OCinBuffalo Posted January 13, 2007 Posted January 13, 2007 What if all players paychecks(and bonuses) were determined by one stat - wins and losses? I know this may sound stupid or obvious but bear with me. Let's assume that each player has a contract that he either got as a rookie or established in FA. That contract determines how much he is paid per game -> a game check(this is exactly what happens today, btw). Now, after each game, the NFL sets a rule that the guys on the losing TEAM have to give up(or in reverse - don't get bonused) a set number - say %25 - of their paycheck. Not enough to really hurt the losers, but enough to get their attention. The NFL takes that money, and, after doing whatever else with it, GIVES it to the winning team. The winning team divides the proceeds porportional to the value of the winners existing game checks. Guys that are injured during the game or from before don't count. This does, however, apply to the entire 53 man roster so even if you are one of the inactive guys that week you still get/give based on wins/losses. Make no mistake, we don't have to completely overhaul the FA system. You can keep everything the way it is now, and simply add this. Which means that if a guy just ran for 100 yds in a game and his contract says he gets a bonus, he may lose those bonus dollars if his team loses the game. In fact he may lose those dollars to the very defense he just ran for 100 yds on. Something tells me he will take all his duties - pass blocking, special teams, receiving, just as seriously as when gets the ball handed to him. Ok, why would this help? 1. If you know ahead of time that your Benjamins will stop being yours and start being someone else's the minute you lose the game you are a hell of a lot more likely to choose the team you are willing to sign a FA deal with carefully. In fact, you are prolly gonna stay with a team you know, putting trust in the guys you know, rather than jumping from the frying pan just for an extra $10 mil since the tools on your new team may end up costing you $12 mil. However, if the team you are on is a nightmare, or has drafted young talent to replace you, the coach is a douche, whatever, you still have the benefit of choosing to change your situation. It's up to the player. This will keep teams together, and for the right reason - winning. 2. Based on 1, I think that some of the posters here who are unhappy with the "parity" concept will see a lot more of the old days. Players will be much more likely to want to stick together - because they will do much better in this enviroment, in a group - than on their own. Agents will be forced to take a back seat to what is now, and should have always been, more important - winning. 3. The rewards system is based on positive TEAM play. Right now the major complaints posted above have a root cause. I believe that root cause for these issues is agent/endorsement-sponsored focus on the INDIVIDUAL in a TEAM game. So we eliminate individual stats(20 TD/Season = $4 extra million) as contributing factors to how a guy gets paid and place the emphasis on how he helps his team. All the talk and "intangibles" and stats like Kelly Holcomb's comp. % will mean nothing at all(not that they do now) - the only thing that will matter is a W. 4. It's not the end of the world if one guy has a Romo Moment. Next game it starts all over again, and you can get your money back from another team. 5. Rivalries will go through the roof - if I am a Bills player and the Dolfags took $6000 out of my last paycheck - I am looking to get that back - now! A season sweep of a division rival means you got 25% of 2 of their paychecks this year and there is nothing they can do about it till next year(darn i wish we had it this year) 6. If you are inactive on a sh!tty team - you have all the incentive in the world to get made active, get on the field, and try to win - you are only screwing yourself by not doing what you are supposed to anyway - be the best football player possible. 7. The permanent end of Terrel Owens-type behavior/players. I don't know how many of you know what a code red is but it's easy to understand that if a player was causing a problem on or off the field that directly affected the outcome of games it would not take very long for the other players (outside of the coaching chain of command) to, let's say "have an attitude adjustment session" with the offending player. The mere threat alone - who want's to go on TV and have to explain why you were in the locker room hanging upside down by your jockstrap? - would do the trick. 8. The permanent end of the hated "contract year" concept. Every year, in fact every game, becomes vitally important. Not just the year before a contract is up. It takes the pressure off the player because so what if its the last year - that guy has been thinking in terms of each game for his entire contract. So in summary, this idea(very rough I know) could work because it uses the FA system main strengths - player freedom, owner freedom - to counterbalance the BS. Rather than railing against the FA system - which ain't ever gonna change, btw, this would simply make it better. Maybe I'm nuts but adding a simple, transparent performance indicator, in this case winning games, to someone's job and driving their raises/bonuses off of that indicator has worked great in many industries - why not football?
83evans83 Posted January 13, 2007 Posted January 13, 2007 I couldn't agree more with what you had to say, but I doubt any of that will ever happen, free agency is what it is take it or leave it.
generaLee83 Posted January 13, 2007 Posted January 13, 2007 I couldn't agree more with what you had to say, but I doubt any of that will ever happen, free agency is what it is take it or leave it. I'm guessing that I would probably agree with the post but it was way too long for me to read. I'd like to see the NFL set a rate with bonus pay for individual performance, here's my example for a starting RB Starting running back with 3 years experience: Base pay of 1 million dollars 500,000 for 1000 yards gained 500,000 for 8 TD's or more (or pay based on each TD) 500,000 for YPC average greater than 4.2 etc etc, the league could get very creative here. There would be all sorts of incentives, as long as it doesn't come out looking like the tax code it could work. IMO it would ensure greater effort (than current) over longer periods of time by the individual players.
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