maryland-bills-fan

Moving Glenn is a very silly idea. Right offensive tackles and left guards can be found in the second round and the 2014 draft is deep. This would be a year to trade down to the mid teens to twenties, draft the best LB / TE / CB we can there and get two OL's in the second round. If you allow me to spend the Bills money, I would jump on Reif from New Orleans. He was getting over $2M a year and grades out as on of the (if not) the best ROT. If we take $4M from letting the bird fly, and sign him to a 3-4 year contract, that is one hole fixed before the draft.

2 weeks, $9.50 an hour, McDonalds.

Saying it again. The franchise tag was devised between the players union and the league, to allow teams to hold onto core players in the interest of competitive balance (which keeps the fans happy by giving everybody a chance to be a winner) and team continuity (which helps keep fans happy). The teams are held to the legal terms because the are written and measurable, so they live up to it. That a player should play when tagged is assumed. Byrd and Parker didn't live up to that part of the deal and Byrd sandbagged last year by taking part of the year off and just coming in for a cameo appearance, at the time when people might start to wonder if he really did have an injury. Byrd also demonstrated that if tagged again he would take 13 games off and again lie about "my footsies hurt". If you remember, Peters was working on a new, post rookie contract when he developed "I can't play" injuries. Sorry, Parker is not a honest person and sleazeball lawyers have been getting away with such tricks forever. You can not assume that lawyers follow the road of high moral conduct. It is not the way the system works. They do whatever they can in their client's interest. That is the morality. The lawyer jokes are true. Every child molester and rapist has a lawyer there looking for some way to avoid justice. That is the American system of justice- there are others where judges have more of a role and may be better, but it what is. The Bills have run up to an agent/lawyer who practices that way and a player, (sugar wouldn't melt in his mouth) who goes along 110% with his actions. I say screw both of them and people who can't see what clearly is.

Tiny Tim Levitre was a finesse, zone-blocking, fast feet type offensive guard. Notice that his listed weight is 20-30 pounds below any of the other starters. He doesn't fit the profile of the Bills offensive line. He can not anchor or push back the very big and good nose guards in the AFL East. What do you expect to have gotten for him? You get guards in the 3rd to 5th round most of the time.

Byrd and his agent are the gaping hole. The franchise system was worked out by the league and the player's association in order to protect the rights and investments of both owners and players. A foundation of it is that if the player signs the franchise tender and salary, the player will perform and play. NOT take a third of the year off with a fake injury and establish the he will take 80% of the year off if tagged again. The Bills shouldn't deal with slimeballs.

No we didn't mismanage it. The deck is just stacked against us. The NFL rules are fair to player and teams IF a franchise player plays in good faith during the franchise year. Bird and Parker laughed at this and had him sit out 1/3 of the games last year. He might sit out 3/4 of the games if he was tagged 2014. The Bills gotta smile, while getting corn-holed and legally can not say "he has a serious injury" (because he doesn't and this would be taken as slander of Byrd's ability to get a good paying contract elsewhere), nor can they say "he is faking it" even if it is obvious he is, for similar reasons of getting sued. Neither road would help the situation (although the temptation to strike back is there) and (although morally justified) would not be a good route for keeping good general player relations and trust. Sorry, sometimes sleezeback lawyers win. Don't do it. She snores and farts in her sleep.

For all I care, the bird can fly right into a Energy Wind turbine and get shredded.

Do you mean the "tackle the guy YES but 8 yards down the field Fletcher" that played for the Washington Redskins? Look at their W/L record. He had the same issue at Buffalo. A lot of tackles but only after big gains.

With the Bills pass rush, we don' t need a superman free safety as much as the Jaron "bend but don't break" cerebral defensive back based defense. With the two Williams and Hughes lowering the boom quick, the QB is in more of a chuck-en-duck mode than playing a chess game with the Jaroun clone. With Byrd gone, are we gonna miss going to the super bowl again? I guess not. Might we be better if we pay another free safety $5M and add $5M to the pot to bring in Streif (sp) from New Orleans to play ROT and then go get a stud WR in the first (or second) round of the next draft? Which way would be Bills be a better team. I say, not with Rolls Royce Byrd playing cameo appearances in Orchard Park! 2015 after all the FA moves for 2014 are over.

Sorry to disappoint you, but you are flat out wrong. If we tag Byrd, it is true we hold the rights to him "playing" in 2014. We get to pay him ~ $9 million dollars and he gets the money regardless. Last year he proved that he could get away with claiming a foot problem and miss 5 games. This year he could claim to have the same problem for the first 12 games, and show up for the last 4 or more games to show everyone he was really okay and dogging it. The Bills couldn't do squat to stop that, every team in the league would know he was pouting and taking most of a year off and he would be a well rested $9M richer FA the following year. The Bills couldn't even say boo about it, because the could get sued for trying to lower his earnings out of spite. Does this sound familiar, like what he did last year or the whole thing with the Philly OT? Parker is a sleeze ball and Bird, played along. THAT is what WOULD have happened. Sorry to burst your little idealistic bubble.

and your plan is/was?

I still think the situation is as follows. Byrd wants north of $10 million a year, guaranteed and multi-year. He sat out about of third of last year with a questionable "injury" that can not be proven or disproven. His agent, the Bills and most of the league (not necessarily the fans) know that if the Bills franchise him this year, he would sit out 12 games this year (my feetsies hurt) and then play in the last six games to show other teams that he is healthy. He would also get absolute full pay. (The Bills would get nothing other then maybe the satisfaction of playing him $9M but putting him on IR for the year). ...................Sorry, but when you are dealing with scumbags, sometimes they win and you are screwed.................... I think Byrd is a second tier free safety and is worth only about $5-6M a year at best. He freelances and lets TE get open down the middle, WR to have little help on many long passes, does not hit hard or scare WR's into short-arming on catches and gets some showy interceptions by flooding already covered receivers to pick up cheap INT or fumbles after other people's tackles and strips. He can not cover the other teams #1 or #2 receivers one-on-one, nor was he asked to. He thinks that he will make a giant payday by shopping himself free without any trade compensation. Maybe he is right. One think that I know is that he did not make much of a difference in our record when he played or not last year and the 67 year old Leohard had as many interceptions. ..............Let's get over Mr. Drama Queen and use the extra $5-7M to make a deal that a veteran ROT (Streiff?) can not turn down. Then we can use the second round pick to get a good LOG and the o-line is settled and a source of superiority for the next 5 years. Our first round pick can then be used for a toy, like a true #1 receiver or the best tight end weapon for EJ. ...............Which way do the Bills come out a stronger team?................Its a no brainer, unless your Bird only get excited for Byrd.

If he hasn't signed the deal after being tagged, then he will not be playing nfl football in 2014 for anybody and will be getting paid $00,0000.00 . If he signed the deal, then he gets his entire salary, even if he sits out the entire year because his footsies hurt. Sorry, we do not really have any control over the situation. If he hasn't signed the deal after being tagged, then he will not be playing nfl football in 2014 for anybody and will be getting paid $00,0000.00 . If he signed the deal, then he gets his entire salary, even if he sits out the entire year because his footsies hurt. Sorry, we do not really have any control over the situation.

I do not agree with our having to pay excessive amounts for "Tiny Tim" Levitre. He was a finess, good-feet pass blocker and by 20 pounds the lightest guy on the o-line. He could not get push on the big nose tackles in our division and does not fit the power running game that Marrone is putting in place here.

That eyebrow has already been raised. Maybe last year, maybe early this year.

Okay folks here is the reality. #1 Byrd is threatening to only play part of next year if the Bills franchise him. He got away with it last year and can do it again. The Bills can not accuse him of that without getting their backside sued for lowering Byrd's earnings potential.......#2 Byrd thinks he is worth $10M a year plus, and he might find a fool to give him that money. He will get more money if the new team does not have to compensate the Bills for a trade, and (with #1) can make that the situation...............These things are true, unchangeable and just get used to them....................... #3 The Bills must have shopped Byrd last year and every moment since as a backup plan. Even if they didn't, there are 31 other teams who are competitive and have been making what they feel are fair offers. (they want to win just as much as anybody). They did not get any offers that got them much better than the compensation for losing a free agent. They are not getting any better offers now, and frankly every team can see how this is going to play out. .............#4 Byrd is not worth more the $6-7M a year, in my opinion and I hope he is greatly disappointed. I think anybody who is a Byrd fan and refuses to see how Byrd is scheissing on Buffalo is a fool and idiot. ...................#5 It is not a great loss. I would rather play an average FS (not a special position in our defense) $5M and use that extra $5M that might have gone to Byrd, add it to another $5M and get the best free agent veteran right offensive tackle. THEN not draft a ROT in the first round and get a stud WR instead. Which way do you think the Bills would look better?

Because everybody and their grandmother knows that was a fake injury. It can not be proven by any objective test like a X-ray or MRI or whatever. He had all summer to get it cured but somehow that wasn't enough time. If we tag him, then it will flare up again for 8 games. Franchise salaries are not docked for missing games. What probably has already happened is Parker has threatened another unproveable medical holdout. All it takes is a raised eyebrow by him and the Bills know the fix is on. The Bills can not accuse him of lying/cheating/faking or they have a big lawsuit on the hands that they know they can not win. Life stinks doesn't it. (((insert best dead lawyer joke here: XXXXXX)

I am as well. I understand that when we shopped Byrd last year, the best offer was to pick up his salary and give us a high 4th round pick. There is still the option for us to tag him and work out a trade, well short of what the standard "two 1st round picks" in the restricted franchise player rule. Have we had anybody come knocking? You would think if Byrd's salary demands (I'm sure he has made them known unofficially and illegally to other teams) were in line with his abilities, that there would be at least one team wanting to be first in line to snap him up. As it is now, the Bills will only get a high 4th round pick and that only if they come out behind in the gain/loss of FA's this year. We tag him, your work out a deal with his agent and if it works, give us a third. We haven't even gotten that, last year or this year, so that is what the market is saying. Don't feel to bad. San Fran let Goldson walk in a similar situation and got nothing back.

Come on. I can not believe that the Bills would be so stupid to offer Byrd $10M a year for 3 years- the guy is not worth that much $6-7M per on a 3 year is more like it. Please consider: Byrd did share the Bills lead for interceptions last year with 4 interceptions. He was tied with the 67 year old Leohard, who is now asking for an exception to be able to take his walker out on the field..........Have you ever heard of a team being scared to play the Bills because "the Bills have Byrd as their safety"? (That is what a 10 million dollar man should get you)...........Have you ever heard of a wider receiver getting the droppsies or short arms because he was about to get nailed by Byrd downfield? (That is what a 10 million dollar....)....................Did you every wonder why so many tight ends earned a living against our defense by running away from the linebackers (who should not be expected to cover the TE all over the field) and not being bothered by a safety until after a long gain. Missing in action and responsibility was......(da $10M man).........................Did you ever wonder on the replays of so many of the long yardage pass gains against the Bills, why is the cornerback all alone? ($10M.....)...............Did you ever wonder, on so many of Byrd's interceptions, how the Bills could have so many players in the region of the football- did we have an extra player on the field, or was some other area left undefended on a gamble by the $10M man.......................No I think Byrd is a good safety, but is more of a $6-7M guy at best. He is a bit of a gambler,, who will get some picks for his resume but be missing on other plays, but not blamed because he is so much out of the camera shot, so it is not even funny. He DOES NOT have the speed to make up for the freelancing. He makes a living on gambling on overloading zones. He does not have the speed to cover the top speed receivers, nor the size or will to pop receivers with hard tackles for intimidation and dropped passes. He is getting older, slower and greedier. PLEASE REMEMBER who drafted this guy. [

Let me talk about what a player “costs” or is “worth” to a team in the NFL, in order to help people and me get some perspective on what is coming down with Byrd. There are a lot of Bills fans, who consider the cost of Byrd to be only his salary, and that is being paid by some old cranky billionaire who they don’t care about. Let me propose that for a player that you get via trade the following as the first cut approximation. (Comment: at some stage you have to put a dollar cost on everything in order to balance things- that get hard to do but is possible.) If we trade Byrd the cost to His new home team is: “COST” = SALARY + (draft picks+player+cash) + {effect on cap space} +{effect on salary equality within team) A lot of our ByrdBird lovers only consider the salary thing and forget the draft pick part. Percy Harvin (not a pro bowler) got traded from the Vikes, but gave up a 2013 1st & 7th pick, as well as a mid-round 2014 pick. Alex Smith (QB) got traded from 49ers to SF and the draft picks were two #2’s 2013 and 2014. Now the thing that Byrd and his agent have their eye on is that if the new team can pick up the player without the (draft picks+ player+cash) part of the equation, then they can pay more. Parker (Byrd’s agent) wants to cash in this money and run. The protection the league offers the original team (the franchise/transition player bit) is necessary (along with the cap system and the drafting order in inverse order of W/L record) to keep a competitive balance in the league, maintain fan loyalty and to prevent big city teams from being able to outbuy small teams like the NY Yankees used to do in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Part of what makes this work is that the expectation is that a franchised player is expected to be a decent person and play for a team when he is franchised. Byrd has demonstrated that he will not but rather will sandbag (at least 5 games off and no preseason for him!) so this falls apart. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! Now why should a team consider any rights to a player beyond holding him by salary size alone. Well one reason is that the NFL is a league and really a single business that holds football games where both teams have a good chance to win and sports fans are interested in the tension of the competition. It is not a dance or opera, where the beauty of the performance is what brings the people in. The cost to teams for getting to the point where it owns contracts for good players is considerable and salary is only one element. COSTS= salary + draft picks + salary while player is developing + (draft picks & salary of players who got cut) + (facilities, coaches, scouts, trainers for team). It is true that the NFL gets away with low costs in early player development compared to baseball, where the minor leagues have to be supported and players developed to much higher skill levels over 3-6 years (at least) before they are ready for the “bigs”. But this still has to be factored into the business model, or we may as well just have a fantasy draft every year by highest bid salary instead of the existing NFL. As to Byrd, reportedly he was offered a deal something like $30M over 3 years, which may or not be true. It is true that the Bills had the absolute legal option of a $8.3M 1 year franchise contract but will probably not pull the trigger on this. Remember this would give Byrd 120% or top 5 average money and let other teams (non-exclusive) try to work out a deal with him that the Bills could match or let him go for 2 first round picks. Lets be honest for the reasons why this would not be a good idea. First, nobody is going to pay Byrd more than $9 million and give up two first round picks. Then the Bills would but stuck with Byrd and Byrd (the scumball) would not honor the contract and would pull another “my feet hurt” routine. The franchise salary is fully guaranteed and Byrd has made it plain that he would refuse to play any more of the season that would be necessary to demonstrate to other teams that he was not injured. A second reason why the Bills shouldn’t franchise him is that Byrd frankly is not all that good a safety,,,,,but I’ll but that in another post.

Great article. It is interesting about what he says about our "needs" at safety and defensive end. He assumes Byrd is gone and scarcely gives a shrug. He also fills some of our holes or depth with free agents at MLB, ROT/LOG and CB. It would be nice not to have to fill these through the draft , but I don't think us draftniks have much info about who they Bills are talking with. That sorta makes draft speculations useless.

"GREAT PLAYER??" Tell me what team was afraid to play the Bills because of Byrd.

A good point. If the free safety is your most important player,,,,,, then the other team is getting a lot of yards every play that he gets near the football.

Aha! But what you haven't remembered is that Marrone played offensive line at 'Cuse, played offensive line a few years in the NFL and then coached parts or the offensive line from 1992 to 2008 or so. Some coach go to bed dreaming of throwing touchdown passes. Marrone dreams about a sweet trap block. We will start drafting guys like Glenn in the first two rounds from now on. We have a lock. If Mack is available at #9, then we will draft him. No doubt at all about this.....cf: http://www.buffalobills.com/team/coaches/marrone_doug/2fd4fd60-7b07-4eb5-919e-d8e6c895d473 "......................Marrone returned to Syracuse and graduated in 1991 with a degree in liberal arts. He and his wife, Helen, have two daughters, Madeline and Anne, and a son, Mack."

Among the top 4-6 linebackers, CJ Mosely (IMHO) would be the best fit for the Bills as a MLB with Kiko moving to the outside. We would then have two fast savy mobile linebackers to clean up runners and QB's who squeeze by gaps in our aggressive front 4. It would be a real scary front 7. Having said that, Mack is projected to be a beast as a pass rushing type outside linebacker. I wonder if he might also be projected to fit and play very well in our defense in the same role that I am projecting fro CJ? Just because Mack would be great as a 3-4 rush guy does not mean that he might also be lights-out as a speedy 4-3 MLB. This is beyond my data and sources to say if Mack would work better.