Rochesterfan

Except Carolina actually improved in Defense the year we hired McDermott and Carolina still had Star. They were a top defense against the run - #2 I believe. Those rankings really started to drop when they lost Star. It might not be the only reason as they also lost Steve Wilks to Arizona, but it did not help. That drop in rushing defense in Carolina was most pronounced last year as they dropped from top 5 to middle of the pack to finally stopping at bottom 3 in rushing defense. Meanwhile the Bills went the exact opposite way. With McDermott, but no Star, the Bills where bottom 5 in the league in run defense. They pick up Star and move immediately to middle of the pack, just as Carolina drops to middle of the pack. Last year the Bills were top 10 rushing defense as Carolina was in free fall. Now Star was not the only factor as you have Edmunds, Oliver, etc. but I do not believe you can discount what Star provides - even if he does not fill the stat sheet. Could they get the same production from a guy like “Snacks” at a lesser price - maybe, but they knew Star would accept his part time roll and help stabilize the room and help get the other lineman on the same page. I will not discount that - as Oliver and Kyle before him, The Phillips brothers, and all the pick-ups seemed to settle in and play fine on the line.

Yes teams may target your CB2, but having Tre as a #1 means you can help by rolling coverage to ensure they do not get beat deep. This allows your CB2 to play more instinctual and play more underneath routes. This was the strength of Josh in Carolina. So yes they may try to target the #2 CB more, but for all the exposing teams did with Wallace - he was not bad in coverage, just a bit to small - which is why he was a UDFA. They got more size with KJ, but not much better play and that is what I expect from Norman. He is bigger and more physical- helping in the outside run game and he will match up with bigger more physical WR2 - allowing Tre to handle the WR1. The idea that Norman could be cut is the whole point of this. He was given a 1 year prove it contract with little to no guaranteed money. This was done before FA even begins - much like the Long signing last year. He is a depth body that if it works is great and if it doesn’t work - it cost you nothing at all - not even a shot at a comp pick.

Washington brought him in because at the time he was considered the “best CB in the NFL”. Carolina realized he was great because of the McDermott scheme - which made many CBs really good - so they did not want to pay him the huge contract. Washington needed another big signing. Washington doesn’t look at fit - they wanted the top CB and saw a way to get him. Also understand this is not a FA move - this is before FA even begins - it is just a depth move for a guy they know. Gives them more depth in case the Wallace surgery puts him behind or they lose other guys during FA. This is not a big time day one FA signing.

First - get your information correct - McDermott never coached Vontae (Miami/Indy) - so they only had minor info on him and much like this it was a low risk deal. Did him not being there the rest of the year hurt the Bills? Second - yes they knew Benjamin- did they give him a contract? They made a trade because they were in a playoff push and whether or not that trade helped - they pushed to the playoffs. So the trade was not a bad move. The Panthers picked up his 5th year option - so when he came in the Bills had him for the remainder of that year and the next. The Bills opted to see if playing on that last year would motivate him and when it didn’t - he was cut mid season. So it looks like - yes they knew him and when he did not give what they needed - they got rid of him. Just like the option for Norman. Especially as the report has 0 guaranteed money before the season - what is the risk? Can you also show these reports that he is currently slow and overweight and sluggish? I have not seen anything since the midpoint of last year where a poorly coached Washington was struggling and decided to “bench” him because of play. That entire team was unmotivated and played sluggish- not sure I blame it on Josh.

This would make sense because as a veteran player - if he is on the week 1 roster - it becomes guaranteed. They should not have to give extra guarantees because of his status as a veteran. This adds to the value as if he is bad - he is gone and no impact at all. If he is good - you have Kevin Johnson all over again. A guy you can play as needed, while still allowing Levi his growth and time. No real down side as it has little cap impact and brings in another depth guy to ensure we have a set roster.

His former HC didn’t want to give him a chance at an AAV of over 12.5 million a year. It sounded like a cap release more than anything. Your first part is absolutely correct - DC way overpaid and he was not worth what DC was paying him - so he gets cut. Now he is signed to a deal at less than half his original salary for a system he is better suited to. My guess would be if he was on a 1 year 6 million contract with DC - Rivera would of kept him around, but at over 12.5 with multiple years left - he was expendable.

He will have to compete to be CB2. He very will could be behind Levi Wallace and who knows who else we sign and draft. I have no issues with the signing as it is really just a depth signing. The money is totally irrelevant as it is a one year deal and begins to provide depth before FA begins.

Yeah - much like QB - the NFL needs more quality O-linemen and it really becomes apparent the lower you get - the total lack of O-Line depth and quality.

Because he never had to play. If they had let him play - he would have been out of the league faster. The Bills saw it and then the Chargers saw it. Now the XFL is seeing it.

It is not a “C” - it is a poorly designed Rams horn - curling from the A. Why it looks like lightning bolts and a C is anyone’s guess.

Agreed - the Chargers I could see. The Rams not so much.

This looks like the Sabres slug logo

Considering even with the win bonus added in - most players besides the QBs will make around $55,000 for their 10 games - they are not exactly making much money. They will make a bit under $480,000 less than the NFL minimum and well below even the PS players before the new CBA. Even with the bigger QB salaries they are way below NFL PS levels. The players are totally being screwed for money as the pay in the XFL is even less than the AAFL was. The question becomes how many get invites and how many do not. I really do not see this as viable beyond next season and if the virus scare continues on the coasts - attendance will plummet even further for teams like Seattle, NY, and LA. I know Vince pulled enough money to fund 2+ seasons, but I am not sure at what point he pulls the plug or has the plug pulled for him.

if that is divided amongst the players only which I think it is - each guy has made an additional $9,000 total for the 5 wins so far. Not bad for 5 weeks work.

Not all of the booth reviews have been correct, but they get done somewhat quick and it is not always used. The flow is better, but the officiating is just as bad or worse and the major gaffes they have had like today have cost teams. Just think about if the major issues like today had occurred every week or 2 weeks in the NFL. The major issues are things that happen once a year in the NFL or should about every 30 XFL years. Also just watching a few games I have seen a lot of blatant things missed or not called. Think about the amount of complaining we do as a fan base when they miss or don’t call blatant holding or PI. If this was the NFL game - these refs would be getting worked over terribly for how they are calling the game. The issue is we are part of a very tiny group watching and we have next to zero allegiance to any team so we let the bad plays go rather than scream and fume over them.

So I love how we hear how great the officials are, but every week it seems there are major gaffes in their limited games a week. The officiating is just as bad just in different ways and the number of games/plays and viewership/importance of games is significantly lower. They are not calling everything, but they are still missing blatant calls and things like timing has been an issue. I think it is just different and if you calculate this out to an NFL schedule - they have played less than 2 weeks of games and have had multiple big plays missed by the referee - it just seems like less because of the fewer games per week and the fact that viewership is less than 10% so fewer people talking about calls.

He has the last 2 years and could not make the Bills WRs either year (and I am told that the Bills had pathetic WRs the last 2 years). After not making the Bills or a PS last year - how good is he really? My guess is he gets an invite, but he just is not good enough against NFL starting or back-up CBs. He will be potential NFL PS with the new expanded Rosters.

This is just going to be very hard to do. The league plays past the combine and past the major part of FA. So these guys will have little chance to get drafted if they come straight out of HS. Worse yet - the timing of the league means most FAs will already be signed and the teams are focused on the upcoming draft - any guys that actually make a roster are just fill ins. The AAFL at least by folding early got several players signed before the big FA push. I think the XFL will get a few guys signed, but considering their pay scale is less than the PS and the fact that viewership is dropping badly week over week and next week starts March madness which will kill the viewership. I just do not see the XFL surviving. The only way a spring league is going to have sustained success is partnering with the NFL/NFLPA and getting these young PS players and true back-up level QBs into the game - guys that will have a legitimate place on NFL rosters and name recognition.

Actually ratings have dropped each week just like the AAFL - attendance is variable because some teams like ST. Louis just had a home opener that got big attendance - some games in other markets attendance was down. How many players exactly do you think are making the 90 man camp roster from this league? You are talking like you expect a bunch - just not sure why? The AAFL folded early and actually made great timing as FA was not completed and it was still a while before the draft and they got a small number with better talent. The timing on the XFL season is really bad. The season completes well after the FA period has been done and right before the draft. They will most likely get a few of their top end players - Cam Phillips, maybe a QB or two picked up from teams that missed out on a position in the draft, but most teams will be down to filling in the last few roster spots. These guys will be competing against undrafted FAs to fill rosters. If the top couple of players from each team are picked up - you are talking about 16 players maybe about where the AAFL was - not exactly a big marketing push - especially as many of them will be cut as part of the roster cut downs. I really don’t think that will make this a viable league long term and it will not drive players from PS or the NCAA to the league. At least that is my opinion as of now. I just do not see this ending well for the XFL and part of that is the new CBA and the increase in players and money.

Yes, but the NCAA is working to balance that out to prevent either an unfair CA advantage with athletes getting paid or having to block all students in CA from competition as they have been paid.

And why after California law changes - players will be paid. The XFL pay scale is lower than the PS payouts - so I think most players will sign their future contracts and the colleges are allowing transfers and shortly - pay - the pool of higher end XFL talent begins to further melt away. The other league realized without getting an agreement with the NFL/NFLPA to use these guys the talent was never going to flourish. Basically the XFL is arena league football. Different rules - low end talent - it will have a few guys that make it back to the NFL - just like Arena and AAFL did, but if they can’t compete to even get the majority of PS players and that number goes up. They are in trouble long term.

My guess is based on everyone of the current Bills PS players accepting a futures contract - that the majority would stay in the NFL rather than move to a spring league. The guys in the XFL are mostly washouts and guys that have little shot at getting back into the NFL. The PS players are going to stick to the NFL because that is their shot. As to college players skipping college and going to the XFL - I think that is just crazy talk. Will 1 or 2 guys that do not have the grades maybe take a shot - could be, but the majority will not for the exact reason we have going on in Indy right now - combine and the draft. Playing in the XFL will mean those guys will not be going to the combine and will not be getting the meetings with the teams. If the NFL leaveS the 3 years from HS rule in place - these guys would need to play in the XFL for for 2 years and take a year off getting ready (not a great plan) or risk playing a 3 rd year and playing right up until the draft - mid April based on this year’s calendar- I don’t think that is a risk most players will take.

I think the other huge piece to this is by increasing the PS and the active players - you will further reduce the talent pool of any spring league that doesn’t have an agreement with the NFL and the NFLPA. It will be interesting to see the impact on the XFL for next year as QB play is already troublesome. You are adding 5 more spots to the PS - that is 160 more young players with NFL contracts that pulls the majority of your starting QBs, WRs, RBs, DBs, etc. I also think you finally see something done right by the NFLPA by letting this go to the members - they knew the vast majority of players would approve - so good for them doing it right. Lo Alexander talked a bit about this on OBL - where as a veteran the deal isn’t great because it adds to the wear and tear, but as the average player only plays 3 years this significantly increases their earnings and brings more guys into play. He recognized it was good for the vast majority of the league.

Shouldn’t the NFLPA be doing the exact same thing. They are supposed to be looking out for the majority of their members, but they don’t. The NFLPA is mostly influenced by the top 1% of their members - guys like Watt and Sherman - that will make enough money that additional health benefits and retirement and more players will have no impact on their career. This is why they struggle as a union. The rank and file players see things like lawsuits to protect Brady, but the NFLPA does not work to protect them in these cases. The team reps are supposed to represent the wants of the 50+ members they serve and not their own interests. This is why they keep getting beat because they are focused on the few not the many. The NFLPA should be working on increasing the players percentages and upping the league minimum for all players and putting percentage limits on the top guys to make sure the middle tier players keep a job. Putting in some type of veteran clause to help increase the average age of the rank and file and increase the money for the majority. They should be trying to get a 17th and 18th game for the guys that will only see 4 years or less - you are talking about less than four games for a majority of the players careers and that extra percentage and the long term health benefits could be huge. The NFLPA should have been pushing for the retirement/health package that the NFL put forth in the last deal that got nixed where both the league and the players take a percentage of their compensation and put it into a fund managed jointly for retirement and healthcare that could be accessed by the majority, but the NFLPA nixed that because it would cause a decrease in salaries at the top end rather than something that benefits 4500 players yearly.

I think it is very relevant what was said at the end of year PC about what to expect in the off season. I do not expect then to go out and sign top flight talent in FA. I think they will use FA to once again fill all of the holes and upgrade some talent levels (see OT, WR, and DE), but it is not going to be the #1 guy at those positions. I also believe just like last year - if a true #1 WR is available via trade - Beane will be talking to the teams and trying to work something out if he thinks the deal works. For this to be ok to me (and I really doubt it will get there) - Beane needs to get that legit WR (maybe a Diggs type - not an AJ Green type - younger, fast, good catch radius - a guy you can still build around). They also need to improve talent at DE and OT - so they can strictly be working BPA. Finally you have to assume Kyle is the BPA at that spot. To me none of those things will line up at the Bills pick in the 1st round, but if they do then fine - I will be happy with the pick. The second statement is true of all teams, but Beane has shown they are good at drafting - just look at the team and the age of the starters at most important positions. The thing is - a good FO also must understand their strengths and weaknesses- especially when it comes to the draft. Some teams excel at identifying players at certain positions and struggle with players at other positions. If the recognize that - they can draft well and make sure they are hitting those strong positions early and hitting the weaker positions later and less often and supplementing that with FA and trades to get proven talent. NE often struggles with WR and DB in their drafts - so they hit those positions via FA and Trades - even with drafting a WR in round 1 last year - he looked like a potential weakness so much that they signed WRs in FA and signed then AB in season and also traded for a WR in season. Their best CBs were all guys they picked up in FA. They struggle with those positions, but recognize it and supplement those areas via FA and trades.