silvermike

I'm not sure it's illegal collusion anyway. The issues that come up tend to be teams colluding against the players, which is prohibited by their contract. I don't know of the other teams have a right to complain about an iffy trade. Boldin might be able to, but he's not wronged here, since it means he gets to keep his contract.

Game Game Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Rk Player From To Draft Tm Lg G GS Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD Int Rate Sk Y/A Y/G W 1 Ryan Fitzpatrick 2009 2012 7-250 BUF NFL 55 52 1041 1742 59.8% 11654 80 64 79.8 97 6.69 211.9 19 2 J.P. Losman 2005 2008 1-22 BUF NFL 38 33 555 936 59.3% 6179 33 33 76.1 102 6.60 162.6 10 3 Trent Edwards 2007 2010 3-92 BUF NFL 34 32 535 878 60.9% 5739 25 27 76.8 65 6.54 168.8 14 4 Kelly Holcomb 2005 2005 BUF NFL 10 8 155 230 67.4% 1509 10 8 85.6 17 6.56 150.9 4

If I had no QBs on the roster and the only two available were Matt Moore and Ryan Fitzpatrick, I might go Moore. I like him OK as a journeyman/backup type. But at this point, I don't think Moore's got anything that could make up for Fitz's basic familiarity with Stevie, the RBs, and the line. Which isn't a high bar to a real replacement, but it's enough for me not to worry about the 1-2% of extra talent Moore might have.

Oh yeah. Players don't generously agree to re-structure. It's a freebie. And all the more so because future years are far less your problem than the owner/coach/GM's.

I think Fitz would be fine restructuring, the problem is if he'd actually accept a pay *cut*. Which those guys didn't do. Fitz is due about $7.5 million this year. He could take that in a check tomorrow, which means it'd be pro-rated out over the last five years of his contract - about $1.5M/per. Add that to his last signing bonus proration, and his cap number drops from $10.5 to $4.5. 6 million in savings ain't nothing, but remember - all money paid hits the cap someday. And Fitz is particularly unlikely to see his 2014, 2015, or 2016 pay. So that six million we save jumps to 2014 if we cut him.

Steve Tasker and Frank Reich have both been impersonated on Saturday Night Live in the past couple years. Add Alec Baldwin hosting a Buffalo news show, and I think there's a writer from WNY.

Brad Johnson would be one. Maybe Mark Rypien would go in that category, too. Jim McMahon? Phil Simms? Joe Theisman?

Anyone watch the Middle?

Really, though, we're down from our glory days. There was a time a name like this would get Mike Tice a head coaching job in this league, and have Mike Sherman knocking on the door of the Super Bowl. It even got Mike Holmgren a Vince Lombardi Trophy. You gotta earn it now, like everyone else. Mike Tomlin has to bring it.

I guess with trades, like the draft, is trying to answer two questions: (1) What % chance is there that this guy will be a franchise QB. (2) What % chance do I need to spend an nth round pick. A 5% chance is surely worth a 7th. A 75% chance is worth a first. But all our options this year are somewhere in between. My gut tells me the odds are against Flynn. And I don't want to spend a 1/2/3 on anything less then a 1 in three shot.

I will admit that I was rooting for Brady in 2001. Young, unheralded QB, beat out old veteran, upset a powerhouse in the Super Bowl with one drive at exactly the right time. By 2003, he was unbearable.

I mean, the Bills only have three choices right now, as far as a starting QB goes in 2013: 1.) They could start a veteran nobody else wants. Trade for Flynn, hope Smith gets cut, sign Jason Campbell in free agency. If these guys were great options, they wouldn't be available. 2.) Go with a rookie. 2012 was a great year for rookie QBs, but 2013 doesn't look like it. I think there's talent and value there, but expecting Nassib and Barkley to live up to RG3 and Wilson isn't realistic. We can get a guy and take our lumps and hope. 3.) Start Fitz again. Those are the options. We're not going to get a slam dunk for 2013. If you like the 2014 QB class, you're probably best served with Fitzpatrick and waiting. Otherwise, how much is a marginal upgrade from Fitz worth to you for one season?

Apparently the worst era of coaching was 2008-2012. Or else the author has only been paying attention recently.

http://pfref.com/tiny/ah9PD Top QBs in the Super Bowl era in rushing yards/game. I limited to guys with at least 16 starts, so nothing weird gets caught up. Steve Young is the first Super Bowl winner on the list, Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb are in the top ten. Oddly, Doug Flutie AND Rob Johnson are in the top 15. Ryan Fitzpatrick is #22. JP is #58. This is among 258 qualifiers. Take THAT for what it's worth.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/nfl-draft/2012/lewin-career-forecast-2012 There's another system. Note the prediction for Russel Wilson.

I think this is our guy. Tucker's interesting, but this guy has Marrone written all over him. Nice job, Russ - it took me eight days to go from despair to excitement, and the team hasn't played a game.

On the Mario issue, I found this: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81fb066c/article/standup-guy-texans-williams-welcomes-move-to-linebacker He also wasn't too eager to leave Houston, but got priced out. He also got 5 sacks in 5 games from the end. I don't think he disqualifies us for the scheme.

If we land Pettine and Carmichael (early to say, of course), we could have the 2nd best staff in the division and the best this team has had since the 90s.

Contract expires in a month, so the Jets can either say no and force him to twiddle his thumbs for a few weeks, or just let him interview. I assume he has NO interest in staying in 2013, so we'll see if it's a classy organization over there.

George Siefert at the airport.

Chip Kelly now being linked to the Eagles. "Cleveland's collective head explodes RT @brianstartare Sources tell me Chip Kelly and the eagles are close to an agreement on a 5 year deal."

Lovie Smith is 22-43 against winning teams. Whiz is 15-29. Chan was, of course, 1-19. Jauron was 4-27. Belichick is 64-47 with the Pats.

He's not a running QB. The best runner among QBs on the roster is Ryan Fitzpatrick.

What saves the schlocky, sensationalistic, rumormongering nature of sports journalism is that the subject is really not that important. This isn't a matter of life and death or national policy, it's entertainment. I want strong analysis of schemes and strategies, absolutely, and I get that all over the web now. But that's neutral: anyone can do it, and it doesn't require inside sources. Before the next coach gets to the podium, nothing said matters. We'll forget it within minutes. The process isn't really linked to anything bigger than itself. So I'm at least content to let it unfold in this shady, unreliable manner in the media. This part is a game for the fans. The FO staff has a real job to do. The rest of us are limited to reading tea leaves and going off hunches, suspicions, and anonymous sources. If this mattered more than it did, I'd say the reporters were letting us down. But this is entertainment. And rumors are entertaining.

I'm pretty sure it's "Lance." It's what his coach calls him, anyway.