BarleyNY

I think marijuana testing is gone in the next CBA. But the owners will want something for that, possibly more PED testing. In light of the incredibly addictive prescription painkillers that get doled out to players you'd have to think the owners would rather have players smoking pot than taking that stuff.

The most concerning aspect of this situation is that Dareus will move to Stage 3 in the intervention program. That means a lot of tests, including throughout the season and that his next marijuana violation would be a minimum 10 game suspension. After that it'd be a minimum of a year with no guarantee of reinstatement. The Bills have a lot invested in Dareus and he's important to this team. He needs to get his **** together.

"Removed" is an overstatement. It was reported at draft time - by Schefter, IIRC - that he knew of teams that had a medical flag on Lawson that bumped him down. I don't remember him or anyone else saying Lawson was removed from any team's board. I hasn't been a great offseason. That's for sure. But we don't need to lower the lifeboats yet.

Ooohhhh. Snippy.

True dat. A very real possibility.

I agree with all of this except the Manning part. The NFL quit pursuing his involvement for PR reasons and because he was retiring. Why publicly tear down a face of your league when you can't do anything to him anyway? He'd probably be in the same boat as these guys if he was coming back though. The NFL has let players fight PED suspensions throughout a season and then allowed them to retire quietly before. Patrick Willis and Jason Worilds come immediately to mind. Both had major PED rumors and both walked away in their prime with no real explanation. There were others I can't think of right now that did the same.

Hilarious. And very likely.

Cleveland legitimately could have the first two picks in the 2017 draft.

I think the domestic violence issue is legit. That's way over the line. I remember a ballpark DJ (White Socks maybe?) getting fired for playing Whitesnake's Here I Go Again when Chuck Findley took the mound for the Indians. He had just filed for divorce from Tawny Kitaen citing physical abuse (he did not fight back when she attacked him). You might remember Kitaen as the chick on the sports car in the video for Here I Go Again. She was also previously married to David Coverdale, Whitesnake's lead singer. And here's a little tidbit to add some local flavor: she also had an affair with OJ during his marriage to Nichole Brown and her marriage to Coverdale.

I think this is more about their refusal to interview with him. He can't let a precedent like that occur. If he does nothing to these guys, then what happens the next time a player refuses to interview or do something else he says? This is about keeping control. I'm not a fan of Goodell, but he's got no choice but to go down this path now. And it's not like every single one of these guys isn't almost certainly guilty. Maybe most people don't care, but I do. I'm sick of the cheaters getting away with crap like this and watching them win. They're not being suspended for what they're accused of (PED use), they're being suspended for refusing to interview with the league.

Those are players that have had PED rumors flying around for years. James Harrison is 38. Tell me how that's possible without some serious chemical help.

I see him listed at 6'3" and 348 lbs coming out of college. That's one big dude. Seems like a decent pickup, assuming he's got himself under control.

Yup. Nice job by you, too.

Thanks. Nice job on the list. I'm still hoping we can grab a vet WR with some gas left in the tank at cut downs to help fill out the WR corps. We just need some short term help there.

I like this. I'd like to keep Annen over Dray though. I don't mind dumping Felton, but without him I'm not sure who'd be the FB when one was needed. Maybe one of the TEs?

To trade or otherwise jettison EJ the Bills would first need to acquire another backup to take his spot as the #2 this season. That's unlikely at this point. At least EJ has been in the offense for a full year so that has to be considered. Even if a slightly better QB could be acquired, would that QB - who doesn't know the system as well as EJ - outperform him? Finding a better option is going to be very tough at this point, so EJ plays it out this season and we hope for him to get a decent contract elsewhere so we get a comp pick.

It just seemed like Irsay jokingly took a jab at a friend. I don't think it was meant as a criticism so I wouldn't read too much into it.

The correct term is "Pornstache".

I missed that. Thanks. It's good to have a working deadline. Sometimes deals don't get done unless there is a sense of urgency. Creating that sense of urgency, be it real or fake, is common for negotiators (and advertisers). The start of the regular season is a common deadline in the NFL, and it's almost certainly real. It's better that everyone knows where things stand going into real games. Happy or not, everyone can do their jobs without continuing negotiations distracting them.

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood you,.

It probably is because of ties to agents and the league office. Not only does that mean the national guys have a wider net, but they also are a lot more valuable from a favor trading perspective. For example, Schefter might get a scoop like this from an agent or GM and in return he might be more willing to drop a positive or negative report about another player or situation a later date. Not much point in doing stuff like that with a local guy.

I still think Gilmore gets extended before the regular season starts. If not, he is looking at playing under the one year, guaranteed option this season and the one year, guaranteed franchise tag next season. That's a tough road. He could get more total guaranteed money with a new deal now than he'd get in total this year and next. That's a powerful motivator. I think he's looking for the last nickel on his contract and is taking it as far as he can, but will still sign. I'm surprised there hasn't been a deadline imposed by one side or the other, probably the start of the regular season. The only reason I could see him not signing is if he is set on leaving Buffalo for some reason, but I doubt that's the case. Actually it'd be $3.5M in dead money if KW was cut now as his $500k roster bonus was already paid. I don't think the Bills will part ways until after the season. He makes sense to keep in 2016, but letting him go next season would save $6.8M ($1.5M dead money). The only other real possibility is that he takes a big paycut. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/kyle-williams/

I agree. Nicely done. A fair deal that does a lot for both sides.

We will have to do the complete forensic analysis of the contract after full details come out. If you don't like the deal, then you certainly might have justification at that point. But Paxton Lynch? Your plan was to to burn pick 19 on Paxton Lynch, jettison Taylor (after he played out his contract this season) and then go on down the road with Lynch? That's your solution?

I think I am!