WARNER & THE CAP. The cap is going up about 5 mil a year. Someone is going to have to wait for their dough and that someone is probably Warner.

Warner is a good quarterback but he still to me looks very much like another very nice guy and superbowl MVP in Mark Rypien.(I think he's better then Rypien being more accurate). The end result will be this. Kurt Warner will come at the cost of another Ram superstar player. If they either make him the offer he it'll eat up another player' s spot (and we are talking Bruce and Carter here). IF they one year him and he plays well his price will go up... So you tell me what the other option is--- and then tell me if the Rams haven't thought of it too?

Green's injury happened earlier than Conwell's and wasn't quite as severe (although it was bad). The most recent surgery was cleanup on scar tissue. I believe that I remember that he's progressing better than expected and is supposed to be ready for training camp. ..thus his sides push to be traded to another team where he can star.

For the years after this one I believe Green will cost about half of what Warner would,  and so allow the team to sign both Bruce and Carter. And it doesn't do enough to the cap to warrent trading Green this year. That $825 thou saved this year by trading Green just won't do anything except pay for a good backup QB...and possibly their future one aswell..

So here's the question. After this season are Green Bruce and Carter better than Warner and Carter?

It is a "you do the math" question because the point is still this: aside from sentimentality this is very possible...that even given Warner is the better quarterback,  the team might be better off over the next 3 years with Green plus the other player that the difference will allow them.

Martz pushed for his signing so I think we have to assume that Martz believe that he can win with Green. None of this has anything to do with who's better but only dollars and "can you win". As in this. Zygmunt; "Can you win with Trent Green as your QB?" to which I think Martz replies "Yes".  So then Zygmunt goes hardball and in fact this is what this line of rumors and speculation lead straight to... I hope it doesn't happen.

IF Warner wants to stay AND get his money he, his agent, and the Rams are going to have to get creative and Kurt is going to have to wait on the money or at least some part of it. But he Warner side is this: Fredelstein says "rumors of possible holdout". I don't think that is beyond reality. It's Warner's agent's job to get him the highest compensation possible (and to listen to his client). I think it's quite possible that he has mentioned holdout. IF he holds out I believe there WILL be a brand new QB controversy...but where would Rams fans be without one? IF he has a contract and shows up, no controversy...

The thing is in Kurt and his agents hands (the Rams are going to put it there more specifically). IF he signs and comes in there's no controvesy...but at the point that he holds out it will get very ugly all around. The Rams will most likely have themselves in a situation where they will have very little monetary room in which to negotiate...and they will have Green in camp (a Green at that point with everything to work for). The Rams will do nothing and IMHO simply hardball the situation...and the longer that Warner would hold out the more the possibility that he just doesn't remain a Ram.

In this light he will have IMHO nothing to gain from a holdout...

I hope Warner gives...but it is the nature of this organization to do such things even though Shaw has admitted that the Dickerson escapade and trade was a mistake. It would be ugly...but winning would cure this ill and if they believe they can win with Green they'll play hardball...

FUTURE NEGOTIOATIONS. There is something else...It is the tags on Bruce and Carter. We can believe both will be worth a lot on the market but...I believe it works this way. The Rams have matching rights on both players and at the point that they receive an offer that offer goes on the books for the offering team. In this case a LOT of money because most think the Rams will match for at least one so any offer has to be big, very big...and the Rams can still choose to match. Meanwhile what is done is that the Rams then make the other teams sit on the big offer for as long as possible and most likely close them out of most of the rest of free agency whether they decide to match or not. See how hairy this game is gonna be? Likely (if neither is resigend by then) there would be three teams involved. Two offering clubs and the Rams...and the likely outcome is that one player will walk and one will be resigned and that one offering team will get hosed in pretty much the whole of the early FA period.... We've seen this before and many teams just don't like to play in that scenario. IF these two players were coming to out and out pure free agency things would be very different...but this situation is IMHO a part of what is trickling back into the QB situation and why they are offering Warner just a one year deal.

There are a lot of other things too. Germaine's experience. These players and tags. Green's value vs cap savings. This is just the prelude to significant manuevering that will mean a tremendous amount to this franchise and its fortunes over the next half decade to decade.

CONCLUSION. Somewhere though this fortune will break and the team will slump...how far off that is though is being wrangled with right now in setup and will come to crunch time over the next year. IF they can pull things off and keep the players in question it should remain for some time and elite team in the NFL...but it isn't going to be easy and the crux is going to fall in part on the very good guy,  Kurt Warner...