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Originally Posted by e16bball
I'm not saying that every player has to be a difference-maker. Those teams had big-name guys like Charles Mann, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Joe Jacoby, Wilber Marshall etc. and there are many I'm not naming. The fact that some of the critical players were no-names is undeniable, especially when you consider their performances in the Super Bowls, but what is also undeniable is that a lot of marquee guys played big roles in carrying those teams through the season and the playoffs. I'm just saying, its crucial to have as many guys as possible who can truly change a game.
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What about Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Chris Samuels, Jon Jansen, Randy Thomas, Cornelius Griffin, Marcus Washington, LaVar Arrington, Shawn Springs and Sean Taylor? That seems like a pretty good number of difference makers and marquee names for one team.
The critical difference between this team and those Super Bowl teams of the previous Gibbs era: a little nuisance called the salary cap. Free agency. Kind of hard to keep a roster full of marquee names and difference makers intact anymore.
As far as the teams you mentioned in your previous post, the Pats aren't the only team that exercises fiscal responsibility (God, I'm already sick of that term!) successfully. In fact, some of the contenders you mentioned-- the Eagles, the Steelers, the Chargers-- have all been cited over the past few years as teams that spend frugally and are willing to let their own free agents leave when they price themselves out of the team's cap budget. They are teams that draft well, and successfully promote from within-- both things the Skins have generally struggled to do. The Eagles spent a little more than usual last season-- buying T.O. and Kearse-- but only after letting three of their difference makers (Staley, Vincent and Taylor) roam to greener pastures.
If you look at the Colts and Falcons, how many difference makers or marquee names can you name on those teams' defenses? The Colts: Dwight Freeney? The Falcons: Patrick Kerney, Rod Coleman, Keith Brooking, DeAngelo Hall. Those teams spend most of their money on the offensive side of the ball. The Colts have more playmakers on offense than virtually any team in the league, but even they are struggling to keep that core intact. Pollard's almost been signed away, and the Colts are looking trade away the franchise-tagged James.