The next 4 years will be our best shot at a Super Bowl...

[jshipp23]

With the trend of QB's getting 20-25 million dollar contracts it makes it very difficult to compete and field a complete team which is why we had a bunch of scrubs playing with Peyton once he started making the BIG $$$$...Our best teams were when we had the young Peyton, James, Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, and Mathis, and it's a shame we didn't win 3 or 4 super Bowls with that group because that was an all-time great group that truly under-acheived...Once we had to start paying the big $ to keep them we couldn't invest in an all around team...Luck has 4 years on his rookie contract B4 he becomes a 25-30 million dollar cap hit and it becomes much harder to surround him with high caliber players. That is why we should take advantage of the situation now before we have to begin letting stars go and finding players off the scrap heap...That is why it is gonna be very hard for the Packers and Ravens to compete like they used to. I say go all in now and bring in and take chances on players we won't have the opportunity to get when Luck gets his 2nd contract.

[TKnight24]

I guess. But with the Steelers rebuilding & the Ravens just dismantling themselves. The representative for the AFC in the SB this year will probably be

1. Denver (Peyton is gonna get another ring before he's done)

2. New England

3. Houston (If they don't choke away the division to us this year)

4. (You said 4 years, this is year 1 lol)

[shakedownstreet]

call me crazy, but i think ryan grigson is aware of this

[TKnight24]

call me crazy, but i think ryan grigson is aware of this

Cause Grigson is the man!

[GoodLuck]

The cap will expand.

[schwamm]

The cap will expand.

And the top end salaries will expand with it.

[21isSuperman]

While a QB will take a lot of money, it's very likely (and almost guaranteed, in fact) that the cap also increases.  Furthermore, if these ridiculous $20+ mil per season contracts continue, there will likely be something done about them in the next CBA.  I don't know how labour negotiations work, but I would guess it is possible for the NFL and NFLPA to add an amendment to the current CBA.  I don't think we are limited to the next 4 years.  I think we have many good years ahead of us.  It's not very likely to win a Super Bowl without a franchise QB, so we wouldn't be the only team restricted if your scenario does take place where QB contracts take up $30 mil of cap space

[In Luck We Trust]

I guess. But with the Steelers rebuilding & the Ravens just dismantling themselves. The representative for the AFC in the SB this year will probably be

1. Denver (Peyton is gonna get another ring before he's done)

2. New England

3. Houston (If they don't choke away the division to us this year)

4. (You said 4 years, this is year 1 lol)

I dont think Peyton will get another ring. if he does good for him, but i don't think it will happen. im saying this because pending how well the draft goes and who ever else we sign in the summer, i have a feeling the road to the super bowl for the AFC will go through Indianapolis. can call me crazy, people did last summer when i said the colts would make the playoffs with 10-11 wins lol. 

 

New England - i do not think they will make another superbowl under brady let alone win another one. i think the belicheck/brady era is coming to a close, regardless if Brady signed an extension or not. 

 

Houston - their run game will not be as productive with this new RB rule as it has been, plus i think Schaub is on his last leg as the texans QB. and i dont know if TJ YAtes is really the future QB of the texans. 

 

THAT BEING SAID.... its football and what makes the sport so great is anything can happen meaning even the Browns could pull off a NFL shocker and win the AFC North and the superbowl lol. 

[TKnight24]

I dont think Peyton will get another ring. if he does good for him, but i don't think it will happen. im saying this because pending how well the draft goes and who ever else we sign in the summer, i have a feeling the road to the super bowl for the AFC will go through Indianapolis. can call me crazy, people did last summer when i said the colts would make the playoffs with 10-11 wins lol.

New England - i do not think they will make another superbowl under brady let alone win another one. i think the belicheck/brady era is coming to a close, regardless if Brady signed an extension or not.

Houston - their run game will not be as productive with this new RB rule as it has been, plus i think Schaub is on his last leg as the texans QB. and i dont know if TJ YAtes is really the future QB of the texans.

THAT BEING SAID.... its football and what makes the sport so great is anything can happen meaning even the Browns could pull off a NFL shocker and win the AFC North and the superbowl lol.

You had me until that last paragraph about the Browns lol

But, it's possible about the division thing since the Steelers & Ravens are messed up. I personally think it's the Bengals division for the taking. But the Browns could make a run as well

[Qwiz]

I dont think Peyton will get another ring. if he does good for him, but i don't think it will happen. im saying this because pending how well the draft goes and who ever else we sign in the summer, i have a feeling the road to the super bowl for the AFC will go through Indianapolis. can call me crazy, people did last summer when i said the colts would make the playoffs with 10-11 wins lol. 

 

New England - i do not think they will make another superbowl under brady let alone win another one. i think the belicheck/brady era is coming to a close, regardless if Brady signed an extension or not. 

 

Houston - their run game will not be as productive with this new RB rule as it has been, plus i think Schaub is on his last leg as the texans QB. and i dont know if TJ YAtes is really the future QB of the texans. 

 

THAT BEING SAID.... its football and what makes the sport so great is anything can happen meaning even the Browns could pull off a NFL shocker and win the AFC North and the superbowl lol. 

So what you're saying is...NE will magically start sucking this year and will not ever go to the SB again because the "era" is coming to a close, Manning has no chance at all to win a SB despite the fact that he is on a loaded roster, and Arian Foster is going to be affected by this RB rule, so he will also start sucking and the rest of the Texans will go down with him, and they will not make the SB either. Yet the Browns could pull off a shocker and win the SB, and the path to the SB goes through a team with a boatload of young players. Okay.

[jshipp23]

While a QB will take a lot of money, it's very likely (and almost guaranteed, in fact) that the cap also increases.  Furthermore, if these ridiculous $20+ mil per season contracts continue, there will likely be something done about them in the next CBA.  I don't know how labour negotiations work, but I would guess it is possible for the NFL and NFLPA to add an amendment to the current CBA.  I don't think we are limited to the next 4 years.  I think we have many good years ahead of us.  It's not very likely to win a Super Bowl without a franchise QB, so we wouldn't be the only team restricted if your scenario does take place where QB contracts take up $30 mil of cap space

Never said we would be limited to the next 4 years, I said the next 4 years will be our best chance...

[jshipp23]

Cause Grigson is the man!

We still have around 9-10 million in cap space..the draft will take 4or 5 million so I would like to see us take a risk on a guy like Rolando McClain this year and go for it instead of leaving 5 million sitting...

[In Luck We Trust]

So what you're saying is...NE will magically start sucking this year and will not ever go to the SB again because the "era" is coming to a close, Manning has no chance at all to win a SB despite the fact that he is on a loaded roster, and Arian Foster is going to be affected by this RB rule, so he will also start sucking and the rest of the Texans will go down with him, and they will not make the SB either. Yet the Browns could pull off a shocker and win the SB, and the path to the SB goes through a team with a boatload of young players. Okay.

being on a loaded team means nothing.  the ravens have had a loaded for the last few years and they finally got their superbowl under flacco. philly had their so called " dream team " and still cant win a superbowl. Manning had a very good team for years and it took him 8 or 9 years to finally win the superbowl. so being on a " loaded " team means nothing in the NFL. 

 

im not saying the patriots will never win the superbowl ever again, i am sayin they will not make an win it again under brady/bellicheck (mainly brady). 

 

you left out the part on what i said about schaub, but that is beside the point. i never really thought the texans had the team for a superbowl run anyway. but their run game being the focal point of their offense, if this RB rule does effect all power RB's then yes i believe it will effect the whole texans offense. their passing game feeds off their run game. 

 

 

i made the cleveland comment as sarcasm while at the same time, saying its football anything can happen. i do not really think the browns could win the division let alone win the superbowl. 

[jvan1973]

We still have around 9-10 million in cap space..the draft will take 4or 5 million so I would like to see us take a risk on a guy like Rolando McClain this year and go for it instead of leaving 5 million sitting...

you have to keep some of the cap for emergencies

[Qwiz]

being on a loaded team means nothing.  the ravens have had a loaded for the last few years and they finally got their superbowl under flacco. philly had their so called " dream team " and still cant win a superbowl. Manning had a very good team for years and it took him 8 or 9 years to finally win the superbowl. so being on a " loaded " team means nothing in the NFL. 

 

im not saying the patriots will never win the superbowl ever again, i am sayin they will not make an win it again under brady/bellicheck (mainly brady). 

 

you left out the part on what i said about schaub, but that is beside the point. i never really thought the texans had the team for a superbowl run anyway. but their run game being the focal point of their offense, if this RB rule does effect all power RB's then yes i believe it will effect the whole texans offense. their passing game feeds off their run game. 

 

 

i made the cleveland comment as sarcasm while at the same time, saying its football anything can happen. i do not really think the browns could win the division let alone win the superbowl. 

The Ravens receivers were Anquan Boldin and....? Their corners were LaDarius Webb and...? And their quarterback, no matter what he says, is not elite in any sense of the word. So I wouldn't exactly call their roster loaded. They haven't been to the SB before this year but they have always been dang close, competing with such teams as...yep you guessed it...New England. Manning is on a team with good receivers, a good defense, and good special teams. I know his postseason credentials but to say that he will not win one as a fact is just hogwash.

I can actually see NE winning another SB. They are too good and will not go away. Even when Brady retires, they will still have the mastermind at head coach, and they will of course continue to compete. Plus, Brady and Manning are elite QBs, their teams will always be in the mix. I would take NE over Atlanta or Green Bay, and who knows, maybe one of those two will represent the NFC in the SB in the years to come.

The Texans have a great team for a SB run. To say that the Colts have the better team (as you mentioned them being the path to the SB) is just silly. As we saw with Flacco, having a slightly above average QB will not hinder a team. The Ravens won a SB with Dilfer, and Schaub is better than he is. Your mention of power backs is a fail because Arian is not a power back. He is a finesse runningback, and no rule is going to slow him down, so keep wishing. Plus we will be adding a complementary receiver to help out the best in the game. We also have a great defense with a returning Brian Cushing and Ed Reed. We are indeed one of the SB favorites and we will make a push.

As far as the Browns...I wouldn't even use sarcasm with them. Not them or the Jaguars. They are just too bad to even joke about them possibly winning it all.

[TKnight24]

We still have around 9-10 million in cap space..the draft will take 4or 5 million so I would like to see us take a risk on a guy like Rolando McClain this year and go for it instead of leaving 5 million sitting...

No, I think we'll leave that $5 million there to add to next season. Or give it to Patty Mac for his new deal

[21isSuperman]

Never said we would be limited to the next 4 years, I said the next 4 years will be our best chance...

I think we have a long time to win.  Even if Luck's contract does take up a fair bit of cap space, I think we will still be able to field a competitive team, given how well Grigson and the scouting team has been working

[dw49]

Never said we would be limited to the next 4 years, I said the next 4 years will be our best chance...

 

What you say is that it's difficut to compete with a frachise QB that is played out his 1st contract....  

 

"With the trend of QB's getting 20-25 million dollar contracts it makes it very difficult to compete and field a complete team which is why we had a bunch of scrubs playing with Peyton once he started making the BIG $$$$.."

 

I just don't think that is the case when you consider how this has been such a "QB driven league." Looking at this year's SB favorites , the only team that has a "cheap" QB is SF. Balt , Denver and NE all have big cap numbers for their QB's. I will agree that in years 3,4 and 5 , the last 3 years of Luck's contract , we will have extra cap room to pay for a little better roster. But to say it's "difficult to compete" is not accurate. If it is , you have some very dumb GMs running around the NFL. Taking one step further , they are even paying guaranteed money to Manning and Brady playing into their late 30's. Crazy IMO , but that's how much they value the QB position.

 

When you use the Colts for an example ... couple things.

 

1) We did come within a Garcon drop and a Bassett buffoonery of winning another SB.

2) Polian gave record contracts to many other players besides PM. Clark , Freeney and Sanders all were paid the highest in the league when resigned. Plus Harrison made huge bucks as did Heyden

[Monster]

With the trend of QB's getting 20-25 million dollar contracts it makes it very difficult to compete and field a complete team which is why we had a bunch of scrubs playing with Peyton once he started making the BIG $$$$...Our best teams were when we had the young Peyton, James, Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, and Mathis, and it's a shame we didn't win 3 or 4 super Bowls with that group because that was an all-time great group that truly under-acheived...Once we had to start paying the big $ to keep them we couldn't invest in an all around team...Luck has 4 years on his rookie contract B4 he becomes a 25-30 million dollar cap hit and it becomes much harder to surround him with high caliber players. That is why we should take advantage of the situation now before we have to begin letting stars go and finding players off the scrap heap...That is why it is gonna be very hard for the Packers and Ravens to compete like they used to. I say go all in now and bring in and take chances on players we won't have the opportunity to get when Luck gets his 2nd contract.

Agreed. With price of Franchise Qbs right now??  When Luck's contract is up we had better be at least solid everywhere else so we better get em while we can.  Because the day will come when we will have to  "Flacco"   Luck.

[ruksak]

This ever escalating trend of blockbuster contract amounts is so bad for the game. Great teams crumble under the seemingly mandatory obligation to pay *franchise QB's such bulk sums. 

 

It would be good for the game, IMO, if there was a cap/ceiling on individual contracts, maybe one that goes up with the team cap increase. For example, any individual player can only consume X% of the teams total salary. 

 

Continuing forth very much longer at this pace is not a sustainable trend. What happens when 12 or more of the leagues 32 starting QB's are consuming 30%+ of the total cap? 

[willysp]

I dont think Peyton will get another ring. if he does good for him, but i don't think it will happen. im saying this because pending how well the draft goes and who ever else we sign in the summer, i have a feeling the road to the super bowl for the AFC will go through Indianapolis. can call me crazy, people did last summer when i said the colts would make the playoffs with 10-11 wins lol. 

 

New England - i do not think they will make another superbowl under brady let alone win another one. i think the belicheck/brady era is coming to a close, regardless if Brady signed an extension or not. 

 

Houston - their run game will not be as productive with this new RB rule as it has been, plus i think Schaub is on his last leg as the texans QB. and i dont know if TJ YAtes is really the future QB of the texans. 

 

THAT BEING SAID.... its football and what makes the sport so great is anything can happen meaning even the Browns could pull off a NFL shocker and win the AFC North and the superbowl lol. 

 

I am also not sure that Peyton will get another ring.  I rooted for him last year, and will again if/when Indy is defeated in the playoffs.  But he chose a team where he would have more control versus SB chances - fine, that was his choice.

 

My gut also says NE is on the decline.

 

Lastly - thank you (and other posters) for using paragraphs / blank lines in their posts to improve readability.  I no longer even try to read 30+ lines of run-on text from many posters - my head over-heats, swells and scares my wife!

[AntonMcG]

The Ravens receivers were Anquan Boldin and....? Their corners were LaDarius Webb and...? And their quarterback, no matter what he says, is not elite in any sense of the word. So I wouldn't exactly call their roster loaded. They haven't been to the SB before this year but they have always been dang close, competing with such teams as...yep you guessed it...New England. Manning is on a team with good receivers, a good defense, and good special teams. I know his postseason credentials but to say that he will not win one as a fact is just hogwash.

I can actually see NE winning another SB. They are too good and will not go away. Even when Brady retires, they will still have the mastermind at head coach, and they will of course continue to compete. Plus, Brady and Manning are elite QBs, their teams will always be in the mix. I would take NE over Atlanta or Green Bay, and who knows, maybe one of those two will represent the NFC in the SB in the years to come.

The Texans have a great team for a SB run. To say that the Colts have the better team (as you mentioned them being the path to the SB) is just silly. As we saw with Flacco, having a slightly above average QB will not hinder a team. The Ravens won a SB with Dilfer, and Schaub is better than he is. Your mention of power backs is a fail because Arian is not a power back. He is a finesse runningback, and no rule is going to slow him down, so keep wishing. Plus we will be adding a complementary receiver to help out the best in the game. We also have a great defense with a returning Brian Cushing and Ed Reed. We are indeed one of the SB favorites and we will make a push.

As far as the Browns...I wouldn't even use sarcasm with them. Not them or the Jaguars. They are just too bad to even joke about them possibly winning it all.

 

I agree with most of what you said,  but please do not try to tell me that Andre Johnson is the best in the game.

[Qwiz]

I agree with most of what you said,  but please do not try to tell me that Andre Johnson is the best in the game.

Lol sorry, got a little carried away with myself. I still think he's top 3 though.

[AntonMcG]

Lol sorry, got a little carried away with myself. I still think he's top 3 though.

 

I think Cushing's return is huge for your team, he is an outstanding player.

[Qwiz]

I think Cushing's return is huge for your team, he is an outstanding player.

Yeah, I just hope he comes back the same. He really is the leader of the defense, despite the media's obsession with Watt (though he did make a nice stand-in when Cush was out ). Guy's intensity is second to none. Him being healthy and in the line-up makes me think we can beat any offense lol.

[jshipp23]

Yeah, I just hope he comes back the same. He really is the leader of the defense, despite the media's obsession with Watt (though he did make a nice stand-in when Cush was out ). Guy's intensity is second to none. Him being healthy and in the line-up makes me think we can beat any offense lol.

Watt is the most dominating defensive player in the league...

[Qwiz]

Watt is the most dominating defensive player in the league...

True, but the stand-in I was referring to was as the leader of the defense. Watt is the heart but Cush is the soul, if that makes sense.

[jshipp23]

True, but the stand-in I was referring to was as the leader of the defense. Watt is the heart but Cush is the soul, if that makes sense.

I like Cushing, but he seems to be out more than he is available..injuries, steroid suspension....Colts need a Watt or Cushing type player, hopefully we find one in this draft...

[Qwiz]

I like Cushing, but he seems to be out more than he is available..injuries, steroid suspension....Colts need a Watt or Cushing type player, hopefully we find one in this draft...

Yeah, hopefully the Brian Cushing Rule gets passed, or maybe it has already, Idk. I for one hope you guys don't get a Watt type player. That would just be turrible...

[jshipp23]

What you say is that it's difficut to compete with a frachise QB that is played out his 1st contract....  

 

"With the trend of QB's getting 20-25 million dollar contracts it makes it very difficult to compete and field a complete team which is why we had a bunch of scrubs playing with Peyton once he started making the BIG $$$$.."

 

I just don't think that is the case when you consider how this has been such a "QB driven league." Looking at this year's SB favorites , the only team that has a "cheap" QB is SF. Balt , Denver and NE all have big cap numbers for their QB's. I will agree that in years 3,4 and 5 , the last 3 years of Luck's contract , we will have extra cap room to pay for a little better roster. But to say it's "difficult to compete" is not accurate. If it is , you have some very dumb GMs running around the NFL. Taking one step further , they are even paying guaranteed money to Manning and Brady playing into their late 30's. Crazy IMO , but that's how much they value the QB position.

 

When you use the Colts for an example ... couple things.

 

1) We did come within a Garcon drop and a Bassett buffoonery of winning another SB.

2) Polian gave record contracts to many other players besides PM. Clark , Freeney and Sanders all were paid the highest in the league when resigned. Plus Harrison made huge bucks as did Heyden

Yes, it's easier to compete with a Franchise QB...You have to sign them if they are of Luck's caliber regardless of cost, but the rest of your roster suffers. What I'm getting at is Luck is already great especially given more time to throw and a better run-game as he will have this year...My main thought is we can put the absolute best roster around him for the next 4 years, and after that a lot more will be on his shoulders like it was on Manning's...We will still be in contention every year as long as we have Luck, but we have the chance to dominate and become dynastic if we have good free agencies and drafts next few years..

[jshipp23]

Yeah, hopefully the Brian Cushing Rule gets passed, or maybe it has already, Idk. I for one hope you guys don't get a Watt type player. That would just be turrible...

MARGUS HUNT...Could just be wishful thinking, but if he's even similar as far as tipping passes and creating turnovers I'll take that.

[Qwiz]

MARGUS HUNT...Could just be wishful thinking, but if he's even similar as far as tipping passes and creating turnovers I'll take that.

Everyone's talking about this Margus Hunt kid. I think he'll live up to the hype.

[willysp]

And the top end salaries will expand with it.

 

As will ticket prices, and prices of products (cars, bag of chips...) advertised during games on TV.  Such is life ...   We pay for the NFL players' lifestyles one way or the other.

[schwamm]

As will ticket prices, and prices of products (cars, bag of chips...) advertised during games on TV. Such is life ... We pay for the NFL players' lifestyles one way or the other.

Oh, I have no doubt you are right. But I was responding to an implication that contracts like Flacco's wouldn't have as much impact because the cap is going to be raised. Top end contracts will likely inflate at a rate to match the cap growth, forcing teams with proven QBs (or other top tier players) into cap heck.

I would argue, though, that the NFL wants this... It encourages parity.

[Deathiltis]

If he was 4 years younger I'd take Hunt in a heartbeat even if he's a poor man's JJ Watt. But he's 26 sooooo no.

[oldunclemark]

I dont agree.....'J'

Denver doenst have a bunch of scrubs playing around Peyton and the's getting $20 mil.

Brady doenst have street players around Brad and he's banking 8 figures...

 

When Luck gets big bucks, we'll still be able to field a top team around him...

The key is the O-line which makes al ofensive talent better..

 

But you can put together a strong team and fall short of the Super Bowl...

 I dont think  anybody's going to win the Super Bowl 3 or 4 times in the next 8-10 years..Its just too competitive..

 

With the trend of QB's getting 20-25 million dollar contracts it makes it very difficult to compete and field a complete team which is why we had a bunch of scrubs playing with Peyton once he started making the BIG $$$$...Our best teams were when we had the young Peyton, James, Harrison, Wayne, Freeney, and Mathis, and it's a shame we didn't win 3 or 4 super Bowls with that group because that was an all-time great group that truly under-acheived...Once we had to start paying the big $ to keep them we couldn't invest in an all around team...Luck has 4 years on his rookie contract B4 he becomes a 25-30 million dollar cap hit and it becomes much harder to surround him with high caliber players. That is why we should take advantage of the situation now before we have to begin letting stars go and finding players off the scrap heap...That is why it is gonna be very hard for the Packers and Ravens to compete like they used to. I say go all in now and bring in and take chances on players we won't have the opportunity to get when Luck gets his 2nd contract.

[dbrownbomber]

I disagree with the statement that when we had edge a young manning Harrison wayne and frathis was our best chance to win a superbowl that we missed.  I disagree with this thread altogether.  the cap will bebigger so if luck gets a big contract then wewill be able to sign others that are not scrubs.  I would also like to point out that our first superbowl came after the magic 4 year mark and the second even though we didn't win it came way after that mark and that was by far the best season ive ever seen the colts have since Ive been a fan.  by the way both of those superbowls were played without edge.  anybody who thinks that luck doesn't have the potential to make this team great after 4 years not saying hewill saying he has potential is delusional.  its always anybodies year even the browns or jaguars or chiefs.  that's why the game is played.  if were going to already say their teams suck why let themplay.  cause there is that chance that they could win.

 

[mountaineer]

I think we have a long time to win.  Even if Luck's contract does take up a fair bit of cap space, I think we will still be able to field a competitive team, given how well Grigson and the scouting team has been working

 As long as we have an elite QB, we'll compete.

[shakedownstreet]

 As long as we have an elite QB, we'll compete.

 

as long as we have an elite QB, grigson will look like a genius 

[Tark The Shark]

The sooner, the better.

 

But the road to the Super Bowl will likely run through Denver, Houston, or New England respectively.