For Salary Capologists -

[adarian_too]

My lastest spreadsheet update has 85 players under contract, including Pieffer, Cromartie, and Montgomery, Aldridge for $81.3 M (about 750K above the limit).

What is interesting is if you knock the roster down to 53, assume the 32 released were signed for the $230K minimum, you have the Rams about $7M UNDER the cap ... more than enough to sign Ogunleye or another impact DE/LBer.

Sure wish actual team salary cap numbers were a matter of public record just to be sure that I am comparing apples to apples. Clayton of ESPN has the Rams at $3.75M UNDER as of July 15, 2004.

Remember that only the highest 53 salaries count against the cap. Claytons number sounds correct, keeping in mind that it takes $3 million give or take to sign the rookies (ie, when you take the rookie money out, we are very close to the cap). Keeping track of this is tough because different people report different things and you have to watch the prorated portion of the signing bonus and how that relates to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

ramming speed to all

general counsel