It's called a hangover, but a "Bloody Mary" won't cure this one.
This hangover has nothing to do with a night out on the town. This hangover has everything to do with a summer of controversy. This unexplained bad feeling is the result of wrestling with an issue that pitted two critical aspects of that issue against each other.
In Jimmy Smith vs. the salary cap, Jaguars fans had to deal with tormented feelings for a player they had come to love, and the future of the football team they treasure. This was clearly a one-or-the-other scenario; you couldn't have it both ways.
If you supported Smith in his holdout for a significantly better contract, you knew you were advocating a major degree of salary cap risk. You knew the possibility existed that by giving Smith what he wanted, the Jaguars would plunge themselves back into the same salary cap hole that had caused them to purge their roster this year.
On the flip side, if you decided nothing and no one was worth another fall into salary cap hell, you also accepted the fact you were denying the due of a player who had warmed the past several autumns of your life. You felt as though you were betraying a friend, and maybe you were.
There's your hangover. Who did you sell out, your team or your favorite wide receiver?
Well, it's over. Wayne Weaver settled the issue for us. Weaver reached into his pocket and handed Smith his money, and now we know what we have. Yes, the salary cap has taken on a decided element of risk.
This is for those people, and I am one of you, who had cast their loyalty to this team's future over Smith's wealth. This is my plan for dealing with our hangover.
It's done. At some point a decision had to be made. Let's all hope for the best, that Smith plays long enough and well enough to justify the risk. If that occurs, this will have been a win-win situation; Smith will have been treated fairly, and the salary cap will not have suffered.
That's the key. That's what has to happen for all of us to get over this hangover, but that'll take time. Meanwhile, drink a "Bloody Mary."
