Browns prefer methodical approach over a quick fix

Sporting News, The, Feb 22, 1999 by Dan Pompei

The start of free agency in Cleveland was supposed to be like the start of the year 2000 in Times Square. But the better part of three days passed before so much as a lady finger popped. In fact, the Browns were outdid on two players during the first weekend of free agency.

"Everybody assumed we were going to show up like sailors on leave with huge bags of money yelling, `All you free agents line up,'" Browns president Carmen Policy says.

Last Sunday, they finally signed Patriots center Dave Wohlabaugh, a favorite of coach Chris Palmer's, and Colts punter Chris Gardocki. Both are among the best in the NFL at their positions. Their interest in Gardocki, actually, arose only after being outbid by the Jets on Tom Tupa.

There still is plenty of time for the Browns to overpay free agents this offseason, and rest assured, they will. Policy anticipates signing two or three creme de la creme free agents and says his competitors likely will complain about how much the Browns pay. A few creme de la creme candidates to become Browns are Giants defensive end Chad Bratzke, Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown and Panthers offensive tackle Blake Brockermeyer. They also are pursuing linebackers Roman Phifer of the Rams and Robert Jones of the Dolphins, and cornerback Marquez Pope and running back Terry Kirby, both 49ers castoffs.

But the Browns are not going after every free agent who has ever bled red. Policy says the Browns' options are limited because this is the thinnest free agent crop he has seen. Palmer says he figures on acquiring at least six starters from free agency, and perhaps as many as 12. That's a lot, but 180 free agents won't be signing with the Browns, as Bears personnel boss Mark Hatley jokingly predicted based on his conversations with agents.

At the start of free agency, the Browns had $28 million to spend on free agents. No other team had as much as $12 million. So Browns director of football operations Dwight Clark has become the agent's best friend. He is the man on whom the 1999 free-agent market hinges. "The presence of Cleveland promises some explosive contracts," agent Leigh Steinberg says. "It introduces a wild card, a team that can spend literally whatever it chooses. It creates volatility."

What the Browns are choosing to spend--or, more specifically, how the Browns are choosing to spend--is fascinating. Wohlabaugh originally was offered a deal that included no signing bonus. In its place was a handsome roster bonus. Wohlabaugh's agent rejected the offer because he wanted the security of a signing bonus. The Browns eventually agreed to a signing bonus worth $5 million.

Bear with us while the differences between a signing bonus and roster bonus are explained. A signing bonus is payable upon signing, whereas a roster bonus is payable if the player is on the roster on a certain date--the date could be the day after signing or the first day of training camp. The other difference is a 1999 roster bonus counts entirely against the 1999 salary cap. A 1999 signing bonus on a four-year contract counts one quarter against the 1999 salary cap, and one quarter against the salary cap in each of the three succeeding years.

So the advantage of giving free agents roster bonuses instead of signing bonuses is this: It leaves the Browns with more cap space in subsequent years and less cap space this year, when they figure to struggle anyway. With this philosophy, the Browns should be capable of signing premium free agents for several years.

Brilliant. But what did you expect from Policy? If the Browns are not one of the best teams in football in their third year of existence, it will be an upset.

"We have to be intelligent and farsighted with the way we deal with cap space," he says. "We have to position ourselves so this is a game of chess, not checkers. There are several moves we have to make next year and the year after that will be far more meaningful in terms of elevating our competitive level than any moves we make this year could be. We can only do so much this year and only build so much.

"We're putting together a solid nucleus of young players than can serve as a foundation for what will be added in 2000 and 2001 to ultimately represent a solid, competitive team. We are not building this team to be a contender for the Super Bowl in 1999. That's not saying we're not trying to get there, or that we're conceding 1999. But we won't do things just for this year."

The Browns had the opportunity to make some moves that would have helped just for this year--and passed.

They had a trade set up with the 49ers to acquire backup quarterback Ty Detmer for a sixth-round draft choice, but Detmer had a no-trade clause in his contract and wanted to stay in San Francisco. He might have come east, however, if the Browns had ponied up a big signing bonus. The Browns weren't interested in that at the time, though acquiring Detmer remains a possibility. They also could have acquired middle linebacker Chris Spielman from the Bills in another deal last week, but were hesitant about signing an aging, beat-up local hero and then having to deal with a public backlash if they had to cut him.