uncle flap

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/can-buffalo-afford-a-new-stadium-for-bills-20140215

Not really sure what they should do with him. I dont know what Schwartz is planning on doing with the D. I'll have to listen to his interview from earlier to see if he drops any hints. They need some D line depth, but I wouldn't break the bank for Carrington. Different skill sets, but I think extending Branch probably signals they're willing to let Carrington walk.

He becomes an unrestricted free agent March 11, so that's the deadline if they want to lock him up before he hits the open market.

That link is technically next year's cap which doesn't include any rollover, or in other words, is incomplete . They'll have anywhere from about $8 million to around $24 20 million depending on what they ask and are allowed to rollover. It seems it will be more like $24 20 million (likely even higher considering we might see some cuts) when all is said and done, however we won't know for sure until March 11th. The discrepancy has been hashed out in other threads, just search for salary cap if you're really interested. But like I said, it seems likely it'll be easily over $20 million in space, but we'll have to wait until March 11 when the new league year starts to be 100% certain, barring any sort of official word from the NFL or OBD. EDIT: Looking at some updated figures, the Over the Cap site seems accurate. That approximately 24 million in space is closer to 20. They have almost 19M in space and I came up with just over 20M. I'm looking over it to see where we differ, but I probably just rounded wrong somewhere.

http://www.wgrz.com/story/sports/nfl/bills/2014/02/10/new-bills-stadium-group/5378083/ http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/cuomo-names-first-members-to-group-tasked-with-exploring-new-bills-stadium-20140210

I find it hilarious there are and will be scouts and GMs basing their evaluations on football merit claiming that the SEC Defensive Player of the Year just isn't that good.

According to Peter King and a couple other reporters, it seems that plenty of scouts and NFL staff people either already "knew" or strongly suspected. I know you know this, but there's a big difference between what is widely known in league circles and what is available for "public" consumption. Like Deion said tonight, everyone knows there have been plenty of gay players. What's notable is not that he's out to friends, family, or teammates, but that he's acknowledged it to the general public. This is true. There's certainly something to be said for the guy who can beat you when you know what's coming, but it's becoming increasingly rare to regularly deploy one tick ponies. Situationally? Sure, but I think in general most GMs would rather have a guy who very good at a lot of things than simply great at one.

Yes, the owners have to approve a sale, but they can't handpick a buyer. One can argue that they could indefinitely reject ownership groups willing to keep the Bills in Buffalo, but IF there are viable buyers willing to keep the Bills in Buffalo, I don't see the owners blocking a move to do so over and over without catching substantial heat. Like I mentioned upthread, there's something to be said for a team operating in an established market - albeit small. According to Forbes, the market generates more revenue than almost any other North American franchise does per capita. So while moving the team to Toronto stands to make more money overall (and while likely, it's not guaranteed), the NFL would stand to alienate some of its most devoted fans, while walking away from essentially guaranteed continued support. I also want to add that the guys behind the BFA were initially asked to "pump their brakes" after their unveiling back in 2012 by the firm advising them on NFL bylaws and other policies and procedures while they continued to develop their plan. The fact that they are back in the media publicizing their plan speaks to the plan's viability. This isn't just a pie in the sky idea thrown together on a lark. Time will tell if the plan plays a part in keeping the Bills in Buffalo, but I think some here are conflating "it can't work" with "it won't work." Many of the world's largest corporations are increasingly relying on crowd sourcing. Why shouldn't the NFL "give the people what they want?"

Simply put, whether or not this plan comes to fruition- and by that I mean the amount raised and subsequently lent to a future owner (or ownership group) is used to keep the Bills in Buffalo - it doesn't hurt to try. There's no risk to anyone contributing, and as mentioned upthread, at the very least, there is a tangible financial demonstration of how important the Bills are to this community. It's hard to be completely objective, but I want to think if I were a prospective owner, I'd want to operate in an established market (albeit small) rather than risk building a brand in another area with far more competition for prospective fans' dollars, such as LA or Toronto. I'm not against constructive criticism, but it seems more than a few of you are downright cynical about this plan. It's one thing to look at the plan objectively and conclude "it'll never work," but I remain unconvinced by the doubters. Like I said, maybe it won't work, but it doesn't hurt to try. I guess I don't see why someone who can afford to wouldn't lend a couple hundred bucks to the Bills to keep them in Buffalo.

I know you weren't asking me in particular but I answered this in another thread a little while back. Basically, it's not that you're only giving EJ or any other subsequent QB only one year to prove himself, it's that you aren't passing up on a backup plan in case the QB you have doesn't pan out.

When they do that, all they change is the decal. It's actually the same helmet.

Might have to wait a couple years: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Morgan-Mahalak-137547

yeah plus the eye gouge

So is Brandon Spikes on the way too?

well this thread certainly serves at as a litmus test regarding the critical thinking of a lot of posters here. to be honest i'm somewhat surprised at the responses. Is TG's question/answer that out of bounds? If you don't think EJ's performance doesn't raise the question that he's infallible, I question your judgement. Perhaps TG could have been more cordial, but is that what we really want from the media? Or would you prefer someone who doesn't question the status quo? Chris Brown gets mocked as "Baghdad Bill," but TG gets vilified for suggesting EJ might not be the franchise QB we're pining for? How many of you who are bashing Graham truly think that EJ has shown to be the unquestioned answer going forward? Or are you just gonna talk about civility? What's more important? An a-hole reporter or a mediocre QB? Don't get caught up in media drama. We can talk about TG's interviewing methods, but that doesn't win or lose games. The performance of a QB does. TG is verbalizing what we are all thinking, I'm glad I got to hear/read EJ's response. While not the end all be all, I'm not happy the QB that is supposed to lead us to the promised land seems to be shaken by an innocuous question regarding his status. If EJ is the franchise, it doesn't matter that he faced a jerk question from a jerk. If he isn't, it still doesn't matter. As inappropriate you might find TG's question, I find EJ's answer more concerning. Instead of asking, "Do you think they should?" He could have easily asked, "Why would they?" and proceeded to provide reasons that they wouldn't. Unfortunately, he couldn't or didn't. I'm not an EJ hater. I think he's shown enough potential to earn a shot going forward. But to me, to decry TG's question and response as unfair is saying EJ deserves the benefit of the doubt. I'm not totally there, and I don't believe Thad is an adequate backup plan. For whatever confidence I have in EJ, if I'm the GM, I want a viable backup plan ASAP. At the moment, I don't think the Bills have one.

Tim Graham expounds on the exchange: More here: http://bills.buffalo...enough-answers/

Full interview: http://blogs.canoe.ca/krykslants/nfl/breaking-transcript-of-ej-manuel-interview-thursday-afternoon/ #awkward

ew

Ha I posted this in another thread, but clearly it belongs here.

Interesting. Now I'm disappointed that the Bills didn't get more of a "name!" Although reading up on Hostler, it seems he has plenty of experience and insight to offer in a variety of capacities. Ugh. That whole Cowboys scenario seems like a clusterfunk and is the type I was referring to when I mentioned the possibility or at least perception of some undermining of authority. In another organization it would seem like a great idea to have that much experience and creativity working together, but with Jerruh at the helm, I can't help but suspect that he's planting people to inject his own ideas and philosophies rather than let plans develop organically. Of course that's emotion speaking, not reason. I mean if everyone is on the same page and there is a clear hierarchy and delineation/delegation of responsibilities I don't see a problem. They say too many cooks spoil the pot, but they also say two heads are better than one. In the Bills' case, I think the buck clearly stops with Marrone, and that Marrone is also comfortable delegating responsibilities without micromanaging. I'm a big fan of Hackett, but I'm sure he would benefit from a guy who has been around the block like Hostler.

That's more or less what I was thinking, but wondering since he's most recently been a WR coach, the Bills need a WR coach, and being a glorified quality control coach would seem like a demotion for a guy who was being considered as an OC. I guess it'd be more apt to call him the Assistant Offensive Coordinator, although I could see how that could be construed as undermining Hackett. I admittedly haven't always paid attention to the various titles of assistants and coaching staff structures, so this type of terminology and what it entails might be more commonplace than I thought.

I am curious what the souped up title means. Will he be coaching WRs? Because if not they still need a dedicated WR coach and I wonder what he'll actually be doing instead.

But Torrey Smith. So good news for TJ Graham. At least we should hope. Me too! First thought was, "HOW COULD THEY?!?"

Yeah I'd prefer Daryl Smith as well but he's over thirty and I think there's a decent chance he re-signs with the Ravens. But who knows? They've got some tough decisions considering their cap situation. There's a bunch of other FA ILBs I'd also prefer over Spikes, but many seem like they'll re-sign with their respective teams. I was just thinking it wouldn't be a stretch that Spikes could follow Pepper Johnson, and Buffalo is certainly a viable destination. Regarding Singletary, I like him far more as a player than a coach. I know his options are limited, but I think he wanted to get out of Minnesota to move up back up the ladder. Unless being an LB coach came with an Asst HC title, I don't think it's likely he'd come here. I'd definitely take him tho.

Especially when he already had words w marcel Reese when he tried to truck him a play or two earlier.