtics salary cap situation of course.
Regardless, I couldn’t believe how much I was pulling for him last week. Cap Figure Nash had morphed into Real Person Nash — the guy trying to save his career, his contract, his family and his inordinately special gift. I didn’t see 9.3 and 9.7 anymore. I saw only no. 10.
But Lakers fans still only saw 9.3 and 9.7. Bill is smarter than you and can read minds, so he knows this for sure.
Whether Lakers fans follow suit remains to be seen. The day of that Minnesota game, a buddy of mine who loves the Lakers stopped by Grantland’s office. He knew nothing about our Nash project.
By the way, this buddy of Bill's is not famous. It's easy to know this because if this buddy were famous then Bill would have name-dropped exactly who this famous buddy was.
As I started describing it, he hissed, “Oh God, I hope it’s a project convincing him to retire.” We showed him a rough cut. Within 10 minutes, he was begrudgingly admitting, “Now I’m rooting for him to come back.”
It's a really good video and it should be able to speak for itself without Bill Simmons making the video about him or leading up to the video by using 2600 words to tell us about his feelings when he talks to Steve Nash and how the Celtics giving Dana Barros a six year contract made him feel.
Welcome to The Finish Line.
The finish line would have gotten here a lot faster if Bill wasn't so enamored with himself that he had to make Steve Nash's comeback video about him.
2014: $9,300,500
2015: $9,701,000
Steve Nash wears no. 10 for the Lakers, but it’s really 9.3. Next season, that turns into 9.7. Those are the numbers Lakers fans see. They see a walking cap figure.
You already know what I'm going to write here. Bill is speaking for Lakers fans, they only see Nash as a commodity because fans are only capable of viewing athletes in that way, blah, blah, blah...don't try to think you speak for the fans. Bill isn't going to stop doing this of course.
You can’t blame them for feeling that way.
I don't know if Lakers fans see it exactly this way, Nash as a walking cap figure, but they could see him as a guy who is expensive and isn't playing right now, yet a player who provides a lot of value if/when he makes it back to be productive.
Adam Silver once told me his league had evolved into a 10-month sport: from preseason (October) all the way through free agency and summer league (end of July).
This is your reminder that Bill Simmons has talked to Adam Silver before.
It’s a nonstop frenzy of mock drafts, calculated leaks, fake trades, unsubstantiated rumors, misleading tweets and hopeful executives knocking on front doors at 12:01 a.m., with everything feeding off the collective sophistication of the fans.
Not that Bill is off topic or anything right now, but Steve Nash's attempted comeback has very little to do with the sophistication of the fans or how long the NBA season really lasts. But again, Bill has talked to Adam Silver. This is important to know.
Believe me, we didn’t always inhale summer that way.
Yes I know, I wasn't born just a few years ago and have memory recall that goes back further than the year 2000. For some reason, Bill feels the need to educate his readers on what the NBA used to be like, as if his readers are mouth-breathing morons who aren't capable of understanding the sophistication of the game without him spoon-feeding it to his readers. It's ironic, given that Bill calls the fans collectively sophisticated yet seems to want his readers to "believe me" the game wasn't always a nonstop frenzy. The collective sophistication of the fans must stop when it comes to remembering what the NBA was like 10-15 years ago.
Right after ESPN.com hired me in 2001, I wrote a column handing out Boogie Nights quotes as “awards” for the NBA’s best and worst offseason signings. I didn’t have a feel for ESPN’s readers yet.
Will this piece go over people’s heads? Is there too much salary stuff in here? Do people care? Is this too nerdy? How many readers actually give a crap?
Thirteen years later, that piece reads as if I deliberately dumbed it down.
So to summarize Steve Nash's attempted comeback attempt so far:
1. The NBA is a 10-month sport now, because Adam Silver told Bill this.
2. Bill wants us to know it wasn't always that way.
3. Here is a link to a column that Bill wrote and here are Bill's thoughts at the time about the column.
4. Bill didn't think his fans were that smart and dumbed the article down.
It certainly appears so far that Steve Nash's comeback attempt is mostly about Bill Simmons and his thoughts 13 years ago about the NBA. I'm surprised Nash even got camera time in the accompanying video.
I don’t remember cap figures mattering for me until 1994, when I came to the horrifying realization that I understood the cap better than my beloved Celtics did.
"I, I, I, me, me, me. Let's talk about my favorite NBA team and how I'm smarter than they were in 1994. Me, me, me, I, I, I."
As if Bill Simmons couldn't write an introduction to a Steve Nash comeback video, that's right it's not even supposed to be an entire column but an introduction to a video about an NBA player's comeback attempt, without talking about the Boston Celtics. There's absolutely no reason for Bill to talk about one of his old columns, there's absolutely no reason to talk about the Celtics, and there is no absolutely no reason to talk about whether Bill was smarter than the Celtics front office in 1994. Yet, Bill can't write anything without either (a) making it about him in some way or (b) shoehorning in a brief discussion about his favorite teams. The world revolves around Bill and his past/present thoughts. Look no further than this introduction accompanying a video about a non-Celtics player comeback efforts to see this as a true.
That summer, we were already saddled with Sherman Douglas’s never-ending contract,
"We" huh? I didn't realize Bill played for the Celtics team in 1994.
(Checks Celtics 1994-1995 roster and doesn't see Bill on the roster)
Xavier McDaniel’s expiring toilet-clogger and two more years of the late Reggie Lewis’s expensive salary.
Again, if you can find the correlation between Steve Nash preparing a comeback attempt and the cap situation of the 1994 Celtics then you are a better person than me. You also probably are a big, big Bill Simmons fan.
Why did Reggie stay on Boston’s cap after he tragically passed away in 1993? Two words: David Stern. One of many reasons I didn’t write a “Farewell, David” column.
You screwed over the Celtics, David Stern! Bill Simmons never forgets and this is one more reason Celtics fans are just so tortured and downtrodden. The team isn't on pace to make the NBA Playoffs this year. Has an NBA team never not made the playoffs in such tortured fashion? If Bill wrote columns still then he would write 10,000 words about how the Celtics 13-14 season is the most tortured season of any non-playoff team ever.
That didn’t stop our bumbling general manager, M.L. Carr, from splurging close to $40 million on Dee Brown, Pervis Ellison and an aging Dominique Wilkins. Suddenly 80 percent of our cap was earmarked for two washed-up stars, a fat point guard, a guard without a position, a center who never played and someone who wasn’t alive. We had no way to improve — no real assets, no future stars, nothing. We were trapped under .500 for years.
I can't imagine how Bill survived this period. Most likely he just did what he has done with the Bruins and Red Sox when those two teams haven't been very good. He made an excuse about how he's a "widow" and then stated he didn't like these teams because "they weren't very fun to watch." What this really means is "I only pay attention to my favorite teams if they are winning games."
To nobody’s surprise, the ’95 Celtics lost 47 games before getting bounced by Orlando in Round 1.
I'm sorry, Round 1 of what? Round 1 of the NBA Non-Playoff Teams Playoffs? That's right, the season that Bill is complaining about the Celtics made the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. So there were six teams in the Eastern Conference who were worse than the Celtics. Granted, the Celtics were bad for a period of time after this season, but the season Bill is complaining about the Celtics made the playoffs.
I stopped for gas, bought a Sunday Globe and flipped to the sports section. Unbelievably, improbably, incredibly, Wilkins was reportedly ditching Boston to play in Greece. And I’m in the middle of nowhere, holding a gasoline nozzle with one hand and the newspaper with the other, and I’m yelling, “YES! YES! YES!!!!! CAP SPACE!!!!!”
This is a true story. I believe it. Hey, remember when this introduction was about Steve Nash's retirement? Well, it's not really. This introduction to a video about Steve Nash is really about Bill Simmons' need to bitch about a Celtics team from 20 years ago. Not that Bill makes everything about him, because he would never do that.
Just a few weeks later, M.L. squandered that miracle by gift-wrapping Dana Barros $20.8 million over six stupefying years. Overpaying a 5-foot-9 point guard when we already had Douglas, Brown AND David Wesley?
M.L. eventually solved that glut by dealing Fat Sherm for Todd Day, a.k.a. The Least Likable Celtic of All Time. Not even one of M.L.’s five worst moves.
So Bill has bitched that Sherman Douglas was on the Celtics team and now he is bitching that Douglas got traded. Also, Todd Day was better than Sherman Douglas, no matter whether Bill found him likable or not. Likable doesn't have anything to do with it. But hey...Steve Nash...retirement...anyone?
And what about M.L. naming himself coach as well? Since the Internet hadn’t taken shape yet, I couldn’t vent about Bizarro Red Auerbach to anyone other than my father and my friends. I didn’t have a column or a podcast, I didn’t have a message board … shit, I didn’t have email. I wanted to climb Mount Washington, Balboa-style, stand at the top and scream, “M.L. CARR IS RUINING MY TEAM!!!!”
Bill was tortured that he didn't even have a forum to tell everyone how tortured he was. This is the worst thing that can happen. Bill was tortured by not being able to convey how tortured he had become.
So that’s when I started caring about cap figures.
I routinely criticize Bill for not just being able to say something. He has to describe how he feels rather than just stating the feeling he has. Bill tends to do this a lot when he shoehorns in a pop culture reference to state how something made him feel rather than just saying how he felt. The previous paragraphs are a cousin to this trend. Rather than just stating, "I paid attention to the salary cap during the 1994-1995 season when the Celtics made dumb moves and M.L. Carr screwed up the team's cap by signing Dana Barros," Bill has to go into an overly-long story and bring the focus back onto him and what he wanted to say. Bill Simmons doesn't know how to not make something about him.
I look at Gerald Wallace and think, $30.3 million through 2016. Knicks fans look at Amar’e Stoudemire and think, Off the cap summer after next. Phoenix fans see Emeka Okafor and think, $14.5 million, expiring, what can we get for him? Pistons fans look at Josh Smith and think, I have 54 million more reasons to handcuff Joe Dumars to a radiator in my basement.
And Lakers fans look at Steve Nash and think, 9.3 this year, 9.7 next year.
Actually, when comparing Nash's cap figure to Okafor, Wallace Stoudemire, and Josh Smith it doesn't seem as intimidating. Nash is owed $19 million over the next two seasons and if he is able to come back healthy then he could be worth this money. I can't read the minds of an entire fan base, so I'm sure because Bill sees Gerald Wallace as nothing but a cap figure then Lakers fans see Steve Nash as only a cap figure. After all, Bill speaks for fans everywhere.
It’s no different from how I thought of ’Nique at that Vermont gas station — when I didn’t care about his 25,389 career points or his dunking-in-traffic legacy. I only cared that ’Nique was in the way. And that’s how Lakers fans feel about Nash.
This might be true, but it's always dangerous to assume that your thoughts are the same thoughts shared by others. Somehow Bill has gotten away with doing this for almost 15 years now.
It’s a cruel finish for such a wonderful player. I never saw Cousy and Oscar, obviously. I only caught the tail end of Frazier and the second (and inferior) incarnation of Tiny. I caught everything Magic and everything Isiah; they’re 1-2 on the “Best Point Guards I Ever Watched” list.
"I, I, I, me, me, me."
Nash peaked on those “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns teams, when Phoenix built him a high-powered Formula One racing car — with Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and a rotating cast of 3-point bombers as the engine, and Mike D’Antoni as the lead mechanic — knowing that Nash and Nash alone could steer such a complicated vehicle.
Halfway through the column and finally there is a discussion about Steve Nash. We should feel lucky Bill mentioned Nash at all in his introduction to a video about Steve Nash. We could have gotten a season-by-season breakdown of the Celtics cap figures instead.
Maybe they never won a title, but Chris Connelly nailed it when he called them “critically acclaimed.” Not the worst legacy in the world.
Yet much like saying a player "Was the least likable" this ultimately means nothing. The Suns didn't even make an NBA Finals. They were fun to watch, which I'm pretty sure isn't Steve Nash's ultimate career goal that he wants to achieve.
When he battled nerve damage in his back last November, rumors stupidly swirled that Nash might retire. You know, because it’s so easy to walk away from 10 million bucks.
Bill knows Steve Nash, as he will make quite clear in the next paragraph so he probably really does know better than I do, but Nash has interests outside of basketball and he seems to be a very well-rounded individual. I can see him not playing again if his nerve damage was too much to handle and he wanted to focus on his other life aspirations. It's not easy to walk away from $10 million but Steve Nash isn't your typical athlete either.
Steve Nash? I thought he’d already arrived. I thought he was there. And then, one night … my phone rang.
It was him.
Oh, the drama!
Bill even tries to make Steve Nash's comeback attempt phone call about him in just a little way. And no, Bill still won't get to the point and has to relate his relationship with Steve Nash over the years before he gets to the point he discusses the first part of the Grantland "The Finish Line" video documentary.
I have known Steve Nash for nearly five years.
(Stands up and gives Bill an ovation while Bill jerks off to the sight of himself in the mirror)
We met by phone during the summer of 2009, when Nash needed a copilot for a potential book project. Teaming up for a modern-day version of Life on the Run or The Game absolutely intrigued me, especially after chatting with Nash and finding out how perceptive he was. For instance, Nash didn’t just play with Stoudemire.
I always love Bill's use of italics. It really emphasizes what he's trying to say.
This was a whole other level of thinking. I was doing backflips. This could have been, potentially, one of the great sports books.
Not that Bill has an ego or anything, but he could have helped write one of the great sports books.
Steve Nash would be allowing us behind the curtain.
Plus, Bill was writing the book, which automatically means it would be better than any other book that had ever been written.
Over the course of a few phone calls and emails, Nash smartly realized he could never publish the book he wanted to write. Not while he was still playing, anyway. He couldn’t be candid about teammates and coaches as he was leading them. Impossible.
Deep down, I knew this — that’s why I urged him to scribble out some thoughts while being as frank as possible. I promised I would never show anyone those emails. (And I won’t.)
What a good friend Bill is. The fact Bill needs to tell us he won't show anyone those emails tells me two things. (1) Bill really, really wants to show someone those emails so he can show the world how Steve Nash opened up to him and (2) he could just delete them and Nash would never have to worry about Bill showing someone these emails, but Bill is holding out to still write this book with Nash and that's why he has kept the emails he would never show anyone.
Nash became involved with one of my big projects, 30 for 30, codirecting our film about Canadian hero Terry Fox. We spent a night at Sundance eating dinner with an oversize group;
"Me, me, me, I, I, I, myself, myself, myself."
I realize Bill is giving his perspective on Steve Nash, but Bill has a unique way of making this introduction about him and his feelings as it pertains to Steve Nash. This is an introduction to a series of videos about Steve Nash's comeback, not the history of how Bill Simmons came to know Steve Nash. Yet, that's what the reader has gotten so far.
After Nash’s Fox film received universally positive reviews, we remained in touch and recorded a few podcasts, crossing paths by accident a couple more times. His move to Los Angeles opened the door for a belated collaboration. Well, for about three seconds. Almost immediately, Nash’s first Lakers season degenerated into a full-fledged soap opera — Starring Dwight! And Kobe! And Jimmy! And Phil! And Mike Brown as Mike! — right as Nash’s divorce trial became weekly TMZ fodder. I never felt right about following up.
A solid year passed. My phone rang one night.
Nash???
Now Bill is 75% through this introduction and he finally gets to the part where he explains why Steve Nash has agreed to do these series of videos for Grantland. We have had to suffer through the history of Bill's friendship with Steve Nash, the 1994-1995 Celtics salary cap situation, and Bill telling us how Lakers fans feel about Steve Nash's cap figure.
Did he have anything left … or did he just WANT to have something left? And how could he tell the difference?
He wouldn’t know for sure unless he killed himself to come back. And that’s what he had been doing, Steve Nash said. For weeks and weeks. He figured he could play quality basketball once a week. But in the NBA, you need to do that three or four times a week. That’s the subtle difference between being productive and being a scrub.
This is what the brief introduction to the first part of the video should have been, not Bill's feelings about the NBA's salary cap.
Now, imagine you’re me.
I'd rather not. It would cause me to hate myself.
You’re sitting home on some random night watching hoops when the phone rings. It’s one of the five or six best point guards who ever lived, a two-time MVP, one of the most entertaining players of the past 40 years. He’s talking candidly, telling you about his myriad problems, vowing that he isn’t done yet.
That makes you feel very special about yourself, doesn't it? And after all, aren't these series of videos chronicling Nash's comeback attempt about Bill and how it feels to talk to Steve Nash about his feelings?
Halfway through the phone call, I started to comprehend the stakes. We finally had a chance to pull off that Life on the Run/The Game idea, only in video form, and in real time. You read those books, as great as they are, while already knowing the ending. This time around, the ending would write itself. We could root for Nash as it happened.
It's a great idea with a self-involved introduction.
I took the other side, believing the Lakers would be foolish to use the stretch. Wasn’t Nash more valuable as an expiring deal, both as a potential trade piece and a 2015 cap hold before free-agent studs like Kevin Love become available? Then again, the Lakers have done a variety of silly things lately. Who knows? Nash and I batted around the various scenarios like we were Wilbon and Kornheiser. Only later did I realize how surreal it was to discuss Cap Figure Nash with Real Person Nash.
Bill and Steve are like super-besties now. And yet again, while in the middle of telling us how this video series came together Bill has to put the focus back on him and how it felt to be talking to Steve Nash. That's really what this introduction is about. It's about how Bill Simmons feels while talking to Steve Nash...well, and the 1994-1995 Celtics salary cap situation of course.
Regardless, I couldn’t believe how much I was pulling for him last week. Cap Figure Nash had morphed into Real Person Nash — the guy trying to save his career, his contract, his family and his inordinately special gift. I didn’t see 9.3 and 9.7 anymore. I saw only no. 10.
But Lakers fans still only saw 9.3 and 9.7. Bill is smarter than you and can read minds, so he knows this for sure.
Whether Lakers fans follow suit remains to be seen. The day of that Minnesota game, a buddy of mine who loves the Lakers stopped by Grantland’s office. He knew nothing about our Nash project.
By the way, this buddy of Bill's is not famous. It's easy to know this because if this buddy were famous then Bill would have name-dropped exactly who this famous buddy was.
As I started describing it, he hissed, “Oh God, I hope it’s a project convincing him to retire.” We showed him a rough cut. Within 10 minutes, he was begrudgingly admitting, “Now I’m rooting for him to come back.”
It's a really good video and it should be able to speak for itself without Bill Simmons making the video about him or leading up to the video by using 2600 words to tell us about his feelings when he talks to Steve Nash and how the Celtics giving Dana Barros a six year contract made him feel.
Welcome to The Finish Line.
The finish line would have gotten here a lot faster if Bill wasn't so enamored with himself that he had to make Steve Nash's comeback video about him.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
4 comments Bleacher Report Has a List of Teams Who Need to Spend Money They Don't Have in Free Agency
This article is ridiculous. The whole idea that "Team A, B, and C need to spend money in free agency in order to excite their fans" is a crazy point of view to me. Bleacher Report has provided us with a list of teams who need to make a big splash in free agency this year. The problem with a few of these teams making a splash in free agency is they don't have the cap room to do so. "That's no problem," says the author when confronted with this reality in the comments,
I work with the cap every day. Easy to find money.
He works with the cap everyday, people. It's easy to find money. It's not so easy to find money and still put a good team on the field, but that's beside the point because the author WORKS WITH THE CAP EVERYDAY. He wakes up, works with the cap for eight hours and then goes to bed. Little do NFL teams know the premier capologist on the planet is wasting his life away working as a certified contract advisor and writing for Bleacher Report when he could be fixing a team's salary cap situation with ease. When confronted with one team only having $22 million in cap room, the author says,
ANY team can make and find cap space.
The author finds cap space AND YOU CAN TOO! The author is an NFLPA certified contract advisor and was an NFL scout, so while he has experience working with cap space, I can't help but think he is simplifying how easy it is to get cap space for some teams. Plus, getting cap space and then just spending that cap space on the free agent market sounds anti-theoretical to me.
I'd like to see how he would fix Carolina's cap issues without cutting the team's starting running back, starting left tackle, best cornerback, and two starting linebackers. Sure, all of those players can be cut, but then they have to sign draft picks and have money available for next year as well. Would cutting five starters and then spending on free agents really make Carolina a better team next year? Splurging on free agents will simply put Carolina in the same position next year as they are in this year. Of course, it's easy to find cap space so I don't know what I am worried about.
So immediately we know we aren't dealing with the most rational person who thinks teams need to sign free agents to excite the fans and also believes finding cap space is the same thing as finding cap space and still fielding a competitive team. What's the point of making a big splash in free agency if you have to cut your best players to get that cap space? Not to mention, some of the cap space each team has will go to signing draft picks. Here's the list of teams who need to clear cap room only to spend all of their cap room.
All the cap figures I will use come from this cap tracker and the cap room John Clayton said each team had in early January.
Historically, there are teams that are not very active in the unrestricted free-agent market. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are two perfect examples. While each team will sign its “homegrown” players, rarely do the Packers or Steelers spend big money on other teams’ free agents.
Because these teams are successful with this strategy, then some NFL teams should do the very opposite of this strategy and spend money on other teams' free agents...because that makes sense.
General manager Mark Dominik and head coach Greg Schiano knew they needed to do something to get the fans fired up again. So the Buccaneers spent heavy in free agency, locking up wide receiver Vincent Jackson, offensive guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.
The Buccaneers also had $43 million in cap space. When you have that kind of money then you can spend it in free agency. By the way, the Buccaneers didn't make the playoffs last year, but I'm sure the Tampa Bay fans are fired up again.
Jackson was one of the best receivers in football, and Nicks was a dominant player until he was placed on injured reserve.
So basically Carl Nicks got injured. He was an expensive free agent who got injured after seven games. Isn't this an example of why free agency is a crapshoot? Nicks may be fine for this upcoming season, but the Bucs spent good money on him, only to have him injured. I'm not saying Nicks was a bad free agent signing, but do want to note Nicks got injured in the first year of his free agent contract.
Here are 10 teams that need to be players in free agency in 2013. These franchises either need more talent or need to spend big to show their fans they are serious about winning now.
Because nothing says a team is serious about winning like spending cap room they don't have and cutting current players on the team. Cutting players to get cap room, only to fill this cap room with free agent signings is what some of these teams need to do.
Let's start the slideshow!
Arizona Cardinals
I am showing the Cardinals had approximately $-1.8 million in cap room when this article was written (all cap figures will be as of the day this article was written or as close as possible to that date). They don't have enough money at this point to sign their draft picks, but of course it's easy to clear up cap room!
The first move new Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim should make is getting a quarterback who can win some games.
I'm glad the first move is the most simple. There are at least 10 quarterbacks available right now who can "win some games." These quarterbacks will also sign a 4 year negative $21 million contract, so it all works out. All of these quarterbacks who can win games will sign with the Cardinals and actually free up cap space. It's a win-win!
Then, he should sign some offensive linemen that can block for said quarterback.
It's easy to find quality offensive linemen who will work cheap. Keep thinking that.
The market for a starting quarterback is not good, so Keim will have to work to trade for a player like Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers.
The good news is the Cardinals won't have to sign as many draft picks, while the bad news is the Cardinals just traded for Alex Smith. I like Alex Smith. Take Alex Smith out of San Francisco and I start to have questions about Alex Smith's ability to play the quarterback position. Also, how is trading for Alex Smith spending money in free agency?
Notice the author says the Cardinals need to sign a quarterback who can win games, but he only lists Alex Smith as an option. There's Matt Flynn and Alex Smith on the market right now in regard to quarterbacks who can "win some games," and we don't even know if these guys can win games or not really. So it isn't like the Cardinals can just go out and find a quarterback in the next hour to win them some games.
The quality of free-agent offensive linemen is very high, though, so look for the Cardinals to sign at least two players. Offensive tackles Jake Long, Branden Albert, Ryan Clady and Andre Smith are instant upgrades.
Normally I would make a comment about the Cardinals having to worry about getting cap room to sign one of these quality tackles, but we have learned already it's easy to free up cap room, and it's not like the Cardinals need to sign draft picks or anything. How expensive could these four young tackles cost on the free agent market? The Cardinals are currently projected to be over the cap and they have now signed a quarterback, two offensive linemen and still have to sign their draft picks.
Carolina Panthers
I've already detailed Carolina's salary cap situation with the link I provided earlier in this post. It's crucial. Carolina is over the cap and they are going to have to cut quite a few players just to get under the cap enough to sign their draft picks. But why not be very active in free agency?
The Carolina Panthers front office needs to hit on this free-agent class to stay competitive in the NFC South.
Absolutely, but first they have to get under the salary cap and cut salary. That's going to be difficult enough without some restructured deals and difficult cuts, but then they should go spend the salary cap space they just acquired? Doesn't make sense.
Neither starting cornerback Josh Norman nor Chris Gamble are elite.
Neither starting cornerback is elite! Cut them all! Only elite corners allowed!
The Panthers need to add a cornerback like the Steelers' Keenan Lewis or the Falcons' Brent Grimes.
I'm not entirely sure Keenan Lewis or Brent Grimes are elite corners either.
At safety, the 49ers' Dashon Goldson would be the perfect addition.
Considering Carolina is approximately $5-$11 million over the projected cap of $121-$122 million, they would have to get $15-$20 million under the cap in order to sign Lewis/Grimes/Goldson in free agency and still have enough money to sign their draft picks. Seems kind of hard to do. What do I know though? I'm not a capologist. Just cut a bunch of players or push the cap hit down the line in order to sign free agents. It makes brilliant sense.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns need to win more games, and hitting big in free agency will help bring some fire back to fans that deserve a contender.
The author is all about free agency providing huge amounts of excitement for a team's fan base. You know what else would provide excitement for the Browns fan base? Winning games and continuing to draft well. The Browns have cap space, so they will obviously be players in free agency, but I think the author relies too much on "hitting big in free agency" to fix a team's problems.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions released defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch this week.
Why did the Lions do this? To get under the salary cap. They now have $2.7 million to play with, spend it as fast as possible!
With Vanden Bosch gone, the Lions could be without seven starters from 2012, according to Ourlads.com.
The Lions need to hit free agency hard on the defensive side of the football, but will have to be smart. Before this week’s cuts, the team did not have any room in cap space.
Salary cap space, smhalary cap space. It's easy to find cap room, don't you remember? You said so in your comments. It's time for the Lions to make a big splash in free agency. Sure, they are potentially losing seven starters on defense, but why not spend free agent money on a player or two who makes a big splash and gets the Lions some headlines. Headlines win Super Bowls.
They can add value and get good players by signing the likes of Raiders defensive end Matt Shaughnessy or the Texans' Connor Barwin. Green Bay Packers linebacker Brad Jones or the Vikings' Erin Henderson make the Lions better while making an NFC North opponent weaker.
These are not terrible suggestions. The problem is signing any of these four players isn't "making a big splash" in free agency. Smart signings like these don't make a big splash, so smart value signings like this go against the entire premise of this column it seems.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars need to find players who can get the fans back in the stands.
I think saying free agency is a way to get fans back in the stands is a bit short-sighted. Winning gets fans back in the stands and smart free agent signings can help a team win, but to sign a player simply to get fans to show up isn't a good long-term plan.
At cornerback, both Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox are free agents. The Jaguars have a players' coach in Gus Bradley running the ship and should make a run at the best cornerback in the class, Aqib Talib.
Raheem Morris was also a player's coach and that didn't work out incredibly well for Talib. If anything, Talib doesn't need a player's coach, but needs a coach who won't allow him to get away with being a knucklehead. I don't know if the Jaguars need to try and sign more expensive free agents to use up the $22 million in cap room they have. They probably should focus on drafting better. Aqib Talib doesn't seem like the best free agent to place on a struggling and developing team like Jacksonville.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers are about $6 million under the cap. So they don't have a ton of room to sign players, but let's see what kind of splash they can make in the view of the author.
The San Diego Chargers need depth at running back behind oft-injured Ryan Mathews, so look for them to add a player like Peyton Hillis of the Chiefs or Felix Jones of the Cowboys.
I'm not sure this counts as "making a splash," but if the Chargers are looking to sign two underachieving running backs then these are two good names to achieve that goal.
The defense could lose both starting cornerbacks and three starters along the defensive line. Dallas' Anthony Spencer would fit nicely at the outside linebacker position.
Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks and the Raiders' Richard Seymour have had success in the 3-4 defense and add veteran leadership to that side of the football.
The Chargers are $6 million under the cap. Signing Hillis or Jones wouldn't be difficult, but signing Anthony Spencer and then Seymour/Starks feels like it would take up quite a bit of cap room. The Chargers would need to make enough cuts to get these three players signed and then free up enough cap room to sign their draft picks.
Of course as the author says, it's easy to find money and cap space. Plus, he clearly sees free agency as the best way to get headlines and make a splash in free agency, and we all know the team that makes the most noise in free agency always wins the Super Bowl.
There's also a Bleacher Report slideshow on "College Basketball Stars Who Need to Stay Another Year." It's got small tidbits of interesting writing in it.
9. B.J. Young (Arkansas)
Young needs to continue to develop his playmaking skills because he legitimately will be evaluated at the next level for playing PG, not SG.
So Young will be legitimately evaluated at the next level for PG, not SG. Was there a point where he thought he would be illegitimately evaluated at the next level for PG, SG? Why is the word "legitimately" in this sentence?
7. Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky)
Before the 2012-13 season opened, Willie Cauley-Stein (7.6 ppg; 5.8 rpg; 1.9 bpg) was considered, more or less, a novelty recruit who would develop over the course of a couple of seasons at Kentucky.
No, he wasn't. Willie Cauley-Stein was seen as a one-and-done guy prior to the beginning of this college basketball season and he will probably go in the first round if he enters the draft. Also, I don't know what a "novelty recruit" is, but I do know Cauley-Stein has already been recruited over for the 2013-2014 college basketball season. If he sticks around next year it will be because he didn't play well enough to enter the draft this year, which means he won't be starting next year because the Wildcats have a monster recruiting class coming in. He needs one more year probably, but he wasn't ever considered a 2+ season guy at Kentucky.
3. Glenn Robinson III (Michigan)
His return is much more likely if Michigan makes an early departure from March Madness 2013.
This is the final sentence of this part of the slideshow. I'm confused. How does the author know Glenn Robinson III is more likely to return if Michigan loses early in the NCAA Tournament? Does he know the Robinson family? I sense he is just guessing, but he makes this statement and has absolutely no verification for this statement.
1. James Michael McAdoo (UNC)
James Michael McAdoo started off the 2012-13 season projected as a lottery pick.
A less-than-sensational sophomore season has created the possibility that JMM should strongly consider coming back to Chapel Hill just to regain his predicted draft position.
Freshman year statistics: 15.6 mpg, 6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.3 bpg, 0.9 spg, 63.8% FT, 43.4% FG.
Sophomore year statistics: 29.8 mpg,14.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.3bpg, 1.5 spg, 56.7% FT, 44.9% FG.
Considering McAdoo was on an extremely talented team last year and is on an extremely less talented team this year, has his sophomore year really been that disappointing and not sensational? He's been playing out of position this year, including playing the center position for extended periods of time. NBA scouts should know this, right?
I don't think McAdoo has been as bad as it seems he has. He's playing out of position on a less talented team. I'm not sure he is a lottery pick this year, but I'm not sure he was a lottery pick last year either. Since he didn't declare for the draft we will never know. Still, I disagree with the notion his sophomore year has been disappointing. There are extenuating circumstances.
I work with the cap every day. Easy to find money.
He works with the cap everyday, people. It's easy to find money. It's not so easy to find money and still put a good team on the field, but that's beside the point because the author WORKS WITH THE CAP EVERYDAY. He wakes up, works with the cap for eight hours and then goes to bed. Little do NFL teams know the premier capologist on the planet is wasting his life away working as a certified contract advisor and writing for Bleacher Report when he could be fixing a team's salary cap situation with ease. When confronted with one team only having $22 million in cap room, the author says,
ANY team can make and find cap space.
The author finds cap space AND YOU CAN TOO! The author is an NFLPA certified contract advisor and was an NFL scout, so while he has experience working with cap space, I can't help but think he is simplifying how easy it is to get cap space for some teams. Plus, getting cap space and then just spending that cap space on the free agent market sounds anti-theoretical to me.
I'd like to see how he would fix Carolina's cap issues without cutting the team's starting running back, starting left tackle, best cornerback, and two starting linebackers. Sure, all of those players can be cut, but then they have to sign draft picks and have money available for next year as well. Would cutting five starters and then spending on free agents really make Carolina a better team next year? Splurging on free agents will simply put Carolina in the same position next year as they are in this year. Of course, it's easy to find cap space so I don't know what I am worried about.
So immediately we know we aren't dealing with the most rational person who thinks teams need to sign free agents to excite the fans and also believes finding cap space is the same thing as finding cap space and still fielding a competitive team. What's the point of making a big splash in free agency if you have to cut your best players to get that cap space? Not to mention, some of the cap space each team has will go to signing draft picks. Here's the list of teams who need to clear cap room only to spend all of their cap room.
All the cap figures I will use come from this cap tracker and the cap room John Clayton said each team had in early January.
Historically, there are teams that are not very active in the unrestricted free-agent market. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are two perfect examples. While each team will sign its “homegrown” players, rarely do the Packers or Steelers spend big money on other teams’ free agents.
Because these teams are successful with this strategy, then some NFL teams should do the very opposite of this strategy and spend money on other teams' free agents...because that makes sense.
General manager Mark Dominik and head coach Greg Schiano knew they needed to do something to get the fans fired up again. So the Buccaneers spent heavy in free agency, locking up wide receiver Vincent Jackson, offensive guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.
The Buccaneers also had $43 million in cap space. When you have that kind of money then you can spend it in free agency. By the way, the Buccaneers didn't make the playoffs last year, but I'm sure the Tampa Bay fans are fired up again.
Jackson was one of the best receivers in football, and Nicks was a dominant player until he was placed on injured reserve.
So basically Carl Nicks got injured. He was an expensive free agent who got injured after seven games. Isn't this an example of why free agency is a crapshoot? Nicks may be fine for this upcoming season, but the Bucs spent good money on him, only to have him injured. I'm not saying Nicks was a bad free agent signing, but do want to note Nicks got injured in the first year of his free agent contract.
Here are 10 teams that need to be players in free agency in 2013. These franchises either need more talent or need to spend big to show their fans they are serious about winning now.
Because nothing says a team is serious about winning like spending cap room they don't have and cutting current players on the team. Cutting players to get cap room, only to fill this cap room with free agent signings is what some of these teams need to do.
Let's start the slideshow!
Arizona Cardinals
I am showing the Cardinals had approximately $-1.8 million in cap room when this article was written (all cap figures will be as of the day this article was written or as close as possible to that date). They don't have enough money at this point to sign their draft picks, but of course it's easy to clear up cap room!
The first move new Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim should make is getting a quarterback who can win some games.
I'm glad the first move is the most simple. There are at least 10 quarterbacks available right now who can "win some games." These quarterbacks will also sign a 4 year negative $21 million contract, so it all works out. All of these quarterbacks who can win games will sign with the Cardinals and actually free up cap space. It's a win-win!
Then, he should sign some offensive linemen that can block for said quarterback.
It's easy to find quality offensive linemen who will work cheap. Keep thinking that.
The market for a starting quarterback is not good, so Keim will have to work to trade for a player like Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers.
The good news is the Cardinals won't have to sign as many draft picks, while the bad news is the Cardinals just traded for Alex Smith. I like Alex Smith. Take Alex Smith out of San Francisco and I start to have questions about Alex Smith's ability to play the quarterback position. Also, how is trading for Alex Smith spending money in free agency?
Notice the author says the Cardinals need to sign a quarterback who can win games, but he only lists Alex Smith as an option. There's Matt Flynn and Alex Smith on the market right now in regard to quarterbacks who can "win some games," and we don't even know if these guys can win games or not really. So it isn't like the Cardinals can just go out and find a quarterback in the next hour to win them some games.
The quality of free-agent offensive linemen is very high, though, so look for the Cardinals to sign at least two players. Offensive tackles Jake Long, Branden Albert, Ryan Clady and Andre Smith are instant upgrades.
Normally I would make a comment about the Cardinals having to worry about getting cap room to sign one of these quality tackles, but we have learned already it's easy to free up cap room, and it's not like the Cardinals need to sign draft picks or anything. How expensive could these four young tackles cost on the free agent market? The Cardinals are currently projected to be over the cap and they have now signed a quarterback, two offensive linemen and still have to sign their draft picks.
Carolina Panthers
I've already detailed Carolina's salary cap situation with the link I provided earlier in this post. It's crucial. Carolina is over the cap and they are going to have to cut quite a few players just to get under the cap enough to sign their draft picks. But why not be very active in free agency?
The Carolina Panthers front office needs to hit on this free-agent class to stay competitive in the NFC South.
Absolutely, but first they have to get under the salary cap and cut salary. That's going to be difficult enough without some restructured deals and difficult cuts, but then they should go spend the salary cap space they just acquired? Doesn't make sense.
Neither starting cornerback Josh Norman nor Chris Gamble are elite.
Neither starting cornerback is elite! Cut them all! Only elite corners allowed!
The Panthers need to add a cornerback like the Steelers' Keenan Lewis or the Falcons' Brent Grimes.
I'm not entirely sure Keenan Lewis or Brent Grimes are elite corners either.
At safety, the 49ers' Dashon Goldson would be the perfect addition.
Considering Carolina is approximately $5-$11 million over the projected cap of $121-$122 million, they would have to get $15-$20 million under the cap in order to sign Lewis/Grimes/Goldson in free agency and still have enough money to sign their draft picks. Seems kind of hard to do. What do I know though? I'm not a capologist. Just cut a bunch of players or push the cap hit down the line in order to sign free agents. It makes brilliant sense.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns need to win more games, and hitting big in free agency will help bring some fire back to fans that deserve a contender.
The author is all about free agency providing huge amounts of excitement for a team's fan base. You know what else would provide excitement for the Browns fan base? Winning games and continuing to draft well. The Browns have cap space, so they will obviously be players in free agency, but I think the author relies too much on "hitting big in free agency" to fix a team's problems.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions released defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch this week.
Why did the Lions do this? To get under the salary cap. They now have $2.7 million to play with, spend it as fast as possible!
With Vanden Bosch gone, the Lions could be without seven starters from 2012, according to Ourlads.com.
The Lions need to hit free agency hard on the defensive side of the football, but will have to be smart. Before this week’s cuts, the team did not have any room in cap space.
Salary cap space, smhalary cap space. It's easy to find cap room, don't you remember? You said so in your comments. It's time for the Lions to make a big splash in free agency. Sure, they are potentially losing seven starters on defense, but why not spend free agent money on a player or two who makes a big splash and gets the Lions some headlines. Headlines win Super Bowls.
They can add value and get good players by signing the likes of Raiders defensive end Matt Shaughnessy or the Texans' Connor Barwin. Green Bay Packers linebacker Brad Jones or the Vikings' Erin Henderson make the Lions better while making an NFC North opponent weaker.
These are not terrible suggestions. The problem is signing any of these four players isn't "making a big splash" in free agency. Smart signings like these don't make a big splash, so smart value signings like this go against the entire premise of this column it seems.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars need to find players who can get the fans back in the stands.
I think saying free agency is a way to get fans back in the stands is a bit short-sighted. Winning gets fans back in the stands and smart free agent signings can help a team win, but to sign a player simply to get fans to show up isn't a good long-term plan.
At cornerback, both Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox are free agents. The Jaguars have a players' coach in Gus Bradley running the ship and should make a run at the best cornerback in the class, Aqib Talib.
Raheem Morris was also a player's coach and that didn't work out incredibly well for Talib. If anything, Talib doesn't need a player's coach, but needs a coach who won't allow him to get away with being a knucklehead. I don't know if the Jaguars need to try and sign more expensive free agents to use up the $22 million in cap room they have. They probably should focus on drafting better. Aqib Talib doesn't seem like the best free agent to place on a struggling and developing team like Jacksonville.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers are about $6 million under the cap. So they don't have a ton of room to sign players, but let's see what kind of splash they can make in the view of the author.
The San Diego Chargers need depth at running back behind oft-injured Ryan Mathews, so look for them to add a player like Peyton Hillis of the Chiefs or Felix Jones of the Cowboys.
I'm not sure this counts as "making a splash," but if the Chargers are looking to sign two underachieving running backs then these are two good names to achieve that goal.
The defense could lose both starting cornerbacks and three starters along the defensive line. Dallas' Anthony Spencer would fit nicely at the outside linebacker position.
Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks and the Raiders' Richard Seymour have had success in the 3-4 defense and add veteran leadership to that side of the football.
The Chargers are $6 million under the cap. Signing Hillis or Jones wouldn't be difficult, but signing Anthony Spencer and then Seymour/Starks feels like it would take up quite a bit of cap room. The Chargers would need to make enough cuts to get these three players signed and then free up enough cap room to sign their draft picks.
Of course as the author says, it's easy to find money and cap space. Plus, he clearly sees free agency as the best way to get headlines and make a splash in free agency, and we all know the team that makes the most noise in free agency always wins the Super Bowl.
There's also a Bleacher Report slideshow on "College Basketball Stars Who Need to Stay Another Year." It's got small tidbits of interesting writing in it.
9. B.J. Young (Arkansas)
Young needs to continue to develop his playmaking skills because he legitimately will be evaluated at the next level for playing PG, not SG.
So Young will be legitimately evaluated at the next level for PG, not SG. Was there a point where he thought he would be illegitimately evaluated at the next level for PG, SG? Why is the word "legitimately" in this sentence?
7. Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky)
Before the 2012-13 season opened, Willie Cauley-Stein (7.6 ppg; 5.8 rpg; 1.9 bpg) was considered, more or less, a novelty recruit who would develop over the course of a couple of seasons at Kentucky.
No, he wasn't. Willie Cauley-Stein was seen as a one-and-done guy prior to the beginning of this college basketball season and he will probably go in the first round if he enters the draft. Also, I don't know what a "novelty recruit" is, but I do know Cauley-Stein has already been recruited over for the 2013-2014 college basketball season. If he sticks around next year it will be because he didn't play well enough to enter the draft this year, which means he won't be starting next year because the Wildcats have a monster recruiting class coming in. He needs one more year probably, but he wasn't ever considered a 2+ season guy at Kentucky.
3. Glenn Robinson III (Michigan)
His return is much more likely if Michigan makes an early departure from March Madness 2013.
This is the final sentence of this part of the slideshow. I'm confused. How does the author know Glenn Robinson III is more likely to return if Michigan loses early in the NCAA Tournament? Does he know the Robinson family? I sense he is just guessing, but he makes this statement and has absolutely no verification for this statement.
1. James Michael McAdoo (UNC)
James Michael McAdoo started off the 2012-13 season projected as a lottery pick.
A less-than-sensational sophomore season has created the possibility that JMM should strongly consider coming back to Chapel Hill just to regain his predicted draft position.
Freshman year statistics: 15.6 mpg, 6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.3 bpg, 0.9 spg, 63.8% FT, 43.4% FG.
Sophomore year statistics: 29.8 mpg,14.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.3bpg, 1.5 spg, 56.7% FT, 44.9% FG.
Considering McAdoo was on an extremely talented team last year and is on an extremely less talented team this year, has his sophomore year really been that disappointing and not sensational? He's been playing out of position this year, including playing the center position for extended periods of time. NBA scouts should know this, right?
I don't think McAdoo has been as bad as it seems he has. He's playing out of position on a less talented team. I'm not sure he is a lottery pick this year, but I'm not sure he was a lottery pick last year either. Since he didn't declare for the draft we will never know. Still, I disagree with the notion his sophomore year has been disappointing. There are extenuating circumstances.
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