ESCALATING QUARTERBACK CAP NUMBERS
Phil Emery wants to build a championship contender in 2014 and he knows that tying up too much money in a single position can drastically effect his ability to plug needs, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. If Emery franchises Jay Cutler, the cap number for next season is thought to be between 16 and 17 million. That money is a directly assault on the salary cap. Here’s a bit from a NFP post from Brad Biggs on the Aaron Rodgers deal:
Now, Rodgers is on the books for seven seasons – through 2019 – at a total of $130.75 million, an average of $18,678,571 per season. Probably the best part of the contract for the team is the salary cap numbers never get out of whack. That is good for Rodgers too because those issues can lead to restructures and players getting cut. Here are his cap numbers through the life of the deal:
2013 $12 million
2014 $17.9 million
2015 $18.6 million
2016 $19.6 million
2017 $20.65 million
2018 $20.9 million
2019 $21.1 million
When Emery said he didn’t like the idea of using the tag on Jay Cutler in 2014 it was not because he didn’t want Jay Cutler on the roster for next season. Emery knows a long-term extension with Cutler affords him cap wiggle room and opens the door for mid-contract restructures to fit players when necessary. If the Bears franchise Cutler and pay Josh McCown the 2-3 million he’s earned this season, they would have a larger cap hit at quarterback than the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers in 2014.
I will reiterate what I’ve said since the Cutler/McCown conversation began. I believe both will be back next year and I think the Bears will have the league’s best quarterbacks room. Or as Potash wrote in his Sun-Times piece, “It’s a new era in Chicago. Krenzel/Hutchinson is a problem. Cutler/McCown is a luxury. The Bears have bigger issues with three games to go.”
OTIS WILSON CHARITY EVENT PHOTOS
I didn’t want to bog down the page by uploading a zillion photos so the Official Girlfriend of DaBearsBlog kindly set up one of these Instagram accounts for the blog. If you CLICK HERE you can see all of the photos from what was an amazing night. Our special thanks to the folks at the Double Door, the folks at Otis Wilson’s charity and the leadership at Art of Men. It would not have been possible without everyone’s hard work.
WHERE DO BEARS AND BROWNS CURRENTLY STAND?
- Bears offense is now 7th in yards per game, 2nd in points per game. Browns are 15th in yards, 27th in points.
- Browns are 28th in rushing offense. (This does not mean they won’t have success Sunday.)
- Bears defense is 27th in yards allowed per game and 28th in points allowed. Browns defense is 7th in yards allowed per game but 19th in points allowed. (This is a pretty dramatic gap and I’ll be honest – I have no data to explain it.)
- Cleveland is 9th in the league with 37 sacks. Chicago has only allowed 22 sacks on the season. Only Denver and Detroit have allowed fewer.
- What might determine this game? Bears are +7 in turnover differential. Browns are -7.
- I love point differential. I think it’s a stat that often tells a clearer story than wins and losses when it comes to evaluating teams. The 4-9 Browns are -67. So over thirteen games they are essentially a -5.15 a week. The 7-6 Bears are +8, meaning they are less than a point to positive weekly. Both numbers seem dead right.
WHY THE LIONS CAN EASILY BLOW DIVISION
I heard this comment during the Lions v. Eagles telecast and it was picked up by the Detroit Free Press:
Perhaps the most egregious example of not making adjustments was reported by John Lynch in the announcers’ booth. He said he asked the Lions about what adjustments they made to stem the turnovers that have robbed this team of an easy division crown. None. The coaches have not placed any emphasis in recent weeks in curbing the plague of turnovers. The Lions have an NFL-leading 20 turnovers in their last six games, 21 if you count the blocked punt against the Buccaneers. Not only have the coaches not addressed the turnovers, they indignantly commented about how they aren’t going to stop being aggressive. Fumbling the ball as it is snapped or inside the red zone is not being aggressive, it is careless. Heaving up passes into the end zone with a 14-point lead in field goal range is reckless not aggressive. Where was the aggressiveness in the play calling Sunday? It wasn’t there, just more carelessness.
Every year Detroit stays with Jim Schwartz, Bears and Packers and Vikings fans should rejoice. If the Bears can win Sunday in Cleveland, the Lions will have more pressure on them Monday night than they’ve had in a regular season contest for a decade plus. Can they handle it? Can they coach under that kind of duress? Can their quarterback refrain from throwing the ball to the other guys? That’s the situation they face Monday night. The Bears must put them there.
