03-04-2016, 02:09 PM
(03-04-2016, 12:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I just don't buy into the argument that the Bengals are the cheapest team in the league. They are not just keeping all the profits while not trying to win.
1.) How many teams don't have indoor practice facilities? How many cold weather teams? Is that not a reflection on spending?
2.) How many teams enjoy a better stadium deal? If you were to rank each team, 1-32, in terms of money spent on the construction, upkeep, and upgrades to their respective stadium, where would we rank? Again, would this not be another way top evaluate their overall spending?
3.) David Flucher - Paid pop machine. Tony Siragusa - Coach ticket. Kijana Carter - Paid for lineman's towels. J-Joe - Gatorade and Pert Plus. Training Camp - HDMI cord rentals. There have been rumors out there for a long time that follow this team and it's cheapness. Whether you choose to believe all of them or not, they do exist. Just some food for thought, when looking at the big picture.
4.) Where do we rank in terms of front office and scouting payroll? Again, if we're judging the team on it's spending, this is part of the puzzle.
5.) Is rollover money not unused cap space? Is it not money that we could have theoritically spent the year prior? Because, if this is true, is it not fair to say that we have left money on the table every single year, these last 5 years?
I don't know, to each their own, but I see a team that opens almost every single free agency period in the top half of the league in cap space. Many times in the top 5. I see a team who has rolled over a significant amount of money every single it was implemented. I see a team that should have an indoor facility, that chooses not to spend in an area where everyone else does. Many college and high schools even. I see a team who pays less for their stadium itself. I see a team who rarely, if ever, makes a splash in FA. I see a team who employs one of the smallest front offices in the game.I've heard countless rumors throughout the years detailing their cheapness, etc, etc. etc....
Do any of these one things make them cheap? Perhaps not. But, Jesus, collectively it has to. How could it not? You would have to be a damn fool to look at everything surrounding this team now, in the past, and most likely in the future, and not come away with the impression that they spend less than most of their peers.
So rather than asking the question of if are they cheap or not, I think the better one may be: How crazy do you have to be to not acknowledge the fact this team spends significantly less?
