Florida Bills Fanatic

Before you go too crazy about any of this, you should visit fan sites for a bunch of different teams. You'll gain an appreciation for the difference between minor temporary issues and those "there ain't no fixin' this problems". The Bills are dealing with a bunch of minor things compared to most other teams.

Phillips move could be in preparation for a trade that sends Carter or someone else to another team. It could be part of a bigger transaction. I just don't think that Beane is done reworking the defense. I also believe that Phillips will only be around until the two suspensions are over. Beane has some o-line players and M White that have some potential trade value. Injuries around the league last week may give him opportunities to gain some day three draft picks, regardless of what happens to Carter.

A friend of mine was at the game and he said that Bishop looked like he was favoring his injury. Probably should not have been out there and it explains his early exit from the game. He also said that Shavers looked really fast and physical against press coverage. He also said that the camp bodies were pathetic and looked lost in the secondary.

Don't forget Art Powell. He was a nightmare with the Raiders.

Injuries play such a big part in team failures, it's hard to predict who will succeed in any season. What we can say at this point is that the Bills roster on paper is as good or better than it has been at any point in the Brandon Beane era. Baltimore also has a roster that can be the best that they have been in years. IMHO the Chefs can't say the same thing, although they will still be very good. It's going to be a very interesting season in the AFC.

Don't forget Perry Tuttle! Although, Jerry Butler was a major outlier to the poor run of Clemson players.

The way some people have reacted, it's like they never watched a preseason game before. Vanilla defenses, no offensive game planning, and a montage of different players mixing in on special teams are what we witnessed. Coaches are looking for specific things from specific players who have a chance to make the roster while almost ignoring players that they know to be camp fodder. The mix of camp bodies with potential NFL players creates an overall product that is barely watchable. The camp bodies are there to save the wear and tear on the main talent of the team. We all need to remember this before jumping to any dire predictions of imminent doom.

They did honor it by paying Tre his remaining guaranteed money. The rest of his contract was payable by being on the roster; which he wasn't. As much as people don't like the concept of non-guaranteed player money, it's what the players and agents agreed to. The idea that teams don't comply with their player contracts is not supported by facts. If a player is cheated out of guaranteed money or benefits, the Union and the player agents would drag a team to arbitration in a heart beat.

Great free lance pass rusher but he is not great against the run. His tendency to free lance frequently leaves holes in their defense. Last year, Dallas was terrible against the run and Micah was part of that. Garrett and Watt play both the pass and run to great effect. They are worth the big money. Parsons deserves a good contract but should not exceed Garrett and Watt IMHO. I'm really happy to watch Dallas continue to churn trouble and be a hot mess.

We should not lose sight of the fact that the money allocated to the players comes from a pool of money (cap) that is defined and set each year. Even though money/salary can be pushed into subsequent years, the owners know the amount of money that they will be committed to pay over a fairly short number of seasons. The owners are basically negotiating how much of the player's money pool will go to individual players. Up front bonuses and salary guarantee escrow payments effect their cash flow. The team owners are mainly negotiating to control their cash flow, their ability to pay and keep a competitive roster, and avoid paying people that can't play well enough to justify the price of their contracts (value). Some people look at player negotiations as players taking money that would or could be paid to other players. A big issue for the NFLPA in their next contract will be the salary disparity between the highest paid players and all the others. Stars will always be highly paid but there may eventually be a limit on how much of the cap can go to the top guys. The NFLPA will first try to address this disparity by trying to increase their piece of the revenue. The owners would likely force things toward a strike before they cave. In the end, a negotiated pay scale with higher league minimums is likely because players with their short career timeline will not want to lose earnings. From my perspective the people with the most to gain with the least amount on the line are the player agents. They really overly benefit from their parasitic relationship with the players.

"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" People tell me I have an attitude issue but I embrace it.

It looks like Ross has the Fins teeing things up to start a major rebuild next off season. It's looking like a bad season, a high draft position, and creation of cap room. Their fans down here are increasingly apoplectic regarding this season. I expect a Tyreek meltdown as he sees the writing on the wall. There are some people down here that believe Tua will be shipped out next year in favor of a new guy on a rookie contract. I'm not sure that anyone would take Tua and his contract but I could be wrong. In any event, I glad that it's not the Bills dealing with any of this.

I stay in Jersey City when I travel to that area. I stay near the train station that will take you right into the World Trade Center Station. Good hotels and restaurants Sounds like a good trip.

For Lamar, in his most important game up to that point of the season, his interception and fumble were critical failures. He has done this in other big games in the past. Nothing he says will change that narrative or history. A win in a regular season game will certainly not wipe the slate clean.

Can we just fast forward to training camp and skip all of this extraneous crap?

It's easy to knit pick the original list. I can't omit Tom Sestak. The guy was a beast and was dominant in the AFL championship years.

Jeff Nixon, Shane Nelson, Jeff Wright, and John Tracy are names that come to mind for me.

I got hooked when I attended games at the Rock Pile with my family as a young kid. Cookie running over tacklers amazed me.

Officiating the play needs to stop the o-linemen from lining up in the neutral zone and stop them from beating the snap to gain their advantage. Violations don't happen all the time but they happen enough to be noticeable. There will be some defensive coach that will encourage players to deliver some head shots to knockout the opposing QB. As much as I hate the idea of that happening, I'm not naive enough to believe that it won't. The fact that the Ravens used Mark Andrews to run the play instead of Lamar, tells me that Harbaugh believes the same thing. Time will tell.

And does anyone think that no girl has ever been smuggled into a dorm room? Really?

How about a blast from the distant past? Roosevelt Leaks

Actually, the only thing he really anchored was a poolside lounge chair at the Transit Valley Country Club.

With next year being projected to be a very good QB draft, it probably makes some sense for them to unload tradeable players to accumulate draft capital. In addition, if this year is going to be a down season, eating some dead cap money might not be that undesirable from their point of view. It will be interesting to watch their roster moves going forward.

Bad franchises have bad ownership that populate their GM and head coaching positions poorly. The Dolphin's problems won't go away with just a new coach and GM. The owner keeps interjecting himself into key football decisions when he should leave them to knowledgeable football people. The most glaring example of this was the Tua vs Herbert draft decision. Living in Florida, I have a great time talking trash to neighbors who are Miami fans. I hope Ross keeps right on screwing up his franchise. It makes my annual excursion to Miami to see the Bills very enjoyable.

What's the over/under on guys going in the second round from this group? I settled in on 2.5