We're Not Leading the League in Dead Money!

[Hogskin]

Big C: The way it works is, the best man will win the job. Teams that play favorites instead of this approach are not successful. I agree he did an excellent job of hanging in there in tough situations. But he will need to improve his decision making, his footwork, and quickness of release to win the job over Brunell. I will be thrilled if he can do all of that in such a short time, but the expectation is that it may take another year or two of tutelage. He has a great opportunity to become an elite NFL QB, but his chances of that are actually a lot better if he can spend at least one year learning behind someone like Brunell.

[CrazyCanuck]

Great post Hogskin, and I agree that the Skins are doing a fine job managing the cap.

90% of the writers out there who talk about the cap and curse out Snyder don't even understand the cap in the first place.

Here's the question - what does it even mean when someone says that a team is in "cap trouble"?

Does it mean having a lot of dead money? Well the Skins have over $9M this year, but that didn't stop us from getting just about every guy we wanted/needed.

And what about the teams that don't even use the full cap? In fact I'm sure there are a few teams who only use the minimum cap (75% of real cap), then shove the extra $20M in their pockets.

There are so many intricacies of managing the cap that to simply say a team is in "cap trouble" makes no sense.

Personally I think Snyder is the best owner in the league. We should all be grateful we have an owner that actually wants to win and will do whatever it takes to win, regardless of how much money it costs him. He's made some mistakes and I'm sure he'll make a few others but at least his intentions are good.

[Defensewins]

Originally Posted by Hogskin

Big C: The way it works is, the best man will win the job. Teams that play favorites instead of this approach are not successful. I agree he did an excellent job of hanging in there in tough situations. But he will need to improve his decision making, his footwork, and quickness of release to win the job over Brunell. I will be thrilled if he can do all of that in such a short time, but the expectation is that it may take another year or two of tutelage. He has a great opportunity to become an elite NFL QB, but his chances of that are actually a lot better if he can spend at least one year learning behind someone like Brunell.

Hogskin
I could not agree with you more. A little competition at every position is good for the team. It raises everyones talent level and tests who can succeed under pressure.
I don't think either QB should be given the QB job on a silver platter.
They should battle for it in training camp and exhibition season.
People shouldn't say in one breath 'the Redskins are giving the starting QB job to Brunnell', but in the next breath say 'Ramsey should get the QB job because he can take a hit'. Seems a little hypocritical.

[Riggo44]

Originally Posted by skins009

We will be in a couplel of years, just wait.

That's what I've heard for a few years now. I am still waiting for it to happen!

[Big C]

seems like u guys think i like him cuz he can take a hit. never sed that at all, dont jump to conclusions. He has a stronger arm, more upside, and u cannot judge him from a lone season whre he had no protection and no running game. he is more than someone who can take a hit, do not think that is why i want him to start. Id like to believe that there is an open audition for starter, but i dont think its true.

[MTK]

Ramsey is also still very raw in terms of experience and his accuracy isn't there just yet.

He's a quick learner though and I wouldn't be surprised to see him push Brunell very hard this summer.

Gibbs will start the guy who's best suited to lead the team. Unless Ramsey is head and shoulders above Brunell then Gibbs will go with Brunell and his experience, can we really blame him?

Ramsey has the gun and a great future, but Gibbs main goal is to win and win now.

[SmootSmack]

When the Skins initially brought in Brunell I didn't really like the move because I felt they had other needs that were priorities. But for the most part they've filled the other needs and when I think back on what happened to the Jets and Falcons last year when they're QBs went down in the summer I'm relieved to know we have two QBs capable of starting now.

It should be an exciting battle over the summer but I think Brunell will win out and start game 1. Doesn't mean he'll start game 16 though

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by CrazyCanuck

Here's the question - what does it even mean when someone says that a team is in "cap trouble"?

That's a good question. "Cap trouble" is really in the eye of the beholder I guess. Sure everyone has the same cap but some owners can afford to pay higher bonuses than others and if Snyder can he shouldn't have to apologize for it. It's like when people say that Michael Jordan has a gambling problem because he bets upwards of $10,000 a hand. Maybe he does have a problem but as he said "$10,000 may be a big deal to others but it's like $5 for me" Comes across as a bit condescending but it's the truth.

I'd be curious to see what the reaction of Skins fans would be if Snyder had hired Gibbs, showed that the team is the most profitable franchise but then decided he's not going to invest in the team because "these players might cost us some serious money in a couple of years" So they just act conservatively and keep losing on the field, but it doesn't matter so long as they keep making a profit. You know who operates that way, the Clippers? Is that what we want to be...the Clippers?

[JWsleep]

Cap trouble is when you've got this blue thing on yolur helmet and everyone is laughing at ya...j/k

Cap trouble is when you can't re-sign players you need for your team because you don't have the cap space, or you can't pick up people in the free agent market that are crucial for taking your team to the next level. That has NOT occurred yet to Danny's skins. The only real loss was Champ, and I thought his price was just too high for a CB. Then they managed to get Portis out of the whole thing instead of cutting or franchising him.

So we'll see in 2-3 years. If we have to part with a player that we clearly would rather keep, or if we can't get the guy we really want in FA, then I take it we'll be in cap trouble. Given the truly bone-headed George, Deon, etc., moves, that we aren't in cap hell yet, and we don't lead the league in dead money is to Danny and Cerratos (the front office worker formerly known as "monkey boy" on this site) credit.