Turk71

I know they are suspect but they are not the only ones to comment on Star's declining play. Also even if their evaluation criteria is flawed, the players at the top are all very good players and Star was near the very bottom. The guy was a dominant force his rookie year, maybe he gets back his old self. Still overpaid. Saw a poll where Panther fans were 79% against giving him a new contract. Now they have Poe alongside Kawann Short, probably the best interior line in the league.

Well it might be difficult to quantify but Poe was ranked high and one of top fa dt on pff. Star ranked near the bottom, 30 fa dts ahead of him and only 4 lower. Poe signed for less money. This strikes me as a Panthercentric thing like Tolbert.

The Bills new highest paid player. https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/star-lotulelei/7795 The 109th ranked Dl. A lot of people don't put much stock in pff but if you look at who the highest ranked guys were it is an impressive list. Anyway , however and whatever they were measuring, there were 108 guys rated higher last year. He was near the very bottom and not much better the year before. I think there were better players available who will sign for half of what he is getting. He did play for the Panthers though. Not trying to be negative and I have liked most of what they are doing, but this move and overpaying for Ivory not so much. Will gladly eat crow if they prove me wrong. Flame away

Hey, I could retire nicely with that 3 mil .

Me too. Pesky facts are a pain in the ass and I really like good stories.

Royce Freeman in the 4th or 5th. Guy is a td machine.

He was a beast at Stanford. Saw him play a lot. If he is healthy the Bills defense just got a lot better.

Always suspected Brady had a gaping hole on his backside.

How about 'em. Raise a glass!!!

25 tackles would be whopping for Star. He only got 6 last year . A 5 year bridge contract?

Scored reaalllly high on the wonderlic........

Good one. He only completed 57% of his passes though, that's why he never made it in the pros.

All you want is a good qb. It doesn't matter what you call him.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/mason-rudolph-1.html He has good size and good football smarts. I like how he has gotten better every year as well. Hilarious how many 'experts' around here just write off a guy who had one the best college careers ever. I guess when you are so used to good qb play it makes you cynical.

Does it matter? He doesn't strike me as very athletic.

They had this guy playing next to him. https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/kawann-short/7825 extended him last year 5yr 80 million. Dominant player.

Could bring back Bradham for a start, Avery Williamson, Demario Davis are fa, not sure what they would cost. Roquan in the draft would be the ideal.

I think a great linebacker is the most glaring need on defense. They need their Luke Kuechly.

He definitely fills a need and I hope McD brings out the best in him. I just thought he would be too high priced based on his draft pedigree and how he played his first couple seasons. So glad Kyle is coming back, he is still playing at a good level and means so much to the rest of the team. I think they definitely improved the position. I have a bad back right now and have been pretty cranky, so that may have played a part in my negative reaction. I am actually pretty excited about what they are doing and looking forward to what they do next.

^^^^^^^His rookie year he was tremendous. He went from top to the bottom in that metric the next four years steadily declining. Kawan Short has been dominant next to him and that is who Car gave the extension to. Hey, he is a Bill now and I hope they can bring the best out of him.

Hang in there buddy.

That is not true, I have been behind almost every move they have made so far. I was just hoping that the Star to Buffalo rumors weren't true, and yes I guess I trust their judgment less concerning Panthers players. I am not unhappy and I hope it works out. Less than thrilled is probably more accurate.

I am not thrilled about the signing, I think he got signed because they know him like Tolbert. Better young players are on the rise for less money. I will leave it, whats done is done and time will prove me right or wrong. I sincerely hope I am wrong.

http://billswire.usatoday.com/2018/02/22/nfl-free-agency-buffalo-bills-star-lotulelei-panthers-draft/ from billswire

I take pff with a grain of salt. Hard to argue with their list of fa dts though and their run stop % is not subjective. They are not the only source who have seen a major decline in his play, I read about it before I checked pff. Here is from sb nation Panthers page. https://www.catscratchreader.com/2018/3/5/17075718/is-nfl-carolina-panthers-defensive-tackle-star-lotulelei-worth-4-years-40-million