http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2001/0312/1151423.html Question : When 35% of your cap space is taken up by players who won't play for you, and your future cap problems make NFL experts cry and beat their chest in lamentations, what do you do to salvage this shipwreck in progress? Answer : Pursue the biggest draft bust in recent memory, a notorius headcase, to be the quarterback of the future. Jerry Jones needs to fire himself as General Manager. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe.
Actually, their future cap problems shouldn't be all that bad. Mickey Spagnola was noting that the Cowboys should have about $20 million in free cap space for 2002 (that's without adding new commitments this year that dribble over into next year, of course). I think the Cowboys are making a mistake going after Leaf. He's proven that he's a clubhouse cancer. Even if he could play, it'd be a big risk. Since he hasn't shown that he can play worth a damn, I don't see where the upside is on this guy. If he had a good attitude and was just struggling to learn the game, I could maybe see taking the chance. But Leaf has a horrible attitude. Maybe it'll all work out (perhaps Leaf has learned his lesson since being released, but I doubt it), but it's not something I would do if I were running the Cowboys. ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
mrpaige : The Cowboys should be in fine cap space, provided they fill out their roster with players paying for the minimum and don't extend any deals with players currently on the roster. I don't think that's likely though, because I'm not convinced that Jerry is ready to accept that he has to rebuild. Not that its any worry of mine, it just means the Houston Texans will be the best team in the state of Texas when they enter the league. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe.
I agree Leaf is a decent gamble to take. Maybe he just needed a change of scenery. What I don't understand is why Dallas didn't just claim him off waivers for $100 instead of letting Tampa do it and now having to trade for him.
Mickey is a Cowboys Apologist (you know when even the hosts on the Ticket call him Jones' Back Pocket Boy that he's a biased source), but I was thinking I heard Hansen back those numbers up (and while Hansen was a Troy Apologist, he's no fan of JJones). Come to think of it, it may have been Hansen I heard the $20 million number from. The point is, though, that the Cowboys will be free of the money being paid to players no longer on the roster after this season (assuming they don't cut someone else with a large signing bonus) and they should have some significant cap space available next season. (Troy's unprorated bonus counts solely against this year's cap. And players released last year after June 1 will have the rest of their nonpro-rated bonuses count against the cap this year. Unless they lose some big players with big remaining unpro-rated signing bonuses, they will have a lot of cap space next season). ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
I assume they thought no one would claim Leaf off waivers and they could sign him to a smaller contract than his current one. Either that or the Cowboys didn't decide they'd be interested in Leaf until after he was already with the Bucs. ------------------ Houston Sports Board The Anti-Bud Adams Page
hey, ryan, i'd be careful with taking spagnolia's comments with anything but a grain of salt. he has proven, in the YEARS that i've been listening to him on the ticket, to be nothing more than a big-time cowboy apologist/lackey. wouldn't surprise me if his cap numbers are being fed straight from jerry jones' mouth. i mean... i won't pretend to know their actual cap situation, but i do know they restructured at least three deals this year to free up space -- they're by no means out of the woods. and it couldn't have happened to a better team! as for leaf, he's worth the gamble, imo. i don't think he'll pan out, and has even less of a chance with dallas and their bumbling cadre of coaches, but he's not that expensive, and unlike the other candidates, if he has good days, they're certainly ahead, not behind him. ------------------ Ric http://www.houstonprofootball.com
