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MR8

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Posts posted by MR8

  1. 46 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

     

    Herd immunity is a pipe dream at this point. We dont even know if it's really possible, and considering we're starting to see people re-diagnosed after their first recovery, it may not ever be until there is a vaccine. (edit: I was just pulling up my sources from the re-diagnoses story from this weekend, and it looks like they are now saying it's merely remnants from the first infection, so maybe there is some hope)

     

    I'm simply talking about getting a handle on the virus. Italy, Germany, Spain all did it and they have soccer back. South Korea has baseball back. New Zealand has Rugby back. They were all able to drive down the daily new case numbers to a point where re-opening made sense and wasn't a major risk. New York state has managed to match the curves of those countries, but plenty of others like here in Georgia are seeing the exact opposite. Video footage from this weekend shows downtown Nashville as packed and roaring as ever with not a mask in sight. So we choose our choices and get what we deserve.

     

     

    The Concern about "Herd Immunity" is you need a vaccine for it.  Too many people are contracting Covid and having it be very mild... many don't even know they have/had it, and others don't have serious symptoms at all.  These cases are what has pushed the narrative that it's no big deal, however in Sweeden (a country that didn't shut down at all) they're finding despite an explosion in cases, there is an VERY small population who actually have the anti-bodies.  What that means is if you have Covid-19 and its very mild your body never really fights to create strong enough anti-bodies for them to be retained in your body's Rolodex of anti-bodies to fight it in the future.  

     

    That's where the concern of re-infection comes from, if people don't have anti-bodies after a while for this thing, there potential for re-infection is very high.  That's hugely concerning.... If people can be reinfected, then there is no possible way to reach herd immunity unless everyone gets the virus and it's bad.  OR a vaccine could accomplish the same thing, but right now it looks like most are almost a year out... in the US there are 3 different vaccines being tested on humans right now, but clinical trials will take until December to know which ones are truly viable for mass production.... Then you need to factor in time for production by pharma companies... the estimate right now if everything goes well for one or more of the vaccines is April for the roll out to the the population for a vaccine, starting with those at the highest level of risk first... doctors, nurses, first responders, social workers, people with illnesses which make them more susceptible, followed by elderly.... then it would go to the general population. 

     

    For everyone to be inoculated in America it will take MONTHS.... now factor in how many people are anti-vaccines and what that does to the idea of "herd immunity".  We could still be a full year to hear and a half away from even considering getting back to "Normal".

    14 minutes ago, SCBills said:

    MLS just tested again with zero new positives.  

     

    The bubble seems to be working, fwiw

     

    I think the hard part about football is there are SOOOO many more players and moving pieces.  Hopefully a "bubble" works, but with expanded rosters, you're talking about soooo freaking many people in the building, all it takes is 1 person breaking quarantine to reintroduce it to the rest.   

    • Like (+1) 2
  2. Sully is an tool, he is right that there needs to be more sports talk options, but that's what pod casts are for.... There isn't gonna be a sports radio station to take on WGR with how Radio conglomerates work now a days.  

     

    Sully ain't the guy to do it either way... He's a negative bitter old.man who was rightfully put out to pasture by the news and has been unable to find a gig because he's a hack. If he were worth a damn, he would've been courted by the Athletic or another reporting outlet.  With his years of experience he would be an asset if he weren't an asshat. 

  3. Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

     

    I “Get It”, it just seems really lame if the guys are allowed to be in the facility and receive treatment or train there, but they can’t have contact with coaches.

    I know the restrictions exist, and I understand why the restrictions exist, I’m just not sure it’s 100% to the players benefit.

     

     

    Just now, chongli said:

     

    But if the player initiates, there should be no problem.

     

    I don't disagree with you guys, and I could be wrong, as i said my understanding is the coaches aren't allowed to interact with the players or it's a CBA Violation, which is why the players go to outside QB coaches and facilities to work out... if they're at their team's facilities they aren't allowed to interact with the coaches so they're just doing it on their own, so why not go to a facility where they can work with trainers.  

     

    It's always easier to work out with a trainer and other guys than by yourself.

    • Like (+1) 1
  4. 2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

    What I would like to know is whether Beasley and Brown and Kroft will visit and work out with Josh.

    Brown I believe resides in Florida.  Beasley has a ranch in Texas.

     

    Knox said he planned to work with Josh out in Cali.  Actually said he did so last year.

     

     

    I believe you are doling the straight gouge but Man! That’s lame.  If a guy has a question, and a coach could answer it, they really should be able to talk

     

    CBA is really strict on what the coaches can and cannot demand of guys during their "breaks". 

    • Awesome! (+1) 1
  5. 18 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

     

    He has said he plans to train in S. Cali in the off season.  Rents a house there to work with Jordan Palmer.  

     

    I’m unclear if he’s allowed to work out at the Bills facility in the off-season?

     

    I am pretty sure the way it works is the facility is open and he is allowed to work out, but coaches are not allowed to work with him.

     

    The facility is always open to the guys during the off-season if they want to use it because then the team knows they're there, they're working out, and they have their trainers there if treatment is needed.  But the coaching staff is not allowed to work with them or anything like that.  

  6. Just now, Chicken Boo said:

     

    This isn't normal behavior and is consistent with erratic behavior that has been linked to CTE.  

     

    It's not an excuse.  We're all fully aware of how deplorable his antics are.

     

    Also his former teammates in Pitt have come out and said when he came into the league and was a young player, even after he was a star young player, he was an entirely different person. 

     

    Personality changes are something that can come with money, but it also come with CTE... and I agree with you Boo, I think it's CTE, but it's a combination.

     

    He experienced extreme success at a position that is known for creating Divas... but even the Randy Mosses, TOs, and OBJs of the world weren't as bat ***** crazy as this guy.  Selfish, self-centered, arrogant... YUP!   But he is flat out CRAZY.  And like I said, guys who played with him earlier in his career before he took some of those devastating hits have said he was not like this before.  He was always arrogant, but the crazy came outa no where.

     

    Dude has brain damage and doesn't think like a normal human being anymore.  

     

    It's not an excuse, I hope he never plays again, but there is more to it than just him being a bag of *****... he's a crazy bag of *****... 

  7. When you're team gets better, people want your guys. It's that simple... no one is combing the bottom of the league for coaching talent, they always look up.  Right now we're top half of the league overall, an our Defensive staff is STACKED, so people are noticing.

     

    People are getting upset that we may lose a guy... we lost a D-Line coach and got a better one to replace him.  While it stinks not having continuity, I'm not really worried about losing positional coaches on the defensive side.  We have too many talented coaches over there for it to really matter losing just 1.  It's good if you can become a coaching factory, means you're luring in the best and brightest and you're developing them.  Also means you're good for an extended period of time.  

    • Like (+1) 1
  8. 29 minutes ago, Do The Reich Thing said:

    I understand them just fine and I appreciate your concern.

     

    The problem is shelling out a 100m contract on 5 years for Yannick. I don't know what your guarantee number is here, but bottom line is you pay for the contract somewhere. Players are all about the guaranteed number these days. That's a ll that matters.

     

    If you front load a deal then you sometimes create a scenario where players are holding out or effort completely tails off because their contract drops off.

     

    Are you prepared to front load a contract with somewhere around 60-70m in guarantees for Yannick? 

     

    Ha ha he's not getting $70M guaranteed... Maybe 50? and yeah I would shell that out...

     

    Structure:

    $17.5M at signing

     

    2020 Cap Hit - $10M base salary (fully guaranteed) + $3.5M Signing Bonus + $10M Roster Bonus = +/- $23.5M Cap hit ... $50M in dead Cap to cut

    2021 Cap Hit -  $16.5M base Salary ($12M guaranteed) + $3.5M Signing Bonus = +/- $20M ...$26.5M in dead Cap to cut

    2022 Cap Hit - $16.5M base Salary ($8M guaranteed) + $3.5M Signing Bonus = +/- $20M ... $11M in Dead Cap to Cut

    2023 Cap Hit - $13.5M  base salary + $3.5M Signing Bonus + $1M Roster Bonus + $1M workout Bonus = +/-  19M... $7M in Dead Cap to cut

    2024  Cap Hit - $13M base salary + $3.5M Signing Bonus + $1M Roster Bonus + $1M workout Bonus = +/- 18.5M  ... $3.5M in Dead Cap to cut

     

    Yeah it's a big contract, but once you're through the first 2 years you can realize cap savings by cutting him in year 3, and even more in years 4 and 5. 

     

    The incentive for him to sign you may ask?  Well he's getting $17.5M at signing plus an additional $10M in year 1 as a roster bonus for making the team (which he obviously will), and his base salary of $10M is also guaranteed to be paid to him all in that first year... so he gets a $17.5M check in FEbruary, a $10M check in September, then 17 game checks totalling $10M... by the end of 2020 he'll have made 37.5M of his money IN CASH.

     

    Plus in year 2 he walks away with another BIG chunk of change in cash. You can even make part of that base smaller by converting it to roster bonus rather than "Base salary" so he gets money spread throughout the year rather than waiting from 2020 to the 2021 season to get money. 

     

    However you slice it, the incentive for the player is a massive pay day in year 1 with big guaranteed money through year 2 and into 3... by year 4 he still has bench marks of guaranteed money through bonuses and a nice base salary but that's when he may want to re-negotiate the deal... just a part of the game. You also can get out from under his deal in those years if you need/want to. But the point of signing a 100M player is getting a corner stone, so hopefully you won't need or want to do that. 

     

    The reason Whaley kept screwing up was he kept doing extensions with big signing bonuses which amortize the money and force big cap hits throughout.  He didnt have space to front load deals, nor did he have cash until the Pegulas came in.  But he structured deals so they were big throughout without the ability to get out from under it without MASSIVE Dead cap hits.

     

    On top of that he kicked the can down the road on guys by converting money to bonuses, and extending players to push their cap hits further down the road so they could free up cap "now"... that's not at all what I am proposing... I am proposing the opposite... a deal like what we've been doing where we front load the guarantees making it palatable on the back end. 

    • Like (+1) 1
  9. 1 hour ago, Do The Reich Thing said:

    I appreciate the analysis and there are some good spots on this breakdown, but damn I'm happy you're not the negotiator for contracts. You'd put us in a dead money situation worse than Doug Whaley.

     

    Putting up dollar figures for total and term has nothing to do with dead cap... it's all about the contract structure and how you place the guaranteed money. 

     

    The way you bury the risk of dead cap is by structuring the deal with all the guaranteed money in the first 2-3 years and only a moderate signing bonus, however you give a nice plump ROSTER bonus in year 1... For example:

     

    Here's an example of how you do it with an extension... Signing a player to say $75M for 5 year extension (6 years total)... thats an average salary of $15M with say $27M in guarantees.

     

    You give a signing bonus of say $7,500,000, you then offset the rest with guaranteed base salaries in years 1, 2, and or 3... but for this I'll show you how you make it essentially a 3 year deal you can get out after 2...

     

    Give a base Salary of $1.285M with your pro-rated Signing bonus, and a ROSTER Bonus in year 1 of $7M.  your cap hit is about $9.785M with a dead cap hit RISK of $27M (guaranteed money including your roster bonus)

     

    Year 2 you have a base salary of $11.9M with your pro-rated signing bonus and maybe a workout or roster bonus if you want, but lest say nothing... so your cap hit is $13.4M, however your dead cap Risk in year 2 is now down to $17.215M

     

    Year 3, set your base salary at say $12M with your signing bonus, and like year 2 say no other bonuses... your Cap hit is $13.5M... HOWEVER your dead cap to cut him would be just $3,815,000 because you've front loaded the deal you're not in a place where you've upfronted tons of cash, however your CAP RISK is low to dump the player... he's already gotten almost all his guarantees, so you no longer need to account for it.

     

    Years 4, 5, and 6 you now can have the base salary wherever you want it, usually a decrease to say $11M and then you kick in some roster and workout bonus money so the player is kept happy as those are similar to bonuses as they're easy to achieve... show up get $500K for being on the team and $100K for working out... cap hit is just your guarantees plus the workout and roster bonuses... however your dead cap is only the remaining signing bonus... so by year 4 it's about $3M, year 5 it would be down to $1.5M and year 6 would be zero.

     

    So you're signing a marquee player like say Tre White to a 5 year extension leveraging his last year under contract and you're giving him $75M with 1/3 of it guranteed... however you have an out after year 3 with basically no cap hit compared to the rest of the contract and in the subsequent years the cap hit lessens even more.

     

    Since you don't know all of that already, I will say that I am happy you're not the negotiator, as you clearly don't understand the cap or contracts. 

     

     

  10. 18 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

     

    Sorry to cherry pick a small part of a post you obviously put thought and effort into, but this is very, I would say critically, important: What is your evidence that Morse is not 100% right from his head injuries?

     

    This is, IMO, of critical importance given the critical importance of the Center position.

     

     

    Please explain the rationale for using PFF ratings to evaluate linemen.  Thanks!

     

    He performed statistically worse than previous years.  He was healthy, and that's great, as I have already said replying to another poster, I don't want Morse gone in 2020... not even in 2021, but a man with 6 concussions in 5 years needs to be looked at as a liability for injury.  So I say we draft a C/OG who can start at OG for us (because I don't think the Bills want to move Ford to OG, they loved him at OT and IMHO they'll give him 1 more year) ... but you draft a C/OG, let him play at OG in 2020 to learn the game like Eric Wood did, and then you have options.

     

    If Morse stay's healthy you have a starting OG who can play center in a pinch or rotate in as full time starter when Morse's contract is up.  OR he gets hurt and you have his replacement already on your team rather than having to find someone at a position that is very hard to replace.

     

     

    As for PFF, it's a solid statistical ranking I know a lot of people don't like it, but I do.  I also look at Joe B's grades on the Athletic and Spain didn't grade out well by his evaluation other, and my own view from watching, which is much less honed than either of the first two said that Spain struggled A LOT in pass protection and his misses caused other miscues on the line. 

  11. 12 minutes ago, CommonCents said:

    Good work, I like Yannick but I don’t love him at 20m per. I think LB is a much bigger need than many of us want to admit. I expect a serious LB in the draft or FA. 

     

    My only complaint would be on Phillips, I don’t know why so many fans are ok with him leaving at that 9-10 million range. Plenty of people have spent time defending Star’s contract but we aren’t willing to pay a disruptive DT?

     

    #wewantPhillips

     

    I disagree, we spent most of our defensive snaps in 4-2-5... Most of Zo's snaps came at DE or DT versus traditional LBer.  The 3 down LBers are already on the team with Milano and Edmunds, so I think they can get rotational help elsewhere.  Pass rush is a bigger need as thats why Zo was dropped down to the line, and CB on the outside opposite Tre is a big concern.  We have good depth guys at CB but not a #2 starter.  

     

    For my money if you're going to be rolling 5 DBs on the field and only 2 LBers for 70+ percent of your snaps, it's more important to have a 3 down CB opposite Trey than a 3 down LBer who will be riding the pine behind Edmunds and Milano on most snaps. 

     

    For DT... I won't defend Star's contract I want that fat useless turd cut, but McDermott likes him and cutting him saves relatively little against the cap with a $7.4M dead cap hit and only $2.6M in savings.  If you make that move you're doing it because you think Star did a terrible job, and I don't think McDermott would say that.  I like Phillips a lot, but I think he will be allowed to walk, the rotation will be Star, H. Phillips, Oliver (who will play the role of penetrating D-Line), and a new rotational player either FA or mid/late draft pick.

     

    I prefer keeping Phillips but I am not seeing a way they spend that much money on him.  If they keep him I'll be very happy, but he is keeping Oliver on the bench and Oliver was a high draft pick.  They play the same role, so maybe they want to let Phillips go so Oliver can grab the reigns?  

     

    I dunno, we'll see.... you can't have too many good playmakers, but I can see where you need to prioritize your money. 

  12. 10 minutes ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

    That Morse bit is a really hot take. But you put a lot of work into this, and I respect the hell out of that, so I won't talk smack. 

     

    I definitely appreciate you putting Yannick down for $20 plus, since I think that is the minimum of what he will command on the market. 

     

    Thanks man, I don't mind it though if you like.  While this is what I think, I'm know not everyone will agree.  Appreciate the respect, but this is a discussion board so we can discuss haha.

     

    I will say this, the reason I see a need for a long term C solution is the guy has had 5 known concussions in 4 years.  He was out all of pre-season, and while he stayed healthy all year, you just don't know what will happen with him long term.  You saw the difference when he was in versus when he was out and Feliciano kicked over and Long played... It wasn't the same.

     

    While it's great to have an OG who can kick over in a pinch, you don't want to be waiting for that shoe to drop and suddenly you're in a tight spot.  

     

    I would draft a C to replace Morse, but not tomorrow, not necessarily in 2022 either... but long term.  Get a guy in there like Hanson who is raw and needs a year at the NFL Level playing OG before he can play center anyways.  Eric Wood played OG his rookie year...

     

    So put Hanson there as a starter on the interior where he can learn from Morse... you have 3 years of both of them under contract for him to learn and grow either as an OG or as a C to replace Morse.  And in the event Morse goes down, you now have your long term replacement ready to go.  It's a prudent move with a guy who is injury riddled. Plus it makes our interior better by getting Spain out and Hanson in.  Spain graded out to being our worst Offensive Linemen per PFF both run blocking and pass blocking.  Ford was not far off, but he has tons of upside and I think these coaches want him to play OT badly so they're gonna give him 2020 to sink or swim.

     

    Drafting Hanson best case Morse is amazing and Hanson is amazing and you have a decision to make for trading... Worst case you use a pick on an interior linemen you need anyways. I personally see it as win win. 

    1 minute ago, Starr Almighty said:

    That RB room looks unimpressive. I'd love to let Dimarco take a walk the guy does nothing for the team.

     

    Well there are a lot of open spots on the roster in this mock, I'm not going to pretend to know everyone they sign, this is only like 60 guys, they'll still have like 30 more.

     

    For RB I would be targeting a "Scatt Back" in FA.  We haven't had that back who can just catch the ball and run with it elusively in a while. Motor did a fine job, and is looking a bit like Freddie Jackson at times, but he still doesn't have the receiving chops freddie had.

     

    The pats have made it thier job to collect those underrated RBs who can catch and run in open spaces, I think the Bills need to take a page from that book. We need to get a bruiser for 3/4th down and goal line, but we also need some guys who can make someone miss in open field and get 4-5-6 yards on a quick dump off.

     

    Draft A.J. Dillon In the 5th, kid is a battering ram and can also play FB. He can render DiMarco obsolete and play 2 roles, and that still leaves you spots for those scatt back style RBs. DeAndre Washington, Wendell Smallwood, CJ Prosise are all guys I would target (in that order of desire) who shouldn't command a lot on the open market, but fill that role.


  13. Alright it's that time again... sadly... the Bills are out of the Playoffs and now we must take stock of what we gained, what we lost, and what we need to do better going forward.

    So last year's objective was to add to the offense, and re-stock the D. This year I think it's still very similar. While they made incredible strides on the offensive line compared to 2018, they still have a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Additionally, while Brown and Beasley proved to be great additions, they still need to do more in the WR room to get better. So the 2020's three main objectives are actually the same as 2019:

    1) PROTECT OUR QB
    2) Add weapons for the Offense
    3) Replenish Defensive Depth

    We need to lock down the O-Line. Dawkins returned to his rookie form, and could be in line for an extension per Beane saying he wanted to meet with all the guys in their 3rd year. Morse played well, definitely an leaps and bounds improvement over the previous year, but he still isn't 100% right from his head injuries. I would consider looking at C in the draft early but have that kid play OG instead to start so he can get up to NFL speed next to Morse and eventually be his replacement. I said the same thing in 2019 wanting the Bills to draft Erick McCoy, and I still think it.

    As I said above, our WR additions were fantastic this year, but we still lack a true #1 WR, and the only way to get that without spending $25+M is to draft and develop a kid. I think that should be a top target this year, and in FA we should be eyeing depth as well.

    As for Defense, we need to get deeper, and we're going to need to refill some spots. The more I think about it the more I think we are going to lose Jordan Phillips. In his end of year Presser, Beane said that Phillips had earned the right to test the market, so I think they made their offer, so now they are going to let him walk and see what he's offered and then if he they can work something out int he middle then fine, otherwise he's gone. We do have H. Phillips returning from injury, but DT will still be a need as we run a HEAVY rotation. Sal Cappaccio on WGR was saying that the Bills already have 3 of the top 15 paid 4-3 DTs in the NFL With Star, Oliver, and J. Phillips on his current $4M contract. If he wants $9-10 based on his monster year this year, I just know if they want to commit the resources to 1 position...

    I will add more notes to explain my thought processes, but that's a quick and dirty of it all...


    MR8’s Ideal Offseason 2020


    Cap Figures 2020 - Per OTC

    Total Cap Liabilities: $136,006,041
    Top 51: $134,963,157
    Team Cap Space: $88,531,260
    Offense: $70,836,602
    Defense: $59,516,555
    Special: $4,610,000


    All 2020 Free Agents:
     

    PLAYER (19) POS. AGE FROM TO 2019 AAV STATUS MARKET VALUE
    Jordan Phillips DT 27 BUF TBD $4,500,000 UFA -
    Spencer Long C 29 BUF - $4,200,000 CO -
    Lorenzo Alexander OLB 37 BUF TBD $3,750,000 UFA -
    Kevin Johnson CB 28 BUF TBD $3,000,000 UFA -
    Shaq Lawson DE 26 BUF TBD $2,569,744 UFA -
    Quinton Spain G 29 BUF TBD $2,050,000 UFA -
    LaAdrian Waddle RT 29 BUF TBD $2,000,000 UFA -
    Frank Gore RB 37 BUF TBD $2,000,000 UFA -
    Julian Stanford OLB 29 BUF TBD $1,500,000 UFA -
    Maurice Alexander LB 30 BUF TBD $1,000,000 UFA -
    Kurt Coleman FS 32 BUF TBD $930,000 UFA -
    Corey Liuget DT 30 BUF TBD $930,000 UFA -
    Senorise Perry RB 28 BUF TBD $720,000 UFA -
    Isaiah McKenzie WR 25 BUF TBD $600,000 RFA -
    Dean Marlowe SS 28 BUF TBD $600,000 RFA -
    Jason Croom TE 26 BUF TBD $527,000 ERFA -
    Levi Wallace CB 25 BUF TBD $525,000 ERFA -
    Robert Foster WR 26 BUF TBD $525,000 ERFA -
    Isaac Asiata G 27 BUF TBD - RFA -



    FA Re-Sign:

    Jordan Phillips (Est Deal 4 Years - $30M)
    I know what I said earlier about Phillips costing too much, but I love the guy and his intensity. He plays a very similar position to Oliver, as both are penetrating DTs and I am torn on if I want to spend $8M on a guy who may keep our rookie down on the depth chart. H. Phillips was looking to take over for Star as the year began as it was, so I think he's a lock to be the starter in 2020 and while I would personally cut Star, I don't see it happening. Cutting him only saves $2.4M and they like him from his time in Carolina. So this is a hard one for me, but IF They choose to keep their D-Line roation of Star, Phillips, Phillips, and Oliver together I think this is what it will cost. And while I think thats a crazy amount of money for just DTs, we will have the best interior D-Line in football again in 2020... then in 2021 I see them cutting Star to clear space to keep H. Phillips provided he returns to form.

    Kevin Johnson (Est Deal 1 Year - $3M)
    Johnson was thrust into a starting spot in the playoffs with the injury to Wallace, and I think he held up well. Johnson has proven to be a valuable rotational CB, and while we ABSOLUTELY need to get better at CB and that's one of my top draft needs, I would try to keep him on a "prove it" deal if possible for at least 1 more year. He played well enough that he may get an offer elsewhere, but I think it would behoove him to re-sign here and move forward in our system. Frankly we need him as we need more CB Depth. Letting him walk creates another hole.... re-sign him and draft a guy early to battle for the #2 CB spot.

    Quinton Spain/LaAdrian Waddle
    All three of these guys are on my list for the same reason... O-Line is HARD TO FIND. Spain was the weakest link on the O-Line IMO This year and Waddle was never healthy. HOWEVER we need to grow this line, so re-signing our existing pieces to prove it deals AGAIN if possible is something they should do. Since we have some money I would offer Spain a 2 year deal with 2020 guaranteed, but basically all incentives in 2021, Waddle I would offer just to re-sign to 1 year prove it deal. They aren't going to get much else from a different team, but I wouldn't let any of them walk without trying to keep them on the cheap.

    Senorise Perry (3 Years Vet Min)
    Perry is a core special teamer who serves a role with that unit. I would bring him back on a vet min deal if they can't identify someone who can do what he does but also plays a skill position.

    NOTES: Yes I am planning to let Shaq Lawson walk in this off-season plan. Not because I don't like him, but because I plan to go big game hunting in FA for a DE and I don't think they can afford to kick $25M to a DE and re-sign Shaq for the estimated $8M he will want. IMHO Either you keep Shaq and go get a DE or your keep Phillips and go get a DE, you can't pay both of them. So I chose to pay Phillips, but it could easily go the other way.



    ERFA Re-Sign:
    BACKGOUND: An exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) is any NFL veteran [who reaches the end of his contract] with less than three accrued seasons. A rookie (first year player), second, and third year player each fall into this category.... A player with exclusive rights status may only sign a contract with their original team, if the original team placed the minimum salary tender, typically during the first days following the completion of the Super Bowl through the start of the new league year (mid-March).... Any player who receives a team’s exclusive rights minimum salary tender will not be able to negotiate with another team, and the player must only re-sign with his original team.... If the minimum salary tender is not given or the tender has been withdrawn by the original team to a player with less than three accrued seasons, that player will then be completely free to sign with any team without any penalty or any restrictions.

    Levi Wallace (Tender with the plan to sign to multi-year deal)
    Talk about a guy who has out played his UDFA status! We still need an upgrade at #2 CB, but letting this guy walk would be a MISTAKE. Get him locked up with an ERFA Tender and let him compete with a highly drafted rookie for 2020.

    Robert Foster (Make a Minimum Tender but do not extend him past 2020)
    Foster was one of the biggest disappointments on the roster for 2019. His speed and the way he finished 2018 left everyone thinking at the very least he had locked up a role in 2019, with some thinking he could be a #1 WR. All of that fell apart in 2019. He still has a fantastic mix of size and speed, but he's drifting to the bottom of the WR group IMO. They need to get better, and Foster is at high risk of being left behind. I would make him a min tender offer to come back and prove himself, but I wouldn't give him anything more than that. He is striking me more and more of a guy who can't get himself motivated, or cannot understand the playbook, or both.

    Jason Croom - I dont want him but he's banging a Pegula so they'll tender him

    RFA Re-Sign: Tender rates per Over the Cap: First Round $4,667,000 - Second Round $3,278,000 - Original Round $2,114,000

    Isaiah McKenzie (2nd Round Tender)
    McKenzie was a 5th round pick, but I think he has more value than that in our Offense, especially since Daboll is most likely coming back for 2020. They love using him all over the field, and as such we should tender him with a 2nd to make sure if anyone wants to steal him away from us, they're paying a premium of a 2nd round pick. I like McKenzie, and in my eyes he should have a role at the very least in 2020. With the cap space we have, we can be a bit frivelous and give him $3.278M on the 2nd round tender this year, and re-evaluate what we want from him in 2021 and beyond.


    Extend: (I will circle back for more numbers on this I need to do some research)
    This is an interesting situation, with the CBA Set to expire, there is a new rule that teams CANNOT pay a player more than 30% more in 2021 than they made in 2020. Because of this, player who are rolling off their rookie deals in 2021 will need to be re-inked with pay raises in 2020 to balance things out if they are set to make more money. Guys like Milano on SUPER cheap rookie deals are in line for a massive pay bump in 2021, but if there is now new CBA by then, the Bills won't be allowed to pay them that. So they almost need to pay them NOW while they have the money and the wiggle room + time before the CBA expires and they're between a rock and a hard place.

    Jon Feliciano - With just 1 year left on his 2 year deal, he has out performed his initial deal. I would extend him for 2 more year and give him more money, he's acting as both the starting OG and back up Center, thats a VERY valuable player to keep around and keep happy.

    Tre White - Pick up his option and work on a 6 year extension starting in 2021, but give him a $7M roster bonus in 2020 that won't impact his cap number but adds the the money he is paid allowing us to increase his salary.

    Matt Milano - Front load a deal for him in 2020 and 2021 with guarnatees but giving us real cap relief with a lower overall cap number

    Release:

    Release Trent Murphy (Cap Savings - Approx. $7.2M)
    Trent has SIGNIFICANTLY under performed his deal and we need a true pass rushing DE In a bad way. We simply cannot continue to carry his bloated contract AND pay another DE to come in here. Cutting him only costs us about $2.5M in dead space but frees up $7.2M, he needs to be gone and that money needs to be rolled into paying a new DE.


    Release Tyler Kroft (Cap Savings - Approx. $5M)
    He was hurt ALL THE TIME in Cincy and came here hoping a change of scenery would bring him luck and success. That did not happen, he was hurt most of the off-season and much of the season. When he did play he was largely ineffective, and was out played by 2 rookies. It's time to pull the plug on this experiment and reallocate his cap to re-signing guys or extending players who DID play up to what we want to see from our Bills.

    Release Spencer Long (Cap Savings - Approx. $3.5M)
    Long was signed to a "Prove it" Deal to come in as a Center, he then kicked over to OG with the thought that he'd be a starting OG and backup C. Then he was out played by Feliciano and the hope was he'd be a swing Guard backup who could also play Center... again he proved he could not do that. This team favors player who are versatile, and Long has proven he is absolutely not. Cutting him saves money we can give to Feliciano. I would explore a trade for LITERALLY anything before just cutting him since the NFL is in desperate need of Offensive linemen. If we can't find a dance partner who'll give us something like a 7th for him I would cut him.

    TJ Yeldon (Cap Savings - Approx. $1.65M)
    He was almost never active and it was proven they didn't know how to use him anyways. He started out with a case of the fumbles and never worked his way back into the good graces of Daboll. Yeldon doesn't play special teams and is not much of a contributor. I would rather cut him, not bring back Gore and start over building around Singletary.


    Trade:

    I would trade away any Offensive Linemen we do not want as we get into OTAs and Mini-Camp. I think that is where most of our "Trade Value" exists right now.


    Free Agents:
    What we plan to do with Ford going forward, if he's an OT or OG will impact Free Agency IMO. There are some great OGs who will be FAs and there are good OTs in the draft, so if he is staying at OT, we need to look for a starting OG to replace Spain as well as OT depth, but if he's moving to OG, we need to look for a starting OT.


    Yannick Ngakoue (5 Years $100M)
    Yannick is a true pass rusher and should be our #1 target. He turned down a deal from the Jags last off-season for $18M per year because he wanted $20+.... So give the man $20M per year. You can still structure that deal to be team friendly with a massive roster bonus in year 1, and the largest part of the guaranteed money in the first 2 years, and a moderate signing bonus so you aren't amortizing too much to ham string you down the road in dead cap. This is the man you clear Shaq & Murphy off the books for. A pass rush expert at just 25 years old with 8+ sacks in his first 4 years in the league. With our DTs, this man can EAT up QBs... The biggest worry here is Jacksonville came out and said getting him re-signed is their #1 priority, and they can still Franchise or Transition tag him.

    If you can't get Yannick, would go HARD after Arik Armstead, but for less money, he's not nearly as proven.

    IF FORD GOES TO OG (I think he stays at OT and we draft an OG)
    Jack Conklin OT (4 Years - $42M)
    Conklin's 4th year option was not picked up by Tenesee but he played very well this year with a 78.2 PFF grade and was solid in both pass protection and run protection for Derek Henry. If he hits the open market as a RT, he will be in demand and may cost more than what I have up there, but if we're kicking Ford inside we should lock up a good young OT to solidify the line for a few years to come.

    We undoubtedly need to sign other guys, but right now I haven't looked deep enough to have names of depth player etc.. I'll take a look in the coming weeks and add in later posts.


    Draft: (BPA, with a focus on specific needs and strengths of the class. We need a #2 CB, WR, OT, (if we don't sign one), and DE (If we don't sign on))

    NOTE: There is no doubt in my mind that the Bills move around in the draft, likely at least 1 trade up, bit I am just mocking with existing picks... some of these guys may require trade ups...


    1/22 - Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
    2/54 - Jake Hanson, C/OG, Oregon - I think Ford Stays at OT... draft a C replacement for Morse who can start at OG
    3/86 - A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
    4/118 - Quincy Roche, DE, Temple
    5/138 - Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty
    5/150 - Matt Peart, OT, Connecticut
    6/169 - A.J. Dillon, RB/FB, Boston College
    6/181 - Cam Brown, OLB, Penn State
    6/182 - L'Jarius Sneed, CB, Louisiana Tech


    2020 Training Camp Roster - Ish
    Obviously some of the bottom roster guys, especially at WR will be cut, this is everyone currently on the Bills Roster as of 1/8/20, as well as the people I named above. It will need tweaking.


    Offense
    QB: Allen, Barkley, Davis Webb
    RB: Devin Singletary, AJ Dillon, Sinorise Perry, Christian Wade
    FB: Patrick DiMarco
    WR: John Brown, Cole Beasley, Laviska Shenault Jr., Antonio Gandy-Golden, Robert Foster, Isaiah McKenzie, Cam Phillips, Duke Williams, Ray-Ray McCloud, Nick Easley
    TE: Lee Smith, Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeny, Jason Croom, Nate Becker
    OT: Dion Dawkins, Cody Ford, Matt Peart, Ty Nsekhe, LaAdrian Waddle, Victor Salako
    OG: Jon Feliciano, Jake Hanson (Eventually move to Center), Quinton Spain, Ike Boettger
    ? Mitch Morse, Ryan Bates


    Defense
    CB:Tre,Davious White, AJ Terrell, Taron Johnson, Levi Wallace, Kevin Johnson, L'Jarius Sneed, Cam Lewis
    Safety: Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Siran Neal, Jaquan Johnson
    MLB: Tremaine Edmunds, Corey Thompson
    OLB: Matt Milano, Julian Stanford, Cam Brown, Tyrel Dodson, Del'Shawn Phillips, Maurice Alexander, Vosean Joseph
    DE: Jerry Hughes, Yannick Ngakoue, Darryl Johnson, Jonathan Woodward, Mike Love
    DT: Star Lotulelei, Jordan Phillips, Harrison Phillips, Ed Oliver, Vincent Taylor

    Special Teams
    LS: Reid Ferguson
    Kicker: Steven Hauschka
    Punter: Corey Bojorquez, Kaare Vedvik
    KR/PR: Andre Roberts

    What say you?

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  14. The problem is the number of minorities who get the opportunity to be coaches at all levels that then filter upward to become NFL HCs and front office personnel.  Look at the demographics of how many players are minorities versus the number of coaches.  The problem isn't just that the NFL isn't hiring minority HCs, it that the system from high school on up for some reason is white dominated as coaches and front office personnel.  

     

    There is a problem, but I am not going to go out on a limb and say 100% it's that NFL owners aren't hiring minorities as HCs.  I think the bigger issue is that there are so few minorities in all coaching and front office positions, especially when compared to how many are playing the game. 

     

    I don' t have an answer on solving it, but the problem is deeper than just fewer HCs are minorities... IMHO that's more a symptom of a greater problem.  Though I will say there are ABSOLUTELY minority coaches who deserve a shot as HCs and haven't gotten it.  But we know their resumes, we don't know how they were in interviews etc... there could be viable reasons why they weren't hired to be HCs.  But the pool of minority candidates is SOOOO much smaller, and that's a problem. 

  15. 1 minute ago, eball said:

     

    It's more a matter of the guys above him not going anywhere.

     

    Odd are he hoped he'd get an offer to go to another NFL Team with the Coaching carousel running and didn't get any calls.  Now he looks at the fact that he's buried on the "Depth Chart" sorta speak in Buffalo behind probably 4 or 5 assistant coaches who have been there longer.  If he ever wants to move up he has 2 choices:

     

    1) Stay in Buffalo for another year and be a part of a great Defense where the is plenty of Credit to go around but be just another guy on a great defensive staff

    2) Strike out on his own from Buffalo and make his case elsewhere... be "The Guy" who turned it around at VT.  

     

    It's a bet on himself thing, and while he probably could've gotten some DC job at a minor program in college, it's much harder to make your way there... So he took a lateral move to a "Meh" program but not garbage, with a guy he knows and trusts and now needs to work hard to prove he deserves more.

     

    If he can make something special out of VT's D-Line he will get a DC gig in college pretty quickly at a respectable program.  From there he can decide if he wants to push to get back into the NFL or stay in the college ranks.

     

    Coaching football is a really hard thing to do, not just the work, but the politics and the nature of the job.  You're ALWAYS moving around... If you're good you're in high demand and you get offers all over and need to decide which to take and which not, but they always mean moving.  If you're bad you get fired and move down...  IF you're just so-so, you can stick around in a place with a coach but inevitably he will be fired or move and you need to decide what you want to do.

     

     He has not roots in Buffalo, he has been here a few years and has learned things I'm sure, but he maxed out the upward mobility here.  This is a strategic move for him... either he wants LESS Responsibility and scrutiny by going to college, or he wants MORE but knows he needs to move on and re-prove himself again to get that upward mobility chance.  I think it's that he wants to move up and knows in Buffalo right now he just wont.  Which is a REALLY good thing that we have so many good coaches that he's burried and there's nothing he can do abou tit.

     

     

    All that said this is a massive loss for the Bills.  Shaq, H. Phillips, J. Phillips, Murphy all improved from 2018 to 2019, and Oliver showed fantastic progression.  He was doing fantastic work here, and now we have big shoes to fill. 

  16. 4 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

     

    OK, and we made the playoffs from the same type of schedule, so what?  Should we get rid of McDermott because he didn't get 13 wins?

     

    This is a TERRIBLE comparrison... we DID make the playoffs lol

     

    And I think McDermott left a lot to be desired at times this year and his overly conservative nature cost us a playoff game.  He needs to keep growing as an HC Or yes he should be ***** canned... but he got them in a position to win 10 games and lock up a playoff birth with 2 weeks left... they could've won 11 had they started their best guys in week 17.

     

    Your comparrison of a team that lost down the stretch to a team that won down the stretch is funny... McDermott was out coached by Baltimore and by the Pats down the stretch.  So that's worth noting... but He did enough to not be on the hot seat and prove he can make better choices.

     

     

    6 minutes ago, Ennjay said:

    Maybe but Denver's had three coaches in the last 5 years (4 in 6) and Fangio replaced the disaster that was Vance Joseph.  Throw in there's an ownership vacuum and Elway, who's getting by on his playing rep and not what he's done as an executive, hand-picked Fangio and of course he's good for a second year.

     

    I'm expecting a major house-cleaning in Denver next year if the Broncos have a losing record.  Assuming someone in ownership steps up and Elway isn't running the show. 

     

    I think you're right that Denver will have a house cleaning, especially if ownership changes.  Drew Lock developing into a franchise QB is the only thing that'll save Elway's job.  If he take the right steps he'll probably be retained regardless of win loss record... but if he sucks there will be a top down cleaning. 

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