'Hawks remove franchise tag on Leroy Hill?

[Ex-hippie]

I guess I should add that overall, my idea of roster-building is very anti-egalitarian. Pay big bucks to the guys you know who are going to be studs and workhorses, and scrounge around for roster fill at low salaries. If Leroy Hill demands $10 million per year and you judge that he is only a $7 million player, don't sweat it. Sign him anyway. The salary cap is high enough and you can create wiggle room. What hurts you is the mid-range multimillion dollar deals for replaceable guys who have come and gone over the years like Tom Ashworth or Andre Dyson, or now I guess Colin Cole. My views are less rigid on this subject in football than in baseball, but I still pretty much adhere to them.

[Sweezo]

You really want to ask that question after the 2008 season?!?

Fair enough.

Still, Mare did well enough. I expect he and Coutu to do big things next year. Big. Things.

[Sweezo]

I guess I should add that overall, my idea of roster-building is very anti-egalitarian. Pay big bucks to the guys you know who are going to be studs and workhorses, and scrounge around for roster fill at low salaries. If Leroy Hill demands $10 million per year and you judge that he is only a $7 million player, don't sweat it. Sign him anyway. The salary cap is high enough and you can create wiggle room. What hurts you is the mid-range multimillion dollar deals for replaceable guys who have come and gone over the years like Tom Ashworth or Andre Dyson, or now I guess Colin Cole. My views are less rigid on this subject in football than in baseball, but I still pretty much adhere to them.

I very much agree with that concept in baseball [and am happy that our new management seems to agree], but football is a different story. Due to injury concerns I think you have to build an overall strong roster and pinch every penny possible.

That said, you can always jettison a bad contract in football if the presumed stud flops.

[Ex-hippie]

You really want to ask that question after the 2008 season?!?

Fair enough.

Still, Mare did well enough. I expect he and Coutu to do big things next year. Big. Things.

Yeah, as you may have noticed, I'm not doing a very good job today of letting people know when I'm kidding.

[Sweezo]

Got it. I have to admit...I laughed pretty hard at the one friend of yours who took the 'water scare' bulletin seriously. Such as easy thing to overlook...