I think it is very safe to say that if VIlma sits out this year he is DONE. Also, if Shanle is starting in September I am going to throw myself off a bridge!!! lol

I read up on this when the possibility of suspensions was initially mentioned and the current CBA states that like Danno said already, the base salary of a player suspended (due to a football related issue) doesn't count toward the overall salary cap, but the various bonuses of a suspended player do.

And in the case of someone like Smith, his base salary is divided into 16 (I don't know why not into 17 as there are 17 weeks in the regular season, doesn't he get payed for the bye week?) to get the base salary reduction for a single game - times 4 in the case of Smith. And this is where his re-negotiated contract really hurts the Saints financially, because his base salary now is something like 800K for the 2012 season, as most of his salary was converted into a signing bonus.

And in the case of someone like Vilma, because he'll be suspended because of a football related issue and not something he did in his civilian life (i.e. Michael Vick), the suspended year will count towards his overall contract, which it wouldn't in the other case. The franchise is ultimately responsible for football related issues, and that is why they are also "punished" by losing a contract year with the said player - while that may be a blessing in disguise in some situations.

While the suspension may be "without pay" it doesn't mean that his contract is out of the books. It simply means that the player loses his base salary (or some of it) as part of the punishment, but as bonuses are usually guaranteed (as is always with signing bonuses since those have already landed on the player's bank account), those will still count towards the salary cap even if the player is suspended "without pay."

This was in the back of my mind too.

I hope Vilma beats it. i want him on the field in 2012

Vilma was our safety net at LB the last couple of year. Did you notice the insane drop back he would do in coverage? how far he lined up off the line. he was almost 5 yards deeper than a normal 43 mlb would be. His zone of responsibility was way to large due to the weak supporting LB corp. That and the fact we were blitzing so much. He was playing more of a SS/MLB role. That alone tells you how much talent this guy still has.

Now put him in there in a more traditional role like when he first arrived in new orleans and you will see a change in the play.

I see Vilma finishing his time as part of a LB rotation that could line him up anywhere.

4.5 million is not breaking the bank for a player of skill base. 4.5 million was wasted in Williams defensive scheme.

can the LB corp be improved even more? heck yeah. but the steps made in 2012 is a nice start. We have 3 solid starting LB for the first time since Fujita left.

Team depth at LB is more promising than ever, If only we could have held onto Dunbar too.

I would love to see those highlights.

I have been reading this thread for several days and finally decided to chip in my two cents. Vilma will have his suspension reduced or even lifted. If he has it reduced his time away could be used to recuperate and come back healthy. If he's playing the full season we will be awesome at LB'er. If he is out all season we will do well with Lofton in the middle. It's a win/win.

He did have that one INT last season, which was thrown directly at his numbers.

Seems like the federal court will drop the Vilma lawsuit. Just like Goodell has unfortunately for Vilma.

Yeah, well, he's one of the few guys back there who actually managed to catch a ball thrown directly at his numbers. :o