papazoid

"dead money" for NFL cap purposes is money counted against the salary cap for players who are no longer on your team (they were cut prior to the end of their contract, but were paid large bonuses in the early years that must still go against some cap year, depending on when the cut is made. example if cut made before june 1st dead money counts for 2012. if made after june 1st dead money can be pushed into 2013). lets take two examples assuming the salary cap information in the link is correct. if the bills released shawn merriman today, he would still count $500,000 of cap towards our 2012 season (actually not alot). if the bills cut QB Ryan Fitzpatrick today, the bills would still have to count $13,000,000 towards the cap (a high number). as you can see from that link the bills have $8.6 million of dead money for 2012 (mostly from Maybin & Lee Evans). So, with the salary cap set at $120 mil for 2012, the bills must count/deduct $8.6 mil of dead money from that $120 mil leaving them with $111.4 mil to spend. this is where the bills are cheap crowd will say the spending floor is only $108 mil so they really have $99.4 mil to spend.

i do NOT think ralph made the spiller pick. i DO think that with Ralph in the war room, that his personnel guys have had from time to time, waste time justifying why they like the player they do. has he ever meddled in the past ?...probably, who wouldn't want to be involved as an owner on draft day offering advice. but, i believe for the most part, he lets his people do their jobs. does anyone have any proof whatsoever that ralph "forced" his guys to pick someone he preferrred, even once ? unfortunately he watched dummies like Jauron pick Maybin. maybe just maybe, ralph should have been making the picks...lol. regarding Spiller....at the time he probably was the best available player....now in hindsight thats arguable or not true. i think spiller is a heck of a player, but is screwed playing behind fred jackson. green bay didn't really know what they had in aaron rodgers for 4 years, til they parted with brett. spiller aint no rodgers, but he isn't a bust either. when he gets his chance, i think spiller will shine.

Peter King (SI): I've been thinking of stepping down from the committee of 44 selectors. Many of you are right. Twenty years is a long time. I've stated my case -- in favor or opposed -- for many who've been elected and many who haven't. And I've thought, independent of the argument some have proposed for term limits for Hall voters, that maybe it's time for someone else to sit in judgment of these great players, coaches and league and club officials. Fresh voices are good things. I believe all votes should be made public, because we should stand behind our opinions. I believe the committee should be expanded to include a conscientious player, coach or club official from the existing 32 teams. But if you think that's going to end the arguments and the perceived biases, you're crazy. It would, however, give the vote more legitimacy, in my opinion. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/02/14/hall-of-fame/index.html#ixzz1mYGbeCo8

i still prefer a 3 man booth.....somebody on the defensive side of the ball....say like Deion Sanders (PRIMETIME)he is funny, entertaining, engaging and informative. i think the analyst should have a foil as part of their schtick.

Courtney Upshaw is NOT a top 10 pick.... here's an every play video from the LSU championship game. i myself think he projects better at inside LB.....he's not fast enough for OLB and not strong enough to play DE.

Irsay puts Peyton in a corner: So with all this talk about Peyton Manning supposedly being willing to take an incentive-based contract in recognition of the fact that his arm strength still hasn’t returned, an obvious question arises. Would he do that for the Colts? Owner Jim Irsay publicly has posed that very question today, according to Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star. “We can make it work if he wants to be here,’’ Irsay said. “We’d be excited to have him back and finish his career with us. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/14/irsay-puts-peyton-in-a-corner/

Top 20 is not great ???.....how many other bills can you name who are Top 20 at their positions ?? i'll help you....less than 10 players: FOR SURE: Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams, Fitz, Wood, Levitre PROBABLY: Dareus MAYBE: Stevie, Barnett my point is, that Fitz is NOT near our biggest problem. i understand the importance of a GREAT qb, but assuming the bills sit at #10, i wouldn't "reach" for a qb. we have MANY other needs. it's like McGahee being replaced by Lynch being replaced by Jackson and now Spiller. has each been an upgrade?....thats arguable, while other areas get neglected.

a PROVEN 2 time ALL-PRO....or a selfish, immature up and coming WR ???? MARIO !!!!! EDIT: i do like stevie....but if i "had" to pick one....for me it's Mario.

first, welcome to the board, enjoy !! second, i have to strongly disagree with you. Fitzpatrick made the O-Line look good because he threw the ball in under 3 seconds. thats all the time he had before protection broke down. the Bills have the WORST two starting offensive tackles in the league. other than wood (at center) and levitre (at left guard only) the whole unit is not good enough. It would not surprise me in the least if they used their first round pick on a LT....Martin from Stanford the way i see the draft falling. i know a pass rush is what everyone is clamoring for, but it may already be on the roster if Merriman can get healthy, he was a beast in preseason and got injured in first regular season game. as far as Fitz goes. the bills were 5-2 thru the washington game where fitz got his ribs broken by London Fletcher. they were 1-8 after that. Fitz is the least of our problems. a pass rush and o line protection is a much bigger problem. Fitz may not be a "franchise QB" , but in my opinion is a Top 20 QB.

as per Bills website: CB Routt visiting 1 Bills Drive: Posted by Chris Brown on February 13, 2012 – 2:05 pm As scheduled free agent cornerback Stanford Routt is visiting One Bills Drive this afternoon. Routt arrived after meeting with team physicians for a physical earlier in the day Monday. He’s now meeting with members of the coaching staff. We’ll have much more on the home page at Buffalobills.com. Routt was released by the Raiders last week. http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2012/02/13/cb-routt-visiting-1-bills-dr/

Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee: Arizona Kent Somers, Arizona Republic Atlanta Len Pasquarelli, The Sports Xchange Baltimore Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV Buffalo Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News Carolina Darin Gantt, Rock Hill Herald Chicago Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune* Cincinnati Joe Reedy, Cincinnati Enquirer Cleveland TBD Dallas Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News* Denver Jeff Legwold, Denver Post Detroit Mike O'Hara, The Detroit News Green Bay Cliff Christl, Green Bay Press-Gazette Houston John McClain, Houston Chronicle* Indianapolis Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star Jacksonville Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV Kansas City Bob Gretz, KCFootballReport.com Miami Edwin Pope, Miami Herald Minnesota Mark Craig, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune New England Ron Borges, Boston Herald* New Orleans Pete Finney, Times-Picayune New York (Giants) Bob Glauber, Newsday New York (Jets) Gary Myers, New York Daily News Oakland Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange Philadelphia Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News Pittsburgh Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette St. Louis Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch* San Diego Nick Canepa, San Diego Union Tribune San Francisco Nancy Gay, FoxSports.com Seattle Mike Sando, ESPN.com Tampa Bay Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune Tennessee David Climer, The Tennessean Washington David Elfin, WUSA-9 PFWA Darryl Ledbetter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution At Large Howard Balzer, The Sports Xchange At Large Jarrett Bell, USA Today At Large John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine At Large John Czarnecki, FOXSports.com* At Large Dave Goldberg, AOL Sports/Fanhouse* At Large Peter King, Sports Illustrated At Large Ira Miller, The Sports Xchange* At Large Len Shapiro, Miami Herald* At Large Vito Stellino, Florida Times Union At Large Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated At Large Charean Williams, Ft. Worth Star Telegram

Bills plan to extend Fred Jackson: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/10/bills-plan-to-extend-fred-jackson/

Steelers defensive star Brett Keisel parted ways with his trademark Grizzly Adams facial hair in a ceremony for charity that drew a crowd of hundreds. http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/style-points/201202/steelers-star-shaves-nfls-greatest-beard

if both cost the same $8-9 million per year....who would you rather have ? Stevie Johnson age 26 HT 6'2" WT 210 lbs 4.59 sec 40 time (with upside). Vincent Jackson age 29 HT 6'5" WT 230 lbs 4.46 sec 40 time (proven pro-bowler).

Player/Coach ??

Meanwhile, reports on Manning's progress continue to emerge. On a podcast on the website Grantland, Bill Simmons talked with the NFL Network's Mike Lombardi. Lombardi reported that Manning isn't close to his old form after three neck surgeries. "He can't throw the ball," Lombardi said. "I've talked to people who've caught the ball for him. He can't throw the ball to his left. He can't throw the ball across his body, because he doesn't feel it. People that catch the ball for him say he doesn't really have velocity on the ball yet." Former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian on Thursday called such reports "untrue," speaking on Sirius XM NFL Radio Wednesday. Polian says he saw Manning throw on New Year's Eve with "quick release, good zip" under 25 yards. Doctors have said for months that Manning nerves must regenerate before he will be back to full strength. They have said no one can predict when that will happen. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/02/report-peyton-manning-cant-throw-the-ball-in-workouts/1

Vincent Jackson expected to hit open market The Chargers would have to pay Vincent Jackson a lot of money to use the franchise tag on him — more than $13 million. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/09/vincent-jackson-expected-to-hit-open-market/

NO !!.....under any circumstances. that ship has sailed.

The "top" Ten: 6. LeBron James 48% 7. Kobe Bryant 45% 8. Terrell Owens 45% 9. Alex Rodriguez 44% 10. Kurt Busch 42%

http://www.google.com/imgres?start=252&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1006&bih=663&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsuol&tbnid=bWg6UpDubIiqXM:&imgrefurl=http://forum.iranjava.net/wallpaper/120620-get-maria-menounos-grove-la-november-1-2011-a.html&docid=rDGuwyzlf0FQVM&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-knQcvB6hEw/THudRXNCU7I/AAAAAAAAIec/Hux0gifJiYk/s1600/Maria%252BMenounos%252B-%252B62nd%252BAnnual%252BPrimetime%252BEmmy%252BAwards8.jpg&w=1000&h=1486&ei=WdwyT8P8C4HK0AGA6fTQBw&zoom=1&chk=sbg&iact=hc&vpx=694&vpy=42&dur=6270&hovh=274&hovw=184&tx=84&ty=212&sig=100578134004186959565&page=11&tbnh=155&tbnw=105&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:252

i suppose this could change monthy..... The “top” five: 1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) – Pct. Dislike: 60% 2. Tiger Woods (Golf) – Pct. Dislike: 60% 3. Plaxico Burress, New York Jets (NFL) – Pct. Dislike: 56% 4. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions (NFL) – Pct. Dislike: 51% 5. Kris Humphries, New Jersey Nets (NBA) – Pct. Dislike: 50% http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ys-forbes-vick_tiger_most_disliked_athletes_020712

Rechnitz owns a capital investment firm in Manhattan. He told the entertainment website that he only makes one Super Bowl bet per year. TMZ reports that Rechnitz plans to donate all the post-tax money to various charities, including one of Tom Brady's choice. He also hopes to donate $5,000 to a charity selected by Justin Tuck, the Giants defender whose pass rush forced Brady to make his illegal throw downfield. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/giants-fan-won-50-000-super-bowl-safety-191343682.html

fred jackson is a stud. fred jackson is the best offensive player on this team by far. in fact, he is the only offensive player who plays at a pro bowl level. i never understand why folks would trade a proven sure thing talent for a roll of the dice crap shoot on an unproven rookie. so, NO !!! i would not trade fred, even for a #1 .....which nobody would offer in the first place.

another link from yahoo: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/maria-menounos-wears-giants-bikini-times-square-patriots-153333264.html

i call bullchit somebody speculating on something they no absolutely nothing about. here's what we do know: #1- under contract thru 2012. #2- best player on offense (by far). #3- bills have already announced they will extend him. #4- he's not going anywhere.