I'd look it up for you just to prove you are right, but it's going to piss me off when I see Danny Woodhead up near the top.
The Saints are in a bad cap situation, but not "cap hell". The Dallas Cowboys had to cut Demarcus Ware just so that they could afford to sign their rookies. That is cap hell. The Saints did not have to get rid of any important players, and in fact they were able to add Byrd, and still stay under the cap, without screwing themselves over in 2015. It's never about how far above the cap you are, it's about how easily you can get back under it. The Saints do have a tight rope to walk this year. They have no players that they can cut who would bring significant cap space. Just a handful of $1m guys, and one $2.5m guy; you'd never want to cut those contracts for salary cap reasons. The Saints have about $4.5m in cap space after signing their rookies, but they only count the top 51 players at this point. That will expand to all 53 (meaning another $1m in space lost to two guys on min contracts) and then another ~$500k to the practice squad. So they really have about $3m in cap space. That will be enough to sign street veterans to replace players who go on IR during the season, without having to extend/restructure anyone. But they are almost completely tapped out now and can't afford to bring in any good players who might become available. That's the extent of their salary cap problems for 2014. As far as the Graham contract goes, this is a huge win for the Saints. Even if they have to pay him heavy guaranteed money, they're getting tons of production at about two thirds of what it'd cost to get that production from a receiver.
Darren Sproles, Will Smith, Jabari Greer Roman Harper, Lance Moore were not important players? Pretty sure they were. Going to have to disagree with your assessment there - 2015 Saints are 10m over the cap before the Jimmy Graham deal
Sproles is 31 years old, and doesn't really contribute that much as a running back (he has about 2,100 yards rushing in 10 years.) His value is as a return guy, and at his age he's going to be losing speed and getting more injury prone. You can go younger at that position. Will Smith is 33 years old and was coming off of an ACL tear. Meanwhile, Rob Ryan had moved him to play OLB, and it's uncertain how good he would be playing that new position while also coming off of such a huge knee injury. Greer was 31, now 32, and tore his ACL in December. He's had 13 INTs in 10 years. And he might be out until November, because of the timing of his injury. Roman Harper made two Pro Bowls, but those were about 5 years ago. Last year he was hurt all the time and only started 5 games. He's 31. Signed a 2-year $4.5m deal- that tells you he's not viewed as a very good safety anymore. Lance Moore had 457 yards, 2 TDs, and lost a fumble last year. I would not call that important. He was also hurt all year and was their #4 guy, and will be 31 before this season starts. The Saints did not lose any of their important players. As for 2015, they'll be coming in at $152m; and last year there was a $10m jump from $123m to $133m. There will probably another bump in 2015, closing the gap down from $20m to $15m - $10m. They also have lots of players in 2015 who they'll be able to generate cap savings by restructuring or cutting. You restructure the younger good players, and you consider cutting a guy or two who's in his late 20s or 30s who isn't getting it done anymore- and now you're back in business. They can also generate $7m or so in cap space by restructuring Brees. They have to be careful managing their cap next year, and they can't go on a spending spree, but they are absolutely not screwed for next year and they won't have to part ways with any of their core players next year either. I stand by everything that I said.
Guess which RB had the most catches in the NFL in 2011 and 2012 by a wide margin? Sproles had 6 less catches than Thomas last year, more rec yds and ypc, and way less snaps. He had over 70 rec every year with the Saints. Do you seriously think Thomas is a better receiver than Sproles? The real question to me is why did Sproles role/snaps reduce like it did last year? I think part of it is due to drop in offensive line talent. Thomas is a better pass protector. That versatility, and keeping Brees upright, may be more of a necessity than it was in years prior. If they plan on continuing that trend, than Sproles may be too expensive for limited snaps, considering their salary cap issues. The other factor i believe was Sproles playing banged up. Even his role in the return game was reduced, with kick returns taken away, which suggests to me he wasn't 100%. All that said, i believe they will miss Sproles explosiveness as a receiver out the backfield. There aren't many backs that can pick up chunks of ydg like he did in the open field. Especially on that Superdome track, he was a perfect fit for that offense. Thomas is underrated and versatile, but it's not the same. And that is not even mentioning Sproles impact on ST. It's certainly a loss for the Saints imo (and i'm a bit of a closet Saints fan)..
You can stand by everything you said - I'm not going to agree with it. Sproles is the best 3rd down back in the league - his value is in the receiving game, not the return game. Will Smith has been a decent pass-rusher during his tenure as a Saints. Surely they could have retained him if not for their cap issues. Same goes with the other players. They were players that helped the Saints win the SB. They are depth players that have helped them win. They would more than likely still be on the team if not for cap issues.
The Saints have lost 3 pro bowl offensive lineman to free agency, 1 each of the last 3 seasons. I'd say that is losing pretty important players. And Sproles impact was clearly beyond just the return game. Lance Moore was getting older, but a clutch playmaker for them. I will say drafting Cooks was perfect for this team considering the loss of those two. In addition to free agency losses, the draft pick fines really hurt the Saints. They needed defensive players for Ryan's system, as well as replenishment on the Oline. Those picks were really needed.
I think you are confusing the argument. I'm a big Sproles fan. I really like him. Pierre Thomas also has great hands and is in general a very underrated back. The argument isn't about which player is better. It's about whether the Saints will be worse off or not with the absence of Sproles on their roster. The Saints still have the RB who led the league in catches last year. They also now have an explosive new wideout that is Sproles' dimensions. Now do you really think the Saints will be worse off giving Thomas an expanded role pass catching from the backfield and replacing Sproles' wide receiver type routes with Cooks? I don't think they will miss a beat at all.
I agree Thomas is underrated and versatile, like i mentioned. He's also the better pass protector, which has become more of a necessity due to the Oline losses. They are still missing out on 70+ rec a year in Sproles, even in limited snaps. He was also one of the top return men in the game, and a very reliable guy back there for punts. Yes, i do believe the Saints are worse off for losing him. I love the addition of Cooks, especially considering the loss of Sproles and Moore. He is a rookie though, and I'm not sure how/if they'll line him up in the backfield, or what exactly his role will be on ST. We'll have to see. I have a hard time believing he will be more effective than Sproles has been in year 1, but he could be a great long term piece for them.
Yes they did lose a nice offensive weapon but they were able to get arguably the best one available in the draft. They are different players but they fill similar roles. Considering Sproles age, injury concerns, and cost I would say Cooks is an upgrade if we are comparing the two as offensive weapons (as we should). Those are the players that need be compared because thats where most of those 70+ receptions of Sproles' will be going. My point about Thomas is just that he more than adequately fills the pass catching role out of the backfield. I see your point about Cooks being a rook but of all the rookie WR, I believe Cooks will be the most productive from day one. Down the road, or even later in the season, another WR like Jordan Matthews might emerge as the best WR from that class, but as far as immediate production I will bet on Cooks over anyone else. It's a perfect situation for him; high powered offense with a great quarterback. I think he'll fit right into the system.
