Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

GM's get atleast two cracks at HC hirings, so evne if Marrone does terrible next two years and is fired, likely you'd keep Whaley around for at least one more HC, and maybe more liekly two. Of couse if RW is out of the picture and new owenership is here and lets assume team does somehow stay in Buffalo, Whaley then could be out sooner.

2 years?? So you're going to pay him close to $20 mil for 2015 as that's what I've read the tag costs for a third year the average of highest paid players, i.e. QB And you won't see him in June at all, if you're real lucky it will be Septemeber, but more likely mid Nov, just in time for game #10. And until he signs the tag can't fine him either. So exactly how is your statagy going to frighten him into crying uncle??

Add to that it's very easy for the tagged player to tell the team who tagged him he won't talk to or agree to any contracts with any teams. I can't see any team offering picks or anything for a tagged player unless he'll agree to an extension. Take Byrd as an example, maybe he had a half dozen teams he would talk to . If one of them were to work out a potential deal with Buffalo maybe he talks to them, but there's little incentive for those teams to agree to trade draft picks as they know Buffalo's only other option would be to release him. And if your team is on the list of teams he's not interested in going to and won't talk with them, then unlikely to get anything for him. Couple that with the fact that the player can hold out all the way to game #10 and still get full credit for the year, really a kick in the a** to the team who tags him. Meanwhile they have to keep all that money available in case he does sign the tag. System does make it tough to tag and trade. That is one rule I'd love to see changed that players have to be there from game #1 on to get credit for season.

Yeah but isn't Chandler 6-7"? He's big by this years draft standards, but is he really big?

That right there is the key, Carpenter is already been cut so is he really that good or just was on a roll?? Did he all of a sudden figure something out different? Could be our expert ST coaching made the difference??

I was suprised reading the article today in BN that he could not have been signed until today as his contract was a "minimum vet deal" whatever exactly that means. But apprently the Bill's couldn't re-sign him until today. Wouldn't be surprised if that als oprevented them from tagging him too? Surpsied I hadn't seen or heard anything about that prior to today.

I don't know, the name of the game these days is big. I think I'd prefer resigning Chandler (with Modeski also signed and assume healthy) and draft Evens. Stevie, Evens, Woods, Goodwin, Chandler, and Modeski plus some Easley would look pretty good IMO

Neither do most teams. That's the problem, there are 32 teams in the league and about a dozen very good or better QB's. So the other teams just keep playing musical chairs hoping to get lucky. Teams will sometimes get someone who appears to be the answer, like a Stafford in Detroit or a Daulton. Better than average, but after a few years of not getting any better you move on, often end up going backwards So agree they don't do it well but along with many others too.

Personally I'd place that more on Whaley than Marrone. Marrone coaches the players he's given, granted he has some say in who they sign and whether he felt he could make Brown work. He likely was also going off of tape of Brown, may be he's one of these people who looked better on tape than live. But if you're going to place the blame for Brown with Marrone, than you also need to give the credit to Marrone for Alonzo, Robey, Hughes, R Woods, Branch, and Lawson. Personally I'd give more of the credit and blame with Whaley but if you want to fault Marrone, then needs to get credit too.

Mike Evens That's it I'm done, I don't follow the rules!

I doubt I would trade up! Assuming Bridgewater, Bortals, and Manzeil, go in the first six or seven picks many of the people I'd want will still be at #9. Those people would be Mack, Watkins, Evens, if the three QB's go early, almost guaranteed one of them will be there at #9. If between now and April it appears they are all dropping fast, then may consider it more to move. Of the three my choice would be Evens. you can find a free agent LB that are good, Watkins is another Woods, Johnson. Evens is the big WR we don't have. Unless you want Clowney or the the tackle Long, I really don't see any reason to move up. D-line is the one position the Bill's have top level talent at, so no need for Clowney and we need a RT, not a LT so no need ot take a tackle this early either.

What I wonder is, did he absolutely want out of Buffalo already last year and then Bill's screwed his plans by tagging him. Or would he have signed a long term deal at that point prior to the 2013 season, like 2 years back, but then once the Bill's tagged him he wanted out and basically said I won't sig nanything and threatened all kind of havoc if they tagged him. Not sure which came first here??

Yeah but that doesn't work because he has to agree to be "dumped" No team would even give you a box of corn flakes for him without first negotiating a long term contract. So if he says, no I'm not interested in teams X,Y Z, then knock them off the trading list. Maybe he'd be OK with teams A,B, and C but then they know they can offer peanuts. Parker also may have told the Bill's that Byrd wants to be free to the highest bidder and will not agree or talk to any other teams. So then then teams A,B, and C know eventually the Bills have no choice but to drop the tag at which point he's free, but in the mean time you tied up that money Or you can wonder all year when he may sign the tag and report. The fact that only four out of 32 teams tagged a player says something about the whole tag thing. Can't believe every team doesn't have at least one player they'd want to keep and felt is worth the money. It's not nearly as easy for either side to work things out.

I can't say I don't agree with almost everything he suggests. I'd be trilled if Whaley just reads this column and follows it exactly, I like the Mike Evens 1st round selection too as he's the big physical receiver as opposed to Sammy Watkins. Only bit of a concern is may still be lacking a 3rd down MLB

Sorry you can't have it both way! People have been praising the Bills, and rightfully so for some of the other moves they made this past year, Drafting Kiko and Woods, signing Robey, Branch, and Hughes, the trade for Lawson. Those all worked out. Colin Brown didn't work out nearly as well as they had hoped based on their evaluations I'm sure Then the other guy Legelsky getting hurt further complicated things. Bottom line is the Bill's had one of their better off seasons in terms of moves working out with the exception of this one. No team get them all right.

From what I know the Bills can drop the tag at any point up until Byrd signs the tag. Once it's signed, then the Bills are on the hook. Does it still count from day 1 against he cap, not sure either way on that part. So whats the down side of Byrd signing immediately, once he signs it then he is contractually obligated to show up and participate in all off-season events, training camp, etc. So the Bills could keep Byrd dangling till say late June, then pull back the tag after all the other teams have already used up a large chunk of their off season $$ and off seaos ncamps are complete so a team may be more reluctant to give him huge $$.

OK I understand the ILF part. but whats MAC stand for?

As soon as you flip Glenn to RT, it another two years or so when his contract is up, he will bolt. He's proven he can play LT so will want to be paid as one. So unless you're willing to pay Glenn LT money to play RT, he will leave, I promise you that, he's not stupid. So then we'll be having another discussion on drafting a someone to play RT. Any likely someone will suggest moving the current LT to RT!

signing Carpenter is going to require paying a signing bonus, os to sign him then havea compition and potentially cut him seems liek a waste. I'd let him test FA, see what teams offer im, try and match the offer if the Bill's want, if not move on to Hopkins. The other option could be to tag him assuming we don't use the tag on Byrd, but then you'd end up paying him big $$ anyway.

I would tend to agree with the Flutie comparison, though Fluties arm was likely weaker, but I'd only consider Flutie as a successful CFL player. He had one very good year in the NFL until defenses figured him out, may him throw outside and don't let him run. Think the same may happen here, but don't think Manzeil is a smart as Flutie and will take hits and get killed.

So to play the what if game some more, what if both Mack, Watkins, and Evens are all there at #9? Which one do you take? Watkins has been labeled the best WR, but Evens has the freakish size that our other WR's all lack. Mack to me does have a bit of question as to how his game projects to the NFL so d oyou go wit hthe WR, then which one, the guy who everyone says is the best, or the big WR??

Not certain I follow your point?? Are you saying only Glenn thinks he's a LT, or they shouldn't draft a player who's been labeled a LT and then move him to RT?? Either way, whichever guy gets moved to the right side isn't going to be happy and will bolt at the first chance he gets. Or the other option is maybe in the 2nd round or so, or trade down and with a late 1st round pick draft a guy to play RT, but with a lower draft choice less likely to hurt anyone's feelings.

That's the problem around here, too many posters think they are playing Strat-O-Matic Football where things like this will work great!

What this would very likely mean iin two years or whenever Glenn's contract is up, he will be gone. In two years that he's already been here, he's played well enough to prove he can play LT AND more importantly be paid as a LT. So unless Buffalo want's to pay him LT money to play RT, he's gone. That's the problem I see with all these "draft a tackle at nine" threads, you're not drafting a RT at nine and as soone as you move Glenn, you'll lose him.

I agree, which all the more shocks me that Pettine got the Cleveland job. But sounds like Cleveland was pretty desperate at that point.