jahnyc

There is no way that he would extend/restucture his contract and take less money. I can't believe that we are going to pay this guy $9 million dollars when he probably should be paid in the $3 million range.

I know the long-snapper from KC has apparently scheduled a visit, but I am a little surprised at the lack of activity by the Bills. I thought that releasing Bledsoe and starting Losman was only the first part of the story. The second part (at least my expectation) was that the Bills planned to improve the o-line. I think that many of us interpreted TD's statement that the offense needed to improve to mean that there were going to be additions to the o-line. So, we lose Jennings, Williams and no trade for Henry. I am starting to believe the following: 1. We are going to go with Anderson and Edwards. 2. We will not be able to find a quality LT free agent (unless we trade for Shelton-- not even sure he is "quality"). 3. There is not much interest in Henry (because of the strong draft for rbs and teams know that Henry will not come back as the back-up). It is way too early to be concerned, but I would like to think that next year's team will be an improvement over 2004.

Are we in good cap shape for 2006? I believe that the contracts of Fletcher, Milloy, Clements and Posey all expire at the end of this year. No Bledsoe as well. I would think that we will be well under the cap in 2006 with some possible free agents to re-sign. Mike Williams' contract is a disaster. We could get two good OTs for the amount we are spending on Williams. I am also surprised at Villarail's cap number. Did he perform to his contract last year? Not sure.

I hope you are right, because Ben R.'s success last year was the direct result of and made possible by a strong o-line in front of him. JP will not duplicate that kind of success without an improved o-line from last year.

I think that TD will sign a free agent guard like Mayberry from the Eagles and then draft a LT. This is probably the most cost effective (not the best) way to deal with the o-line. For DT, my guess is that TD will go with Edwards/Anderson since there are few quality free agent DTs available.

I agree. It seems like there are many changes and none of us have a sense of where things are going. Losing Jennings and Williams does seem baffling, particularly since LT and DT free agent options are limited. Throw in the release of Bledsoe and efforts to trade Henry and we have a great deal of uncertainty. The bottom line is that we need to improve this offseason. Starting Edwards at DT and/or Teague and LT will not cut it.

Anderson played very little last year and is a real mystery going into next season. Edwards started as a rookie and played poorly. He has shown some pass rushing ability but I have my doubts as to whether he can be an every down player. DT is a crucial position and losing Williams will hurt.

I think he is due a large roster bonus that the Packers can't afford. When will he be cut (and become a free agent)? When is the deadline to get under the cap? Does GB need to cut him to get under the cap or will the trigger date for his waiver be the date his roster bonus is due?

My overall point is that it is not always easy to find effective replacements for departing free agents. I think with the possibility of Jennings, Price and Williams leaving, we need to focus on upgrading rather than merely filling these positions. Recently, we have lost to free agency or cut P. Price, A. Winfield and R. Brown. I think losing Price hurt more than any of us anticipated and resulted in the Bills using a second round draft choice (Reed) and a first round pick (Evans) to replace him. Yes, he was asking for too much money and he wanted to go to Atlanta (and we did get a Atlanta's first round selection), but losing him hurt the offense nonetheless. I think we were lucky that McGee was able to step-up after Vincent got hurt. Otherwise, TD's lower cost (and older) replacement did not work out particularly well. Now we are likely to move Vincent to saftey, which is probably not cost effective in terms of what he is being paid (as a starting cb). While R. Brown was at the end of his career, TD took a significant risk going with Pucillo and then Smith at LG. It Tucker may have stabilizied the position, but it seemed kind of stupid to me to go into the season with that kind of hole at LG. In terms of our current free agents, I don't have a problem with Jennings leaving via free agency. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be decent LTs available in free agency. We need to upgrade this position. I hope the answer is not Teague, Williams or a draft choice. I hope we resign Williams and Price. Individually and as a group, Anderson, Bannon and Edwards scare me. I hope TD realizes that the defense could taka a big step backwards without Williams in the middle or an adequate replacement.

If Williams and Jennings leave via free agency, I hope TD does not think that players currently on the team's roster can replace them. I have no confidence in Edwards, Bannon and Anderson to effectively replace Williams. Similarly, I don't think that Teague or Mike Williams is the answer at LT. Obviously, these are two crucial positions. I think that the DT position is undervalued. Being able to stop the run has been the key to the overall performance of our defense. We all understand the importance of LT, particularly with a young, inexperienced qb. Sign Williams and find a LT (Shelton or Tra Thomas) in free agency.

If you have the time (and the money), consider Smith & Wollensky's on 49th and Third Avenue. Good steak and sides. Expensive. They also have a "grill" next door which is less formal.

I agree, this is a disaster. How do we fix this? I don't think it makes sense to restructure because I doubt MW will be willing to take less money in the additional years that we would want to add to the contract. In addition, with MW's past issues, why would we restructure by giving him a cash bonus now to lower the current cap hit? Makes no sense to me. Cutting him also makes little sense. We likely will need to replace J. Jennings at LT, so cutting your starting RT would make filling the holes on the o-line that much more difficult.

Fair enough. The point I was trying to make is that he is not a top right tackle and he is making more that most top left tackles.

I find the numbers shocking for M. Williams. We are overpaying him by $3-5 million per year. He is a RT that did not get any consideration for any pro-bowl or all-pro teams. Now I am wondering about the people who negotiate our contracts. Those escalators are ridiculous since they appear to be based on number of plays/games rather than performance. This contract is a killer.

Just a feeling, but why did Ron Edwards agree to extend his contract for one year? One reason that would make sense is if TD promised Edward that he would be the starter in '05. Why else would you put off free agency except to have the opportunity to start and show why you deserve big money after you contract expires? Add in that we drafted Anderson last year and we have Bannon, seems to suggest to me that TD has no intention of re-signing Pat Williams. I hope I am wrong.

1. We need a back-up that can play. We know nothing about how JP will perform or his durability. If JP does not play well (this year or next year), we need a qb that can step in and play. We can't give JP three years to see if he develops. We need to win in the near term. 2. Does the team have confidence in JP? Will JP starting help, hurt or have no effect on our free agents staying or acquiring free agents. 3. We need to upgrade our o-line. JP will be blitzed often. He will need protection. This also may help with his durability. 4. It will be interesting to see if JP has the intangibles (i.e., pocket awareness, leadership, performing under pressure). Only by playing JP will we find out.

I don't consider my self particularly pro or anti Drew, but I would note the following: 1. I hope TD does not make too much of JP's potential or abilities in his public statements. JP does not need the additional pressure. TD has a tendency to "talk up" certain players which leads to unrealistic expectations. He did this with RJ and DB. He also seems to sour on some players really quickly. 2. DB was durable as the Bills' qb. I hope JP will be as well, but because he scrambles, I would anticipate that some money will be spent to upgrade our o-line. Otherwise, it may be rough first season as starter for JP. 3. Yes, DB played poorly on a consistent basis against good teams, but so did the rest of the team (i.e., Pittsburgh). All qbs seem to have trouble against NE, and we should expect JP to struggle as well. Our poor play against good teams over the last couple of years was the result of the overall team play and coaching, not just the efforts of DB. 4. I wonder what TD has in mind for the back-up qb. This situation makes me nervous since we have no idea whether JP will be durable. 5. Will JP as our starter have a positive or negative impact on our ability to attract free agents? I think in the short term, negative, since players want to win now and some free agents will want to see how JP performs before believing the Bills are a playoff team. Of course this will not be a problem with some free agents, since money will be the deciding factor for them.

My post was not a defense of DB nor a suggestion that DB is our qb of the future. As a long-time fan, I want to make sure we put the best team out there each season. After the past four seasons, I have lost most of my patience and I don't want to wait two or three years to see if JP can develop into an effective starting qb. If JP is the starter, fine, but he should have to earn it. Let him compete against DB or some other qb they bring in. If DB would be the best competition for JP, then keep him and cut his compensation. If not, bring in someone who would be.

I think the best player at QB should start next season and I don't really care whether it is DB, JP or someone else. I don't think JP should be handed the job. I would have brought back DB (I am using the past tense because I am assuming all of the reports are true) and let him fight it out with JP to start at QB. If it is so clear to the coaching staff and TD that DB can not help the team win consistently, then they need to bring in another QB to compete with JP. The bottom line to me is that it is rare for a second year qb (with little experience from his first year) to become a solid starter in his first season as a starter. Mabye he won't be worse than DB, but can we expect him to elevate the play of the offense overall? That expectation does not seem fair or reasonable.

I find it interesting that Moulds is restructuring his contract in a year where we seem to have adequate cap space to add a free agent or two and sign our draft picks (remember, we currently don't have a #1 pick). What does this restructuring mean? A couple of possibilities: 1. TD has some level of confidence that he will able to sign one or both of Jennings and Williams. 2. TD is considering some free agent moves, or maybe an expensive free agent acquisition. 3. TD wants to extend the contract of some younger players, such as Clements or McGee. Impossible to know what is going on, but it does seem that we have decent flexibility in regards to the salary cap going into free agency and the draft. Any other thoughts/possibilities?

Thank you. Do you know when they signed Edwards to the extension and why would he agree to a one-year extension?

1. When can you begin signing free agents? Is the timing the same for making trades? 2. When is DB's roster bonus due? 3. I thought Ron Edwards' contract was up this year, but I thought I read it expires next year. He was drafted in 2001. Is he signed for this year? 4. Similarly, I thought Krumrie's and Blackmon's contracts were up this year. Were they extended? 5. Is Price a free agent?

John Clayton, in his "Quick Hits," describes Van Pelt as a "hot coaching commodity." I am a little surprised that the Bills wouldn't find Van Pelt a spot on the Bills' coaching staff.

I didn't want to go back too far, but you are correct about Ballard, et al. Another one is Shane Conlan. I think he signed with the Rams and then got injured. Bennett left the Bills and generally played well. I thought Bruce's skills detiorated pretty quickly after leaving the Bills. Same with Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas.

The date on the Tip Sheet is January 21 but I think it is current. Lenny P notes: 1. Donahoe showing flexibility in trading within division means he is serious in desire to trade Henry. Could package a number 2 for Henry and current number 2 to move into the first round. 2. Van Pelt has had some interviews entry level coaching offensive assistant positions, could end up in San Fran as quaterback's coach. 3. Many good guards will be available in free agency. I think this is potentially very good news for the Bills. 4. Philly will likely franchise tag Simon. Does this mean Tra Thomas will be available in free agency (I think he is a free agent)? 5. Talks about the assistant coach moves. I thought Krumrie's and Blackmon's contracts expired. Did they get extensions?