Assembler Language

That close to worthwhile

I've been ruminating on the Shawn Springs thing here for a couple of days. If I see the situation rightwise, there are cap implications if the team releases him, cap implications of the team trades him and an injury prone veteran with a large cap number on the roster if the team keeps him.

Cutting Shawn is not the answer, since it will cost the Redskins 7 point 3 million dollars in cap room. Then you still have a roster spot to fill.

Cain't trade him before June 1 2007 since that will also cost the full 7 point 3 million dollars in cap room (op. cit.). A question to the footballologists: in this case does the cap number for any traded-for player(s) count as credits against this value? In other words, if a 7 million dollar number is traded for a 4 million dollar number, does the team then 'pay' a 3 million dollar cap figure to reach contract parity?

He is not interested in renegotiating, wants to get paid his full due for the year and is open to a trade.

So the Redskins should keep Shawn, unless the right deal comes along. It's better to have a part-time player (and that is what Shawn is at this point), a good corner for half the games than no corner and take the charge. After this season, the cap penalty for cutting him will go down by another slice of the signing bonus and it becomes more affordable.

Skin Patrol at Hogs Haven has a more in-depth look at Shawn's situation.

DISCLAIMER: I started this post last night and have not read today's Washington Post story on Dre Bly and the Redskins so don't tell me about it! I'll write about it later today. LAA LAA LAA I can't hear you!

Speaking of good deals, are the Broncos the Official Trading Partner of the Washington Redskins? Pat Bowlen cockblocked the Redskins from nabbing Dre Bly by sending Tatum Bell Detroit's way. Dre wants to play in Washington, Shawn wants to play in Denver (all three op. cit.). Then there is the matter of Ladell Betts, suddenly a hot trade property. And the Redskins have that sweet sweet sixth overall pick, which I think they should deal for a package of picks, or perhaps the right player. I have said before that I would like to see Ladell stay on this team, but his durability, success as a feature back and low cap number (5 years, 11 million dollars -- a pittance for starter quality) make him much more attractive as tradebait than Clinton Portis.

The Redskins might walk out of this Mexican standoff with the Broncos with a good player and some picks if they don't screw it up, but history tells us the Redskins get the business end when dealing with the Broncos.

Some Shawn Springs data:

The broken right scapula (shoulder blade) Shawn suffered in the next-to-last game against the Rams, the injury that ended Shawn's 2006 season, it's not the first time he's broken that bone. He broke it in a preseason game in 2003 and missed five games (references here and here; hat tip to Squidly for the pointers).

Before the 2004 season, the Redskins signed Shawn to a six year 30 million dollar deal with 10 million in signing bonus (a familiar-sounding contract) despite having missed 13 games over the previous three seasons. It was fairly well understood Shawn had the injury bug, and now it's kind of an issue. The cynic in me is wondering, what offseason ailment is Shawn not treating this year so he can get the team to deal with it in camp and heal on company time?

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Yesterday I ran into in The Ragnarok blogger Thomas who covers the Vikings and was an inaugural 5 Questions partner back in September 2006. I asked him his take on Loveboat Freddie Smoot and here is his response:

[W]ell, considering he lost his starting job both seasons he was in Minnesota and he really liked to give massive cushions to receivers I can't say I'm going to miss him. Though I am sad we never really got to see the trash talker in Smoot come out in Minnesota,at least in the press.

Unless it was a coaching issue, I don't think he should be much more than a nickel back, but he'll be a decent one, and he did try a Lambeau leap after housing a Favre pick so he's still got the potential for some really awesome hijinks.

Not entirely unlike a postseason assessment of Loveboat Freddie after the 2004 season, before he left for Minnesota. Loveboat Freddie never quite delivered on the mouth and the promise to make us forget Deion Sanders (I wish I could). Now that the expectations are set that he is not Champ Bailey or Darrell Green, Loveboat Freddie can come here and be productive. Thomas doesn't think this is a loss for the Vikings, as Loveboat Freddie's replacement, rising second-year corner Cedric Griffin, "[is]not Champ Bailey by any means, but he'll more than get the job done."



Shawn Springs: October 31, 2004 AP Photo via Baltimore Sun from here.