DMN.COM (Archer) Commanders spending freely again, but how?

[DBoys]

[SIZE=+1]Restructuring contracts to free up cash could cost Washington later
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[SIZE=-1]10:25 PM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006

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[SIZE=-1]By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE]

IRVING – You ask the question every March: How in the world are the Commanders, with owner Daniel Snyder's checkbook, signing all of these free agents?

You think they must be circumventing the NFL salary cap.
This year, the Commanders added wide receivers Antwaan Randle El, safety Adam Archuleta and linebacker Andre Carter and traded for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. Randle El and Carter received six-year deals for $30 million. Archuleta will receive $31.8 million over six years.
Add tight end Christian Fauria and quarterback Todd Collins, and all those moves cost the Commanders about $10 million against the $102 million 2006 salary cap.

How do they do it?
Restructure, restructure, restructure.

Washington has converted $13.5 million in roster bonuses into signing bonuses, clearing $10 million in cap room. It received $4.4 million when linebacker LaVar Arrington went away. It has restructured the contracts for linebacker Marcus Washington and defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin.

Washington turned a $2.5 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, prorating that money over the final four years of his contract. While it lowered his cap figure this year to $3.2 million, it will raise his cap figures in the final three years by roughly $625,000 a year.

More than most teams, the Commanders needed a new collective bargaining agreement for 2006. Washington was more than $20 million over the proposed $94.5 million cap but was saved when a deal was struck with the NFL Players Association, raising the cap to $102 million.

The Commanders were ready to rework the contracts of quarterback Mark Brunell, defensive end Renaldo Wynn, tackle Jon Jansen, guard Randy Thomas, cornerback Shawn Springs and running back Clinton Portis if no CBA was reached. They could still revisit those deals if they need or want more room.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could have resisted a new CBA, without which his chief rival would have been confined to salary-cap jail for 2006. But that would not have benefited the NFL in the long run.
The Commanders' spending does create problems, such as having players no longer on the roster counting against a current cap. Eventually, the Commanders will have to pay a price against the cap for paying these prices for players now.

At least that's what their opponents hope.
But remember this: All it has gotten the Commanders is one playoff victory since Snyder bought the team in 1999.

E-mail tarcher@***BANNED-URL***

 

[riggo]

But remember this: All it has gotten the Commanders is one playoff victory since Snyder bought the team in 1999.

why do dallas writers bring this up? he has to know the obvious reply.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

why do dallas writers bring this up? he has to know the obvious reply.

Since Big Bill shut down the leaks from valley ranch the local media has had to do stories like this just to put an article out.

At one time they had people who would let them know stuff going on behind the scenes so they did not have to do much work and always had something to write.

Big Bill changed that and if you read or listened to some of the local media you can tell they are not happy about it.

There are times we have threads and ideas on this board and a few days later you will see an article about some of the exact same things.

In some ways I guess it is good the reporters read what interest fans but in other ways it means they, more often than not, do not have much more to say then what we have already talked about.

 

[superpunk]

why do dallas writers bring this up? he has to know the obvious reply.

Is it distasteful to bring up the truth?

 

[riggo]

Is it distasteful to bring up the truth?

it is certainly true, but when that win just happened last year means that the Commanders are onto something.

the dumbest part of the comment is that, since snyder has bought the team, dallas has zero playoff wins. ripping another team when your own cupboard is bare is pretty silly.

he has to know that.

 

[DBoys]

it is certainly true, but when that win just happened last year means that the Commanders are onto something.

the dumbest part of the comment is that, since snyder has bought the team, dallas has zero playoff wins. ripping another team when your own cupboard is bare is pretty silly.

he has to know that.

But our zero playoff wins has nothing to do with the Commanders. It's not like you guys personally knocked us out or anything.

Simply both clubs have been struggling with coaches and finally heading down the right track.

To be fair on the playoff win front Dallas has a pretty full cupboard.

 

[riggo]

But our zero playoff wins has nothing to do with the Commanders. It's not like you guys personally knocked us out or anything.

i'm not arguing that it did. the writer bashed the skins for only winning one playoff game in 6 years. dallas has won none. it has nothing to do with whether the skins personally knocked dallas out of the playoffs.

 

[superpunk]

it is certainly true, but when that win just happened last year means that the Commanders are onto something.

the dumbest part of the comment is that, since snyder has bought the team, dallas has zero playoff wins. ripping another team when your own cupboard is bare is pretty silly.

he has to know that.

He's a reporter. Reporting for a team that has had no success precludes him from criticizing other teams? Interesting logic.....

Washington was onto something last year. Make few solid moves, keep draft picks, establish continuity. That all went out the window when they got that extra money to overspend.

 

[Gfunk]

But our zero playoff wins has nothing to do with the Commanders. It's not like you guys personally knocked us out or anything.

we did last season​

 

[superpunk]

we did last season​

Our place kicker had FAR more to do with us missing the playoffs than the Commanders did.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

we did last season​

The only team that knocked dallas out was...Dallas.

Sure if we would have beat you guys one game we would have went in, but also if we would have beat any team we lost to last year we would have went in as well.

So, Dallas knocked Dallas out of the playoffs and helped you guys get in.

Dallas wins any of the games we lost, except the last one, we were in and you guys were out.

 

[riggo]

He's a reporter. Reporting for a team that has had no success precludes him from criticizing other teams? Interesting logic.....

c'mon, super. you know what i'm saying. i couldnt be more clear.

Washington was onto something last year. Make few solid moves, keep draft picks, establish continuity. That all went out the window when they got that extra money to overspend.

gibbs has never been high on draft picks to build a team. we'll see if his method works in the salary cap era. as for continuity- the skins are starting almost the same group of players both on O and D that they had last year. same O line, same RB, same QB, same #1 WR- they just added a #2 and #3. (that was badly needed) same D line except for carter. same DB's except safety.

that's pretty good continuity- better than dallas, correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[Gfunk]

Our place kicker had FAR more to do with us missing the playoffs than the Commanders did.

well, of course there were other factors involved

but when it came down to it, ya'll could have went 10-6 (won that STL game) and still missed the playoffs because of us

you're suppost to make the playoffs at 10-6, especially in the NFC
​

 

[ndanger]

we did last season​

I am pretty sure we did that on our own and your team had no bearing on it at all.You earned one we gave ya one.Let's see in December who earns respect.

 

[DBoys]

well, of course there were other factors involved

but when it came down to it, ya'll could have went 10-6 (won that STL game) and still missed the playoffs because of us

you're suppost to make the playoffs at 10-6, especially in the NFC

​

WAS stayed healthy and the Giants & Cowboys were hurt by injuries.

 

[hooskins]

riggo is making some good points, and I do not say this just bc I am a Skins fan. It is true we have only had two playoff showings, and one win, since 1999; but Dallas has had zero wins. I think alot of hate that Danny Boy gets is ok, but I honestly think since the first couple years he was at DC, he is really understanding what to do. Of course the contracts look ridiculous, but we all know how it looks when you break them down year to year, not all of that money will go to our signings. And again, coaching and QB issues where more of the problem, and now it looks like we have good roots for the future, atleast with coaching(GW). Last year cannot be put as a fluke, it was a serious run, and many of those games in the season where very close (just like your games), but the point being we have room for improvement, and the needed players for that have been signed.

 

[jterrell]

it is certainly true, but when that win just happened last year means that the Commanders are onto something.

the dumbest part of the comment is that, since snyder has bought the team, dallas has zero playoff wins. ripping another team when your own cupboard is bare is pretty silly.

he has to know that.

The writer isn't a Cowboy or even a Cowboy fan so really it means nothing.

Any beat write rof any team could have stated the same thing.

The Skins have been willing to mortgage the future to win now and haven't been winning.

Pointing out every other team who hasn't been winning doesn't mean much unless they have also been spending like they were playing with monopoly money.

 

[riggo]

Sure if we would have beat you guys one game we would have went in, but also if we would have beat any team we lost to last year we would have went in as well.

So, Dallas knocked Dallas out of the playoffs and helped you guys get in.

Dallas wins any of the games we lost, except the last one, we were in and you guys were out.

that may be true, but when it was on the line, with 3 weeks to go in the season, washington beating dallas did knock dallas out. had dallas won, they would have been in a washington would have been out.

you can say that about any team- if they had won this game or that game earlier, they would have been in, but with 3 weeks to go in the season, it was essentially a playoff. it doesnt matter that much to me, but if dallas beating washington would have put them in and washington beat dallas, then they knocked them out of it.

 

[Gfunk]

WAS stayed healthy and the Giants & Cowboys were hurt by injuries.

I wouldn't say we stayed healthy, considering we had injuries early on in the season (Cornelius Griffn, for example) that severly hurt us.

We also lost Patten (starting WR) and Thomas (best offensive lineman), not to mention other injuries players played through.

We were all beat up, yet, we still found ways to win.
​

 

[riggo]

The writer isn't a Cowboy or even a Cowboy fan so really it means nothing.

Any beat write rof any team could have stated the same thing.

The Skins have been willing to mortgage the future to win now and haven't been winning.

Pointing out every other team who hasn't been winning doesn't mean much unless they have also been spending like they were playing with monopoly money.

he's a writer for the DMN. if he was writing for the NY daily news, it wouldnt be a dumb comment.