BarleyNY

Fair enough.

That was really well done.

Exactly. Some first round QBs shouldn't start so I'm not sure why sitting a second rounder should. There is a lot moreto consider than draft position when deciding how quickly a player starts in the NFL. The position they play is huge. Even high first round CBs usually have to be worked in to the starting lineup as the season goes on. It isn't unusual to see a second round OG start though. There's no tougher position than QB so why wouldn't you sit one picked 50th overall?

Absolutely agree.

I know. I thought Yolo was asking if the 2016 spending totals included in the figures we've been talking about included the option for Dareus. I was just answering that question. (They don't.)

Why not just use ESPN's QBR since it accounts for both rushing and passing as well as adjusts for garbage time, etc?

Dareus isn't included in 2016 numbers on either site. They would wait for his option to be picked up before adding it.

Thanks. Nice catch. I gotta start looking at Spotac as well as Overthecap. Incidentally, the Bills would be 3rd highest without Harvin.

I don't see Harvin on Spotrac's list. He's on Overthecap's list and that appears to be the whole discrepancy. Only what is currently on the books is included. Since he is not likely to be with the Bills next season he could reasonably be removed.

Pushing money into next season is not really much of an option. The Bills are already in line to have just over $135M in spending for 2016, which is the most in the league. If they traded for Evans he'd add $8.7M to 2016's numbers just by himself. Add to that whatever gets pushed into that year to get through 2015, too. Sometimes teams reach their limit and have to release or trade away a quality player. That's what NO is doing. (The only team with more money committed to players in 2016 probably shouldn't be trying to acquire his contract.). Sometimes it prevents them from re-signing such a player. I hope that isn't Dareus already. The Bills are at their limit for highly paid players and are bargain bin shopping now. That's just the reality. I hope they can keep Dareus around long term, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to manage it or not right now. If they push anymore money into future seasons or acquire another big contract then you can bet they won't be able to afford him. http://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space

Salary, roster bonus and workout bonus total for Evans: $7.5MCurrent Bills cap space: $6.9M

That is correct. My bad.

The Flacco example is a poor one because he sure as hell played like an elite QB through the entire playoffs that season. Having a guy that can get hot and carry your team for a run like that is very different from a player like Dilfer who was a serviceable game manager when he was at his best.Wilson is in the "Excellent Game Manager Plus" category for me. He is an outstanding game manager who is a very effective runner. His decision making is top shelf.

Zero interest in Funchess due to poor hands. They're so bad his teammates nicknamed him "d***fingers". If I'm the Bills I'm looking for a quality OG or WR prospect to be there. Hoping for Laken Tomlinson, OG or Nelson Agholor, WR to be available at 50.

Any QB that has been or has a real chance to be a quality NFL starter.

Fred is getting old, yes. But last year he averaged 3.7 ypc - which ties him for 29th among RBs - while having the 34th most carries. Those aren't great numbers, but they seem very respectable for a back up. "Nothing left in the tank" certainly does not fit with those. It seems obvious that Fred can be a productive back up RB this year. He's another year older, but with fewer carries I don't see what the fuss is about. Oh, and ghosting is for tools. Making the effort to agree with your ghost account is pitiful.

Nope. No penalty. The NFL kept saying that there might be, but ended up not doing anything beyond the fine.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11646578/nfl-begin-human-growth-hormone-testing-mondayLooks like they started last October. I'll add that there were whispers about positive HGH tests being the reason both Patrick Willis and Jason Worlids decided to retire before this season. Nothing concrete, but league people were discussing it.

Gosh, I hope it's in line with Mike Tomlin's punishment for stepping onto the field and influencing a play during a nationally televised game. That yielded a $25k fine and a "we might take away a draft pick, but decided not to" punishment. I'm sure the Browns and Falcons will get it worse. They both deserve punishments to be sure, but Goodell has his favorites (Steelers, Patriots, Ravens and Giants) and rarely punishes them as badly as they deserve.

Similar things happen on other teams like the Steelers and Seahawks. I honestly wonder if this is evidence of heavy PED use by some of these teams. It makes no sense that offensive or defensive lines that lack talent start out poorly and are dominant by the end of the season. Could be that it is because they are still fresh due to HGH use and they are matching up against players that have the normal fatigue that comes with playing an NFL season. It isn't like Seattle didn't have a bunch of players busted for PED since Carrol has been there, or that Pittsburgh didn't employ the "HGH Doctor" for many years or that Belichick hasn't constantly cheated to gain an advantage. The clincher is that if players were really "coached up" it would last from year to year, but just watch all of those teams again this year. We will see some slow starts, then they'll get it together by mid season and be rolling by the end.

The problem is that the worst case scenario happens when one of the quality starters gets injured. When you are trotting out a line where only three of the five starters are of the quality you'd want, it is a huge risk. They need to not only draft a starter quality player in the 2nd round and hit on him, they need to somehow find another. I'd expect that the 2nd round pick will likely be a guard due to value. That means they need to find a stopgap vet at RT. That might not happen until rosters are thinning. Maybe a post-June 1st cut. It's certainly possible, but it has to be addressed well.

Definitely good retention signings and improvements at OG, TE and starting RB. I am not a big fan of Harvin, but he is an addition that might help. I still worry somewhat about the money being spent, but moreso about the QB position. The job's not done, but the team seems to be moving in a good direction.

I'm pretty sure Goodell was letting Kraft run the investigation, so I guess that's it.* *Please note that the above is said in jest as an effort to show disgust at the preferential treatment Goodell has shown Kraft in the past. I understand that Kraft did not, in fact, run the investigation.

Cassel was brought here to manage games and not be the cause of losses, allowing the running game and the defense to win games. The job is his until he fails to do that and/or another QB shows that they can not only do that, but be an upgrade in some other aspect. It is Cassel's job (for this season at least) unless/until injury forces a change. That's why he's here and I do not see the coaches taking first team reps away from him by having a legitimate QB competition.

Agree that Petty and/or Hundley would definitely be in the conversation.