Why do we think that Tannenbaum is such an "expert" when it comes to contracts?

[njherdfan]

Serious question here: If not for the media's constant refrain that Tanny is, in fact, a salary-cap genius, would we have any reason to think that he's particularly good at managing a salary cap?

From what I can see, he realized that the Jets had a lot of cap room going in to the 2008 and 2009 seasons because Brick, Revis, Harris and Mangold were on their rookie contracts, and he spent that cap room on normal contracts on good players. Then, he realized that players in the final year of their rookie contracts are going to cost a lot less, so he traded for Holmes, Braylon, and Cro. Terrific. None of that seems particularly advanced to me.

Anyone who can read critically and wants to take a few hours out of their day can understand most of the salary-cap rules of the NFL. The main thing people seem to say that Tanny does well is that he staggers his contracts to space out when players get paid large amounts of money, but that's clearly not the case. The Jets are in cap hell next season because of all these deferred payments. I don't think it takes a cap genius to realize that payments can be deferred to free up money in the short-term.

Finally, some in the media and on this board are acting like Tanny's contractual wisdom would be somehow irreplaceable. But look at the best run teams in the NFL: the Giants, Packers, Ravens, Steelers, Falcons, and 49ers are all run by "football guys," who either played the game, or started scouting immediately after college, or did both. And guess what? The contracts for all of those teams get done and they work under the salary cap. Each of those teams has a whole bunch of "contract gurus" who do exactly what Mike Tannenbaum is supposed to be good at. Anyone with a background in law or accounting can master the salary cap as well as Tanny can, and there's no reason to limit our GM search because we desperately want to retain Tanny's contract "expertise."

[jets31]

The difference is EVERY year we are in cap HELL according to the media and EVERY year Tanny figures it out and we are fine.

I never worry about the cap with him. When is the last time we lost a good player or had to cut a good player because of cap?

Some years are better then other with spending but that is the same for all teams.

With the recent change to the rookie contracts it will be better for all. Once we get out from under Sanchez deal these team will be in great shape.

[JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF]

Originally Posted by njherdfan

Serious question here: If not for the media's constant refrain that Tanny is, in fact, a salary-cap genius, would we have any reason to think that he's particularly good at managing a salary cap?

From what I can see, he realized that the Jets had a lot of cap room going in to the 2008 and 2009 seasons because Brick, Revis, Harris and Mangold were on their rookie contracts, and he spent that cap room on normal contracts on good players. Then, he realized that players in the final year of their rookie contracts are going to cost a lot less, so he traded for Holmes, Braylon, and Cro. Terrific. None of that seems particularly advanced to me.

Anyone who can read critically and wants to take a few hours out of their day can understand most of the salary-cap rules of the NFL. The main thing people seem to say that Tanny does well is that he staggers his contracts to space out when players get paid large amounts of money, but that's clearly not the case. The Jets are in cap hell next season because of all these deferred payments. I don't think it takes a cap genius to realize that payments can be deferred to free up money in the short-term.

Finally, some in the media and on this board are acting like Tanny's contractual wisdom would be somehow irreplaceable. But look at the best run teams in the NFL: the Giants, Packers, Ravens, Steelers, Falcons, and 49ers are all run by "football guys," who either played the game, or started scouting immediately after college, or did both. And guess what? The contracts for all of those teams get done and they work under the salary cap. Each of those teams has a whole bunch of "contract gurus" who do exactly what Mike Tannenbaum is supposed to be good at. Anyone with a background in law or accounting can master the salary cap as well as Tanny can, and there's no reason to limit our GM search because we desperately want to retain Tanny's contract "expertise."

Great points.

I've wondered the same things, especially over the last 2 years. I think that was thrown out to the media years ago, for the very reason that he wasn't a real football guy and Parcells liked him. Probably kissed Parcells as* all day long, and put in lots of hours.

Now the media has run with the "cap genius" label for years now and they can't get off it. It gives his GM title some form of credibility because again, he is not a football guy, as we all painfully have learned more and more each day.

Every team operates under the same cap constraints. The fact that the Jets are so loaded down with bad contracts as of today doesn't justify the "cap genius" label at all. If that really were the case, there would have been an "out" built into many of these contracts.

The Sanchez extension into 2013...I'll just never understand. Especially after his horrible last 3 games in 2011. The only thing I can think of is almost sinister. Tannenbaum thought he could rope himself into another year of fat GM checks in 2013 by tying himself to Sanchez.

[sec.101row23]

Originally Posted by jets31

The difference is EVERY year we are in cap HELL according to the media and EVERY year Tanny figures it out and we are fine.

I never worry about the cap with him. When is the last time we lost a good player or had to cut a good player because of cap?

Some years are better then other with spending but that is the same for all teams.

With the recent change to the rookie contracts it will be better for all. Once we get out from under Sanchez deal these team will be in great shape.

That is not a good measure of how healthy a team is regarding the cap. Just because the Jets haven't HAD to cut a player they wanted to keep, doesnt mean Tanny has done a good job. How about the players they CAN'T cut because of too much guaranteed money? Or the kicking the can down the road in regards to clearing money for one year.

[Nike]

for the same reason we thought psls were a good deal.

[patman]

Originally Posted by jets31

The difference is EVERY year we are in cap HELL according to the media and EVERY year Tanny figures it out and we are fine.

I never worry about the cap with him. When is the last time we lost a good player or had to cut a good player because of cap?

Some years are better then other with spending but that is the same for all teams.

With the recent change to the rookie contracts it will be better for all. Once we get out from under Sanchez deal these team will be in great shape.

Because every year the media did not expect tanny to keep borrowing money from future years. The cap kept going up every year and that helped bail him out. Well last year there was no more money to borrow. and for the 2nd year in a row the cap did not go up. Well now the jets have 1/2 of the starting team as free agents and they are 20 mill over the cap. Most likely resulting in the team having 3 seasons in a row in a downward spiral. How come he can't fix it?

[DDNYjets]

Didn't he put the poison pill in Martin's offer which kept NE from signing him.

Other than that I got nuthin. Except that he robbed Peter to pay Paul.

[jets31]

Originally Posted by patman

Because every year the media did not expect tanny to keep borrowing money from future years. The cap kept going up every year and that helped bail him out. Well last year there was no more money to borrow. and for the 2nd year in a row the cap did not go up. Well now the jets have 1/2 of the starting team as free agents and they are 20 mill over the cap. Most likely resulting in the team having 3 seasons in a row in a downward spiral. How come he can't fix it?

1/2 the teams are free agents because they are old and their contracts are up AND we dont want them anyway.

As far as valuable free agents the Jets have very few for next season and I would say about the same as any other team.

This team will have money to spent in the off season. We can keep the guys we want to bring in a few other guys. We dont really need any high priced free agents.

We need to continue to build through the draft.

[Queens Jet Fan]

NJHerd what you forget is that everything changed in 2008. Tanny was under instructions from his owner to win now. That obviously changed the strategy in negotiating contracts. The team went from character players to bad boys and glamour.

The owner sets the tone of the organization. Employees have to be on board.

[rextilleon]

Because he is an accountant?

[mudcat21]

Tranny's worst moves are when he guaranetees an older players contract for next year in order to save a little on the current seasons cap. These type moves have killed the Jets.

Someone also mentioned he gets the Jets out of cap hell every year, well guess who got them into that situation in the first place.

[southparkcpa]

Originally Posted by rextilleon

Because he is an accountant?

Most accountants I know are not qualified to do a tax return for an athlete let alone handle a contract.

[Queens Jet Fan]

Tanny is not an accountant. He's a lawyer. I agree his worst moves were extensions with more guaranteed money that eased cap hits and that was all part of the strategy of our owner to win now.

[jetssjumets]

Originally Posted by jets31

1/2 the teams are free agents because they are old and their contracts are up AND we dont want them anyway.

As far as valuable free agents the Jets have very few for next season and I would say about the same as any other team.

This team will have money to spent in the off season. We can keep the guys we want to bring in a few other guys. We dont really need any high priced free agents.

We need to continue to build through the draft.

The NE trolls are enjoying this. Just ignore them. NE has one player. When he is done, NE will be back to a 3 win team. Nothing lasts forever and Tammy's clock is ticking. Then these trolling a-holes will be long gone. We won't hear a peep from them.

[patman]

Originally Posted by jets31

1/2 the teams are free agents because they are old and their contracts are up AND we dont want them anyway.

As far as valuable free agents the Jets have very few for next season and I would say about the same as any other team.

This team will have money to spent in the off season. We can keep the guys we want to bring in a few other guys. We dont really need any high priced free agents.

We need to continue to build through the draft.

You don't want, Landry, Folk, Howard, Pouha, Malone, Keller or Devito?
Please tell me how you get to replace them

[patman]

Originally Posted by jetssjumets

The NE trolls are enjoying this. Just ignore them. NE has one player. When he is done, NE will be back to a 3 win team. Nothing lasts forever and Tammy's clock is ticking. Then these trolling a-holes will be long gone. We won't hear a peep from them.

Well you have to remember a lot of jet fans kept calling the pats cheap because Samuel, Seymour, Molloy, Law, Branch all had to be let go to stay under the cap over the last 8 years. A lot of jet fans were very happy to throw that out there, and thought that Tanny was that much smarter in that he was able to keep adding people and never having to let a productive player go.

And the pats went to the superbowl 2 in the 15 years before Brady got there.

[GuidoYaztremski]

Originally Posted by jetssjumets

The NE trolls are enjoying this. Just ignore them. NE has one player. When he is done, NE will be back to a 3 win team. Nothing lasts forever and Tammy's clock is ticking. Then these trolling a-holes will be long gone. We won't hear a peep from them.

Either you don't watch a lot of football or you don't have a clue as to what you're watching.


Which is it?

[jetssjumets]

Originally Posted by GuidoYaztremski

Either you don't watch a lot of football or you don't have a clue as to what you're watching.


Which is it?

GFY, troll

[patman]

Originally Posted by jetssjumets

GFY, troll

ooh! good one! lets see him climb out of that one!

[JaxSuzy]

Originally Posted by sec.101row23

That is not a good measure of how healthy a team is regarding the cap. Just because the Jets haven't HAD to cut a player they wanted to keep, doesnt mean Tanny has done a good job. How about the players they CAN'T cut because of too much guaranteed money? Or the kicking the can down the road in regards to clearing money for one year.

I agree SEC.101. His cap management seems to be robbing Peter to pay Paul, or putting stuff off until next year or the year after. It's like he created a cap ponzi scheme that's so convoluted nobody else knows how to untangle his mess.

Of course, the first I ever heard of Tanny was when Tebow was traded to the Jets -- twice -- because Tanny hadn't read through the whole contract and didn't realize he'd have to pay back the Broncos for a portion of Tebow's guaranteed salary. That was dumb. What kind of lawyer doesn't read a contract before he signs it?

GTFO Tanny. We need a football guru; there are plenty of contract lawyers or accountants to manage the cap.