for whom the bell tolls

NFL fans have to all be watching the wire for updated info on the impact on their favorite teams of the stall in salary cap negotiations between the owners. all of a sudden there are some HUGE names that face the possibility of being cut. there are teams struggling to whittle down the numbers by the deadline to meet the cap. and there are some teams well below the cap that have got to be sitting back & smiling. teams who will see great benefit to these players suddenly available for the picking when they have the funds to sign them onto their rosters. and other teams sick over the thought that they can't afford to lose anyone else...

take for example the top five teams most OVER the salary cap:
Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos
New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs
Washington Redskins

the Raiders just concluded a less than optimum season, as did the Jets. the Chiefs were finally starting to pull themselves together. the Redskins & the Broncos were contenders. i can't imagine any of these teams are looking forward to losing the players that will most affect the purse strings when you are talking about needing to eliminate upwards of $27 million from your payroll. either they can't afford to get any worse than they already were...or they don't want to lose the ground they've gained by cutting the players that launched them into the post season when most certainly those very same players are the ones whose contracts push the numbers higher than is allowed.

now let's look at the top five teams most UNDER the cap:
Cleveland Browns
Arizona Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers

if i'm any one of those teams, i am smiling all the way to the bank. the Browns made some improvements last year. so did the Cardinals. how much further can they climb with some sparkling new addtions? the Bengals...man...already a team on their way & with some new acquisitions?? WOW. the Vikings & the Packers (oh my poor Packers...), they have nowhere to go but up. criticism on Favre for still not giving a definite answer on the retirement front? well now the Packers have an opportunity to provide him with a supporting cast that could give him a shot at another season in green & gold, one that might not be so heartbreaking. if his receivers could stay healthy & the Packers picked up someone like say Shaun Alexander or the newly cut Stephen Davis, maybe something to round out their defense...dare i hope for one more season of glory in the game of Favre-ball??

the biggest concern that i have is that i can't find *anywhere* where the Patriots stand relative to the cap. i know they've already released CB Duane Starks. we really need to get a more reliable receiver, a strong running back & maybe someone to replace Rodney Harrison on offense. my worst fear though is where this will leave the Vinatieri situation. i'm holding my breath...

i smile though at the list of players on the Bucs who wait to learn their fate. names like: Simeon Rice. Mike Alstott. Derrick Brooks. Brian Griese. Michael Pittman. i hear my co-workers shrugging these guys off like they are no loss at all but those were names i heard a fair amount of last year when it came to key plays...i'm glad these guys i work with are so confident in their current roster that they don't fear losing anyone on that list. ;-)

and now we wait to see where the axe falls next...