ICanSleepWhenI'mDead

Looks like the joke's on me. I shouldn't have doubted Buddy's talent evaluation skills - - he's even more sly than I gave him credit for. According to the US Census Bureau, Texas is officially part of the South region of the United States. Turns out Buddy's record of drafting Southerners was perfect this year. Leave it to sly ol' Buddy to throw people off the scent based on their own geographical misperceptions, while still grabbing 100% pure Southern talent! Way to go, Buddy! Now how about finding a dominant Southern OT next spring? http://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf

Agreed. The coaches have less time than usual to get the team ready for the regular season opener because of the lockout. Lots of minicamp and OTA time was lost. So something has to get dropped to fit everything into this year's condensed schedule. If even a little game planning for the 2nd pre-season game would usually take place, but it's part of what got dropped, that's fine by me. Better to be ready for the first game that counts than to look good in preseason game #2.

I'm glad we didn't wind up with Pryor - - but you seem to be a much bigger fan of Emperor Goodell than me. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-08-20/roger-goodell-invokes-because-i-can-thats-why-clause-on-terrelle-pryor

How Green turned out . . . . sure; How he got here . . . . not so much: http://www.insidearm.com/daily/debt-buying-topics/debt-buying/fair-debt-buyers-practice-act-stalls-in-california-senate/

Does it bother anybody else that Spiller says he wants to "showcase" this year, and that he thinks that switching back to his college jersey number might allow him to play better? http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700168919/Bills-RB-Spiller-eager-to-bounce-back-in-2nd-year.html Screw "showcase." Learn to pass block, hit the right hole, and do what's required to help the team win.

People say Mallet's slow because of his 40 yard dash time at the combine - - but maybe he's just directionally challenged:

Nicely played. When Dareus sacks Sanchez, we should call it a "reverse Maybin."

Wouldn't it be more like a blind mouse eating cheese and saying it's sh*t? Or do blind mice actually prefer the taste of sh*t to the taste of cheese? Or are you maybe saying that cheesehead Green Bay quarterbacks suck so bad, that cheese ranks below sh*t on your evaluation scale? In which case you might think that Pryor has been inaccurately labeled as lowly cheese, when he should actually be evaluated, after eventually playing in the NFL, as sh*t? Seems to me like you're discriminating against handicapped mice by assuming that just because a mouse is blind, he can't smell very well. Then again, biology was never my strong suit. I'm confused - - help me out here.

Never heard of this link, but it doesn't sound like the guy is just making up the info about NCAA football scholarships: http://www.active.com/football/Articles/Crunching_the_Numbers__Football_Scholarships.htm

1. I've never been a fan of the grammar and spelling police, but unless you were attempting to be "ironical" (to quote Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting"), it appears the answer is yes. 2. On a more serious note, it will be interesting to see if the Bills sign a long term or short term renewal deal for their training camp - - and if it has any buyout clause that's structured to decrease over time like the buyout clause in the existing Orchard Park stadium lease.

Chan as the mad scientist continually tinkering with the machinery and deciding he wants his man to be much bigger - - - seems like I've seen that moment of inspiration in a storyline before . . . When we evaluate O-linemen at next year's combine, maybe we should just draft the guy with the biggest schwanzstucker!

Maybe the second string OTs were so bad that Levitre is being considered as the "swing" tackle in case Bell or Pears get injured. If our first reserve guard is better than our first reserve OT, as seems likely, then we need to evaluate how that backup guard would perform if pressed into starting duty.

Good one! For the cinematically challenged: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbVKWCpNFhY

The link below has a pro-Patriots bias, but it raises an interesting question. It concerns which teams benefited from a 2011 CBA provision that supposedly eliminates "dead money" from applying against the salary cap, but ONLY for players cut during a three week period just before the NFL lock-out started. I'm not vouching for its accuracy, but thought it was an interesting read. If it has the facts right, (1) the Jets will NEVER have to count $8 million they actually paid to certain players against the Jets' salary cap, and (2) the Bills may also get some benefit, but to a much lesser extent - - I don't know if cutting Pierre Woods, Mike Balogun and Marcus Stroud would have created much "dead money" to be counted against the 2011 cap in the absence of the rule the Pats fan is complaining about. http://atp.patsfans.com/2011/07/26/dead-cap-money-clause-jets-conspiracy-or-innocent-oversight/

Turns out there IS a provision in the 2011 CBA that changes how "accceleration" works, at least for the 2011 League Year. See post #12 here: http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/133173-updated-cap-space-for-all-32-teams/page__gopid__2216460

Under the old 2006 CBA, some of the previously pro-rated signing bonus money paid to both Evans and Maybin would have been "accelerated" (when Evans was traded and when Maybin was cut) and applied against the Bills' 2011 salary cap. But it turns out the new 2011 CBA has a provision that delays the impact of any "accelerated" cap hit until the 2012 season. Not entirely certain, but this may be why the Bills were previously reported as being roughly $23 million under the 2011 salary cap, but an even greater amount under the cap now. The remainder of the pro-rated signing bonus money, previously being amortized against the cap over multiple years for both players, will apparently now count against the Bills' 2012 salary cap. http://www.bizoffootball.com/docs/Article%2011%202011%20Transition%20Rules-1.pdf Article 11 [Transition Rules For The 2011 League Year], at section 5(f):

This seems like a credible source for what the rules were for practice squad eligibility under the 2006 CBA. Don't know if the 2011 CBA changed things. http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/27027/a-review-of-practice-squad-rules

Do you think they should devote less scouting resources to the West Coast, and more to the South and Southeast? http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/130198-reorganizing-the-scouting-department/page__hl__%2Bchannel+%2Bbuddy

Davis signed a 1 year contract with the Bills. I'm no expert on all the ins and outs of putting somebody on IR, but if he's gonna be a free agent after the 2011 season anyway, why would you put him on IR for 2011? Even if Nix thinks he's the second coming of Andre Reed, how would putting Davis on IR enable Nix to keep him off the free agent market after the 2011 season ends? http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/nfl/2011/08/wr-davis-seeking-fresh-start-buffalo-bills-0 Or was Davis injured so often during 4 seasons in San Diego that he currently lacks the 4 seasons of accrued service necessary to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2011 season? If so, and if Davis went on IR this year, would he still be only a restricted free agent after 2011?

I prefer "wave Wang" simply for the illiteration.

I don't think the Evans trade clears as much cap space this year as everybody seems to assume. Evans signed a 4 year contract extension in the 2008 season: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3622918 To figure out the effect of the trade on 2011 cap space, you need to understand how any signing bonus previously paid to Evans gets counted towards the salary cap. Here's how it worked under the old 2006 CBA, and I have no reason to think it has changed under the 2011 CBA: http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp So what does all this mean? According to the unidentified "source" in John Clayton's 2008 article, the contract extension Evans signed during the 2008 season contained $18.25 million in guarantees. Worst case for 2011 salary cap would be if ALL $18.25 million got pro-rated over 5 years (the 2008 season in which the extension was signed and the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons added to the contract by the extension). So under the worst case scenario, $18,250,000/5 = $3,650,000 of the guaranteed money gets counted against the Bills' salary cap for EACH of the 2008 through 2012 seasons. Then when Evans gets traded, the $3,650,000 that would have been counted against the salary cap in each of the 2011 and 2012 seasons gets accelerated, and the combined $7,300,000 all counts against the Bills' salary cap in 2011. On the other hand, any non-guaranteed money that Evans would have been paid by the Bills during the 2011 season will now be paid by the Ravens, who inherited his existing contract, and will count against the Ravens 2011 salary cap rather than against the Bills 2011 salary cap. Bottom line is that Evans' non-guaranteed base 2011 salary falls off the Bills cap accounting, but as much as $3,650,000 gets accelerated onto the Bills salary cap for 2011. And the Bills will still have the same number of players on the final roster, so you have to remember to add in the minimum 2011 salary ($375,000) of the lowest paid player who gets that last roster spot after Evans is gone. Where's the big 2011 cap savings that everybody is assuming the trade will cause? Seems to me like most of the cap savings from the trade don't get realized until the 2012 season.

a a a a a ...... a a...... Dang! a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a. Plan B: A.A A A A A A...... A. A. A. A. Plan C: _t . _t. _ t. _t. _t. Plan D: ar . . ay . . . af . . . ag. . . (thought maybe if I bracketed the target on the keyboard) FLASH OF GENIUS!!!!! Ask Whitner to spell cat on twitter, but don't spot him the "C" - - - he'll tweet about anything . . . . @LilDonteitwasn'tmyfaultIgotpicked#8overall// [editorial note - sorry, I don't tweet] "C@" Oh well, it was worth a shot - - maybe if I asked McKelvin the same question: @LeodisifIhadittodooveragainIwouldstillreturnthekickoffagainstNEbecauseI'mathrettoscoreeverytime// "@" Thought I had it. Don't know where my head's at.

I realize that the part of your post that I bolded above is based on what Joe Buscaglia wrote at the web site you linked. There is reason to believe, however, that Buscaglia might be wrong about the effect of trading Maybin on the Bills salary cap. The information below is based on the 2006 CBA, so it is always possible that the rules have changed under the 2011 CBA. But FWIW: http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp If Maybin gets traded, I think his new team would be responsible for any future non-guaranteed salary he is paid, even if that salary is paid at a rate determined by the remainder of his pre-existing contract with the Bills. But the Bills were the ones who paid him the upfront signing bonus, and the Bills will have to eat the remaining $9 million cap hit even if he gets traded. As far as I know, if the Bills pay an upfront signing bonus to any player, 100% of that signing bonus must eventually be charged against the Bills' cap. If the player gets cut or traded before his contract expires, the salary cap hit gets accelerated. So for Maybin, the question is WHEN you want to take the $9 million salary cap hit, not IF you want to take the $9 million hit. Again, the 2011 CBA could have changed the salary cap rules about this, but it seems logical that the team that forks over the actual cash is the one that must, sooner or later, count that cash against its own salary cap. My guess is that the 2011 CBA did not change that philosophy, but I suppose it's possible.

Hey Jim - - your release point is a little high.

My theory about how Maybin got drafted - - the Bills organization did not yet have GPS, got lost, and robbed the wrong train.