The cold hard reality of the NFL has reared its ugly head again. Two of the most beloved players for their respective franchises have already become cap casualties this week as Deuce McAllister and Fred Taylor are on the unemployment line. Unfortunately for these former franchise running backs, it was the right business move at the right time—and both probably saw it coming.
The Deuce is truly on the Loose
The phrase, “Deuce on the Loose,” takes on a completely different meaning in New Orleans today. McAllister was owed $5 million, but would have been a $7.5 million cap hit for New Orleans next season. Since the Saints are already up against the projected cap for next season, it was obvious that changes were going to have to be made this off season. In McAllister’s absence at the end of last season, Pierre Thomas was able to pair with Reggie Bush to carry the load on the ground for the Saints. Since Thomas is a much cheaper option, the business side of the decision was a no-brainer. The human aspect of the decision, to cut such a popular and loved player in the organization, must have been a little more difficult.
“I have my glasses, my shades here, and I was hoping I wouldn’t get emotional about it,” McAllister said. “The toughest part for me … not only telling the guys goodbye, I’ll be in touch with them … but I know the work the equipment guys put it, I know the work the secretaries put in, what they go through. And that’s probably the toughest part, telling those individuals goodbye.” –wdsu.com
Even on his way out of town, McAllister has exemplified class.
In Jacksonville, Fred Taylor was set to make $6 million for the 2009 season. He is the franchise leader with 11,271 yards; but in the salary cap era, that is yesterday’s news. Today’s news is that his salary represents a huge cap hit for a guy that didn’t even average 4 yards per carry last season.
With Taylor’s production starting to slip, it’s clear why the Jaguar’s brass wanted to get MJD more touches.
It’s actually fitting that both of these guys were cut within 24 hours by the teams that originally drafted them. Both of the running backs had served as the face of their respective franchises for years—both are beloved by their fan bases. From the outside looking in, both are class guys that have made the transition to the future much easier for their teams.
If you ignore the sentimental value of each player, this is the right decision for both the Saints and the Jaguars at this point in time. Both teams have a young stable of running backs that have the potential to be more productive in the immediate future than their older counterparts. Both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush look to get the lion’s share of the carries next season on Bourbon Street. Ever since the Saints used the 2nd pick in the draft on Bush, they’ve been waiting for him to blossom into an every down back. With McAllister’s departure, we’ll see if he’s up to the task.
Fred Taylor’s departure could be seen as early as two seasons ago when Maurice Jones-Drew started to develop into one of the most dangerous players in the NFL. In 3 season of splitting carries with the elder Taylor, Jones-Drew has already put up 40 career touchdowns. With Taylor’s production starting to slip, it’s clear why the Jaguar’s brass wanted to get MJD more touches. It sounds like Jack Del Rio understands that it was the right time to make a move that had to be made:
“We felt like the best thing for this football team is what it has to be about… We feel good about the talented group of backs that we have.” –msnbc.com
Fans all over the NFL love that their team has a chance to win every season. The salary cap creates parity, which in turn stimulates hope. Well, this is the dark side to the salary cap era and parity. Salary cap casualties happen every year and this is just the beginning of this years cuts. Without guaranteed money, two franchises basically kicked loyal employees to the curb—but that’s the NFL we live in today. As bad as it sounds to release their aging running backs, it would have been irresponsible to keep them around with those huge price tags.
I’m sure fans from their respective teams will wish them all the luck, but they should be happy that the teams they root for made the right decision. Both were tough decisions—but both were the right decision in today’s world. Organizations have to play under the rules provided (in this case, the collective bargaining agreement). So if you’re upset to see one of your favorite players released this off season, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
