Tillman sounds like the riders are over the cap already!

Injuries Frustrate Tillman, Team Could End Up Going over Salary Cap...
Just after 4 games and he is already prepping the rider fans for another rendition of ........

http://www.newstalk980.com/story/20080721/3026 http://forum.gostampsgo.com/showthread.php?t=10591

They traded Joseph and cut Holmes. No one can honestly say the Riders aren't doing everything possible to get under the cap. I agree that the injury list should drop from 9 games to 6 games.

The real problem isn't about a 9 or 6 game injury list. The cap is too low to begin with, it should be around 4.5 million instead of 4.2 million.

Sambo how can you say the cap is set to low when 75 % of the teams adhered to the cap last year.

Let's look at the players list on the riders injured list. Mitchell was hurt in the same game as Flick (surprised he is not on the list). Szarka has foot injury, Dressler got his hamstring problem game before last. Adams, I surprised he is on the suspended or disable list (non-football related issue doesn't count against the cap). I am surprised we traded for an injured Acree. Morley, Patrick, Morin and Mckoy are mysteries to me. And then there is Tate on the 9 game list.

Acree, T.J.
Morley, Steve
Patrick, James
Dressler, Weston
Tate, Andrew
Mitchell, Leron
Szarka, Chris
Adams, Marcus
Morin-Roberge, Jean-Francois
McKoy, Dave

I the riders started out the season with a large number of players on the injured list who may never play down this year.

Tillman is playing the same that he played last year.

You may have a good point Mike, but I am just not sure what it is. Could you elaborate?

I think the teams need to have full disclosure on injuries, including those players that go on the 9 game list.

I really truly wonder with all the Canadian reciever talent we have if Mckoy is truly injured. Or why we got Acree to put him on the injured list, that is the same thing we did with David Azzii last year, before he was cut. I don't think David Azziie dressed did he.

A cap at 4.5 will end up being spent on the same number of players as a 4.2 cap… either every player will get a 7% raise or the 3 best players will get a 100k raise each.

There would be the same problem with the cap as there was last season, and as there apparently is this season.

Yes.
It is not an issue of how much the cap is, but rather how injuries are accounted for within any set cap amount.

Yeah, I'm not sure a higher dollar limit is the answer for the reasons you note.

I do see Eric's point about not having control of injuries and I do see others' point about including injuries to avoid abuse. The fact is that, for this year at least and until Eric and likeminded management convince the BOG to change it, injuries count (other 9-weekers) so live with it.

GMs simply have to risk manage. But instead of managing to the defined dollar limit at the beginning of the season, manage under it by $50-100k. If the team doesn't get the injuries it forecast, it's got some space later in the season to possibly trade to improve the team to possibly upgrade for the playoff run. If injuries are more than forecast, the team has room to absorb it.

I see it as Sask managed to the dollar limit last year, and not under it and paid the penalty for doing so when injuries exceeded a reasonably forecasted buffer. Tillman can choose to operate in the same fashion as last year (which, by the way, is not cheating as the SMS rules provide for exceeding the prescribed dollar limit) and possibly face the same consequence. Or he (and all GMs) can manage under it, which also has consequences (e.g. maybe the injuries are less than forecast and the extra $ could have made the difference between a better player and the the starter they thought they could afford).

Exactly it appears Tate has been injured for two years . Yet I guess he got cleared to play at TC and then fell off the examination table. The reason for the riders going over is Tillman has exteneded his roster in the IR list of players not even hurt. Pretty simple no.

Why is it difficult for only the riders. The other 7 teams seem to have no problem.

My opinion and its just a theory so no links would be possible...

When Tillman took over the riders the team was in rough shape contracts wise. He is still dealing with some contracts that He did not sign but was stuck with. As some of those contracts begin becoming due or optioned we have witnessed him Cut and Trade when he can't get the terms he wants. There are still a few that he has no control over. I think some of these contracts are a big part of the current problem and for me personally I will give Tillman a full 3 years ( one more season ) then all players under contract will be of his doing. As such at that time I would join in blaming him. That does not mean it is not the fault of the Riders as an organization - because it is. The blame does not belong on Tillman at this time as he rights the ship.

And injuries play another huge part. The riders only fault in my opinion is hoping some will return early and not placing them on the IRL.

But the problem is he has healthy players on the Ir list it has nothing to do with injuries all teams have injuries and are below the SMS. If you look at $35000 being a base salary and you have 6 or 7 guys on the unoffical PR list (IR) then that is a lot of coin is it not.

As of July 19th, the Riders had only five players on the 9-game list: Flick, Mitchell, McKoy, Morin-Roberge, and Tate. The rest are on the regular injury list, and therefore count against the cap.

Actually, the Riders were not much if any worse off when the cap was instituted than other teams and it is very unlikely that any player on the roster today does not have ET’s sig at the bottom. perhaps a couple.
But I can’t think of one at the moment.
Where most teams do have an advantage, and this answers your question (for the 1 millionth time) 05, every other team in the league did more with the salary loophole than the Riders did. And that loophole is still impacting the cap space of those teams this year. A team like the Stampeders is likely still tens, if not hundreds of thousands below their ACTUAL salary expenditures. Next year, when all those front loaded contracts finally expire, the Riders lose no cap space. But all other teams will be affected.

first myth to dispel the salary loop hole. Plain and simple it is an excuse that some teams use. All team had the opportunity to do. The riders did it so did everyone else.

Second myth to dispell the 2007 season has nothing to do with the 2006 season anymore then the 2008 season has to do with what took place last year.

Without injuries last year the riders were $300K under the cap. That was a very reasonable amount when as Eric said himself the other teams average $225K. The problem for the riders is they claimed they 350K in salaries related to injuries(one game type).

So Eric budgeted properly last to be under. Just has I suspect he has this year. The problem was decisions made last to keep players like Tate around for 7 games on the one game injury list that cost him money.

I also notice we don’t have as many dbs and linebackers with one game type of injuries this year.

Anybody who doesn’t think team noticed the injury lists are fooling themselves. They are watched as much as the movements between practice roster and active roster. They may start to do the same thing.

Additionally, I don’t know why Eric is complaining about the 9 game list. He was able to the Eddie Davis rule agreed to this year.

Bingo Arius! Everyone seems to blame the Riders for exceeding the cap but very few other teams actually dumped anyone of note in the offseason and they somehow are all managing just fine under the cap.

Once those contracts expire that were given out during the time when the loophole was in effect, you'll truly see every team scrambling to re-sign guys.

The Riders have been in cap trouble the past few years because they stash WAY too many guys on injured lists who barely play at all throughout the season. Clearly every team stashes guys on IR to some degree, but it seems to me like the Riders have been the biggest offender of this tactic the past few years. Here's a simple solution Tillman: stop stashing guys like Tate who are clearly not injured(and then you will hopefully stop whining to the media)!

9 game IR don't affect the cap so guys like Tate are irrelevant. The issue is guys like Chick who could reasonably go on a 6 game with their injury whereas going on the 9 game costs us an excellent player for too long. Seems a lot of injuries (broken bones, severe sprains, etc. would last in the range of 6 weeks or so meaning a 6 game list would make more sense. Not sure why the league chose 9 game. Does anyone know the reasoning?

I believe the riders have front loaded contracts as well like 20 of them. Again it has nothing to do with injuries it has everything to do with hiding players in the IR. Tate for example two years and counting explain that one.