Eatman: Jason Witten reworks contract...Livings and Bernadeau too

[Hoofbite]

Where I agree with everyone you said. The one thing I would want to say is who cares if it sets up the fans to hate said player. We need to get over ourselves and stop being so damn petty with that crap. it isn't the players fault he got the contract. just my .02

I'd wager 90% of the disagreement on this board is about disdain for a certain player or part of the team.

Tony Romo is poster boy for this.

In that case, EVERYONE cares.

And in countering those who do hate the players, posters will call into question another posters's "fanhood" or whatever. So the problem is twofold. You have the initial hate and rebound hate. All the while it goes with not nearly as much attention that the team did this to itself.

 

[speedkilz88]

This is, IMO, an excellent post. Doesn't matter if you agree with it or not, I applaud the effort put into it.

Thank you for doing this Hoof.

For what it's worth, I agree. I think this is exactly what holds this franchise back. We do this time and time again. At some point, I think you have to change the dynamics and go forward with a new way of doing business.

They just came off of a season with over 20 million in dead money and a five million league fine and got through it just fine. This is just silly fear mongering by someone that hates the FO so much that they try to look for falling objects from the sky.

 

[CowboyStar88]

I'd wager 90% of the disagreement on this board is about disdain for a certain player or part of the team.

Tony Romo is poster boy for this.

In that case, EVERYONE cares.

And in countering those who do hate the players, posters will call into question another posters's "fanhood" or whatever. So the problem is twofold. You have the initial hate and rebound hate. All the while it goes with not nearly as much attention that the team did this to itself.

The franchise can't base handing out a contract based on the fans hating a player. I just have a problem with it you know? I am not Tony Romo's biggest fan and he frustrates the hell out of me and I wish we would groom someone to challenge him (Which for me is my biggest grip with the franchise we don't place a premium on developing QB's) But I realize he is the best option for this team to win right now. I would hate to think that the fans would even come into play when it comes to a players contract. It's the teams money and if the player is performing whats the issue? If he isn't living up to his contract well thats on the team for handing out the contract we shouldn't hate the player because of his contract does that make sense?

 

[Hoofbite]

The franchise can't base handing out a contract based on the fans hating a player. I just have a problem with it you know? I am not Tony Romo's biggest fan and he frustrates the hell out of me and I wish we would groom someone to challenge him (Which for me is my biggest grip with the franchise we don't place a premium on developing QB's) But I realize he is the best option for this team to win right now. I would hate to think that the fans would even come into play when it comes to a players contract. It's the teams money and if the player is performing whats the issue? If he isn't living up to his contract well thats on the team for handing out the contract we shouldn't hate the player because of his contract does that make sense?

I'm not suggesting they do.

I'm just suggesting that misplaced hatred basically clouds every discussion. It wouldn't be a problem if people could see beyond just the cap number and realize how it came about.

 

[gimmesix]

they might just be pushing money to back end of these contracts that will result in substantial dead money cap hits in few years.

Which will then be eaten by another restructured contract. That's the way of today's NFL if you're playing the game right.

 

[gimmesix]

Why do people worry about this?

These savings are all tiered into the contracts at the team's option so that the team can review the players' progress at season end, and decide if they want to progress along the curve that was set at the time the contract was signed. It's not changing the deal, it's a progress check in stages that allows the team to course correct.

For players that aren't playing up to their expected curve relative to their paychecks, they're asked to take a pay cut (Connor) or they'll end up cut (Free).

It's not a sign that the team planned poorly and is having to juggle in order to fit under the cap. This is all completely expected. The only variables are in the year-to-year performance evaluations and in the negotiations for extensions for existing players as they come up.

People are always going to worry about things they can't or refuse to understand.

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

They just came off of a season with over 20 million in dead money and a five million league fine and got through it just fine. This is just silly fear mongering by someone that hates the FO so much that they try to look for falling objects from the sky.

You can love or hate the front office, but you can't ignor the results. The front office will have to change its approach sooner or later. Whether they choose to "blow the team up" or be forced into it like they were in the early 2000's.

 

[speedkilz88]

You can love or hate the front office, but you can't ignor the results. The front office will havetoto change its approach sooner or later. Whether they choose to "blow the team up" or be forced into it like they were in the early 2000's.

OK, here's another chicken little.

The problem in the early 2000s was not having Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, and Jay Novacek. An aging and declining team without it's superstars.

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

OK, here's another chicken little.

The problem in the early 2000s was not having Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, and Jay Novacek. An aging and declining team without it's superstars.

Ok, here's another one in denial.

We were in cap hell and paid for it dearly.

 

[speedkilz88]

Ok, here's another one in denial.

We were in cap hell and paid for it dearly.

No one would have thought it to be cap hell had we still had those superstars playing and at a high level. Or drafted replacements that could play at that level. They sucked because they no longer had their talent. If they had found a qb like Romo sooner they would have emerged a lot sooner.:

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

No one would have thought it to be cap hell had we still had those superstars playing and at a high level. Or drafted replacements that could play at that level. They sucked because they no longer had their talent. If they had found a qb like Romo sooner they would have emerged a lot sooner.:

Of course they wouldn't have been in cap hell if the triplets were playing like they did when they were young but that's unrealistic. Players get older and their ay begins to diminish. It's unrealistic to think Ware's Wit's and Romo's won't as well.

 

[Beast_from_East]

They are giving back nothing. It's just re-structuring. Takes salary and converts it to signing bonus so they get the money up-front. That then spreads the $$ out over the contract and lowers the single year hit.

Exactly.


The players are giving back jack. What the team is doing is converting base salary to signing bonus so that amount can then be spread over the lenght of the contract instead of all being counted towards the cap this season.

In other words, I am giving you a check TODAY for what you would have made over the next year. No player in their right mind turns that down, they love restructuring.

Considering the time value of money, getting paid your annual salary up front instead of over multiple payments over the next year, the player is actually getting MORE MONEY on a restructure than if he didnt take it.

 

[Beast_from_East]

NO MONEY IS SAVED.
NO MONEY IS SAVED.
NO MONEY IS SAVED.

Quit saying nonsense like that. It is DEFERRED. The financial obligation is merely postponed.

More cap space today. Less for seasons to come. It's called mortgaging the future.

You are not taking into account that the cap will increase in future seasons. So if a payment that you defferred today was equal to 5% of cap, that same payment may only amount to 3% of cap in a future season.

 

[speedkilz88]

Of course they wouldn't have been in cap hell if the triplets were playing like they did when they were young but that's unrealistic. Players get older and their ay begins to diminish. It's unrealistic to think Ware's Wit's and Romo's won't as well.

Expecting them all to fall apart anytime soon is unrealistic. Irvin's ended prematurely because of a diagnosed stenosis, that doesn't happen very often. Aikman's ended because Jerry himself decided to pull the plug and take Aikman's contract hit. Aikman wanted to continue. Jerry wanted to start over. Which is what the crazies around here are wanting to do. Not to mention the cap is much larger today then it was back then allowing teams to absorb cap hits better (note the 20 million plus of dead money last season)and the restructuring has been improved much more with the experience.

 

[Beast_from_East]

I gues this is why Stephen laughs when people ask him about "how much room" Dallas has under the cap.

:laugh2:

 

[skinsscalper]

I think the point that a lot of people are missing is the fact that the Cowboys set these contracts up, for the most part, to do this very thing. The sky is falling crowd is in full freak out mode because "Oh no! They're moving money around because their in cap hell!" The fact of the matter is that almost everyone of these contracts were set up to do exactly what they are doing right now.

Stephen Jones knows exactly what he is doing. I'm interested to see Adam's take on this whole thing. I'm certain that he'll echo, to a certain extent, exactly what I'm referencing. Sure there might be a couple of contracts that they didn't originally intend to extend at the onset, but every team in the league does what the Cowboys are doing.

The Cowboys' problems start and end at piss poor drafting in the middle and late rounds. If they ever get that straightened out then things will start looking a whole lot better out there.

 

[fanfromvirginia]

I don't terribly mind the Cowboys doing it but it is simply incorrect to claim that it doesn't cost anything. Yes, this money really is being pushed into future years.

 

[speedkilz88]

I don't terribly mind the Cowboys doing it but it is simply incorrect to claim that it doesn't cost anything. Yes, this money really is being pushed into future years.

And every team does it.

 

[Joe Realist]

6-10 is coming fast

 

[jjktkk]

And every team does it.

Does it take a PH. D for some fans to understand this?