The Hall Of Fame Game Actually Taught Me Something
Look I get it, It's the preseason and this game was awful.
I’ll be honest, I could only bear to watch the first half. Also yes, this is your obligatory what we learned about this roster that only played second and third stringers in a preseason game.
We haven't played an actual real game yet! I get it and I can hear you sighing as I’m writing this. Interestingly enough though I think I have a point about Super Bowl rosters which the Jaguars roster taught me about on Thursday night.
In order to win a Super Bowl you must have depth at every position because you never know when your second or third strings are going to play. We saw five injuries in the first half alone in the Hall of Fame game. Stick with me here, I think this simple point actually has some merit.
Take a look at some of the most significant Super Bowl rosters in the last few years. They all had depth at significant positions; the 2020 Rams and the 2019 Bucs had depth at receiver with guys like Van Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., Scotty Miller, and Antonio Brown.
The 2017 Eagles had depth at running back with veteran guys like LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi And Tight End with Brent Celek, Trey Burton and of course Zach Ertz. I also want to make sure we highlight the defensive side with the 2013 Seahawks which had linebacker depth in the eventual Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith.
Ultimately this current 2021 Jaguars roster is clearly not going to be competing for a championship in the next few years, and depth is not necessarily a priority for this coaching staff at the moment.
But this team did spent approximately $130 million in guaranteed salary just to bring free agents into the roster. While overpaying for guys like Christian Kirk is good if you believe in his starter potential, the salary cap can only let you go so far until you realize your starters are not enough to get you to the promised land.
This unfortunately highlights a competitive gap in the salary cap system, which is perpetuated by owners who are willing to be patient for Super Bowl rosters and are willing to trust in their coaching staffs to manipulate the salary cap vs owners who are impatient, don't trust their coaching staffs, and the market they live in.
The Jaguars are just a symbol of this competitive gap. In fact all 32 teams are a symbol of this competitive gap in one way or another, like the Saints who are willing to manipulate the cap every offseason.
Ultimately while the salary cap works to help maintain competitive balance, it's the owners who understand that the salary cap is just a construction to build around; and that the 48th man in a 53-man roster is just as important as the 11 you put on the field every Sunday. Because that 48th man could potentially be the difference between you winning a Super Bowl, and finding yourself on the couch during playoff time.