How’s your team depth?

We’re at that point in the NFL season where injuries are affecting the outcomes of games. Happens in college football too, for that matter, in all sports. Think Derek Jeter and Detroit’s sweep of the Yankees.

There are clearly some players that are irreplaceable, but I remember a couple of years ago, when Tom Brady went out with a season-ending knee injury, the New England Patriots still made the playoffs using backup QB, Matt Cassell.

That one season turned into a career for Cassell, who was traded to Kansas City and signed a huge contract.

Funny thing is, he’s not doing very well now.

His supporting cast at KC is nowhere near as strong as it was in New England.

His coaches aren’t as good either.

We have a tendency to over-estimate our personal strengths, as talent, as leaders, as coaches, and underestimate the strength of our opponents, and that is almost always a recipe for getting one’s ass kicked.

Consolidation has decimated most station’s talent rosters.

At the very time we need as deep a bench as we can get, the criteria most used in hiring management, air talent and programmers is affordability.

I know PPM and the crash in advertising re-set the compensation clock in every market, but we survived that tsunami, and should have a pretty clear idea now of the economics of our products.

Isn’t it time to reinvest in the very best talent — at all levels — we can find? There’s a lot out there right now, people I know could help many of the stations I hear when I travel.

The only thing that really matters is what comes out of the speakers:

• Is it compelling every day?
• Is it entertaining every time I listen?
• Is it getting better, because if not, it’s vulnerable to attack?

Spend your money on players that affect the outcome of the game.

Unless you’re satisfied being a perennial loser…