Changes Haven't Changed A Thing

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
#1

Does anybody think the Ticats gave salary cap-exempt bonuses
and re-signed any key players before the salary cap kicked in?

If we didn't, we are really behind the 8 ball signing free agents

For instance, if I was a d-back, I would go to a team
that had already restructured their own players contracts

by giving them bonuses before the Nov 19th deadline

so their base salaries submitted to the league
are low for salary cap purposes. [even absurdly so]
Derrell 'Mookie' Mitchell's base salary is $52,000.

Edmonton is one of the few teams with a war chest
and they have already distorted the salary range
of the position of defensive back way upward.

Edmonton Eskimos added 3 new DBs at 6-figure salaries
-- Omar Morgan, Stanford Samuels and Jason Goss.
{Omar Morgan's is reportedly over $140,000 ]

How many other positions that we want to fill
have salaries that have been distorted upwards
by the Esks and other teams using this loophole?

IF WE WANTED TO OVERSPEND to get players,

WE CANT, we would be way over the salary cap
even if Caretaker bob loosened the purse strings.

Changes Haven't Changed A Thing

Rob Vanstone, Sportswriter...Regina Leader Post

#2

It really doesnt matter. For one everyone knew you could do this. The salary cap will really have no effect on teams for the reason you mentioned above regarding low base salaries and high bonuses. It will be 2-3 years down the road when these contracts expire that the SMS will actually mean something.

And secondly what really stops a team from paying a player under the table and off the books? Nothing. Sure there is a whistle blower rule but what play is going to do that?

#3

Hi Ron. Corey Holmes is one name for us (I assume we structured the deal to maximize the bonus portion). But yes we are behind the 8-ball. That was an inevitable consequence of having by far the worst team in the league. We didn't have a long list of current players to resign. Let's face it, the decision to provide a window of opportunity to exempt signing bonuses, was just another way of allowing teams to spend their brains out. The hope is that the new SMS will actually mean something in a few years...but given all the back room politics and the leagues lame history with enforcement, I think we can expect teams like Edmonton, BC, Toronto and Montreal to play fast and loose with the rules. In most businesses integrity means something. Its been lacking in the CFL for a long time now. I know one thing. Bob and company had better figure out a way to compete in this circus. And soon...

#4

This just Shows How Much of Joke our Cap is.
I say get Rid of the Cap
since it easy to Cheat it ..
what is point to having it..

#5

A few very interesting comments from the above. Are we really behind the 8-ball ??? or given the calibre of what we had, alot of players have been already been jetisoned out of the Tigercats lair.

After all, what is the sense of spending the time and resources on renegotiating contacts when you aren't serious or sure about keeping a player on the team.

I expect that the bloodletting that we have seen so far will continue, once the NFL and CFL drafts have taken place will leave us with few whose contracts could have been renegoitiated. After scanning those currently on the roster there really aren't aren't that many left that would command a significant salary. Maas excepted.

Where teams fudging numbers in the future are concerned I don't see too much of an issue here since starting next year I think that we will start to see the cap edging upwards. By the time all these pre-Grey Cup bonus contracts expire (3 years) I am expecting that the cap will be at least at $5,000,000 if not more. Also, think of what effect all these cuts have had on the psychie of the older more seasoned players. We have already seen a downward spiral on contracts (just ask Kerry Joseph) and think of how much less some of our pruged Vets (i.e. Vaughn) will have to take to play this year.

In effect they have insituted something to try to put a reign on salaries but left themselves $$wiggle$$ room. Could we expect any less from the BoG when you look at their antics in the past.

My 2 cents

RAC

#6

I have been thinking the same thing as Ron...the Ticats didn't get to sign many players when the "bonus" clause was allowed. To me Desjardins will have to work under the 4,050,000 cap, while most of the other teams are actually paying out close to 4,500,000 to their players. But there wasn't many players you would want to sign from a 4-14 team to long term contracts, not much else he could do.
Of course quality players can make the salary difference a mute point if Hamilton scouts can find the right ones.

#7

I agree that the SMS will take 2-3 years to shake out. But I am also sure that all of the teams are working to control spending on salaries and payments to players ie tickets for games and any side deals. Don't you think that these business owners are trying to get their businesses to a point where they are actually generating profits and increasing the value of their investments. Recent events in Ottawa demonstrated the challenging business realities underwhich all of the team owners operate their teams. The fact that the TiCats organization is looking for new revenue streams through event management outside of the CFL is an example of the need for CFL teams to maximize revenue and reduce costs. Until they control their spending, through adherence to the SMS and increase league revenues, owning a CFL franchise will continue to be a money losing proposition. With the development of an SMS that will have some teeth ensure team compliance the league has a chance to move the league toward profitablity. Even die hard TiCat fans want to see the owners have an opportunity to see a return on their investment. Jumbo screens don't come cheap!

#8

There have been some great points made on this topic
but some of you don't seem to have understood
the main point that I was trying to make

Now that richer teams have paid bonuses of 10s or 100s
of thousands of $$$ to their players before Nov. 19 2006

they can pay players well over the going rate for their positions
with the 100s of thousands of dollars not on this year's books.

WHICH IS A LUXURY THE TICATS CAN'T USE
to sign top freed up CFL veteran players

because, to pay them what those teams can pay
would put us too many dollars over the salary cap.

P.S.

Positions have come to be ranked in order
of their perceived importance to a team

The higher the position's ranking,
the higher the pay for that position.

The QB position is first so QBs are the highest paid.

Other positions are decreasingly less well paid
according to their relative importance to the team.

Now many more players have salaries that are
out-of-line with their peers at their position.

#9
(ronfromtigertown) base salaries submitted to the league are low for salary cap purposes. [even absurdly so] Derrell 'Mookie' Mitchell's base salary is $52,000.

Edmonton is one of the few teams with a war chest
and they have already distorted the salary range
of the position of defensive back way upward.

Edmonton Eskimos added 3 new DBs at 6-figure salaries
-- Omar Morgan, Stanford Samuels and Jason Goss.
{Omar Morgan's is reportedly over $140,000 ]

How many other positions that we want to fill
have salaries that have been distorted upwards
by the Esks and other teams using this loophole?

Wow! It appears that some CFL team's front offices "might" be smarter than ours.

Of course, we didn't have much to offer the league in free agency from last years horrid team which might explain, in part, our caretakers comments about not being particularly interested in the free agency game.

Lets hope a plan is in place to bring some talent to town soon, so that tickets sales can get started in earnest. Many fans appear to be waiting to see how this story unfolds before committing to season tickets.

#10
Now that richer teams have paid bonuses of 10s or 100s of thousands of $$$ to their players before Nov. 19 2006

they can pay players well over the going rate for their positions
with the 100s of thousands of dollars not on this year’s books.

WHICH IS A LUXURY THE TICATS CAN’T USE
to sign top freed up CFL veteran players

because, to pay them what those teams can pay
would put us too many dollars over the salary cap.


My earlier point answered this…the Nov 19 date doesnt matter you can easily just pay a player under the table. Are you telling me Kerry Joesph took a $100,000 pay cut that easily??? Yet a guy like Flick won’t take a cut of say $25,000. Read between the lines.
#11

I have to agree there way around the Cap.
Higher a Players wife pay her huge Salary Part time

The player make next to nothing.