jterrell;3254997 said:
A couple points:
1) OL generally play quite a long time. 35 is old but 35 year old OL aren't at all rare. Left Tackles are almost as rare as franchise QBs.
I agree about the LTs ( good ones being rare ) but we're talking about ozone layer altitude when it comes to LTs who play at a high level at that age and FLO is not one of those.
2) 9 million is a sizeable cap hit but doesn't include removing the 5.1 mil base you show above so that's 4 mil hit to cut him in 2011. 6 mil minus 5.1 is less than a million dollars to cut him in 2012 which is peanuts. You don't give up Left Tackles for that. He destroyed Trent Cole and easily handled Jared Allen while in the game.
No, no.. Don't pay attention to the base salary figure when I mentioned the 9 mills cap hit. You're talking overall cap number per year and that's irrelevant unless he's kept on the roster that year.
The 9 mills cap hit is from the bonus and guaranteed part of the contract that counts when he gets cut, the figure changes depending on the year.
( Again, remember that I stated IF this numbers are within range of the real numbers ).
FLO's 13 millions signing bonus + 2 millions guranteed ( 15 mills guaranteed spread out over 6 years comes out to an average of 2.5 mills per year against the cap ( not including base salary ). Since the contract started in 2009, only 2.5 mills of the 15 mills has been counted against the cap. That means there's 13.5 mills left. Since there's no cap in 2010, that's another 2.5 mills that would go away, meaning they'd be 11 million dollars left ( give or take a couple of mills, depending when the guaranteed 2 mills that were not bonus were paid ) by the time 2011 rolls around. Even if it's not 11 and it's 9, it's still too high of a cap hit to take for a player who's obviously declining right now.
If the Cowboys have a chance to turn that figure into ZERO, they have to take it. They'd be foolish not to.
3) Ready-replacement... thats bollocks brother. Everyone talks up Free but he had help against Jared Allen all day. The Cowboys don't believe Free is ready to replace Flo at all. Free was supposed to fall back and help Witten against Allen on that horrid sack we allowed that caused a fumble. Free had more help in that one game than Flo gets ALL year. In fact Flo is better without help. Did Free end up looking as bad as Columbo or Kosier? Nope. Does that mean he is ready to fill Flo's shoes? Nope. We need to find that out in training camp and pre-season at the very least before we cut Adams. you don't mess around with the OL to save a few bucks.
You're being too harsh on Free. Remember that he had to learn a whole new technique at the RT position, and did quite well, when Columbo went out. He was put in the Vikings game as a LT, meaning he had to revert back to his old technique, in the middle of a playoff game, against one of the premier rushers in the league. That wouldn' be easy on an experienced back up LT, much less him.
Give him full OTA's, an entire training camp, plus pre-season games, and going by the job he did as a RT with just one week of preparation, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind he's ready to take over FLO. Would he better than FLO was in his prime ? I doubt it, but FLO was a special player, however I would bet that he'd be better than what FLO is right now.
You can not assume a guy can play LT because he did a very good job at RT. Free is very promising but you don't cut guys who are Pro Bowl caliber players for a guess at LT.
FLO hasn't been a Pro Bowl caliber player in a few years now. He's been getting by, mostly, on an old reputation and the fact that the Cowboys haven't been able to develop anybody to take his place ( until now ). That's more of an indictment on the Cowboys coaches than on FLO's abilities over the past couple of years.
TNew plays a position where 30 is ancient. If you cut anyone you cut him. He is very helpful and it's a huge risk but he's been injured more, plays a position where age is a huge negative and no longer plays that top CB position.
I'm for seriously considering cutting him too. I was just saying that his case is a bit harder than FLO because he can still be servicible a couple more years, but not at the money he's making or is scheduled to make.
