New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Article The New Orleans Saints are in a position of power under new NFL rules

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By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
February 28, 2010, 4:00AM

Less than a month ago Darren Sharper was euphoric as he rode through the streets of New Orleans during the epic Dat Tuesday victory celebration.

Yesterday he was merry. Today he is miffed.

Sharper wasn't happy with the Saints' decision to forgo the franchise tag option and allow him to test the free agent market this offseason.

Welcome to the new NFL, Darren. It's the owners' world. You just play in it.

Sharper is one of the first players to learn the harsh reality of an uncapped NFL season.
As former Green Bay Packers executive Andrew Brandt noted Friday, the way of doing business in the league is about to change dramatically.

"The players," he wrote, "need to hold on tight and get ready for a bumpy ride in 2010."
NFL owners know the uncapped year is their chance to get debt-free. Although there is no spending limit on teams, there is also no floor. These guys didn't get rich by investing their capital recklessly. They are a risk-averse group by nature.

The shaky economy is scary enough. Now a potential work stoppage in 2011 looms.
This conservative bunch will be burying cash in coffee cans in the back yard soon. The NFL Players Association estimates the terms of the uncapped year will save each team around $40 million.

Timing is everything. And it stinks right now for NFL veterans such as Sharper looking to get paid off career years.

The teams hold all the cards, none moreso than the Saints, who are operating from an unprecedented position of power.

In a very short period, the Saints have built themselves into the NFC's New England Patriots.
The Saints are coming off a Super Bowl title. Their star quarterback is in his prime. Their locker room is solid. And their offensive and defensive systems are state-of-the-art.

What's more, they play in a small market where the media is non-intrusive and the fan support is unrivaled.

What player wouldn't want to play here?

You think every NFL player didn't watch the Dat Tuesday parade with envy?

Think those Vikings and Colts players that returned to desolate airports in frigid Minneapolis and Indianapolis don't long for the unconditional love Saints players receive in New Orleans?
What defensive player wouldn't want to play in Gregg Williams' attack defense?

What receiver or running back wouldn't want to play in Sean Payton's pinball offense, with Drew Brees at the trigger?

New Orleans is now a destination NFL market. It's a powerful -- and for the Saints, rare -- position to hold.

The challenge now is how to deal with success. The Saints must avoid its intoxications.
Power, as Lord Acton once wrote, "tends to corrupt."

Few teams will benefit from the labor acrimony more than the Saints. The contingency plan agreed on by the league's owners and players benefits teams with rosters laden with four- and five-year veterans.

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The New Orleans Saints are in a position of power under new NFL rules | - NOLA.com