All_Pro_Bills

What I understand is a cap hit occurs if a player is released then any bonus amortized in the cap for future years becomes due in the current year. So if player has a 4 year deal and is released prior to year 3 then the bonus money spread to year 3 and 4 comes due in the current season (year 3). I think the way the Bills cash to cap approach works is they 'take' the hit for the entire signing bonus in year 1 of the contract. So let's say the re-sign S. Johnson for 5 years at 40 million with 10 million of that a signing bonus with yearly salaries of 2, 4, 6, 8 10. So under the NFL cap rules the hit per season would be 2 million per year for the bonus plus salary for each season: 4, 6, 8, 10 ,12. The Bills cash to cap would be the entire bonus in year 1 plus the salary for each season: 12, 4, 6, 8, 10. Because of this cash to cap accounting my guess is the sticking point in the Johnson negotiations is the upfront signing bonus figure. I'll wager that others here are more fluent in the cap and I stand ready to be corrected if required, but this cash to cap approach seems to put you at a severe disadvantage vs. following the cap management approach as defined by the rules of the NFL collective bargaining agreement. The Bills aren't doing anything illegal or a breach of contract but it seems counterproductive from a competitive standpoint.

The Giants allowed more points 394 vs 400 than they scored during the season. I believe the only Super Bowl winner (or contestant) to ever do that. If the Bills had an abundance of talent at the WR position resigning Johnson would not be so important. But given the lack of playmakers at the position, losing the only WR on the roster with decent numbers would be foolish. They might need to overpay but that's what you get for waiting too long to get serious about contract negotiations and then having to deal from a position of weakness with each day that brings them closer to the start of free agency. You don't get better by letting good players go and creating more 'needs' to fill. You get better by filling needs before they appear by grooming back ups with starter potential and not letting players walk until you have a backup plan in place. Close the gap in the contract numbers and get it done.

It's definitely a business and you've got to take care of yourself because you know ownership will do the same in each and every case. And coming off their rookie contracts is usually the only big chance for most players to hit that big payday so I don't fault Johnson one bit. Most players are out of the league or playing for close to the veteran minimum after 9 or 10 seasons (if they last that long). The Bills could have choosen to negotiate and discuss a contract well before this point but did not, something they seem to do all too often with players that have good open market value. I'm not real clear on where an 'outstanding nightlife' falls in the priorty of things though but I agree playing for a team with championship potential has to be a priority when you consider and weigh offers.

I think you sort of summed up the problem. And you can transfer this 'root cause' to almost any other business or industry. It's why some companies prosper and others fail in the same space. More times than not, its management, or lack of it, that is the key to successfully running an enterprise. While I have no firsthand insight into the workings of the Bills management, ownership, or front office my view of that operation is that its comparable to a mom and pop corner store with its 'folksy' approach competing against the Walmart's of the world. Bringing in Whaley was a good start with hopefully a fresh view and working style but for the most part you've got the same core group of aging managers doing the same jobs the same way for about 40 years or more in some cases. Time to upgrade to Management 2.0 the 2012 version here.

I agree about the long term foundation but maintain it rather than build it. That's what the great teams do, utilize the draft to maintain their dominance. We're going to find out real soon if ownership and the front office is interested in pushing for a playoff spot here. Because you know the rest of the division is not going to sit on their hands and approach the free agent period from the sidelines. They'll be looking to put whatever cap space they have available to work. The Bills might marginally improve through the draft for 2012 but IMO without picking up a couple key contributors to augment those picks a 3rd or 4th place finish is the division is pretty much a given.

Detriot's Cliff Avril might be another guy worth looking at if he hits the free agent market...

I suspect the Bills have no interest in Manning and Manning has no interest in the Bills. We went this route with Bledsoe a decade ago and that worked out well. For about 8 games. Let's not entertain repeating history.

I believe the Bills are headed in the right direction but I'm not clear on how long the journey is or when they'll 'arrive'. Competitvely, they've been at a disadvantage to the teams in their division for what seems like forever. I like to be optimistic but I want to be realistic too. The thing is that everybody goes into the offseason looking to improve. The Jets, Patriots, and Dolphins are working on offseason plans to improve their teams too. So for the Bills to move forward they need to incrementally improve at a faster rate just to catch up. Your first objective has got to be to beat the teams in your division. The Bills were 1-5 last year. Improvement to a 4-2 mark would probably lead to contending for a playoff spot. That means hitting on picks 1,2,3 in the draft, pursuing and signing a free agent or two, and not losing any key contributors on the roster and creating more 'needs' to be addressed.

I don't get the hate for Humphries other than playing for a pretty poor NBA team. Playing for the Nets should be punishment enough. My wife also checks into these 'reality' shows. Frankly I see no entertainment or social value in them whatsoever, which causes some heated discussion if I happen to express my opinion openly at home. Seems the longer you are married the quieter you learn to be. As for the Kardashians in particular, they don't appear to have any specific talent or skill other than self-promoting themselves. Which they do very well.

Use of public funds for private professional sports enterprises should be prohibited by Federal law or provide the taxpayers with a guarantee that if the phony cost/benefit analysis numbers they use to 'sell' the expenditure aren't met then the team will re-emburse the taxpayers for any loses above the true realized financial benefit to the community. Its called shared risk. What the NFL does is transfer their risk of loss to the taxpayers while retaining all the potential profits for themselves. It's quite a nice little racket they have going.

Brady does cry to the ref's whenever there's an incomplete pass or he's hit. You see him looking back at him all the time then pissing and moaning afterwards. I'm waiting for Dareus to hit and fall on top of him next year followed by the sound of an exploding tire! (boof!)

This is from Bloomberg news. Talks about the cost of the Colts stadium and the use of taxpayer dollars. I thought it was interesting given the discussions about potential upgrades to RWS. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-02/super-bowl-lands-on-taxpayers-backs-as-stadium-deal-turns-sour.html The NFL is extremely popular and profitable. One of the reasons for their profitability is the ability to dump a lot of their cost structure onto the taxpayers at the various state and local levels. Studies indicate the return on investment localities expect to gain from their investment is usually never realized. While I'm not fan of regulation I also detest the misuse of public funds and the use of threats and intimidation used by ownership in extorting consessions out of already strapped taxpayers. Time has come to see some Federal legislation prohibiting the use of taxpayer monies to fund prviate professional sports facilities. Given our Federal government is for sale to the highest bidder (no matter which party is in charge) its doubtful that is ever going to happen.

You have a good point. I left the area about 30 years ago, coming back to attend one Bills game a season, and I have to say not much has changed. If you want to get mad at somebody get mad at the politicians at all levels of government for doing absolutely nothing to bring about positive change in the region. I also have no problem finding hotel accomodations that are more than satisfactory.

I"ve always wondered why a guy that had one winning season as a HQ during which all the breaks went the Bears way (and then they got dumped in the playoffs) would be offered the job over somebody with a persistent record of success. This was the first and maybe biggest (or was it picking Whitner rather than Ngata?) in a series of blunders made by Marv during his tenure as GM.

My view too. The coaching staff needs to 'man up' and admit they made the mistake by leaving a backup punt returner, who may not been mentally prepared to handle the pressure of the NFC championship game, out on the field after making some critical mistakes prior to fumbling the ball during overtime.

Agreed. They were rushing to get lined up for the kick because they let the play clock run down. With a timeout in your pocket there was no excuse not to slow things down and get it right. Hang this one on the ST coach or HC (although when the TV announcer put the hex on the kicker by saying something like "he's made 18 or 18 in the 4th quarter this season" I knew he was going to miss) .

I forgot about Takeo but I still have his jersey in my closet at home

Add the Bills not making a big splash in the free agent market to the sure thing list along with death and taxes. I think the last big name free agent the Bills signed on defense was Bryce Paup but I'm getting too old to remember that far back. Give me 3 good reasons why a big-time free agent would come here: Are you going to pay me more than anyone else is offering? <No> Are you committed to building a winner that will give me a legitimate shot at getting a 'ring' right now? <No> Who else are you going to bring bring in to get to the next level? <Nobody>

IMO, its a valid point that you need a franchise QB but I think the argument is moot. Identification of the need for a good QB is not the problem nor a solution. It's getting one that's the problem because there are about 1 in 400,000,000 NFL caliber QB prospects out of the entire population of the planet Earth. The Bills have spent the better part of 15 years looking for that guy and the failure to do so has been the result of execution rather than a conscious decision that one is not needed.

I agree the offense needs an upgrade where you suggest and have myself been leaning toward a selection on that side of the ball (an OT if possible). But the Bills were 30th in point allowed in 2011 and the defense sorely needs a pass rusher and upgrades at the OLB position. The draft board will probably change quite a bit between now and April. Good teams seem to find players throughout the draft and not just in the 1st round. Hopefully, last years draft is an indication that the Bills are headed in the right direction with regards to hitting on the draft. All I ask is that whomever they pick that player is an every down starter day 1. In looking at points allowed I ran across something I found curious. The Giants have a negative 6 point differential. Has any team ever made or won the Super Bowl that allowed more points during the season than they scored?

There won't be estate taxes at the time of death since ownership of the team would transfer to his wife. But as I understand the situation, Mrs. Wilson has no interest in managing or owning the team after Ralph passes. If Mr. WIlson's will transfers ownership to another family member or to a non-family member then that might be another story but I am not a tax accountant or estate attorney so I don't have a lot of insight into how that would be handled.

No argument the Bills need to generate a pass rush and they need to upgrade the DE and OLB positions. You give any NFL quarterback as much time and comfort as the Bills have afforded and you're going to get beat. That said I think the draft strategy boils down to value balanced with need rather than just need. If you're sitting at #10 and one of the tops LT's falls to you and relative to the DE's and OLB's on the board if the LT ranks higher you take him. To state the Bills don't need an upgrade at LT is to ignore the issues with the current LT's on the roster. Bell cannot stay healthy and Hairston might not have the footwork and athleticism to handle the QB's blind side. The Bills offensive approach hid the shortcomings in the O-line by utilizing 3 step drops, quick short passes, and generally pass plays where Fitz 'locked in' on a specific receiver rather than having time to go through any progressions.

Field position and turnovers will decide the outcome. A big special teams play by either team could be the difference. In the end I suspect the Steelers will win by a single digit margin of victory. I can't see either team making it past the next round. Watching quite a bit of the Steelers on the Sunday Ticket its hard to reconcile their play this year to a 13-3 record. They've seemed to be just good enough to win most of the time. And its been stellar play by Denver's defense that has allowed Tebow the opportunity to stage these comebacks. If he doesn't turn over the football they might keep it close.

I'm never clear on how reporters get a hold of the owners list of possible candidates but it is interesting that Whaley is included. He's unproven in the GM role both in his experience in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. The 'word' is Nix is stepping down after the draft in April and Whaley will assume the GM role with the Bills. I don't know what the terms of his contract are with the Bills but I assume there's some kind of standard escape clause if you're offered a job at a higher level with another team. Given a succession plan is in place with the Bills I am also not clear what wrinkle that might introduce into the mix here. This is clearly conjecture on my part at the moement but could this be a situation where the Bills could demand compensation for signing away their heir-apparent for the GM post? Like a #1 such as when Billichek bolted from the Jets to the Pats. So would you trade your new GM for Luck?

Been to several Pro hockey and basketball venues and agree this is the single most annoying aspect of the game experience. Used to be able to chat with other fans during the stoppages and now you can't hear anything other than blasting music. Put it to a vote at the gates and I wager 99% of fans would tell them to drop the music. Plus the stupid antics on the basketball court during time outs. Apparently some marketing guys somewhere are convinced that watching some clown shoot tee shirts into the crowd while loud music plays with flashing lights is entertainment. And then you've got the skating girls cleaning the ice between face offs. While I admit I don't mind seeing this as a coach I don't want my goalie being distracting by 5 or 6 chicks skating around him during the game. I want my goalie focused on the game not on some girl's back-end that just bent over in front of him with a shovel full of ice chips.