auburnbillsbacker

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Stroud's contract expire at the end of the season. He might want to play out his current deal, then see what happens in an uncapped year.

-You give players a large signing bonus up front and a small actual salary year one. That way a lot of the contract gets spread out over the length of the contract. This makes the cap number low the first year of the contract. -A lot of the contracts the Redskins give out are not as large as they seem. The backload a lot of the money then release the player mid way through the contract. -You get players to renogiate their contracts, give them money up front, which is once again spreads the cap hit over the life of the contract.

Sage Rosenfels was aquired by the Vikings for a 4th round pick. He was then signed for about 4.5 million a year. He has looked good in limited playing time, and would make a great backup plan to Trent Edwards. I know 4.5 millin is a lot for a backup, but Edwards is still a mystery. Our 4th round pick is a better pick than the Viking's 4th. I think we should have pulled the trigger.

The Patriots are always asking players to take a discount for the privilege of playing in New England. Some guys are willing to accept less to play on a winner. I don't know how Taylor feels. If he wants money, he might end up in Buffalo.

Reasons why free agents would want to come to Buffalo 1) Money: As said by many others, it is the determining factor more times than not 2) Dick Jouron: Love or hate him, he is a players coach. He doesn't work players hard in training camp and he treats them with respect. Most players would love to play with Jouron. 3) Guys like Whitner and Robert Royal: Once again, love them or hate them they are good recruiters. When the bills have brought guys in, they usually are introduced to Royal and Whitner. They are good at selling the team and the city to free agents. 4) We have holes that need filled. Look at Langston Walker, after many poor season in Oakland, he got another opportunity to be a starting tackle in the nfl.

Kirwain and Ryan didn't think the Jenkins hurt his draft position at the combine. They said he has good size and is good at engaging the wr at the line of scrimage. They also discussed his quicness as shown by his short shuttle time, which was one of the fastest at the combine. Both Kirwain and Ryan thought he was going to be a very good cb. All of this said, I don't think the bills should draft him. The top teams in the nfl don't draft cbs in the 1st. The Patriots really needed a cb last year but decided to draft Mayo. How many cbs have the Steelers drafted in the 1st? How about the Colts? I'm not saying the cb position is not important. The Patriots and Colts at one time or another have invested major money on cbs. My point is, the cb position is one that can be addressed later in the draft. The 1st round is for play makers and talented big men.

I thought the move to fs was smart until I watched the jets game. He struggled in coverage that game. Whitner is solid vs. the run and ok in pass coverage. That makes him a perfect match for ss.

The other reason why Cook seems like such a good option, is the lack of talent in the free agent market. Owen Daniels is not going anywhere as a restricted free agent and Bo Scaife has just been franchised. To be honest, prior to the combine I knew nothing of Cook. Due to his performance at the combine, the nfl network on sirius radio has discussed him quite a bit. It seems like there is very little not to like. The only question now is where does he go?

I think this is just the guy the bills need. I realize that numbers don't mean everything, Vernon Davis being a perfect example. Cook however, is not a guy you draft in the top 10. If we can gamble on his ability after round 1 it could be worth the risk. His combination of speed and size could make him a star. I think the bills need to give the offense and Edwards every opportunity to succeed this year.

Jared Cook is a TE from South Carolina that just lit it up at the Combine. His vetical jump of 41 inches was higher than any player that attended the combine last year. He also is said to have great speed, 4.4 in the 40. He is 6-5, 240 pounds. As for his production, he had 573 yards and 3 tds this year. Not great but not bad. Steve Spurrier has compared him to Calvin Johsnon. Is he a guy the bills target in the 2nd.

That is why I think the interviews are the worst part of Sirius NFL radio. The coaches and GMs will not say anything and the players do not say much either. I do like it when they interview nfl draft prospects however. It lets you know a liitle bit more about the players the bills might draft.

With the inflated values of corners, is there any way the bills tag Greer. I don't think they will, but he will get a huge deal this offseason. I know we have depth at the postion, but I hate seeing guys leave without us getting in return.

Winfield went for the first time this year. Clements went once for the bills, but I think he may have gotten in an an alternate.

I think the bills agree with you. Fine does have a good chance of becoming a good te. I do not think the bills will draft a te until at least the 3rd. It does not hurt to have a couple of good tes however. Dallas drafted a TE in the 2nd with Whiten on the roster. The Patriots drafted tes in the 1st round in consecutive drafts.

Teams do this to prevent the player from holding out. I have the feeling that teams like the Cardinals and Ravens would not be bullied around by their players. It probably is in your best interest to use the tag, and let the player do what he is going to do. Eventually they are going to show up and play.

I agree. In the past teams did not use the tag because of the cap hit. You had to sign a player to a multi-year deal, so you could spread out the signing bonus over the life of the contract to keep the cap hit low. I remember P. Price claimed he would sign the franchise deal if taged, thus putting us in cap jail. The salary cap is a joke right now. Very few teams worry about the caps, and most who do have themselves to blame. Look at the contracts the raiders gave out last season.

I find the Chargers decision to tag Sproles intersting. Like Turner, he is their backup rb. Unlike Turner, most people do not think he can be an every down back. Does AJ Smith think he can get good compensation for Sproles, or is he worthing keeping at 6 million dollars? Other teams have decided to use the tag on kickers. I guess the tag number is cheap, so it makes sense. It just seems strange. The Patriots used the tag on Cassel, and now will use 25% of their cap space on the qb position. Finally, teams are not afraid to tag a player two years in a row. The Cardinals did it with Dansby, and the Ravens with Suggs. We let Nate go after one year under the tag.

I think TJ will landd in San Fran or Philadelpia. The 49ers have proven they will throw out major money for free agents. Jenings and Clemens are two examples. The Eagles have needed a good wr since Ownes left, they too will be willing to spend major money on a proven wr. They see him as the missing part needed for a super bowl run.

I think the bills will try to trade up to get him. Two out of the last three years the bills have traded a 2nd and a 3rd to move up in the draft. Last year the bills attempted to trade up for a third consecutive year, but failed to find a willing partner. I would love to see an olb or de at 11, then trade up for Mack.

That would have been a great pick. The bills have had a series of bad left tackles since Wolford went to the Colts, Peters being the exception.

We have missed a few good opportunities along the way. As much as I like Whitner, we could have had Cutler at 8. The other guys I wished we went after was Drew Brees. He was an unrestricted free agent that went to a Saints team that was very bad at the time.

Dillon had a much better career. At the time however, I really liked A. Smith. I was pumped when the Bucs took Dunn, because I thought they were taking Smith for sure.

It is sad when the W. Phillips days seem like a golden age.

Antowain was another guy who underachieved. He had an ok career, but with his speed and size I thought he was going to be real good. I liked how during Wade's first year, we had the Thurman 3 wr package and Smith-Sam Gash power package.

Fred Taylor got cut today by the Jaguars. You guys might not remember, but Taylor was selected with the draft choice we gave to the Jaguars for Rob Johnson. They drafted a franchise rb, we got several years of frustration. He sure did look good in the one game he started for the Jaguars.