Possibilities may be limitless
Potential cap removal bound to alter business
NFL owners and NFL Players Association executive Gene Upshaw had the same message last week. Despite those labor clouds looming over the league, it's still a problem that is three years away.
So, fellow football fans, there is no need to start exploring other options to fill those Sundays, or to wonder whether that DirecTV "Sunday Ticket" package will turn into another ESPN Classic, airing epic contests from seasons past.
For some, the three-more-years-of-football message is just right. Labor issues often make less than compelling reading, and are complicated, too, and it's understandable to simply say, "Tell me when I really need to worry, and then I'll pay attention."
Those folks should circle the early portions of 2010 on the calendar. That could be a season without a salary cap, unless owners and players strike an agreement before then to keep the current structure in place, the same structure that has helped the NFL become perhaps the top sports league in America.
In short, the salary cap is the key.
So while owners and Upshaw are reminding fans that there are at least three more years of uninterrupted football, the most crucial piece of information is truly that there are only two years left on the life of the cap.
A capless NFL would change the way teams conduct business, making it more like Major League Baseball, where the difference between the haves and have-nots is more extreme. In turn, that could lead to a greater bonanza for some players in free agency.
With such a possibility on the horizon, what does it mean for the current negotiating approach of teams and players?
Just look at the Patriots, and their crop of players scheduled to become free agents in what could be a capless 2010.
Imagine what a player like nose tackle Vince Wilfork might receive in a market where there is no cap. Ditto for defensive end Richard Seymour. Running back Kevin Faulk, offensive guard Stephen Neal, and tight end Benjamin Watson, all of whom have contracts that expire after the 2009 season, would also seemingly benefit. Also keep in mind that quarterback Tom Brady has a deal that expires after the 2010 season.
Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft seemed less than interested in discussing how a possible capless 2010 might affect the team's ability to retain Wilfork, Brady & Co.
"We have to look long term at everything we do, we can't be worried about this," Kraft said in Atlanta at the end of the owners' meeting. "We're in this business, please God, for many decades and we have to make the right strategic decisions."
"Strategic" seems to be the right word, because the owners' decision to shorten the CBA has created a different playing field that could have some clubs and players recalibrating their plans of action.
Will teams now spend more carefully until the labor situation is resolved? Or will they be more willing to open the vault now to lock up players early? Are players more inclined to wait things out, hoping they'll hit a big payday in an uncapped year?
Kraft said he'll put his trust in his football staff to make those tough decisions. Meanwhile, one agent for a Patriots 2010 free agent indicated that the possibility of no salary cap isn't a major factor in his thinking. If the right deal came along today, he said, there would be no hesitation to sign.
For his part, Upshaw is advising all players not to agree to any contract that has guaranteed money in 2011 or beyond, unless there is specific language within the deal that the player gets the money in the event of a work stoppage. He's also informing players that "if you can get a good deal today, take it."
If there is to be no cap, Upshaw projects that more clubs would try to strike deals with players before it is eliminated.
"We really believe that the teams will act wisely and will start acting wisely sooner," he said.
With a bumper crop of free agents scheduled to hit the market in a potentially uncapped 2010, the Patriots will be one team to watch closely in this regard.
Owners pointed to the lack of a rookie wage scale as one of the three primary reasons they were shortening the current collective bargaining agreement by two years. They feel it's a flaw in the system when unproven rookies (e.g. Matt Ryan, with a reported six-year, $72 million deal) secure contracts richer than those for proven veterans.
Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw immediately dismissed the possibility of limiting rookie wages. He believes the big contracts paid to rookies ultimately benefit veterans.
"In any agreement, you have to have certain touch-points in which you can look at what causes salaries to escalate, and when we got to free agency, whatever was paid to rookies was the only way a veteran knew what he was worth. When you take one of those options away, you have to be very careful about it," said Upshaw, noting that the salaries for rookies drafted 11th and lower are not an issue.
But in a sign that the players have some tightening up to do, NFLPA president Kevin Mawae told ESPN Radio last week that Ryan's contract was "disheartening" to proven veterans like himself.
The NFL is likely to use Mawae's remarks to support its stance that a rookie wage scale is needed.
According to a source familiar with the league's thinking on the issue, the NFL will emphasize that exorbitant rookie salaries cannot possibly benefit veterans because the league operates in a capped system. In a capped system, there is a defined amount of money and every dollar going to a rookie means one fewer dollar going to a veteran.
Furthermore, the league will argue that lucrative rookie contracts might lead to high contracts for some veterans, but those are elite players, which in turn means the rank-and-file veterans lose out.
In some areas of the labor battle, the players appear to have a strong case. As Upshaw himself pointed out, owners seem to be asking players to take less than 60 percent of the revenue, which is a tug of war the owners are unlikely to win. Once you giveth, it's tough to taketh away.
But from the early sounds of it, a potential rookie wage scale looks like an easier victory for owners.
For coaches, the more players the better, and in recent years clubs have had the opportunity for up to six exemptions for players in NFL Europa. But with NFL Europa folding, the exemptions are gone.
So why the hard cap of 80 players per roster, not 86?
Some speculate it's a subtle statement from ownership to the Players Association. Owners feel players currently receive too high a percentage of revenue - about 60 percent - so their slashing of 192 jobs could be viewed as a message that they mean business.
While understanding the economic implications behind such a decision, Colts coach Tony Dungy lamented it nonetheless, noting that if such rules were in place when he played, his career might never have blossomed.
Dungy signed as a rookie free agent with the Steelers in May 1977, and was one of the longest shots to make the club. Yet in the process of being converted from quarterback to wide receiver and then safety, he became the first rookie free agent in two seasons to make the Steelers' roster.
As for what the roster cap means for current coaches, Dungy said staffs will be forced to evaluate young players more quickly, which will result in more mistakes. It also could lead to clubs toning down practices to keep veterans fresh.
Etc.
He left them fishing for answersTony Sparano seemed to handle one of his first public crises as Dolphins coach with the type of command that will make him successful in his new role. With the future of Dolphins icon Jason Taylor uncertain, Sparano authoritatively addressed the situation with reporters, saying he'd answer the question once, but then would discuss only the players present at organized team activities. He indicated Taylor wouldn't be coming to any voluntary workouts, the team's mandatory minicamp, or training camp, and that all parties were aware of the situation. There were natural follow-up questions, such as trade possibilities, or whether the relationship between Taylor and the club had been irreparably harmed. Realizing that he might hurt the team's ability to trade Taylor by offering more details, Sparano stayed true to his word, saying he wouldn't address it. When reporters later reintroduced the line of questioning, Sparano firmly but calmly shook his head and said, "I'm done with it." In many ways, he sounded like a mini-Bill Parcells.
Pages from Patriots' playbook
It's not a stretch to compare the Falcons' current situation with that of the Patriots in the early 1990s. Much the way new owner Robert Kraft was pounding the pavement with his son, Jonathan, to generate interest in the Patriots among a dwindling fan base, Falcons owner Arthur Blank is doing the same. After a polarizing few years that included the Michael Vick dogfighting fiasco and coach Bobby Petrino's abrupt resignation, Blank and the Falcons are promoting a fresh start and approach under the personable duo of coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Consider that when the Falcons finalized a whopping $72 million contract with first-round draft choice Matt Ryan last week, the press conference was held at Blank's plush offices, with season ticket-holders and suite-holders invited. While fan interest ultimately will be buoyed most by wins, the Falcons seem to be off to a Patriot-like start with their new regime. Just as Drew Bledsoe was a primary building block for the Patriots in the early 1990s, Ryan is viewed in the same light in Atlanta.
Homing in on Indianapolis?
After having his final season in New England end prematurely because of a foot injury, outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin is now healthy, and if things work out financially, he wouldn't mind suiting up for his hometown Indianapolis Colts. Colvin met with Colts coach Tony Dungy last month and passed a physical, and Dungy relayed last week that he was impressed with Colvin. The Colts are interested if the finances can be worked out, as Colvin would be a pure pass-rushing defensive end in their 4-3 scheme.
Game over
A first-round draft choice of the Panthers in 2001, linebacker Dan Morgan played with an admirable tenacity and passion, but his career will also be remembered for the times he wasn't playing. Morgan retired last week at age 29, ending what he had hoped would be the start of a new phase of his career with the Saints. In seven years with Carolina, Morgan played 59 of a possible 112 games and endured a broken leg, groin and hamstring injuries, multiple concussions, and was most recently coming back from a partially torn Achilles' tendon.
Drafting new plans
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL draft could be moving out of New York as early as 2009. One possibility is Los Angeles. "That's one of the cities that's indicated an interest, and we have an interest, also," Goodell said. "I think it goes in with all of the changes that we're thinking about with the draft, whether we move it to prime time, which rounds go on which day, and rotating the site."
Trouble on the corner
The Browns were already thin at cornerback after trading starter Leigh Bodden to Detroit to acquire nose tackle Shaun Rogers, so losing Daven Holly to a season-ending knee injury in practice last week was a stinging blow. Holly, entering his fourth season, was slated to compete for a starting job with Brandon McDonald. The Browns are now considering other alternatives, with Ty Law a possibility, although team officials said Law is out of their price range at this time.
Toast of the town
Anticipation is building for Patriots great Andre Tippett and his Aug. 2 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tippett had the red carpet rolled out for him in his hometown of Newark this weekend, with a golf tournament yesterday, a trip to his alma mater Barringer High last night, and a parade at City Hall scheduled for this morning.
Extra points
Just as Tom Brady restructured his contract to allow the Patriots to trade for Randy Moss last year, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and guard Leonard Davis did the same last week to help the club finalize lucrative extensions with running back Marion Barber and cornerback Terence Newman . . . With Indianapolis awarded the 2012 Super Bowl last week, the lineup is now four-deep for the NFL's championship game. Tampa has the 2009 contest, followed by Miami (2010) and North Texas (2011) . . . The Bengals wasted little time inserting first-round draft choice Keith Rivers at first-string weak-side linebacker in their organized team activity practices.
Did you know?
The Chiefs have undergone a major overhaul in the locker room over the last year, with 56 new players on the current roster.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com
