JR Addresses Accusations of Being Cheap

[thefuzz]

He was cheap last year. Maybe I don't understand.

[panthers55]

I just heard a little bit of the interview on WFNZ. He said that he wanted to get to the point where we can have back to back winning seasons unlike past years.

what would you say if we had a winning season this year and next? maybe even playoffs? still think it wouldn't be worth it?

That really is a non sequitor. In other words we didn't have to be bad in order to have back to back winning seasons this year and next. In fact we could have been dumped Fox last year brought in Rivera, kept some of the veterans who were in the last year of their contract anyway, signed Williams when he would have been cheaper, signed Kalil to an extention and then tagged Johnson. That way we could have set ourselves up for last year, would have had our system already in place, spent less money this year and won more games last year. We still would be in the same place this year as well.

If you rebuttal is that we wouldn't have gotten Newton, there were lots of other guys like Gabbert capable of starting at QB further down in the draft.

Truth is that others teams are set up just as well or better than us and didn't have to be 2-14 last year. We could have had a winning team last year and again this year if he hadn't stayed with Fox for example to save a lousy 5 million in a budget that approaches 150 million and cut all the veterans.

[pnthrs]

Yes, Mr. Richardson...you WERE cheap last year. You were cheap in the fact that you chose to let a dead coach stay in because you didn't want to pay a new coach and his staff in addition to Fox's. You allowed this to go on the entire year putting bad product on the field and insomuch admitted so through the apology to the PSL/STHers. You admitted your reasoning for not getting a new coach at the press conference WAS about money. If a coach openly does not follow your directives, you fire them.

And we know he only did this because his intent was to reduce his payouts leading into a lockout that he wanted and pushed. Couple that with the FO layoffs and the ticket prices going up last year?

His FA/extension moves these past couple of weeks haven't erased those facts.

I agree 100%. I still laugh at the interview with the pie chart when he sassed that kid reporter when he asked Richardson about Fox's staff being a lame duck staff. JR asked if 11 million dollars was a lot of money to him. Of course to everyone in that room it is a lot of money. Even to JR it is believe it or not. The one place it is not a lot of money is in the scope of a single year of gross cost for the Panthers. Im guessing with a 120mil salary cap, all stadium expenses, bank/loan costs, front office personnel, coaching and staff, food cost, and misc expenses that the Panthers spend close to 200-250 million annually. I could actually see that number being closer to 300 million when you take into account all the food and beverage sales just on a cost basis. (obviously all that money is recouped in revenue but we are talking cost.)

11mil out of 200million. 5.5% of overall cost.

11mil out of 300million. 3.6% of overall cost.

That isnt a lot of money in perspective. We should have changed coaches last year. That was a cheap move (that he even admitted in the same interview kinda) made for his investors who expect a return.

I just wish he had been honest with us because it was very obvious what he was doing. They should have stated that they were going to strip the team down to bare bones in a freak year where they could afford to do so (no cap floor/ceiling) and recommit to the future in a youth movement. Hovering in mediocrity is as bad as sucking in the NFL. Not having back to back winning seasons is not going to sustain a franchise. It takes a drastic move to do what we did. The problem is he never used the phrase rebuilding last year. In fact he stated that he thought the team he assembled was a competitive one.

He really has the fans by the balls with PSL owners. He is going to get 80% of the season tickets sold because you pay or lose your investment.

He also spent this money like a drunken sailor. CJ and Mare are my 2 biggest hangups. We could have shaved enough off those 2 contracts (and Dwills) to easily have another 3-5 mil this year. CJ sounds like he would have signed a 60 mil contract.

Oh well. I must say I am excited for this season though. Glad we have a plan and a direction. I am glad he told Jordan Gross about it 2 years ago but the fans would have been a better group. I doubt attendance and sales could have been worse than they were if he was honest especially if we had a brand new coaching staff and were rebuilding.

[panthers55]

Yup, it was a master stroke if you ask me. By going about it the way he did, yeah it hurt, but it might have saved 4-5 years of floundering. Now if all the correct moves have been made and we are as aggressive next off-season, we might be back in the playoffs next year. (maybe this year ;) )

Jeanyus!!

Your logic makes no sense. Sucking last year wasn't necessary to set up up for this year. There are plenty of teams like Tampa that have as much cap room as us or more at the beginning of this season who had a winning program last year. If the excuse is that we didn't have a QB, again whose fault is that?? Richardson failed to get one until 2010 knowing that Jake was done in 2009. We could have traded for a veteran the past 2 years. Last year was about being cheap plain and simple. It wasn't necessary and in fact it was harmful in trying to get folks to come here this year.

[boo7382]

That really is a non sequitor. In other words we didn't have to be bad in order to have back to back winning seasons this year and next. In fact we could have been dumped Fox last year brought in Rivera, kept some of the veterans who were in the last year of their contract anyway, signed Williams when he would have been cheaper, signed Kalil to an extention and then tagged Johnson. That way we could have set ourselves up for last year, would have had our system already in place, spent less money this year and won more games last year. We still would be in the same place this year as well.

If you rebuttal is that we wouldn't have gotten Newton, there were lots of other guys like Gabbert capable of starting at QB further down in the draft.

Truth is that others teams are set up just as well or better than us and didn't have to be 2-14 last year. We could have had a winning team last year and again this year if he hadn't stayed with Fox for example to save a lousy 5 million in a budget that approaches 150 million and cut all the veterans.

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing

Just asking questions to stir it up and get everyone's opinion. So, no, my rebuttal is not that we wouldn't get Cam. Just simply wanted to know if it would be worth it to YOU.

[bleys]

with the transition of a new coach and new CBA.. I don't see how it doesn't make the most business sense to let Fox stay one more year and prepare for a lockout.. it was 1 year.

[Brooklyn Bully]

What's funny is that if we didn't have so many expiring contracts this year, it wouldn't SEEM as if he's shelled out a lot of money so far this off-season. Don't be fooled.

We extended Beason, sure. But let's pretend D-Lo, Davis, and Anderson were all good til next season and we didn't tag Kalil because he was good til next year too. That would mean all we would've done was sign Johnson and extend Beason. It was just a freak year where lots of contracts expired and we act like, "OMG JR is spending like CRAZY". He's not. He's keeping his core like you're supposed to do.

Here's what he's actually done: sign a broken down Shockey who we all used to make fun of, replace Kasay with a kicker of equal skill, and sign a TE in Olsen who is better than any TE we've had, sans Walls, but who is only above average.

I'm glad JR brought a team here. I'm glad he signed our core back. But let's not act like he opened his wallet and went all "Philly Eagle" on this team because that's not what really happened. You were cheap last year and you simply paid to keep the same team together this year, JR. Get back to me when you go out and get big time FA players. Then I'll look at you in a different light.

[Highlandfire]

No JR, I do not feel bad for calling you cheap LAST YEAR..

Smart doesn't = cheap. many of us said he had a plan and that plan was to dump salaries, can the coaching staff, and hire new and better then spend when the CBA was fixed.

Sorry that isn't cheap, its smart. you don't just spend money to spend it and keep the fans happy, you do it with a set plan WHEN the time is right to help the franchise.

So those ripping on him last year were wrong, and those not willing to admit it are pussys.

[Jangler]

Your logic makes no sense. Sucking last year wasn't necessary to set up up for this year. There are plenty of teams like Tampa that have as much cap room as us or more at the beginning of this season who had a winning program last year. If the excuse is that we didn't have a QB, again whose fault is that?? Richardson failed to get one until 2010 knowing that Jake was done in 2009. We could have traded for a veteran the past 2 years. Last year was about being cheap plain and simple. It wasn't necessary and in fact it was harmful in trying to get folks to come here this year.

Well then, he did just to rip you off. Happy now?

[panthers55]

I love when PSL owners bitch about losing.

You aren't buying wins people, you are buying a chance to watch the team play.

In a way Richardson owes more to PSl owners than teams that just have season ticket holders. Because we have a contract which requires us to purchase tickets and when we are bad have no ability to even sell the PSLs, we can't just stop buying them. Season ticket holders can just stop buying them with no consequence. As a result we have joined with Richarson in a partnership which allows him to avoid paying huge stadium costs which saves him money. He in return needs to do everything he can to field as a competitive product as possible given we can't easily respond by not buying tickets. Does that mean we won't have ups and downs?? Of course not, but when you intentionally fail to hold your end of the bargain up, you need to make it right and apologize.

Lets be honest it isn't like he has exactly delivered the wins. We have had only 4 winning seasons in our franchise history.

[blackcatgrowl]

No JR, I do not feel bad for calling you cheap LAST YEAR..

:iagree:

While we MIGHT have positioned ourselves for a better future, I believe it didn't have to come at the expense of being the worst team in the NFL last year.

That better future still remains to be seen.

[panthers55]

Well then, he did just to rip you off. Happy now?

He didn't rip me off, he went on the cheap didn't put out a reasonable product and wants people to pat him on the back for trying to fix the huge problem he created. Sorry if I don't exactly sound grateful.

[Jangler]

31 other teams.

[bleys]

What's funny is that if we didn't have so many expiring contracts this year, it wouldn't SEEM as if he's shelled out a lot of money so far this off-season. Don't be fooled.

We extended Beason, sure. But let's pretend D-Lo, Davis, and Anderson were all good til next season and we didn't tag Kalil because he was good til next year too. That would mean all we would've done was sign Johnson and extend Beason. It was just a freak year where lots of contracts expired and we act like, "OMG JR is spending like CRAZY". He's not. He's keeping his core like you're supposed to do.

bad example man.. so let's say Anderson, Davis, DLo, Kalil, Beason were paid last year instead of this year?

fact is, some could have walked had he chose not to pay them.. if they had been signed last year, this conversation would still be irrelevant..