The "Moneyball" pervading the NFL's bottom-feeders now is the elevator-pitch, recipe-on-the-side-of-the-box, watered-down cousin of analytics. According to this new Extreme Moneyball, veterans are worthless once they might have passed their prime; the only thing more valuable than cap space is a future draft pick; and the only transaction smarter than trading veterans for draft picks is trading draft picks for even more draft picks.
For Extreme Moneyballers, rebuilding seasons come in three- to indefinite-year bunches, and a competitive 8-8 season is just a missed opportunity to go 1-15 more cheaply and come away with higher draft picks.
