Dynasty

[denverYooper]

Is unlikely to happen for the Ravens.

@AlfieBCC:

The Ravens will be interesting this offseason. Have a lot of impending UFA's, ballooning contracts, Flacco and $15M in space

Guys like Ellerbee, Pitta, Jones, McKinnie, Dickson, Kemoeatu, Reed, Johnson (CB), and Williams (CB) all UFAs. (Then Flacco)

Pitta is an RFA according to Spotrac.

Kruger is also a UFA and will probably command some dough.

Ray Lewis and Matt Birk are retiring.

[denverYooper]

A case could possibly have been made for the 49ers but since they lost, that is moot.

Things will only get harder for them, as they're going to lose Alex Smith and will need a quality backup. Their division is tough and they have been on a good run of injury luck. Teams now have an offseason to study their offense and they need to shore up the back end of their D.

We still don't know if they're not just the next version of the Reid/McNabb Eagles.

[Guiness]

Is unlikely to happen for the Ravens.

@AlfieBCC:


Pitta is an RFA according to Spotrac.

Kruger is also a UFA and will probably command some dough.

Ray Lewis and Matt Birk are retiring.

Kruger is going to get a big contract - didn't know he was UFA.

[rbaloha1]

Both teams are positioned for multiple s-b opportunities due to age of roster and stable management.

[Patler]

Both teams are positioned for multiple s-b opportunities due to age of roster and stable management.

That is exactly what was being said about the Packers just two years ago. They were the team to emulate, having a roster so deep and so talented that they shrugged off a long, long list of injuries to win the SB, while being one of the youngest teams in the league.

Things change very quickly in the NFL

[mraynrand]

That is exactly what was being said about the Packers just two years ago. They were the team to emulate, having a roster so deep and so talented that they shrugged off a long, long list of injuries to win the SB, while being one of the youngest teams in the league.

Things change very quickly in the NFL

And they stay the same: The Packers are an extremely well-run organization, a GM that builds for depth and, and with a coaching staff that makes the best use of what they have, and doesn't carp about injuries. Packers are one of the handful of teams well-positioned to win the SB next year.

The modern NFL destroys dynasties, but a good organization and a few exceptional players in key positions can get you multiple titles.

[denverYooper]

That is exactly what was being said about the Packers just two years ago. They were the team to emulate, having a roster so deep and so talented that they shrugged off a long, long list of injuries to win the SB, while being one of the youngest teams in the league.

Things change very quickly in the NFL

This is pretty much my point in starting the thread.

Only 2 years ago, the Packers were the dynasty and McGinn was writing of multiple rings. McCarthy was considered a genius in his use of formations. Now they're washed up and far from elite. The fact of the matter is that the Packers are positioned as well as any in today's NFL.

[rbaloha1]

That is exactly what was being said about the Packers just two years ago. They were the team to emulate, having a roster so deep and so talented that they shrugged off a long, long list of injuries to win the SB, while being one of the youngest teams in the league.

Things change very quickly in the NFL

The packers won the super bowl with 15 players on injured reserve.

The injury problem continues. Any correlation with the packers roster being physically smaller than the better teams and injuries.

YOU GUYS AFTER GET OVER 2 Years AGO -- THE LEAGUE AND PACKER ROSTER HAS CHANGED.

[denverYooper]

Another perennial player, the Giants are 9.15 million over the estimated 2013 salary cap:

http://www.bigblueview.com/2013/1/23/3904760/new-york-giants-are-9-15-million-over-2013-estimated-nfl-salary-cap

What can the Giants do to get under the cap? They can either re-structure the contracts of some highly-paid veteran players, or release them. Here is a look at how much the Giants could save against the cap by releasing highly-paid veteran players entering the final years of their contracts.

Corey Webster
2013 cap number: $9.845M
Dead money charge: $2.595M
Cap Savings: $7.25M
David Diehl
2013 cap number: $6.575M
Dead money charge: $2.125M
Cap Savings: $4.45M

Justin Tuck
2013 cap number: $6.15M
Dead money charge: $1.5M
Cap Savings: $4.65M

Michael Boley
2013 cap number: $5.9M
Dead money charge: $1.4M
Cap Savings: $4.5M

Re-structuring contracts is another way to improve the salary cap situation. Quarterback Eli Manning has a $20.85 million cap hit for 2013 and safety Antrel Rolle has a cap number of $9.25 million. Corry sees both as obvious candidates for re-structuring.

The Giants also have to figure out how to handle negotiations with wide receiver Victor Cruz, a restricted free agent. The Giants could franchise him at a cost of $10.357 million against the cap, which Corry said "would be a waste." They could also give him the first-round RFA tender, which would count $2.879 million against the cap.

[denverYooper]

The packers won the super bowl with 15 players on injured reserve.

The injury problem continues. Any correlation with the packers roster being physically smaller than the better teams and injuries.

YOU GUYS AFTER GET OVER 2 Years AGO -- THE LEAGUE AND PACKER ROSTER HAS CHANGED.

Where are they physically smaller?

[rbaloha1]

Another perennial player, the Giants are 9.15 million over the estimated 2013 salary cap:

http://www.bigblueview.com/2013/1/23...nfl-salary-cap

Giants have issues. Their window may have closed temporarily.

[denverYooper]

Where are they physically smaller?

Playing physical football is a mindset, not a size thing.

[rbaloha1]

Where are they physically smaller?

Overall weight of the team -- recall article saying the Packers average weight was 242 lbs. which was much smaller than the current elite teams.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Both teams are positioned for multiple s-b opportunities due to age of roster and stable management.

SB teams have a habit of getting their FA taken away by other teams as their value goes up and the teams they played for tend not to be able to afford those players.

I'm not buying that Balt is set up for multiple SBs over the next few years. Losing Lewis is going to be huge. They also have other FAs that may not come back and all it takes is a few key cogs to leave and the whole team chemistry and performance is really hurt. I think we've seen that first hand. Plus you know Flacco is going to get PAID which is going to limit their cap flexibility.

SF has a solid shot depending on how young Kapernick progresses as a QB and how the rest of the league adapts to defending the read-option.

[ThunderDan]

That is a hoot. My mom who only watches the Super Bowl kept commenting on how skinny the Ravens were.