Texans' Cap space......and the rest of the League

[Texian]

You must be talking about Andre's money. That's the only place such a description can come close to true. Except he's still one of the better receivers in the league & we're paying him as such.



How do you figure? Gosder signed a $35M contract. Only $7.8M is accounted for in the first two years... 22% of the contract. If he is cut in year 3 (2015) there's still $8.7M that must be accounted for. They lose $1.8M towards their salary cap.

Schaub's contract allows us to cut him in the third year (2014) & we're up $4M.... Cut him in year 4 & we're up $10M, year 5... $15M



Schaub's on a much bigger contract, $60M vs $22m. We cut Schaub after 2 years & we save $4M towards the cap, they only save $1M more & you think that's a better structure??

I'm sorry... I'm sure your way of thinking is based in logic, but for the life of me I can't see it. Sounds like "anything but the Texans' way" hate to me.

Kinda like "more Catholic than the Pope" thinking.

You, me, we will never likely agree on salary cap management. If we both had Salary Cap Credit Cards, I pay mine in full each billing cycle. You on the other hand would not only max out your credit limit but would also finesse and finagle ways to exceed your credit limit much the way the Texans currently have done. You would then pay the minimum payment plus any amounts over your credit limit. Therefore each new year, I will have more available credit and considerably more $$$ to spend while your credit card is still maxed out and you're still making the minimum payment.

 

[thunderkyss]

You, me, we will never likely agree on salary cap management. If we both had Salary Cap Credit Cards, I pay mine in full each billing cycle.

That's ridiculous. Nobody starts with a fresh cap every year. You're either paying for players, or you're not. Tom Brady has a contract that runs through the next 5 years. They can not cut him & come out ahead for the next 3 years.

This is the Patriots we're talking about, the team you hold up on a pedestal for their brilliant cap management. They have $12M of cap room now, we have $8M. We both fall short of the Colts $80M, but the Patriots will somehow find a way to field a competitive team in 2014.

Why is that?

 

[thunderkyss]

You, me, we will never likely agree on salary cap management. If we both had Salary Cap Credit Cards, I pay mine in full each billing cycle. You on the other hand would not only max out your credit limit but would also finesse and finagle ways to exceed your credit limit much the way the Texans currently have done. You would then pay the minimum payment plus any amounts over your credit limit. Therefore each new year, I will have more available credit and considerably more $$$ to spend while your credit card is still maxed out and you're still making the minimum payment.

& the way you're talking about paying minimum amount & exceeding my limit... that only makes sense (fits this application) if we're paying for players who are no longer here. We aren't.

Every dime we spent in 2013 went to players who are on the roster (IR included).

If we cut Schaub & push the dead money (which is what I want to do) it would be a rare moment in Rick Smiths tenure, if not the first time.

I wanted to extend Antonio Smith last offseason instead of paying him $8M. Convert that salary into a signing bonus & lock him up for the next three years. Back load the contract & cut him with very little cap implication 4 or 5 years from now. That's not "mortgaging the future" if you believe Antonio has 3 good years left.

 

[Texian]

That's ridiculous. Nobody starts with a fresh cap every year. You're either paying for players, or you're not.

The point being is I never have to borrow money to make payroll and I start each new year with enough money in the bank to hire a few high profile employees and several more above average employees to improve my depth.

You have to make arrangements at the bank, again, to borrow more money in order to make your payroll. You then only have enough money to pay minimum wage to the dozen or so players you need to complete your roster. Your depth is a reflection of what you're paying for.

 

[thunderkyss]

The point being is I never have to borrow money to make payroll and I start each new year with enough money in the bank to hire a few high profile employees and several more above average employees to improve my depth.

You have to make arrangements at the bank, again, to borrow more money in order to make your payroll. You then only have enough money to pay minimum wage to the dozen or so players you need to complete your roster. Your depth is a reflection of what you're paying for.

I don't think that's very realistic. It's really all cyclical depending on the state of your team. We were exactly where we should have been considering we thought we were two players away when we signed Jjo & DMan.

We just failed to capitalize on the investment we made. Whether that was due to coaching, injury, or poor evaluation of talent. The Patriots have been here, the Ravens were recently, the Steelers were recently, The Colts were recently, the Seahawks will have their day.

 

[Texian]

& the way you're talking about paying minimum amount & exceeding my limit... that only makes sense (fits this application) if we're paying for players who are no longer here. We aren't.

Every dime we spent in 2013 went to players who are on the roster (IR included).

If we cut Schaub & push the dead money (which is what I want to do) it would be a rare moment in Rick Smiths tenure, if not the first time.

I wanted to extend Antonio Smith last offseason instead of paying him $8M. Convert that salary into a signing bonus & lock him up for the next three years. Back load the contract & cut him with very little cap implication 4 or 5 years from now. That's not "mortgaging the future" if you believe Antonio has 3 good years left.

Let me try to explain it to you this way...

This past week, the week before free agency begins, the Colts signed D'Qwell Jackson and the Jaguars signed Red Byrant. The Texans could not afford either.

Now here is the real kicker, the Colts and the Jaguars, could do similar signings 6 or 7 more times with 5X the money to spend than the Texans, the Texans are still not in this ball game.

2013 Scoreboard: Colts 2, Texans 0; Jaguars 2, Texans 0.

The Colts and Jaguars are getting considerably better in 2014 and the Texans are still maintaining the Status Quo.

 

[ObsiWan]

Let me try to explain it to you this way...

This past week, the week before free agency begins, the Colts signed D'Qwell Jackson and the Jaguars signed Red Byrant. The Texans could not afford either.

Now here is the real kicker, the Colts and the Jaguars, could do similar signings 6 or 7 more times with 5X the money to spend than the Texans, the Texans are still not in this ball game.

2013 Scoreboard: Colts 2, Texans 0; Jaguars 2, Texans 0.

The Colts and Jaguars are getting considerably better in 2014 and the Texans are still maintaining the Status Quo.

Changing?
Yes.

Getting better?
That remains to be seen. We've all seen players that excel on one team, leave for a "sweet" F/A payday and then fail miserably with the new squad.

 

[thunderkyss]

Let me try to explain it to you this way...

This past week, the week before free agency begins, the Colts signed D'Qwell Jackson and the Jaguars signed Red Byrant. The Texans could not afford either.

Now here is the real kicker, the Colts and the Jaguars, could do similar signings 6 or 7 more times, the Texans still not in this ball game.

2013 Scoreboard: Colts 2, Texans 0; Jaguars 2, Texans 0.

The Colts and Jaguars are getting considerably better in 2014 and the Texans are still maintaining the Status Quo.

We could have easily signed D'Qwell Jackson & depending on the structure of Red Bryant's deal, we probably could have done that too.

The Jags can do it 10 times over, that's not what's going to make them better.

Had we avoided injury to key players, Arian, Cushing, OD, Manning & the other Texans played up to their contracts, most notably Matt Schaub, we'd have been in the divisional round again. Can't say the same for the Jags.

Our problem isn't that we've mortgaged our future, it's that we paid guys like Derek Newton & Brice McCain $1M. While they paid that money to Ty Hilton & Vontae Davis.

 

[Texian]

Changing?
Yes.

Getting better?
That remains to be seen. We've all seen players that excel on one team, leave for a "sweet" F/A payday and then fail miserably with the new squad.

Putting all the if's and's and but's aside, the point and the question is: Who has the competitive advantage?

We could have easily signed D'Qwell Jackson & depending on the structure of Red Bryant's deal, we probably could have done that too.

The Jags can do it 10 times over, that's not what's going to make them better.

Had we avoided injury to key players, Arian, Cushing, OD, Manning & the other Texans played up to their contracts, most notably Matt Schaub, we'd have been in the divisional round again. Can't say the same for the Jags.

Our problem isn't that we've mortgaged our future, it's that we paid guys like Derek Newton & Brice McCain $1M. While they paid that money to Ty Hilton & Vontae Davis.

By easily if you mean by pushing as much dead money to 2015 as possible and restructuring several more contracts and borrowing more money from the future then YES.

The Texans are currently $10 million under the cap, of which $5 million must be allocated to IR replacements, LTBEs and Practice Squad. That leaves $5 million to replace 15 contracts now missing as a result of free agency, then the answer is a BIG FAT NO!

Now if want to start with all your if's and's and but's, what about this and what about thats, finesse and finagle then you can make a case for signing Jackson. There is NO WAY the Texans could sign another 6 or 7 players of similar value like both the Colts and Jaguars can. Regardless what your Hocus Pocus bag of tricks is telling you, It Ain't Gonna Happen!

 

[thunderkyss]

Now if want to start with all your if's and's and but's, what about this and what about thats, finesse and finagle then you can make a case for signing Jackson. There is NO WAY the Texans could sign another 6 or 7 players of similar value like both the Colts and Jaguars can. Regardless what your Hocus Pocus bag of tricks is telling you, It Ain't Gonna Happen!

I didn't say we could sign Jackson & 6 or 7 other contracts. I said we could absolutely easily signed Jackson. With an $11M signing bonus & a 4 year $22M contract, his cap is most likely $3M or less.

& unlike the Jags, we don't need to sign 6 or 7 similarly valued deals to field a winning team.

 

[ObsiWan]

Putting all the if's and's and but's aside, the point and the question is: Who has the competitive advantage?

At QB and maybe RG and RT, the Colts; everywhere else there's no one on either of those starting squads I'd swap for the guys we have starting, position for position. But maybe I'm not looking closely enough.
Who's out there in F/A that you want so badly?

 

[steelbtexan]

The reason the Texans don't have $80 million or even enough million to sign FA for more than Vet minimums (or a tad more is) is because they've spent more money than they've had in their salary cap bank the past 3 years. It's that Plain & Simple! The Texans have borrowed from future seasons to meet their current obligations. The jury is still out on the 2014 season. With the mindset that manages the salary cap still in place, the pattern of behavior says, expect more of the same.

If the Texans continue to mortgage the future, as expected, that basically destroys all of your future projections.

As for Gosder Cherilus you mistakenly miss the point. You're right about the salary cap being higher in the last 2 years of the contract. Where you missed is if Cherilus is cut in those last 2 years there is a substantial salary cap savings. Over 65% of Cherilus dead money is in the first 2 years of the contract. If Gosder is cut in yr4 it's a $5 mil cap savings and yr 5 is a $7.9 mil cap savings.

D'Quell Jackson is another example of the Colts using the pay as you go method instead of borrowing from tomorrow. If Jackson is cut after his first 2 years the dead money is only $500K and the cap savings is $5 mil.

As I've stated before Grigson isn't playing around. Does he make mistakes? Sure he does. But he always leaves himself a way out. Slick Rick not so much.

Grigson is playing chess while Slick Rick is playing checkers and trying to stick his nose further up Cal McNair's butt.

 

[steelbtexan]

I didn't say we could sign Jackson & 6 or 7 other contracts. I said we could absolutely easily signed Jackson. With an $11M signing bonus & a 4 year $22M contract, his cap is most likely $3M or less.

& unlike the Jags, we don't need to sign 6 or 7 similarly valued deals to field a winning team.

.

The Texans are the worst team in the NFL for a bunch of reasons. Not the least of which is lack of quality depth. So yes I would say signing the 6-7 similarly valued deals would come in quite handy.

 

[steelbtexan]

At QB and maybe RG and RT, the Colts; everywhere else there's no one on either of those starting squads I'd swap for the guys we have starting, position for position. But maybe I'm not looking closely enough.
Who's out there in F/A that you want so badly?

Soliai and Swarchtz/Asamoah are guys I would be looking at if cap room was available.

 

[PHILLYTEXANFAN]

for all you cap guys, if we cut everyone we will have $130 mil in cap space. Imagine who we could sign then : )


Your man... Pots and pans

 

[thunderkyss]

for all you cap guys, if we cut everyone we will have $130 mil in cap space. Imagine who we could sign then : )


Your man... Pots and pans

Not exactly, cutting Duane Brown, Cushing, Mercilus, Hopkins, & Swearinger will eat into that. About $34M, leaving us $98M to sign 53 players that can win more than 2 out of 16 games.

 

[infantrycak]

Now if want to start with all your if's and's and but's, what about this and what about thats, finesse and finagle then you can make a case for signing Jackson. There is NO WAY the Texans could sign another 6 or 7 players of similar value like both the Colts and Jaguars can. Regardless what your Hocus Pocus bag of tricks is telling you, It Ain't Gonna Happen!

And you keep leaving out of your Colts worship that they are going to spend a bunch of money staying even with last year on players like Vonte Davis, Donald Brown, Adam Vinatieri, Mike McGlynn, Samson Satele, Aubrayo Franklin, Pat Angerer, and Antoine Bethea. Those guys are STARTERS.

In contrast, 3 of the 4 starter FAs the Texans have are actually very conveniently on expiring contracts as they were probably gone for upgrading anyway - Wade Smith, Earl Mitchell and Joe Mays.

 

[Texian]

And you keep leaving out of your Colts worship

You're confusing worship with recognizing the reality of the situation. Part of that reality based thinking is recognizing the Texans don't have the cash to replace with Wade Smith, Earl Mitchell and Joe Mays with equal or better talent. What you also fail to recognize is the COLTS DO have the cash to replace some of their lost starters with equal or better talent.

 

[thunderkyss]

You're confusing worship with recognizing the reality of the situation. Part of that reality based thinking is recognizing the Texans don't have the cash to replace with Wade Smith, Earl Mitchell and Joe Mays with equal or better talent.

How much would we need? Definitely not $80M worth.

 

[infantrycak]

You're confusing worship with recognizing the reality of the situation. Part of that reality based thinking is recognizing the Texans don't have the cash to replace with Wade Smith, Earl Mitchell and Joe Mays with equal or better talent. What you also fail to recognize is the COLTS DO have the cash to replace some of their lost starters with equal or better talent.

LOL - cutting off that long list of Colts starters doesn't make them disappear.

And yes the Texans have plenty of cap to replace those three. Smith's upgrade is most likely already in the cap even.

 

[Texian]

How much would we need? Definitely not $80M worth.

To get better and replace those 3 starters with better talent you would need a MINIMUM of $10-$12 million addition to the 2014 salary cap.

 

[infantrycak]

To get better and replace those 3 starters with better talent you would need a MINIMUM of $10-$12 million addition to the 2014 salary cap.

Total bunk.

Quess - already on the books.
Brandon Spikes - approx. $1 mil per year.
Paul Soliai - approx. $5 mil per year.

Upgrades across the board. And that is averages and the 1st year cap hit is generally under the avg/yr on the contract.

 

[thunderkyss]

Upgrades across the board. And that is averages and the 1st year cap hit is generally under the avg/yr on the contract.

That's standard actual NFL contracts. He's talking about some mythical "Texans only" contracts.

 

[Texian]

LOL - cutting off that long list of Colts starters doesn't make them disappear.

And yes the Texans have plenty of cap to replace those three. Smith's upgrade is most likely already in the cap even.

You can do what you want to with the Colt starters, the BOTTOM LINE is the Colts have ENOUGH money to replace with equal or better talent, the Texans DON'T. What else that is perfectly clear is that FINANCE is NOT one of your stronger subjects.

That's standard actual NFL contracts. He's talking about some mythical "Texans only" contracts.

You asked, what it would take to replace those 3 starters ( I assumed on the open market). Reality is Jones or Quess will replace Wade Smith, however that is not a GUARANTEE that is equal or better talent. It could be also be a Newton redo. To replace a LG w/ 1000 starts who grades out better than Wade Smith will cost $3-$4 million per year. Soliai and Spikes next contracts will be closer to $3-$5 million per year. $1 mil per year gets you Mays or Sharpton.

 

[infantrycak]

What else that is perfectly clear is that FINANCE is NOT one of your stronger subjects.

You asked, what it would take to replace those 3 starters ( I assumed on the open market). Reality is Jones or Quess will replace Wade Smith, however that is not a GUARANTEE that is equal or better talent. It could be also be a Newton redo. To replace a LG w/ 1000 starts who grades out better than Wade Smith will cost $3-$4 million per year. Soliai and Spikes next contracts will be closer to $3-$5 million per year. $1 mil per year gets you Mays or Sharpton.

What else is perfectly clear is that BASIC MATH is NOT one of your stronger subjects.

$3.5 each for Soliai and Spikes is $7 mil which is insignificantly off my estimate of $6 mil for their total which is also within your estimated range and is nowhere near your $10-12 mil, wait how did that go...MINIMUM of your original estimate. Sorry you don't get to just ignore the Texans having already planned for Smith's replacement.

Your propensity for exaggeration is laid bare.

 

[thunderkyss]

You asked, what it would take to replace those 3 starters ( I assumed on the open market).

I'm fine with the number you threw out there. My comment was in reference to the structure of the contract..... it's standard, like 'cak said, for the first year's cap to be less than the average $/yr

You call that "spending more than our credit limit."

 

[Texian]

What else is perfectly clear is that BASIC MATH is NOT one of your stronger subjects.

$3.5 each for Soliai and Spikes is $7 mil which is insignificantly off my estimate of $6 mil for their total which is also within your estimated range and is nowhere near your $10-12 mil, wait how did that go...MINIMUM of your original estimate. Sorry you don't get to just ignore the Texans having already planned for Smith's replacement.

Your propensity for exaggeration is laid bare.

Total bunk.

Brandon Spikes - approx. $1 mil per year.

Once again, you're caught in that arguing vortex, arguing just to argue, it doesn't matter if you're WRONG, YOU'RE ARGUING. SNAP OUT OF IT! Spikes grades out higher than Sean Lee, Kuechely and Cushing. He's NOT, I repeat not going for $1 million per year. What did you say a starting LG with 1000 starts who grades out better than Wade Smith would cost? HINT: more than $1 million per year. NOW SNAP OUT OF IT!

 

[infantrycak]

Once again, you're caught in that arguing vortex, arguing just to argue, it doesn't matter if you're WRONG, YOU'RE ARGUING. SNAP OUT OF IT! Spikes grades out higher than Sean Lee, Kuechely and Cushing. He's NOT, I repeat not going for $1 million per year. What did you say a starting LG with 1000 starts who grades out better than Wade Smith would cost? HINT: more than $1 million per year. NOW SNAP OUT OF IT!

Thanks Capt. Irrelevant. I already accepted your valuation despite the fact the players you mention didn't just get booted to the curb by the Patriots and carry Spikes' baggage. Your MINIMUM number was wrong by your own words..

 

[ObsiWan]

Have you guys seen this ESPN Free Agency Tracker?

They have assessed all the current F/As and graded them according to how much they think they're worth.

By ESPN.com staff

In advance of the opening of NFL free agency, ESPN Insider player evaluators Matt Williamson, Gary Horton and Field Yates teamed up to form the "pro-personnel department" for six-time NFL executive of the year Bill Polian and recreate the front-office free-agent evaluation process for ESPN.com. The foursome broke down every unrestricted free agent scheduled to reach the market in 2014 using the same process Polian used as a general manager.

Free agents were evaluated in four main areas:
• Speed: Does a player perform with above- or below-average quickness relative to his position?
•Production:How much of an impact does a player make over the course of the season relative to his position?
• Injury: Does a player have any health concerns that would prevent him from playing?
• Character: Does a player have off-field baggage or attitude issues? Or is he a positive influence on the field and in the clubhouse? Players were given a plus, minus or neutral mark in each category (though no pluses are given in the injury category).

They were then given a final grade corresponding to the value and term of the contract a team would be expected to commit.

A: $6 million-plus AAV (annual average value), three-plus years in term and/or guaranteed money
B: $2 million to $6 million AAV, two years or fewer in term and/or guaranteed money
C: $2 million or less AAV, two years or fewer in term and/or guaranteed money
D: minimum salary, one-year contract

Players with a plus or a minus grade slot between tiers.

I checked a couple of the guys that have been mentioned as potential acquisitions for the Texans. For the most part the guys we already have graded higher.

D'Qwell Jackson - Very solid player but he's 31. What kind of contract would you offer a solid-but-aging LB?
Soliai is rated as a C level player. Earl Mitchell is A rated.
Both Andrew Gardner and Wade Smith are rated better than Asamoah

Now these grades are from Bill Polian and Scouts, Inc. Take 'em or leave 'em.

 

[infantrycak]

D'Qwell Jackson - Very solid player but he's 31. What kind of contract would you offer a solid-but-aging LB?
Soliai is rated as a C level player. Earl Mitchell is A rated.
Both Andrew Gardner and Wade Smith are rated better than Asamoah

Now these grades are from Bill Polian and Scouts, Inc. Take 'em or leave 'em.

Jackson is already signed. He got $5.5 mil avg. so take that FWIW on their price valuations.

Soliai and Mitchell are totally different types of players. Mitchell may be a better player in general but not specific to RC's system.

 

[Texian]

Thanks Capt. Irrelevant. I already accepted your valuation despite the fact the players you mention didn't just get booted to the curb by the Patriots and carry Spikes' baggage. Your MINIMUM number was wrong by your own words..

I have explained this to you many times before, there are times when your comments are very good but when you get caught up in that argue vortex you can be as bad as you can be good. This is another one of those times that you're not very good.

 

[Lucky]

Both Andrew Gardner and Wade Smith are rated better than Asamoah

Then that tells me just how bogus these grades are from Scout, Inc. How is there enough tape on Gardner to even give him a grade. And Smith is shot. Once OK, but that time has passed. Asamoah would start on the Texans, easily. The Chiefs just have 2 better guards.

 

[ObsiWan]

Then that tells me just how bogus these grades are from Scout, Inc. How is there enough tape on Gardner to even give him a grade. And Smith is shot. Once OK, but that time has passed. Asamoah would start on the Texans, easily. The Chiefs just have 2 better guards.

Hey I'm for whatever improves the O-line. And in the spirit of full disclosure this is the summary on Wade Smith

After a Pro Bowl year in 2012, his quality of play seemed to really regress in 2013 and he will not likely be re-signed. Smith seems to be slowing down a bit and his game now is more about position and body control and not as much power and physicality. He still has good feet, plays under control with balance and he plays hard. He is not an overpowering guy now and that's not going to improve.

and Jeff Schwartz...

Schwartz became the starting guard in place of Jon Asamoah in Kansas City and showed flashes of being a good player. He is an excellent run-blocker, works to finish and can handle the bull rush. Schwartz is solid in pass protection and has good hand use and decent short-area mirror abilities. He is Andy Reid's kind of guy -- big and tough -- and he will likely be targeted to re-sign.

Strangely enough there wasn't a synopsis on Asamoah.

 

[Texian]

Then that tells me just how bogus these grades are from Scout, Inc. How is there enough tape on Gardner to even give him a grade. And Smith is shot. Once OK, but that time has passed. Asamoah would start on the Texans, easily. The Chiefs just have 2 better guards.

Grades according to profootballfocus.com:

Jon Asamoah RG, #20, +7.9
Wade Smith LG, #59, -10.7
Andrew Gardner - not enough snaps to be graded.

 

[TexansThunder]

You're confusing worship with recognizing the reality of the situation. Part of that reality based thinking is recognizing the Texans don't have the cash to replace with Wade Smith, Earl Mitchell and Joe Mays with equal or better talent. What you also fail to recognize is the COLTS DO have the cash to replace some of their lost starters with equal or better talent.

Overall, I agree with the vast majority of your posts. I was tracking with you on this discussion until your competitive advantage comment.

There are some similarities between the Colts' 2011 season and the Texans 2013 season. Both teams crashed with 2-14 seasons resulting in the #1 pick in the draft. Both teams had higher salaried players that missed time due to injuries. Both teams jettisoned their head coaches to the ranks of NFL coordinators.

In 2012, the Colts carried a historic amount, $38M, of "dead money" on the cap and essentially had to field a competitive team with approx. $82M. The Colts, despite carrying the weight of all that "dead money", fielded a team that finished 11-5 in 2012. Why? It is not necessarily how much you invest but how you invest it.

The Colts received valuable contributions from former members of the CFL and AFL. The Colts fielded a team with nine rookies and 33 players with three-or-fewer years of NFL service. The Colts resurgence wasn’t the result of a salary cap “gold rush”. Their lack of cap space certainly wasn’t an obstacle to gaining a competitive edge. Their success was a result of solid coaching, excellent scouting, and arguably the best draft class in franchise history. That 2011 Colts roster experienced a 70% turnover and the coaching staff molded a very young team into a well-prepared, cohesive, and competitive franchise.

The Colts parlayed some of their cap savings onto their offensive line during free agency prior to the 2013 season. It didn't work out as well as they hoped as the Colts OL (according to Pro Football Focus) ranked 24th in the league. PFF ranked the Texans OL 20th in the league.

The Colts are getting a heck of a lot more mileage from their draft picks and under-the-radar free agent signings than their “premium” free agent signings. The Colts would be wise to take a “grow into the cap” approach with their younger talent coupled with smart free agency augmentation, rather than dumping a bunch of money on over-priced veterans.

In my opinion, the Colts had the better offseason when they had little to no money to spend on premium free agents. I believe the team’s best acquisitions didn’t reflect in the actual salary cap – hiring a new coaching staff.

The Colts went from 2-14 in 2011 to 11-5 in 2012 with minimal cap space. The Texans can do the same.

 

[Texian]

Overall, I agree with the vast majority of your posts. I was tracking with you on this discussion until your competitive advantage comment.

There are some similarities between the Colts' 2011 season and the Texans 2013 season. Both teams crashed with 2-14 seasons resulting in the #1 pick in the draft. Both teams had higher salaried players that missed time due to injuries. Both teams jettisoned their head coaches to the ranks of NFL coordinators.

In 2012, the Colts carried a historic amount, $38M, of "dead money" on the cap and essentially had to field a competitive team with approx. $82M. The Colts, despite carrying the weight of all that "dead money", fielded a team that finished 11-5 in 2012. Why? It is not necessarily how much you invest but how you invest it.

The Colts received valuable contributions from former members of the CFL and AFL. The Colts fielded a team with nine rookies and 33 players with three-or-fewer years of NFL service. The Colts resurgence wasn’t the result of a salary cap “gold rush”. Their lack of cap space certainly wasn’t an obstacle to gaining a competitive edge. Their success was a result of solid coaching, excellent scouting, and arguably the best draft class in franchise history. That 2011 Colts roster experienced a 70% turnover and the coaching staff molded a very young team into a well-prepared, cohesive, and competitive franchise.

The Colts parlayed some of their cap savings onto their offensive line during free agency prior to the 2013 season. It didn't work out as well as they hoped as the Colts OL (according to Pro Football Focus) ranked 24th in the league. PFF ranked the Texans OL 20th in the league.

The Colts are getting a heck of a lot more mileage from their draft picks and under-the-radar free agent signings than their “premium” free agent signings. The Colts would be wise to take a “grow into the cap” approach with their younger talent coupled with smart free agency augmentation, rather than dumping a bunch of money on over-priced veterans.

In my opinion, the Colts had the better offseason when they had little to no money to spend on premium free agents. I believe the team’s best acquisitions didn’t reflect in the actual salary cap – hiring a new coaching staff.

The Colts went from 2-14 in 2011 to 11-5 in 2012 with minimal cap space. The Texans can do the same.

Good Post! You make some very good points. However I still contend that a team that has $80 million to spend on players over a 2 year period has a competitive advantage over a team who only has $10 million. We do have a disagreement in the Colts best acquisition in the 2012 season. You say it was the addition of the new coaching staff. I firmly believe it was because the Colts had a much better QB and QB play in 2012 vs 2011. It was the poor performance by the QB that relegated the Colts to a 2-14 season in 2011. Almost a carbon copy of the Texans in 2013.

 

[Texian]

"Houston has $122,239,346 committed against the cap with 51 contracts. Their adjusted cap, which includes rollover money, is $134,114,730. With $3,247,174 in dead money on the books, that leaves the Texans with $8,628,210 of cap space for 2014."

http://espn.go.com/blog/houston-tex...ion?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[thunderkyss]

"Houston has $122,239,346 committed against the cap with 51 contracts. Their adjusted cap, which includes rollover money, is $134,114,730. With $3,247,174 in dead money on the books, that leaves the Texans with $8,628,210 of cap space for 2014."

http://espn.go.com/blog/houston-tex...ion?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Cut Schaub, designated as a June 1st cut, we increase our cap by $10M this year & next.

$18M for 2014, can we do what we need to do with $18M?

 

[Texian]

Cut Schaub, designated as a June 1st cut, we increase our cap by $10M this year & next.

$18M for 2014, can we do what we need to do with $18M?

If you designate Schaub as a June 1 cut, you can move 50% of Schaub's $10 million in dead money to 2015 ($5 million). In addition cutting Schaub saves $4.125 mil in cap $$$. Therefore a June 1 cut would provide $9.125 million in additional cap $$$. Add that to the $8.628 available cap $$$ = $17.753 million $$$.

The Texans will have to allocate approx $5 million for IR replacements, LTBE's and Practice Squad. They will also need approx $2 million to complete the 53 man roster in September. That will leave approx $10 million to spend.

CAUTION: WORD OF WARNING - The more money you move to 2015 & beyond through June 1 cuts and restructured contracts makes it much more difficult to re-sign J.J. Watt.

That's why I suggest the Texans cut Schaub and trade Foster (if they can) and allocate all dead money to 2014 year. That would give the Texans almost $60 million in cap space in 2015 and more than enough $$$ to re-sign Watt.

FYI - You also need to take into account that 2014 draft pick 1.1 will count roughly $5 million against the Texans salary cap come September. So that really only leaves approx $5 million to spend.

 

[thunderkyss]

If you designate Schaub as a June 1 cut, you can move 50% of Schaub's $10 million in dead money to 2015 ($5 million). In addition cutting Schaub saves $4.125 mil in cap $$$. Therefore a June 1 cut would provide $9.125 million in additional cap $$$. Add that to the $8.628 available cap $$$ = $17.753 million $$$.

The Texans will have to allocate approx $5 million for IR replacements, LTBE's and Practice Squad. They will also need approx $2 million to complete the 53 man roster in September. That will leave approx $10 million to spend.

CAUTION: WORD OF WARNING - The more money you move to 2015 & beyond through June 1 cuts and restructured contracts makes it much more difficult to re-sign J.J. Watt.

That's why I suggest the Texans cut Schaub and trade Foster (if they can) and allocate all dead money to 2014 year. That would give the Texans almost $60 million in cap space in 2015 and more than enough $$$ to re-sign Watt.

FYI - You also need to take into account that draft pick 1.1 will count roughly $5 million against the Texans salary cap come September.

So... you're saying yes? No? Close?

To get better and replace those 3 starters with better talent you would need a MINIMUM of $10-$12 million addition to the 2014 salary cap.

We cut Schaub, designated as a June 1st cut (+ $9.1M), cut McCain (+ $0.8M), cut Newton (+ $1.4M), cut Chad Spanning, Keith Browner, Toben Opurum ($1.2M)

+12.5M

 

[Texian]

So... you're saying yes? No? Close?



We cut Schaub, designated as a June 1st cut (+ $9.1M), cut McCain (+ $0.8M), cut Newton (+ $1.4M), cut Chad Spanning, Keith Browner, Toben Opurum ($1.2M)

+12.5M

I'm saying with the 51 man roster Texans have approx $12 million to spend and this includes cutting Schaub as a June 1 cut. With your proposed cuts you would have approx $15.5 million to spend but you have reduced your current roster to 46 players. So come September you would have approx $15.5 million to sign 7 contracts to complete your 53 man roster. Keep in mind that 1.1 will cost you $5 million so that would leave approx $10.5 million to sign 6 additional contracts.

You also need to take into account that Texans filled out their 51 man roster with practice squad players and other marginal players to replace the 15 players who became FAs this year.

Assuming that 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 make the 53 man roster, last year those draft positions accounted for $7 million in cap $$$$. So when you add those 3 players and subtract those cap $$$ that leaves you with 4 contracts/players to add and approx $8.5 million to do it with.

 

[thunderkyss]

I'm saying with the 51 man roster Texans have approx $12 million to spend and this includes cutting Schaub as a June 1 cut.

So we're good..... thanks.

 

[WolverineFan]

Ideally the Texans would cut some of the bad contracts and take the cap hits this year and just get them off the books. Trade back and accumulate picks to fill out the roster instead of signing FA's and screwing with the cap. The rebuild is coming, this year is as good as any to get it started.

 

[infantrycak]

Ideally the Texans would cut some of the bad contracts and take the cap hits this year and just get them off the books. Trade back and accumulate picks to fill out the roster instead of signing FA's and screwing with the cap. The rebuild is coming, this year is as good as any to get it started.

There is a giant disagreement on what are the "bad contracts." There is also a haste to declare some players done in that equation.

 

[Texian]

So we're good..... thanks.

OOPS! I forgot you cut Schaub who is NOW part of the 51 man roster. So subtracting Schaub leaves 5 players/contracts to sign and approx $8.5 million to do it with. And don't forget this includes 2013 practice squad and handful of other marginal players as part of the 2014 53 man roster.

and no your not good, you cut 6 players so you only have 45 players under contract.

and you're still making it very difficult to re-sign JJ Watt.

 

[WolverineFan]

There is a giant disagreement on what are the "bad contracts." There is also a haste to declare some players done in that equation.

Very true. I guess I should have clarified. I definitely think Schaub should be cut, but don't spread the cap hit around. Take it all ASAP just to get it over with. I see the pros and cons of cutting Daniels. If you think it's right to cut him, then take the hit this year. Same with Manning. I don't agree with cutting Joseph. I also think Foster has a bad contract, but there's not much we can do about that right now.

 

[Texian]

Very true. I guess I should have clarified. I definitely think Schaub should be cut, but don't spread the cap hit around. Take it all ASAP just to get it over with. I see the pros and cons of cutting Daniels. If you think it's right to cut him, then take the hit this year. Same with Manning. I don't agree with cutting Joseph. I also think Foster has a bad contract, but there's not much we can do about that right now.

Daniels is a FA next year so his $ comes off the 2015 books. Daniels maybe a more valuable asset for a rookie a QB and tutoring a rookie TE if one is drafted. With Graham a FA this year cutting Daniels would leave the cupboard bare and with very little talent at TE in 2014.

 

[thunderkyss]

OOPS! I forgot you cut Schaub who is NOW part of the 51 man roster. So subtracting Schaub leaves 5 players/contracts to sign and approx $8.5 million to do it with. And don't forget this includes 2013 practice squad and handful of other marginal players as part of the 2014 53 man roster.

How did we lose $4M by cutting Schaub when you already figured the money in?

I'm saying with the 51 man roster Texans have approx $12 million to spend and this includes cutting Schaub as a June 1 cut.

I understand adding another head to the count, but you said cutting Schaub was already factored into the money. You're also cheating me on moving $7.5M to 2015, not 50% or $5M. So that's the original $12M you quoted after cutting Schaub plus $2.5M you cheated me & we have $14.5M

and no your not good, you cut 6 players so you only have 45 players under contract.

We're still going to have depth issues, I'm not denying that. I wish we could spend $5M on every player we add like Indy can... but I agree we don't have the cap space to do that. We'll just have to find a way to get a lot out of cheap contracts the way they've done the past two years.

But we keep OD, we Keep Manning, we've got Brian Cushing coming back & we didn't have to cut Jjo..... so I'm still fielding a competent team with eight 1st & 2nd round picks & high dollar FAs.

We sign our first round pick for about $5M cap hit (your number) & the other 6 for about $3M, total of $8M leaving us $6M.

I don't expect us to be very active in FA.

But we can still & should cut Brice McCain & Derek Newton for another $2M. We can cut OD, we can get Andre, Jjo, Foster, & Myers to restructure if we have to..... not saying that we should, but if we have to.

and you're still making it very difficult to re-sign JJ Watt.

Eh... not on my agenda to make him the highest paid defensive player in the league. I want to pay him well, but I want to win more. & overpaying does not help.

 

[Troy Chapman]

If you designate Schaub as a June 1 cut, you can move 50% of Schaub's $10 million in dead money to 2015 ($5 million). In addition cutting Schaub saves $4.125 mil in cap $$$. Therefore a June 1 cut would provide $9.125 million in additional cap $$$. Add that to the $8.628 available cap $$$ = $17.753 million $$$.

The Texans will have to allocate approx $5 million for IR replacements, LTBE's and Practice Squad. They will also need approx $2 million to complete the 53 man roster in September. That will leave approx $10 million to spend.

CAUTION: WORD OF WARNING - The more money you move to 2015 & beyond through June 1 cuts and restructured contracts makes it much more difficult to re-sign J.J. Watt.

That's why I suggest the Texans cut Schaub and trade Foster (if they can) and allocate all dead money to 2014 year. That would give the Texans almost $60 million in cap space in 2015 and more than enough $$$ to re-sign Watt.

FYI - You also need to take into account that 2014 draft pick 1.1 will count roughly $5 million against the Texans salary cap come September. So that really only leaves approx $5 million to spend.

If you use the June 1 designation, I don't think you can split the difference 50/50 like that. You take on this years pro-rated bonus for 2014 dead money. Remaining pro-rated bonus money for 2015 & 2016 go towards the 2015 cap as dead money.

 

[Texian]

If you use the June 1 designation, I don't think you can split the difference 50/50 like that. You take on this years pro-rated bonus for 2014 dead money. Remaining pro-rated bonus money for 2015 & 2016 go towards the 2015 cap as dead money.

There you go, I stand corrected. So if you're correct, Schaub's 2014 dead money would be $3.5 million and his 2015 dead money would be $7 million? Correct?