45 man roster is a joke.

[rathalarge]

Why have a salary cap when an owner has to pay eight players to sit and not dress on gameday. You can only have 11 on each side between the white lines, so how ridiculous is this? And nerve racking to Parcells when getting the 'Boys ready on Sundays.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Why have a salary cap when an owner has to pay eight players to sit and not dress on gameday. You can only have 11 on each side between the white lines, so how ridiculous is this? And nerve racking to Parcells when getting the 'Boys ready on Sundays.

Only the top 51 paid players count towards the cap. It's called the Rule of 51 or something like that so not every player counts toward the cap.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

I agree it is a stupid rule, and it has nothing to do with the rule of 51............all 53 players get paid. If I was an owner, and I was paying these players, I would insist that they all be available on game day......................

 

[DeaconBlues]

Only the top 51 paid players count towards the cap. It's called the Rule of 51 or something like that so not every player counts toward the cap.

That's only during the offseason and training camp. Every signed player, IR and practice squad included, must fit under the cap during the season.

 

[ravidubey]

Does the "Rule of 51" apply during the season? I thought it was meant for the offseason when rosters are in flux.

I used to think what you guys do-- let the salary cap be the final judge of how big a roster can be. But the active roster limit is the last failsafe to keep games more competitive. Competition and parity are the most important ingredients for keeping the NFL strong. I do think the limit is somewhat arbitrary and smaller than it should be.

 

[Ashwynn]

Well 45 or 51 - every team has the same limits, if its giving Parcells headaches, its also giving other coaches the same headaches. Same with jones, its giving all other owners the same opportunity to pay guys to not play.

its all good.

 

[Bull Frog]

I agree it is a stupid rule, and it has nothing to do with the rule of 51............all 53 players get paid. If I was an owner, and I was paying these players, I would insist that they all be available on game day......................

Charlie Casserrly address this issue on Houston radio one day. They felt if all 53 players dressed and a team had several injuries they were at a disadvantage. So if one team were able to dress 53 and the opponent could only dress 48, it wasn't fair because of substitutions etc. So they came up with 45.