This whole subject continues to frustrate the heck out of me. The ramifications of Justin' bustin' will be felt by this organization. One of my personal irritants is what is known as "dead money". To those that are unfamiliar with the term, it is money charged against the salary cap for players no longer on your team. In this instance, many are calling for the termination of Justin Harrell. If it were a simple matter of cutting our losses by releasing him, that option would at least give some satisfaction in the collective frustration department. It is not.
I also keep thinking about the alternatives to trying to "keep faith" that this kid will somehow come back next year and start producing for us. Defensive Tackle is such a complete crap-shoot in the draft, and this year's talent pool especially so. I had to start deleting posts I made here on this thread because imo there are so many opinions/notions about this draft class that would (again, imo) put us in the exact same position we found ourselves in when Ted Thompson took Justin. I am holding the details on this, because it will only work me into a complete froth (again) when folks opine upon it, they are all entitled to their opinion, but I seem to get more and more P.O.'d as it goes...so I'll just STFU about that.
I have said in the past and will repeat that if we are trying to shore up the d-line tackle position for 2009, it better be through FA. This IS quite different than saying we shouldn't draft a DT. I'm just emphasizing that it would be unfair (again) to hold Ted Thompson accountable if you don't see an immediate impact from yet another high draft pick DT. It is the nature of the beast, they are trying to get by/through/off NFL blockers that happen to know their trade. It is rare to have the requisite skill set to do this immediately, regardless of raw physical talent and/or exceptional play at the college level. I think in terms of the relative ease in which physically gifted running backs make the transition, and then go to the opposite extreme with DT's. This is my opinion.
One salary cap tidbit. Justin Harrell was 36,000. more of a cap hit to us this year than was Brett Favre, that is if Justin Harrell's 162,140. worth of "likely to be earned" incentive money gets re-factored back, as it was not earned.(This 162,140 I'm not 100% sure of, cap crap is complicated) Brett Favre costs us 1,400, 000. in dead money through 2010.
which is more than 35 of our players on the active 53 roster, for some perspective.
It will cost 6,392,560. (est. but quite close) dollars to cut Justin in dead money/cap space.
That alone is incentive to hope/pray/whatever that he comes around by the end of training camp.