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Thursday, September 11, 2008
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE CAP

Advice to my good friend Whitey: Stop getting these people all riled up for no good reason. The Eagles are playing the Cowboys Monday night and that's all the excitement they need right now.

Whitey, just so you know, is columnist Rich Hofmann from my second favorite newspaper in the city, and he really is a good friend.

This morning, however, he suggests that it could be bad for the Eagles if the NFL's billionaires -- that's the owners -- fail to figure out a way to appease the millionaires -- that's the players -- and the league is forced to play without a salary cap in 2010. Whitey says this could be a problem for the Eagles because they are now the lowest valued team in the NFC East, according to Forbes Magazine. They fell from fifth to seventh overall because the New York Giants and Jets are about to move into a new stadium and they play in a swamp that is part of the vast New York television market.

Even if the unthinkable happened and the NFL did open up the free-agent flood gates by allowing teams to spend whatever they wanted, it just wouldn't be the same as baseball. The Cowboys, Redskins and Giants could buy a team of Pro Bowlers if they want, but in this league it's often times better to have the young, unproven legs than the old, worn ones with a long list of honors.

Case in point: The Cowboys have seven-time Pro Bowler Zach Thomas right now. The Eagles have first-year starter Stewart Bradley. Who would you rather have?

Besides, the Eagles will continue to be among the top 10 franchises in value for a long, long time and as long as they rank that high, they should have enough money to bid for the best players even in an uncapped world.

Posted by Bob Brookover @ 12:02 PM  Permalink | 13 comments
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Comments
Posted by hazer 09:22 AM, 09/11/2008
It all cmes down 2 drafting & A.R.'s track record hasn't been that good so I would be worried.Pinkston,Caver,Mitchell,Moats,etc.too many 2nd & 3rd round bust's.
Posted by Bama 10:16 AM, 09/11/2008
Hazer, you must be kidding. How about Westbrook, Jackson, Laws, Demps, Bradley, Gaither, Gocong, etc., etc., etc. A/R is doing just fine in the draft. I didn't mention McNabb, Andrews, Patterson, Bunkley, Sheppard since you didn't complain about the #1's
Posted by Shemp Howard 10:34 AM, 09/11/2008
STEWART BRADLEY..NEXT QUESTION. SHOULD BOB BROOKOVER STILL BE CASHING A PAYCHECK? ANSWER..NO.
Posted by Shemp Howard 10:37 AM, 09/11/2008
Ignorant posters just like the writer. Check all the NFL teams draft selections and you'll see they are loaded with draft busts--it's not just the Eagles. Morons still talking about Quintin Caver and Freddy Mitchell.
Posted by rich hofmann 11:00 AM, 09/11/2008
Dear Bob: Thanks so much for the post. A few points: 1) I believe the proper blogging etiquette is that when you are ripping the crap out of a philly.com colleague in one of you posts, you should at least have the decency to link to my post -- you know, so that people can see how much you misrepresented it. 2) I'll bet you a beer the salary cap goes away. And, through years of trial and error, I am fairly certain that beer is one of the few things upon which we agree. 3) You do make some good points. You miss badly, though, when you say "he really is a good friend." 4) Thanks so much for the photo. Sincerely, The Idle Rich
Comment removed.
Posted by fizzbin 01:51 PM, 09/11/2008
Shemp Homward = shoeshineboy
Posted by mikeb 08:38 AM, 09/12/2008
you should read the CBA about uncapped years and free agency. no one could become the yankees. read the "final eight plan" section. top 8 teams are very limited in how many unrestricted free agents they can sign. the absence of a cap will benefit teams like the redskins and cowboys in that they'll have more money to re-sign their own players. but the draft will still be more important.
Posted by Big Game 08:55 AM, 09/12/2008
mikeb, yes, but when drafted, rookies will sign shorter contracts to become free agents quicker/earlier in their careers, and bolt to the franchises who have the deepest pockets and enjoy spending sprees (example: Yankees). It would be worse in the NFL because contracts are NOT guaranteed, they are in baseball.
Posted by 726 10:08 AM, 09/12/2008
Serious? W/ Lurie, Banner and Howie Roseman steering the car? I see Lurie selling the team if a new CBA doesn't include a salary cap.
Posted by mikeb 01:55 PM, 09/12/2008
big game, guys still wont be unrestricted free agents until after 5 years of playing. rookie contracts are pretty standard in being 4 or 5 years, besides top 1st rd picks, already.
Posted by Dierte 02:08 PM, 09/12/2008
I agree, Hazer, before you start spitting out nonsense make sure you think about it first. You are an IDIOT
Posted by dutchman 11:06 AM, 09/15/2008
there are too many positions in football for one or two superstars to really alter the game. Good teams will survive and prosper. Don't forget that the Redskins have never been the same since Snyder went ape on burnouts.
13 comments
About The Inquirer's Eagles blog

Bob Brookover, left, is in his seventh year of covering the Philadelphia Eagles after spending 15 years covering the Philadelphia Phillies for the Inquirer and two other newspapers. The 45-year-old Brookover lives in Delran with his wife Francine and roots for Notre Dame and Michigan State, the two schools attended by his children, Justine and Ryan. When Notre Dame plays Michigan State, he cheers for the school of the child he likes more at that particular moment.

Jeff McLane, right, joined the Eagles beat in April 2009 after two years of covering colleges, namely Penn State football. Before that he covered high school sports for The Inquirer. Before that he worked in the mailroom (not quite). Informed that his father is no longer covering the Lions, McLane's eldest, three-year-old son said, "You mean Simba, Scar and Mufasa, Daddy?" His two-year-old son -- excited about the move to the Eagles -- said, "Go, Deigo, Go!" or something like that. His wife of five-plus years, however, had a different take on the new job. "Another five years is in question," she said. Check out McLane on Twitter and Facebook for instant updates on the Eagles.
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