nfoligno Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 ESPN and the Sun Times did a bit of Salary Cap work for the NFC North. Below are the figures for the four teams: Detroit: $26.8 million Minnesota: $20.4 million Green Bay: $19.09 million Chicago: $17.4 million These numbers do not reflect cap credits each team will get, including as much as $9m we are due to receive in credit for CB Marcus Hamilton. $9m for Hamilton? Wow. So we are looking at about $26M, and you can bet the others will be due increases also. What I didn't feel was mentioned much though was how each team is set up entering FA in terms of current players the team needs to sign. The bears have the following players due to hit FA. Mike Brown, Grossman, Lloyd, Fred Miller and St. Clair. I think it fair to assume Grossman, Lloyd and Miller are absolutely gone. I know some would like to keep Lloyd, but after his spat w/ the staff, I just see no chance of that. Mike Brown is most likely gone, though I personally would consider re-signing him on the cheap to play SS. St. Clair I think could be looked at, but again, not for big bucks. Point here is, we should have around $26m, but w/o many players of our own hitting FA, and frankly, few to no players we will be looking to extend. In past years, we have used up a ton of cap to extend players on the team, but who is left? Thus, most of our cap can actually be used to add to this team. Detroit FAs. DT Shaun Cody OT George Foster K Jason Hanson RB Rudi Johnson MLB Paris Lenon WR Shaun McDonald MLB Ryan Nece QB Dan Orlovsky TE John Owens OG Stephen Peterman CB Stanley Wilson In this list, I note numerous starters or key players. Additionally, this team has so many holes, it makes swiss cheese look whole. Simply put, they could have $40m in cap space, and it still would not seem like enough. Minny FAs. DT Kenderick Allen C Matt Birk QB Brooks Bollinger S Michael Boulware DT Fred Evans MLB Heath Farwell WR Robert Ferguson CB Charles Gordon DE Otis Grigsby TE Jim Kleinsasser CB Benny Sapp S Darren Sharper DE Kenechi Udeze A pro bowl center. Several defensive starters, and numerous key contributors. They have $20m listed, but is a team known to load up on credits, so I would expect them to big higher. Still, they have a lot of work to do in their secondary, where they are were not great to begin w/, and have several starters hitting FA. Further, Birk will cost a lot to retain, and they need serious help at QB. Green Bay FAs. S Atari Bigby RF DT Colin Cole TE Bubba Franks DE Michael Montgomery OT Mark Tauscher Their list is not big, though Tauscher is going to be a big one by himself. I have read several reports talking about him as one of the top OTs in FA, and if GB wants to keep him, it will cost a lot. If they want to replace him, that too will cost a lot. Other than Tauscher, their offense is pretty solid, but their D is simply bad and has a lot of work. They too are going to find themselves needing every bit of their cap to deal w/ current holes. I guess the point here is two fold. One, we are looking very good w/ an expected $26m (or there abouts) in cap space. We are also looking very good in terms of how many players we have hitting FAs, as well as the lack of current players we are going to be looking to extend. At that same time, just looking at our own division, the other teams are in decent position too. I would say Det is in the worst position, simply because it has so many holes. Minny and GB have solid cap space, but each has at least one big ticket player to re-sign (Birk/Tauscher), while Minny has several lesser starters as well. I think we and GB are each in the best position, though I think we get the nod for best due to their having Tauscher hitting FA. W/ $26m, I think we have more than enough money to make a big impact. I still believe (Free Agency) we should be looking at WR and OT first and foremost. QB and OG are not included due to quality available. Not due to an idea we are set there. On defense, I think DE and FS are the top needs. DE is difficult to add in FA, and I think we are more likely to look at the draft there. But I think a FS is possible. My FA hopes (not predictions). WR - TJ Housyourmama. Sorry, but I just see no one else that is even close. He would do as much to help our offense as just about any other player would could hope to add. OT - Frankly, there is a decent list of FA OTs I would like to look at. I do not think we will be looking at the top tier (Gross, Tauscher, Smith) as we have Williams. We will be looking for a RT. Columbo, Carey, Starks, Stincomb, Barnes. Point is, there are more than a couple solid RTs to choose from, any of which I think would be an upgrade to Tait. FS - Otogwe. He is one of the few, very few, bright spots on a bad St. Louis defense. He is a solid, young FS. He is a playmakers (5 ints/6 FFs this year and 8 ints last). He would be a great addition to our defense, and probably the first true FS we have had in a LONG time. W/ these additions, we could focus on OG and DE in the draft, as well as maybe a QB and RB. Of course, I am sure Angelo will use the money for an over the hill QB, yet another TE, a WLB and a SS he believes can play FS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I fear Angelo paying for Kurt Warner... Who, without the WR talent, is a waste. And could hit the age wall fast... My FA hopes (not predictions). WR - TJ Housyourmama. Sorry, but I just see no one else that is even close. He would do as much to help our offense as just about any other player would could hope to add. OT - Frankly, there is a decent list of FA OTs I would like to look at. I do not think we will be looking at the top tier (Gross, Tauscher, Smith) as we have Williams. We will be looking for a RT. Columbo, Carey, Starks, Stincomb, Barnes. Point is, there are more than a couple solid RTs to choose from, any of which I think would be an upgrade to Tait. FS - Otogwe. He is one of the few, very few, bright spots on a bad St. Louis defense. He is a solid, young FS. He is a playmakers (5 ints/6 FFs this year and 8 ints last). He would be a great addition to our defense, and probably the first true FS we have had in a LONG time. W/ these additions, we could focus on OG and DE in the draft, as well as maybe a QB and RB. Of course, I am sure Angelo will use the money for an over the hill QB, yet another TE, a WLB and a SS he believes can play FS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clnr Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Good write up! 2 things: - Colombo is not FA. His contract has been extended for 4 more years (and I doubt he would like to return to Chicago). http://www.bigblueview.com/sports_data/tea...ws_detail/24135 - Matt Birks future in Minnesota is not certain. I've read a lot of rumours of him nor returning. With a supposedly good draft for centers coming up, they might go that way and save some cap dollars there! http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth/0-7-39...-Frerotte-.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I fear Angelo paying for Kurt Warner... Who, without the WR talent, is a waste. And could hit the age wall fast... I personally like warner. I think, even w/o his great weapons, he can be a very good or great QB. But I do believe he needs a great OL. He has a good OL in Az, and a great WR duo. Whether he has the weapons or the OL, I think he can excel, but I do not think he would offer much w/o either. Here, what do we have? I am not sure our top WR is even a starter for most teams. Our OL is flat out awful. If he were to come here, assuming no other additions, I think he would get killed. Now, I will say this. If we added Warner as part of a greater overhaul of the offense, I might in fact be for that. If we added a package, for example, of Warner, TJ Hous & Max Starks (or pick your favorite RT), while also drafting an OG and another WR, I would be all for bringing Warner in. But I have little hope we will add these other pieces. I really believe Angelo feels our offense simply lacks a QB. I think Angelo believes our OL is solid, and will be great w/ Williams next year. I really believe Angelo feels we have loads of potential at WR, and simply lack a QB to bring out their potential. So, if our big offensive signing were simply Warner, I think our offense would take a step backward. But if, and its a massive if, he were part of a greater upgrade package, I would have no issue at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 - Colombo is not FA. His contract has been extended for 4 more years (and I doubt he would like to return to Chicago). Dang, good catch. I freaking live in Dallas, but missed that one as it happened around Christmas. Okay, take him off the table, but I still like our options at RT. And for the record, I don't think he would have had a problem returning. We carried him for years w/o any return. As I recall, there were no hard feelings when we let him go, and he in fact said he totally understood. And as I said before, if we could get Briggs to play happy, and Booker to return, anything is possible. - Matt Birks future in Minnesota is not certain. I've read a lot of rumours of him nor returning. With a supposedly good draft for centers coming up, they might go that way and save some cap dollars there! Maybe, but if they replace Burk w/ a rookie, I will be fine w/ that. That would be a huge hole for a rookie to fill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I pretty much agree. I too like Warner and really wanted him when he was available before going to AZ... Like you mention, if we do get the full overhaul, I'd be for it. Without that, I am opposed. I personally like warner. I think, even w/o his great weapons, he can be a very good or great QB. But I do believe he needs a great OL. He has a good OL in Az, and a great WR duo. Whether he has the weapons or the OL, I think he can excel, but I do not think he would offer much w/o either. Here, what do we have? I am not sure our top WR is even a starter for most teams. Our OL is flat out awful. If he were to come here, assuming no other additions, I think he would get killed. Now, I will say this. If we added Warner as part of a greater overhaul of the offense, I might in fact be for that. If we added a package, for example, of Warner, TJ Hous & Max Starks (or pick your favorite RT), while also drafting an OG and another WR, I would be all for bringing Warner in. But I have little hope we will add these other pieces. I really believe Angelo feels our offense simply lacks a QB. I think Angelo believes our OL is solid, and will be great w/ Williams next year. I really believe Angelo feels we have loads of potential at WR, and simply lack a QB to bring out their potential. So, if our big offensive signing were simply Warner, I think our offense would take a step backward. But if, and its a massive if, he were part of a greater upgrade package, I would have no issue at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azbearsfan Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I pretty much agree. I too like Warner and really wanted him when he was available before going to AZ... Like you mention, if we do get the full overhaul, I'd be for it. Without that, I am opposed. I fear that Warner would not be a good fit for our weather. The guy is turnover prone as well. AZ is a perfect situation for him so I doubt he would make the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hey nfo, we won't be getting that 9 million in cap credit because it was an unlikely to receive incentive. I guess these things get judged by an arbitrator, and if it's a likely to receiver incentive, it'll get passed, but if it's unlikely, there almost no shot of it getting approved. To get that 9 million, Hamilton would have to block 5 punts and play in 85% of the defensive snaps, or something very similar to that. I guess it's stuff teams try all the time, but if a player is unlikely to receive that bonus, we won't get the cap credit unless he just misses the incentive, or something like that. However, the cap room is suppossed to raise around 7 million next year, so we'd be looking at about 24-25 million in cap room anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASHKUM BEAR Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Hey nfo, we won't be getting that 9 million in cap credit because it was an unlikely to receive incentive. I guess these things get judged by an arbitrator, and if it's a likely to receiver incentive, it'll get passed, but if it's unlikely, there almost no shot of it getting approved. To get that 9 million, Hamilton would have to block 5 punts and play in 85% of the defensive snaps, or something very similar to that. I guess it's stuff teams try all the time, but if a player is unlikely to receive that bonus, we won't get the cap credit unless he just misses the incentive, or something like that. However, the cap room is suppossed to raise around 7 million next year, so we'd be looking at about 24-25 million in cap room anyway. So on that cap credit will be missing out on, was that money that could have been spent last year and we missed out on b/c we attached it to Hamilton? If so, that is a huge boneheaded mistake. That money could have been put to extending the following who will become FA after next season: D. Manning J. Williams M. Anderson D. Dvorecek A. Peterson -------------- or ------ N. Roach J. St. Clair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hochuli 3:16 Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 So on that cap credit will be missing out on, was that money that could have been spent last year and we missed out on b/c we attached it to Hamilton? If so, that is a huge boneheaded mistake. That money could have been put to extending the following who will become FA after next season: D. Manning J. Williams M. Anderson D. Dvorecek A. Peterson -------------- or ------ N. Roach J. St. Clair I think we'll give small extensions to Roach AND St Clair, then Manning, Williams, and AP after the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 So on that cap credit will be missing out on, was that money that could have been spent last year and we missed out on b/c we attached it to Hamilton? If so, that is a huge boneheaded mistake. That money could have been put to extending the following who will become FA after next season: D. Manning J. Williams M. Anderson D. Dvorecek A. Peterson -------------- or ------ N. Roach J. St. Clair No, it was basically most of our left over cap that we didn't use from the offseason. Instead of just letting it do nothing, we attached it to Hamilton, and if we got lucky, we would have gotten 9 million in cap credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 So on that cap credit will be missing out on, was that money that could have been spent last year and we missed out on b/c we attached it to Hamilton? If so, that is a huge boneheaded mistake. That money could have been put to extending the following who will become FA after next season: D. Manning J. Williams M. Anderson D. Dvorecek A. Peterson -------------- or ------ N. Roach J. St. Clair That does seem pretty damn stupid of us to let that money go. That being said, most of the guys you mentioned really weren't worth extending. J. Williams: Given a shot at Hunter's job and was beaten out by Nick Roach. Was he even on special teams at the end? D. Manning: Worthless until the end of the season. He seems like a great nickel-back & kick returner. But we need to see more. M. Anderson: Who??? D. Dvoracek: In 3 seasons he's played in 13 games and he was invisible after the first few weeks. A. Peterson: A man worthy of an extension, but he'll come relatively cheap. N. Roach: Extremely inconsistent. Give Hunter his job back. That leaves John St. Clair, and it's possible we made him an offer and he wanted to see if he could get some big "Left-Tackle" money on the open market. The way those guys get paid is ridiculous. So while I agree with you, I don't think you can throw money at guys just for the sake of getting rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkerBear7 Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 I fear Angelo paying for Kurt Warner... Who, without the WR talent, is a waste. And could hit the age wall fast... I could not agree more. We thought Rex fumbled alot Warner would be toast without the WR in AZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASHKUM BEAR Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 So while I agree with you, I don't think you can throw money at guys just for the sake of getting rid of it. I would rather they use it some way than letting it go back into the owners pockets. IMO, if the NFL doesn't give us credit, I'll put another notch on the Bears are cheap board (even though I think they broke that barrier and spend more than they should -Url,Hest,etc.). I believe Brad Biggs wrote an article saying the Bears will get that credit, but I just glanced at it without reading it all. Who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'TD' Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 I would rather they use it some way than letting it go back into the owners pockets. IMO, if the NFL doesn't give us credit, I'll put another notch on the Bears are cheap board (even though I think they broke that barrier and spend more than they should -Url,Hest,etc.). I believe Brad Biggs wrote an article saying the Bears will get that credit, but I just glanced at it without reading it all. Who knows? That money could have been Faneca (sp.) or Berrian back last season(atleast in franchise tag form). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flea Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 thought we got that money this off-season no matter if he reached the incentives or not? LT where are ya? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 thought we got that money this off-season no matter if he reached the incentives or not? LT where are ya? LOL That is my understanding as well. It is a way numerous teams have been using extra space from one season to build up space the following season. I think Minny got like $10m, in cap credit this last year due to the same finagling of the cap. We have a pretty solid cap guy, so it would surprise me if we didn't better utilize our space. I have a feeling we do get that credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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