Florida Bills Fanatic

I think the player has almost zero leverage at this point. I don't see the Chargers throwing Gurley type money at him. They may very well offer him an extension with significant money but nothing crazy. As someone already pointed out, he has missed a bunch of games and the team will be somewhat reluctant to break the bank with a ton of guaranteed money. They have several contracts to deal with next season that will play into this situation. If he sits for a season, he'll miss out on earnings for this year and will still be looking at the franchise tag in 2020. If LA lets him walk after 2020, he will be in significantly less demand than Bell was. He shouldn't count on another team being as dumb as the Jets. The Chargers have some options as well. There are still some unsigned veteran backs available and there are always a few late cuts in camps around the league. Ekeler is a decent third down back who could fit with a couple of veterans to make a workable committee. I don't think LA will panic and cave in for crazy money. It will be best for both sides to reach a deal and I think Gordon deserves a reasonable extension.

Good post. I don't believe Beane will be pushed into a corner for any player except maybe for a franchise QB. When you look at the best teams with the best cap management, they have about six guys that are highly paid because they carry the team. If the Bills are working on a similar plan, it isn't too hard to guess who Beane may value and pay highly in the future. This doesn't mean that they won't pay some guys well but not at a level that elite players receive. Other than White, most of the recent draft picks and free agents still have a lot to prove. This includes Dawkins, Allen, Edmonds, and Milano. As fans we get emotionally attached to players, want to keep them even when the price is higher than the value of the player. GMs can't allow that to happen or they eventually crash the team and lose their jobs. Beane appears to be too smart to go down that road.

Bieber....? ouch Was he in the concussion protocol when he provided these responses?

I agree with you on this. In addition, Star needs to do a better job of keeping the guards off our linebackers. His role is to engage multiple guys in the middle and fill space. He was inconsistent last year.

Monte Ledbetter, Tom Day, Charlie Ferguson, and Wayne Patrick are some that I have met over the years. All were great guys.

Although I wouldn't bet money on this, I wouldn't be completely shocked if Frank pulls it off this season. All it will take is an injury or two and he will be right there to get the carries to make it happen. I thought he was all done when he signed in Indianapolis and then again in Miami. Obviously, I was wrong. He has proven to be a tough guy that works hard and he isn't a quitter. He's an easy player to like.

For a guy who has one foot out of the league, putting yourself in a questionable situation isn't very wise (if it actually happened). He may be completely innocent in this situation but given his other problems, many won't give him any benefit of the doubt.

I agree with you. Pegulas don't have exclusive rights on dumb comments by an owner. I lived in Indianapolis for a while and I believe Irsay may be the gold standard in dumb owner commentary and behavior. We should all be thankful that Buffalo isn't dealing with something like that.

I think you are correct in your assessment. An injury or two may change the situation. A late cut from another team could also change the status quo. At this point, we'll just have to watch it play out. In any event, I'm just glad that the team has options that are much improved over 2018.

I agree with you. When you take into account the frequency of injuries in the league, having four guys that can play is more of a necessity than a luxury. In this case, it is a good deal when Foster has a cheap contract.

When it comes to the evaluation of talent, real football people like Polian, Parcells, Bellicheat, and countless others are clearly more qualified to assess talent than some journalism major that writes sports stories. If you think all of the football coaches and executives are phys. ed. majors, it would serve you well to do some background research. If football people are literally wrong all the time, the best players available wouldn't be on teams. I would accept that there are frequent errors and that is due to the inexact nature of their business. Fortunately, it is a self correcting system. GM's, personnel executives, and coaches that get more things wrong than they get right find themselves out of a job. Sports writers are seldom dismissed for the accuracy of their predictions. Like I said before, if you want to place your confidence in sports writers, that's your right.

It was a moment of insanity. I'll strive not to let it happen again.

Injuries are part of the game, no doubt. When you look at his play, he was very good. He was the best option available and was being courted by other teams. Putting a rookie center in front of Allen was not an option that the team was ready to accept. The Bills paid what was necessary to make the signing, unless you feel that the Bills just threw extra money at him out of the goodness of their heart. As far as not being able to develop their own, we should not forget that this is all the result of a rather unexpected career ending injury. Front loading the money when the team had a lot of cap space was probably a decent strategic decision and it was likely necessary to close the deal. High profile free agents, that have multiple options, are going to have a higher price and more favorable terms. Time will tell whether or not he is worth the money. I put more faith in the real football people that evaluate players and make these decisions instead of sports writers who base their opinions more subjectively. If you want to place more credence on the sports writers, that is your right.

Great post! You nailed it in a great summary. Thanks

I agree with you for this season. I believe that Yeldon will be the third down back next season with Singletary being the lead back. It won't surprise me if McCoy, Gore, Yeldon, and Singletary are all on the final roster this year. It is rare that teams don't have running backs injured and missing games. Last year, the Bills experienced this with questionable depth talent. I believe that Yeldon and Singletary were brought in to improve the reserve talent this year and to be the main guys for next year. McCoy has absolutely no trade value with his age, contract cost, and last year's performance. I don't expect him to be cut either. Given the struggles of the o-line last year, McCoy's poor season isn't completely on him and McD knows that.

I agree with you. It's hard to identify a good offensive team that does not have a good center. This will prove to be money well spent. I have trouble with many ESPN evaluations of teams and individual players.

I doubt that ownership will be willing to move on from McD at this juncture. I think the Pegulas understood the roster train wreck that McD and Beane inherited from Rex and Whaley. Fixing the cap situation, adding decent talent in the draft, and making smart moves in free agency are indications that the organization is moving in the right direction. Both Pegulas and Beane have spoken about building the team to be competitive for the long term. Even though the record was not good in 2018, the team played hard and seemed to be as prepared as their weak roster could be. With all of this, it doesn't make me think that they will be making any knee jerk reactions now.

This study is a load of crap. I've been to games in many stadiums with many different fan bases. I've been to see the Bills in London. Bills fans have always been represented in very significant numbers, regardless of the team's record. Living in Florida, I've been to a number of games in Miami. They don't sell out their games and maybe up to a third of the attendance is from opposing teams. It may even be higher than that when the Cheatriots or one of the New York ( Jersey ) teams are there. Trying to quantify support from a fan base is illusive at best. As someone stated earlier, attendance during bad years and support on the road is part of it. Enthusiasm; before, during and after the games is the intangible that really tells the story about a fan base.

Lotulolei hasn't been a pass rusher throughout his career. His game is to tie up two blockers on running plays and create space for the linebackers to make plays. He is difficult to move off a spot. He isn't and hasn't been a guy that has commanded a double team in the passing game. He isn't a guy that can generate quick penetration into the pocket and disrupt the timing of a play. Quite often, he comes off the field on obvious passing downs. I'm expecting that Oliver is that quick penetrating DT that is impossible to handle with a one on one block. I believe his style of play will be similar to Gerald McCoy or John Randle. Time will tell whether Oliver can do that. If he can't, it will likely have been a bad selection at pick number 9. I believe that he will deliver the results that the Bills want and turn out to be a great draft pick. If Hughes, Murphy, and Lawson can't take advantage of their opportunities, the Bills should move on from them.

The sacks from DT would be great but there may be more benefit in forcing opponents to alter their pass blocking scheme to the benefit of Hughes, Murphy, and Lawson. I'm also hoping for the inside pressure to force premature throws and some interceptions. I don't know how it will play out but I can't wait to see Oliver in real game action.

Can you say pre-nup ?

not at all but I would like you to cite an example so that I know better where you are coming from

News media people that think the rest of the country wants to continuously hear about the Giants, Jets, and Cowboys. Domestic violence purps being permitted to return to the league and earn millions of dollars. Players with legally binding contracts deciding that they will breach those contracts by holding out until an owner gives them more money. TV timeouts when I'm sitting in the stadium in single digit temperatures. $6.00 hot dogs and $10.00 beers! 410

Tragic and inexcusable. Nothing else to say

It's hard to argue that on paper the training camp roster isn't significantly improved from last year. A year ago, the team didn't have five offensive linemen worthy of a roster spot, much less be starters. Although there are plenty of questions with the o-line, finding five capable starters and their backups should not be a problem. Even the receiver group is a much better than last year. Whether they perform or not will become readily evident in camp and in preseason games. I don't believe that they have a long term difference maker like an Andre Reed or Eric Moulds but there should be enough talent to be decent for a couple of years. Based on this, I'm mildly optimistic for a better season.