The Catch-22 of A Superstar Quarterback

[realitybytes]

I think that is this authors point.

We all would not trade AR for anything because he does make us better; however, this is part of the reason (not the whole reason) that our defense is mediocre. We cannot get or keep all premiere talent on that side of the ball. ...

the facts do not bear this out at all. here is how the packers money is spent: defense: $67,488,304 (11th highest in the nfl). offense: $58,297,407 (20th highest in the nfl).

we spend a disproportionately high percentage of our salary cap on defensive players. aaron rodgers' salary is not keeping us from getting or keeping defensive talent. ted thompson is keeping us from getting or keeping defensive talent.

 

[FlaPack]

The real catch 22 is that the QB pool at the college level is pathetic. If you have a QB who fits yiurvsystem and is productive you are forced to overpay or suffer with the alternative. I don't care if it's Rodgers , Flacco Wilson or Stafford. You want to start over with Bryce Petty or Hundley?

 

[ChampionshipBelt]

I am not disagreeing with you, Pugger.

I just wanted to make the point that Seattle has been successful with their formula and then when you look at what the author brings up in this article, AR might want to start thinking about winning another title or two.

Here is a site that talks about AR's salary, signing bonus, and endorsements. I think he is ok.

http://my.xfinity.com/slideshow/sports-highestpaidathletes2013/5/

 

[ChampionshipBelt]

Point well taken, RB. I did not do my research on that one.

Maybe I should restate: AR might want to think about restructuring so we can push TT to sign a few impact free agents on defense. (Pipe dream, I know)

We all know this defense has under achieved. I agree that TT has not drafted well on defense. This is why adding FA like Woodson and Peppers have been so important. We need to add a few more to get over that hump defensively.

 

[Frozen Tundra]

so it's not just me then. that guy is a horrible writer.

Ndamukong Suh’s $19 million yearly contract was labeled perhaps the worse in all history

In the end Ted Thompson would be insane to let Rodgers go, but by proving his sanity by letting Rodgers go would only go to prove his insanity.

No. Definitely not just you. Give him credit for trying, but I think he needs to stick with the day job. Granted, his point is valid, but writing like that makes it hard to follow it.

Cutler possess every physical and mental trait required for a franchise quarterback but you almost know he’ll never put it all together and he certainly can’t inspire his team to play for him. You have to pay Cutler like a franchise quarterback because if you don’t someone else will

First of all, Cutler clearly does not possess all the mental traits you need in a franchise quarterback, because the fact that he's such a fruitcake is a big reason he can't lead a team all the way. At some point in the postseason, you just know that he's going to melt down and blow the game, and point the finger at a teammate or two. Those are not the mental traits you need in a franchise quarterback.

And anyway, who cares if some "some other team will pay him franchise money?" If he's not your guy, he's not your guy. Let someone else cripple their cap by paying him the big bucks; no GM is going to let that sort of argument influence his thinking.

Yeah, the guy's main point - that once you start paying an Aaron Rodgers-type player Aaron Rodgers-type money, it makes it a lot tougher to afford the other players you need to build a solid team - is correct, but I think most Packer fans realize that. The article doesn't really add much, IMO.

 

[FlaPack]

Actually if you pay a guy Rodgers type money you still can play the FA game. It's a matter of contract structure and how much money you want to ouch $$$ forward. That's an entire different debate on managing the cap.

Personally I am not a big fan of our cap management. I would rather fill some holes and make a run with Rodgers in his prime. I get the being competitive point also