Filed under: 1
Are we having fun yet? Who thought Green Bay was going to be 3-0? New Orleans 0-3? Is this fun or what! I love the unpredictability of the NFL…
This will be a great week. Lots of “reunion” games. Shaub plays Atlanta, Cleveland plays Baltimore (Remember the QB Anderson was cut by the Ravens…) Culpepper starts against Miami. Loads of fun this week…
Week for Fantasy Sleepers
Jay Cutler QB DEN – At Indy is always a challenge, but Indy is suseptible to the big play, and that is all DEN can do right now. And besides, who can root for Peyton at this point with all those commercials etc. bugging us every day…
Matt Schaub QB HOU - Start ANY QB against Atlanta. And ANY RB, WR, Defense, etc. They are just that bad…
DeShawn Wynn RB GB - This might be his week. It seems he has won the starting RB job in GB and the MIN front 7 is less than desirable. Good solid numbers for him this week and I absoutely guarantee he is available in your league.
Derek Anderson QB CLE - Yeah I know they are playing a great D in BAL. But thye are a bit injured right now and maybe a little vulnerable. Watch for CLE to expose relatively soft areas of the BAL D, mid zone patterns at around 10-15 yards on the outside. He will have some success there…yeah he plays for CLE, I am not saying he is Brady, but he could be a nice fill in this week.
Kurt Warner QB ARI - Yes he is the backup…but he is running hte 2 minute drill as a change of pace and he is starting to look like the old get-the-ball-out-of-his-hands-quicky-at-3-steps Kurt from St. Louis. If your QB is sitting this week, he could be a great and available fill in….
Week 4 Players to stay away from…
Jamal Lewis RB CLE – The word done just doesn’t even begin to describe him. Playing a tough tough front 7, a 6 feet tall he should be able to fall forward and get 2 yards, don’t expect much more than that.
CIN DEFENSE – How many points did they give up to CLE? And now the red hot Patriots are in town on Monday night? Um….no…..
Trent Green QB MIA – If you are still starting Captain Turnover you have issues. OAK has a suprisingly stout defense and creates turnovers. Trent’s due for at least 3 this week…
Frank Gore RB SF – As much as I like him as a player, this is not his year. The O-line is not performing and Alex Smith has not proved he can hurt a team downfield so teams are just stacking the line against him. SEA will be no exception…
Duante Culpepper QB OAK - In what proves to be an ugly game, OAK’s running game may actually be what wins it for them. Hearing MIA players talk about how Dante is still limping around on film and they know they can get to him does not bode well. Also, anyone else concered that McCown beat him out for the starting job to begin with? Danger Will Robinson…..
The season has started, you have your roster, now you have to manage it. In the NFL there is a HARD salary cap. Each week you have to name a maximum of 53 players on your roster, 45 are active for that week’s game. Unbeknownst to most people, the salary cap is a WEEKLY cap! You have to be under it each week. So, what is it and how does it work?
The overall salary cap is $109 million. Break that up into 16 weeks. After all, NFL players are payed on a per game check level. This is made up of each team’s revenues, shared revenues from teams and shared television revenue. This is a hard cap and you CANNOT go over it! This is why 6 years ago, San Francisco actually played a season with three open roster spots, and they did not have the cap room to keep a full team. In this way the NFL assures that each team can spend the same amount of money and therefore level the playing field. Larger market teams such as New York may bring in much more revenue than a Cleveland say, but because of the revenue sharing and the salary cap, they can only spend $109 period. You actually have to have good football people in place to evaluate players, not just buy a good team (Are you listening Commish?). That’s why any team can beat any other team on a given day in the NFL – the talent gap is based on how well you evaluate players, not how much you can pay!
Ok, so what counts? No, the $150 per Diem the players get for food on the road does not count, just salaries and signing bonuses (and incentives reached!). Let’s take an example and keep it simple. Player X signs a three-year deal. $6 million in salary plus a $3 million signing bonus. Each year HE IS ON THE ROSTER the team counts $2 million of his salary against the cap, the signing bonus is pro-rated over the life of the deal, so another $1 million per year. So Player X costs the team $3 million per year against the cap. Now here comes the tricky part. If Player X does not make the team or is traded, here is the effect. The entire remaining portion of the signing bonus accelerates to that year’s cap. E.g., Player X is cut or traded after year one, while the remaining $2 million in salary WILL NOT count against the cap, his remaining $2 million in signing bonus will. Now that means the team now has $2 million of dead money in the cap. Money that counts against the cap cannot be spent, and that player is no longer on the roster. The reason for this is signing bonus money is guaranteed money, the salary is not. Unlike in baseball where ALL is guaranteed. Now then the caveat is players signed before the old collective bargaining agreement, (1997, I believe), their signing bonus would remain pro-rated. So Player X would still count against his team’s cap for the three years at $1 million per year. ALSO, you cannot restructure your contract to defer more than 25 percent. So, Drew Bledsoe can restructure all he wants, but will always have a high number because he is not allowed, by rule, to take that big of a salary cut. Reached incentives count as well – those are tallied at the end of the season. Bottom line, you have to MAKE THE TEAM to get your salary, the rest is up to your agent.
Now all of this has to be kept in mind during the season. As soon as a player is cut, his signing bonus would accelerate, do you have to cut another player to stay under the cap? It gets very complicated!!! The worst case scenario is not having the money to keep a full roster; money that is tied up in players that are no longer with the team.
Now for obvious reasons, players usually want as large a signing bonus as possible. THAT is guaranteed money and even though it is pro-rated over the life of the contract, the player gets all that money upon signing (hence the term signing bonus). This is where teams get creative. One of the newer and more creative solutions is a stepped or tiered bonus. Let’s take Player X. If the team can afford it, they might give him a stepped plan where he gets a $2 million bonus for the first two years, and if he is on the team for year three, another $2 million and extend the contract for another year. The advantage: the first $2 million is spread out over the three-year contract, and if the team sets up an option for another year, he gets another 2 at the end of the third year and most likely a one-year extension. Now Player X has a lower cap number for three years and the potential for a four-year contract coupled with another $2 million. Yes, teams have very good accountants for this! Oh, and by the way, in a league where coaching can be argued to have the LARGEST effect on a team than any other of the major sports, COACHES SALARIES DO NOT COUNT AGAINST THE CAP! Hmmm, I know where I would invest alot of my money as an owner…
Now then for all you business people, this has NOTHING to do with cash flow!!! This is just how the league recognizes the salary and bonus. While salary is paid on a per game check level, there can be any type of arrangement desired for actual payout of bonus. Players with HUGE bonuses, like Peyton Manning, probably have deferred payment plan over years to help the team on a cash flow basis and guarantee money for them for a period of years into the future, even if they are not on the team. Confused yet? Don’t worry – so am I, and half the team in the NFL! Since the salary cap is based on a division of gross revenues, it changes every year. THIS is why the television contract always makes the news when a new one is signed. It is the main revenue driver for the salary cap. Split $1 billion (yes, with a b) 32 ways and you have a start for the cap. The numbers are numbing. Try doing payroll in the NFL, with revenues coming from 32 teams, tracking them and checking for accuracy. Essentially all thirty teams pay the salaries of NFL employees. So then is it a business, a sport, or entertainment? Once again the answer is YES. The next time you read about your favorite player getting a new contract, run the numbers and see what it really means. What is he really going to get paid? Is it an 8-year deal for a 36-year old player? Sounds to me like a way to spread bonus money out since he probably won’t play that long, so there will not be 8 years of salary. Yes, if he retires the bonus remains pro-rated.
Now you also know why when the Falcons talk of going after Vick’s signing bonus, it really doesn’t mean anything in terms of the cap, but does in terms of cash flow. By cutting Vick, if they cut Vick, his entire $22 MM signing bonus, minus three years, will ALL count towards this years cap. That’s why they deactivated him, they will cut him eventually, but will wait until there is an NFL ruling or until after the season so they ca prorate it for one more year….
Filed under: Uncategorized
Week 3 is a big week. At this point 0-2 teams need to show they can do something or it might be too late. 1-1 teams need to legitimize themselves, and teams generally are starting to show their true nature. Could be time for desperation (see NY Jets…). Anyway, this weeks sleepers are….
Top 5 Fantasy Sleepers
Kellen Clemens QB WAS – He has shown allot I think. Played well last week, does not make many mistakes, and has a CANNON for an arm to go downfield to Moss etc…and the Giants have proved they couldn’t stop Notre Dame, which is sad…
Owen Daniels TE HOU – Andre Johnson is out, Schaub is proving to be extremely accurate in the short passing game, and Indy has trouble with speedy tight ends. Good game for Daniels this week.
Adrian Peterson RB MIN - KC is officially on the clock for the #1 pick in the draft. Watch MN take the pressure off a young QB by doing the easiest thing, run the ball….
Marquis Colston WR NO – TN can stop the run and run the ball. NO is really looking to save their season at this point. Expect TN to stack the line and Brees to throw over the top. Big game for Colston…
Selvin Young RB DEN – Going out on a limb here. But JAC will stack the line to stop Travis Henry, and create enough pressure to disrupt the passing game of Jay Cutler. Great time for the change of pace back to mare his NFL debut. Lots of draws and swing passes to Young I think…
Five guys to avoid…
The entire Cleveland offense – The word fluke was invented for times like this. They won’t score 45 points the rest of the year, total…
Marshawn Lynch RB BUF - Buffalo spent allot of money this offseason on the O-line, I guess they didn’t pick the right guys. They can’t run or throw and will be down to NE by 14 in the second quarter, so all they will do from then on is throw.
Tony Romo QB DAL - This guy has allot of game, but I really think the Chicago D will limit him. He won’t have a bad game, but certianly not up to Par.
Cedric Benson RB CHI - Has not shown anything this year, and facing a really good front 7 in DAL. The result……um, no….
Peyton Manning QB IND – Ok, in honor of one of my best friends in the world who passed away next week, Peyton makes the list. Shawn was about as anti-Peyton as there is, and could you blame her? Does he have representation??? Does he know the term overexposure??? If the average child witnesses like 10,000 murders on TV before age ten or whatever, that must mean they see Peyton 10x more than that. He gets more view than MySpace…and TEN has a pretty good D as well. And Peyton, have you ever heard Tom Brady throw is line under the bus? Joe Montanta? Dan Marino…oops, actually he did…there is no I in team but there is a me…..
There you have it, musings and rantings for the week…
Power running teams
Pittsburgh, New England, Miami, Baltimore, Denver, New Orleans are all good examples of first teams. Powerful offensive lines, quality running backs, and quarterbacks that are supposed to not lose the game, not win it. The theme here is this: get the defense to commit as much resources as possible to stop the run. That means the “9 in the box” rule. Everyone on the line of scrimmage except the two safeties, and they are cheating up. Push the defense around, be physical, do not let them bring in extra defensive backs, keep the linebackers on the field to stop the run. It’s like the old Big 10; each play is three yards and a cloud of dust. That magic number here is 4. Average 4 yards per carry. That gives you second and third and short and physically wears a defense out. Not glamorous, but what football was for decades until the Sonny Jurgenson’s, and Sammy Baugh’s game into the league in the 50’s and started to throw the ball more than 8-10 times a game. Yes we are looking back into the 50’s! Remember, those two were the first ever to pass for 300 yards in a game. For all their glory, even Joe Namath and John Unitas did not do it very often. This was also the era without offensive coordinators, the QB’s called the plays! Power running teams beat you up and wear you out. They also control the clock; 8-10 minute drives allow the other offense fewer chances to score. Hey, Peyton Manning can’t throw TD’s from the bench, not yet anyway. This offense is also the hardest to put together, these days everyone is 6′5″ and 300+ lbs., so getting a dominating offensive line is very difficult.
West Coast Offense
VERY trendy term these days and for the last 20 years (has it been that long since Montana?). Well, what is it? Really? If you lack a power game, or don’t want one, and have an accurate Quarterback that can read defenses extremely well and make the right decisions on where to put the ball, this is the offense for you. The purest form today can be found in Green Bay, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego. In lieu of a pounding 4 yard per carry average running back, enter the dump pass. A four to five yard swing pass to a back out of the backfield or a tight end or receiver on a slant. People always groan, “Why are they throwing a 4 yard pass?” Well, it is their running game. Third and two is thirs and two, whether you run twice for 4 yards or throw twice for four yards. The key to this offense is a QB that can step to the line of scrimmage and read the defense and get the ball away to what will be the open guy within a three-step drop. Too short a drop to either get sacked or allow receivers to get very far downfield. Everything happens very fast.
Watch Jeff Garcia. Every play…on…two…three…throw. Like clockwork. The other part is receivers that can run. You need guys that can take a four-yard catch, break a tackle and go 10-50 yards. Like Moss, Owens, etc. It also tends to keep the QB INTACT! Not on a highlight film with a shot from behind. These QB’s do tend to be mobile as well. The decision is made so fast that if there is nothing there, the line is not geared towards a 5-8 second protection, so they have to get the heck out of Dodge!
East Coast Offense
Or Fun and Gun, Run and Shoot, you name it. Examples, St. Louis, Detroit, Arizona (to a degree), Indianapolis. No game manager or quick read QB’s here. A deep 5-7 step drop, look DEEP downfield and huck it! You need a pass catching running back, 5+ quality FAST receivers, and an agile offensive line that can pick up blitzes and pass block. It takes 5-6 seconds for this type of QB to read the defense and for the receiver to get deep downfield rather than the 3-4 seconds in a West Coast offense. More explosive TD’s from anywhere on the field, more interceptions. NO control of the clock. Quick 3-5 minute drives, not ball control like the two mentioned before. It’s like a track meet. But it is one-dimensional. Just look at the first Patriots Superbowl. New England disrupted the passing game and St. Louis had nothing else to do. New England ran the ball all game and then threw at the end to win it. This offense is built on SPEED and FINESSE. Run by you not over you. Very specialized personnel. And throw the ball 40+ times a game where as in a power running game or West Coast offense you will throw it 20-30 times. But these guys can score from their own 1 yard line, although they do have trouble in the red zone because there is much less room. Fun to watch though.
What is the real difference?
People. Who is on your team dictates what you can run. There are some simple truths out there. Such as between all the offenses you have a QB throwing from 20-40 times a game. The reality is the difference between completing 40% and 60% (the mark of excellence) is really only 5-7 completions. THAT’S IT! 5-7 plays between Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and David Carr, Trent Green, Joey Harrington, etc. Not that bit, is it? And think, 3 yards a carry will get you cut, 4 the Pro Bowl. That is the difference between LT, Shaun Alexander, LJ and…name your non-marquis back? It really comes down to how effective a game plan is, and avoiding third down. Third down is a desperation down. If you make it, the drive continues, otherwise you turn the ball over. Avoid it! Good gains on first and second will do that and that depends on your system. Next time you watch a game, notice the difference in personnel, formation, and see what they are trying to do. Teams that traditionally struggle, and I can’t stress this enough, Cincinnati, KC, and Detroit, to name a few, are very simple in the middle. They have changed styles so many times on both offense and defense they have personnel that match different styles and therefore do not win. Detroit has an offensive line built for the running game, and yet they run the West Coast Offense. Detroit is trying to go Fun and Gun with a power running line, etc. Changes in systems lead to the wrong personnel to what you are trying to do and that is why it takes several years for a team to adjust. And if they get impatient and change again…well look at Cleveland!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Week one is in the books and I think what we can take away most of all is injuries. How many starters on offense and defense were injured last week? How will key injuries affect the Giants, Jets, Ravens, Bears, etc. ? Lineups certainly have changed and may lead to fantasy sleepers and also players to stay away from.
Week 2 Fantasy Sleepers
Derrik Ward – RB NYG – He almost won the starting job outright in pre season. Green Bay has a great sleeper defense, but with Jarrod Lorenzen starting at QB, he will get a ton of touches and allot of screen/swing passes out of hte backfield.
Joey Harrington – QB ATL – He actually had a pretty decent game despite the losses and picks. If you have no one else or Eli Manning was your QB, Harrington is a solid spot starter.
Donte Stallworth – WR NE – You know that the Chargers will double Randy Moss and Wes Welker after what they saw last week on film. Their front 7 is very good so the third receiver should have a great game this week.
Shawn Alexander – RB SEA – Had a good start to the season and is actually reasonably healthy. The defense of Arizona is improved, but Alexander should still have a big day.
Brian Westbrook – RB PHI – Washington’s D is just not up to stopping him. Expect a ton of McNabb screen and swing passes this Sunday.
Players to avoid in Week 2…
Jamal Lewis – RB CLE – He continues to prove that he is the best running back in the league at getting 2 yards on 3rd and 3.
KC Chiefs – They are on the clock. Draft is in April…..
Jarrod Lorenzen – QB NYG – He almost retired this offseason because he didn’t want to play anymore. Do you trust the hefty lefty?
Kellen Clemens – QB NYJ – A potentially very good rookie. But a rookie against the Baltimore D. If he survives the game he will need counseling.
Trent Green – QB MIA – A bad offense led by a mediocre QB against a turnover happy defense in Dallas. Think 150 yards, 2 picks a fumble and maybe a TD….
When you hear of Mike Sherman or Bill Belichek being a defensive guru, what does that really mean? What are these defenses doing? Don’t they just look for the ball and hit the snot out of people? Defenses don’t often make the big headlines unless they did not do their job. In the NFL, defense is about match-ups and adjustment. Those who create match-ups in their favor are successful, those who do not end up on the team highlight reels, of the opposing offense that is. And, oh yeah, these guys WILL hit you. I remember hearing a player coming off the field after making a hit, he was a little dazed, and the coaches asked him if he was ok. “Hey man, people pay good money to feel the way I feel right now.” Is there a psychologist in the house?
3-4 or 4-3?
We hear alot about the 3-4 and 4-3 defenses. Well, what are they? In a 3-4, there are three defensive linemen and four linebackers, a 4-3, the opposite. But let’s be realistic – there is very little difference. There are so many linebackers out there that can go from defensive end to outside linebacker that a team can shift from a 3-4 to 4-3 without changing personnel. Adalius Thomsas and Jason Taylor are good examples. They can cover in a zone or rush the passer, effectively changing the defense. With three linemen, one plays on the center, and the other two between the guard and tackles. Linebackers fill the gaps. With four, everyone plays in a gap. Well, who cares? Here is the main difference: a lineman playing head up on the center say, is looking to beat the center and get up-field. Playing a gap usually means you stay in that gap and read the play. The wildcard here is the 2-gap defense, run by the Patriots as an example. Two gap is very difficult to play because the lineman is responsible for the gap on either side of him. His job is to make the Offensive lineman on both sides of him block him and open a hole for the linebacker to make a play. You need BIG, physical people for this! Linebackers love it because they get to make most of the plays!
What do you look for? When you watch a game, look to see where the linemen are lined up and try to pick out what they are playing. Look for a linebacker to move up to the line of scrimmage and then back out to try to disguise it. Basically trying to make the QB audible into a play the defense wants. Most teams have guys that can play safety and linebacker as well as extremely fast linebackers that can cover. This adds a great deal to the flexibility. They can play up on the line like in a 3-4, and then drop into coverage, or line up as a safety and then move into a middle linebacker slot. Creates more confusion. Some of these alignments are run by salary as well. Great defensive linemen are harder to find and more expensive, one of the reasons you see more 3-4. And when you hear a team stacking 9 men up front to stop then run, just look at the field. You will see everyone except the two safeties at the line of scrimmage, expecting a run. Usually those really fun, physical goal line stands or 3rd and 1. To me, the essence of the game!
2-deep
I get this question alot. I am at a game, the QB throws a pick, the fans get angry and start yelling “why did you throw that?!!!”. Usually that leads to a discussion from me about the 2 deep zone. Run usually from a nickel defense (5+ defensive backs), this is a zone where the main goal is to bait the offensive to throw the ball deep. It looks like man to man defense. The corner right in the face of the receiver and then runs with him. QB’s see this and think they have a shot at the deep ball. But wait…the safety is coming over to help the deep. Essentially the safety runs over to double the receiver as he goes down the field. Suckered! This is when the fans start yelling “WHY?!” or in Philly, New England and New York, “You stupid f…!”, and throw things.
Zone Blitz
Ay yes, the trendy defense. Started most recently by Pittsburgh and Baltimore, run by most NFL teams now in certain situations. Well, what is it? It is more of a philosophy than a scheme. Take either the 3-4 or 4-3, and basically assume any of the 11 players can blitz or cover. Essentially, a corner or linebacker will be blitzing from somewhere, any of them, and a lineman will back into coverage. You might have Warren Sapp drop from the line of scrimmage into a zone coverage. NOBODY expects a lineman to drop into coverage. The advantage here is you cannot tell who is going to drop into coverage or rush. There are alot of variations depending on how many people you want to rush. This confuses the heck out of an offense, not only the QB trying to read who to throw to, but also the offensive lineman knowing who to block (read last week’s understanding offense). Confusion usually leads to good things for the defense; CHAOS rules!
Ok, so in practical terms what the heck is going on? The reality is a team starts with one defense to start, but then they adjust like crazy. When the offense comes out, you see defenders running all over the place, again, getting match-ups. Linebacker on tight end, linebacker on running back, defensive back on receiver, switching from man to zone. All of this going on before the ball snaps. Look at the Superbowl last year. The Patriots run a 4-3 2-gap with 2-deep as a base. I saw that TWICE! Everything else was a nickel. At LEAST 5 defensive backs. Some of them like a Ed Reed, moving up to play linebacker when they shifted. A good, physical safety can do that. It gives the defense MUCH more flexibility. John Lynch is also very good at it. It is all about match-ups. Taking away what the offense wants to do. Play a St. Louis, San Francisco (and Buffalo, Washington this year), and you will see alot of nickel zone. Those teams will throw until the QB’s arm comes off. Play Miami, New England, Cincinnati, Giants and run more of a base defense to take away their running games. When you go to your local game, look at the opponent and try to guess what defense your team will run, watch them adjust according to down and distance, etc. Understand the defense and amaze your friends! Passing downs, nickel, other downs, according to the team you are playing. The most fun for me is to look at the defense, the offense and try to see where the play is going before the snap. Then trying to see why the play succeeded or failed. At a game, this will make you the most popular guy in your section.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Each week I will post who I think are the fantasy players to watch. The sleepers and the duds. The idea is to stay away from the marquis players that eveyrone knows will be good or perform every week, and focus on those guys that no one expects to perform well, or may not have been drafted in your fantasy league for the one week bit of help. This week we are doing it Thursday because of the early kickoff of the NFL week this week.
Top 5 Fantasy Sleepers for Week One
1- Adrian Peterson RB (MIN) – He has been getting allot of touches in the pre season and looked very good. Minnesota has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and Atlanta’s run defense, while good, is not as good as it needs to be.
2- Matt Schaub QB (HOU) - He is in a short passing, QB friendly system now. Schaub has always been a very accurate passer as well. Expect a very good game with KC’s defense being what it is against the pass (inconsistent at best). Expect good games from Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels as well.
3- Selvin Young RB (DEN) – Henry is still a little hurt, and Selvin has been drawing rave reviews from the coaching staff. Remember, Denver always uses two feature back essentially and Mike Bell has been moved to FB. Young will put up decent numbers this week.
4- Wes Welker WR (NE) – One of hte best inside/underneath receivers in the league in an offense that focuses on that part of the field. And the Jets DBs are just not that good yet, still too young.
5- Michael Bush RB (OAK) – He has all the talent in the world, but a bit of an attitude problem. If there was ever a week where he could show what he is capable of, it will be this week against DET who has issues along the defensive front seven.
5 Players to be wary of in week one
1- Sean Alexander RB (SEA) – Coming off an injury, getting slower, TB just added a very angry Jeremiah Trotter at LB. I think this means a below average performance at best.
2- Tony Romo QB (DAL) – He was inconsistent last year and the Giants always play Dallas tough. Too many variables to expect a good performance, and make sure he doesn’t hold on kicks…
3- Rex Grossman QB (CHI) – SD has a great Defense and…..wait do I really have to explain this one?
4- Carson Palmer QB (CIN) – The Ravens defense has looked as good as ever and they always cause Palmer trouble. The CIN line is good, but not as good as the Ravens d-line. Palmer will be OK, but not his usual self.
5- Donovan McNabb QB (PHI) – He has played very well in the pre-season, but by his own admission will not be totally healthy for at least another month. And be careful of the GB defense, might be the most underrated in the NFL. They will create turnovers and stop the run.
Filed under: Uncategorized
In the light of the recent passing of Mike Webster, and the challenges he faced as a result of his NFL career, I thought I would look into the post-NFL benefits a player can receive. The Mike Webster story is sad and should be embarrassing to both the NFL, and the Steelers. While it is true that you are responsible for your own actions, this is not as uncommon a story as you might think. While there are a few stories like that of Mr. Goodwin in Buffalo, where his fellow players and team have helped him with a heart transplant, the nature of today’s game with players changing teams, teams changing owners and cities, has led not only to a lack of loyalty among players to teams and fans to players, but also organizations to players. Let’s face it, for many of these players, after football there is not much; you can say a minimum of $325,000 is a lot of money, and it is, but if you make that for two or three years you are certainly NOT set for life and will most likely not find a job paying that. In this vein let’s give credit to a few organizations.
San Diego Charger Ryan McNeil has a company in Miami designed to educate and train players on business skills. Bringing business people in to teach players how to start and run businesses of all types. The New England Patriots have set up a speaker’s bureau where an organization can go through Patriots.com and request a paid personal appearance by an alumni of their choice. Great ideas, great programs, but let’s look into the actual benefit from the NFL Players Association.
Now most agents do have or know investment advisors, financial advisors, etc. and the NFL has an approved list as well. But this often does not stop players from making bad investments. Again, you do have to be responsible for your actions. The NFL starts with eligibility requirements, essentially credited seasons and benefit seasons – a season counts for a player if he is active, on injured reserve, or the physically unable to perform list. He needs to be on one of these lists for the equivalent of three game checks.
When a player is released, like in most occupations, he is entitled to severance. The NFL severance is as follows: a player receives $10,000 for each season played 1993-1999 and $12,500 per year 2000-2002. You must have two credited seasons in the league to be eligible. No one year wonders are eligible. From 1989-1992 a player receives $5,000. So if you were on one of these lists for two years, say, 1999-2000, when released you receive a check, before taxes, of $22,500. And that’s it. I hope you have been investing with a financial advisor!
There is also the NFL annuity program. You must have four credited seasons to be eligible here. New in 1998, eligible players would receive $73,000 in 2001 as an example on an annuity basis. Players must be 35 or over and/or retired five years to be eligible. Now all of this so far has been for RECENT players.
The NFLPA also has what they call a career savings plan. Very similar to your own retirement plan. A $2 contribution per year per $1 in player salary per team, with a maximum of a $20,000 contribution per year per team. So let’s just say everyone basically gets the maximum contribution. And as in any plan you can pick and choose what type of fund you want investment in, just like an retirement plan. You must be 45 or over to collect though.
The last piece of this is the Bert Bell retirement plan. Very simply, a fixed amount per month for every credited season.
| Credited Season | Benefit Credit |
| Before 1968 | $100 |
| 1968 and 1969 | $130 |
| 1970 | $170 |
| 1971 | $175 |
| 1972 through 1976 | $185 |
| 1977 through 1981 | $200 |
| 1982 through 1992 | $230 |
| 1993 and 1994 | $240 |
| 1995 and 1996 | $285 |
| 1997 | $330 |
| 1998 – final League year | $425 |
Example: An active player for three or more games of the 1996 through 199 seasons. His benefits credits total $1,465 ($285 + $330 + $425 + $425 = $1,465). The player will, therefore, receive $1,465 per month when he begins to receive his pension benefit at age 55.
Pretty straightforward, but certainly not the type of money you can live on these days. That is pretty much it. If we were to take Mike Webster again, he would have received his severance and somewhere around $3,000+ per month before taxes. If you have health concerns or any other type of disability, this is NOT the type of money you could retire on easily. For detailed benefits, check out the NFL Players Association website, www.nflpa.org.
If there is not an adequate investment plan for their players, they are reliant totally on the Bert Bell plan. Certainly this means you do have to work. Have you thought about what it might be like to get a job in your late 20’s, early 30’s, with NO WORK EXPERIENCE? Everyone else in this age group has it, and a career path; the player is just starting out. Now you know why modern players, Ryan Leaf a famous example, squirrel away that signing bonus, their only guaranteed money, as a buffer and hopefully something they can live on when invested. Those players from the pre-1990’s are pretty much out of luck. They did not make the big money of today and often, especially in the 60’s and 70’s, left football early because of job opportunities that paid better, such as insurance, etc. most any “regular” job offers. After all, the average salary in the 1960’s in the NFL was $13,000, the AVERAGE not MINIMUM. It was really the late 80’s and 90’s when the salaries really started to climb. Right now we are only beginning to see the health effects on our heroes of the 60’s and 70’s, the baby boomers of the NFL. These are the guys that need to be looked at. I would be very interested if someone did a study to see what additional health problems professional athletes, of any sport, have over the average individual. I bet the news would not be good. Just see how many we have lost recently who were only in their 50’s (Webster, Hayes, etc.). And the NFL is the only organization I know of with this type of plan. By the way, this is a PLAYER’S ASSOCIATION plan, not the NFL or the teams.
Let’s stop thinking about these players as the multi-millionaire top 10% of the league. THEY are all set. What about the 1500 or so other players? The average career is less than two years. TWO YEARS at $300K +, then you are not even eligible for the Bert Bell plan. For most players, this is more a stage of their life than a career, and hopefully they gained the skills in college to move on from there. Any thoughts on that one?
