Forced to lop off an NFL-record $37.9M in payroll by March 2, the Jaguars aren't about to apologize for their sultan-like excesses. "We are the poster child for what can happen when you manipulate the cap to stay competitive," says Michael Huyghue, the Jags' top personnel guy. After cutting 15 players -- including OLs Leon Searcy and Brenden Stai -- from a team that went 7-9, the Jags are outta gas and up on blocks.

Since busting out in 1995, Jacksonville's initial plan landed two AFC championship game appearances. Huyghue's formula: The top 10 players take up no more than 50% of the cap; the top 25, no more than 75%. It worked for a while. But like the 49ers, Cowboys and Packers, the Jags held onto pricey players past their prime. They gave LB Bryce Paup more than $5M in '99 and dropped $2.3M on 34-year-old S Carnell Lake last year (an IR casualty). Jacksonville repeatedly restructured deals to clear cap space, which is the NFL version of paying one credit card with another. "We were too emotional," Huyghue says. "You have to let some of your best players go." The Jags Visa Platinum for '01: Mark Brunell's $13.35M reworked to about $11M.

Jacksonville has held on to Brunell, OL Tony Boselli, LB Kevin Hardy and WR Jimmy Smith. But the price is depth. "You cannot outrun the system," says Huyghue. "The cap willeventually catch up to you."

They're not getting away anytime soon, either. When training camp opens, the Jags will be $24 million over next year's cap.

This article appears in the July 23 issue of ESPN The Magazine.