BillsVet

This tends to happen when the franchise hasn't been even gotten to .500 in the last 8 seasons. There'd be a lot less questioning considering the results. And for the record, I have never once talked about or wished for the demise of the owner. So unless you've got proof to support otherwise, your insinuation I said that is completely baseless.

There are some team shills on this board who make Chris Brown look tame.

Maybe this is why Overdorf can only negotiate one contract at a time. And who does Overdorf report to? His contract negotiations, given the cap, can greatly affect what the personnel guys want to do in free agency and of course who to re-sign. I'd love to know who sets parameters for a contract offer or the process involved. Something tells me Brandon immerses himself in that, which potentially cuts or hinders the personnel guys. The more things change...

Almost 60 pages in the thread and arguments are being built from "reports." And for all the "reports" that the agent is negotiating in public, there isn't anything substantive to support this, just some tweets and unverified opinions.

As usual, I do not afford the Bills the benefit of the doubt given the track record. I'll continue to remain dubious until I see results, which is only logical and not and emotional response. And I am not saying merely to give the player what he wants as a method of to placating fans. Last year the Bills spent mega dollars on a DE widely thought to be one of the best on the open market in years. But they need more proven talent to get this next rebuild completed ASAP. Unfortunately, as BADOL has noted in another thread, the team will add a good player while letting another go. Do you think it's a coincidence that over the span of the Donahoe, Levy/Brandon, and Nix years that the team hasn't won? Do you think it's a coincidence that over the span of 4 coaches during that time that the team hasn't won? This issue, IMO, is about the highest echelon of management and their decision making process.

Not only is the lead cheerleaders description deceptive, he cites the max amount of Clady's deal as the actual contract amount. Are there likely to be earned incentives? I know Clady's deal, for some bonuses to kick in, mean he needs to be voted All-Pro twice to get close to 57.5M. I can't wait for the articles to continue about how Aaron Williams, Duke Williams, and Jonathan Meeks are playing well in camp while Byrd holds out.

Amen CT. The Bills allow their own to reach peak value by not negotiating contracts before a player reaches his walk year. I doubt Byrd and Levitre would require the contracts they seek/have if the team began negotiations in late 2011. Every time the franchise takes a step forward, they'll then take at least a step back, as you note.

Well, Ryan Clady has re-signed a huge deal: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/14/broncos-ryan-clady-agree-to-five-year-contract-extension/ Why the Bills can't negotiate is beyond me. And if Schefter is correct, this will drag into the pre-season and be a major distraction like the Peters saga was.

Peters had fewer cards in 2009 than Byrd does now and Parker still got him paid. Until we know what the Byrd camp is demanding, it's hard to say one way or another who is completely out of line. But if it's 8M per and the Bills are balking, it's further indication that while faces have changed at OBD, the end result is still that the Bills won't re-sign their own elite talent.

Who would the Bills extend if they don't sign Byrd long term? I haven't heard about negotiations with Eric Wood, who now enters the final year of his deal. Spiller, according to Rotoworld, is signed through 2015. The question I have is if the Bills save money by not signing Byrd and going with unproven options at free safety, who will they use it on? And how does that help the team win now? That good enough eball?

OP suggests it because the link discusses Williams' cap hit for 2014 being in excess of 18M.

In the 3 off-seasons Nix was solely GM (2010-12) I count 17 players receiving extensions or signed in UFA by the Bills. NFL careers are relatively short, but when a team signs a player it means they're confident the player can help them for the duration of the contract. If, and it's an if, Anderson, Lindell, and Smith are released that's more than two thirds of Nix's signings who no longer play for Buffalo. Buffalo will need to be better with personnel decisions under Whaley, especially considering that Byrd and Wood will need contract extensions. UFA / Re-signed players not with team Dwan Edwards: Signed as an UFA to a 4 year 18M contract March 2010 (cut September 2012) Cornell Green: Signed as an UFA to a 3 year 9M contract March 2010 (cut November 2010) Chris Kelsay: Re-signed to a 5 year 28.2M contract extension September 2010 (retired February 2013) George Wilson: Re-signed to a 3 year 7M contract March 2011 (cut February 2013) Drayton Florence: Re-signed to a 3 year 15M contract July 2011 (cut May 2012) Tyler Thigpen: Signed as an UFA to a 3 year 11M contract July 2011 (cut March 2013) Nick Barnett: Signed as an UFA to a 3 year 12M contract July 2011 (cut February 2013) Ryan Fitzpatrick: Re-signed to a 6 year 59M contract October 2011 (cut March 2013) Vince Young: Signed as an UFA to a 1 year 2M contract May 2012 (cut August 2012) UFA / Re-signings Kyle Williams: Re-signed to a 6 year 33.6M contract extension July 2011 (2013 starter) Brad Smith: Signed as an UFA to a 4 year 15M contract July 2011 (potential cut 2013) Rian Lindell: Re-signed to a 4 year 10M contract extension February 2012 (potential cut 2013) Steve Johnson: Re-signed to a 5 year 36.25M contract extension March 2012 (2013 starter) Mario Williams: Signed as an UFA to a 6 year 96M contract March 2012 (potential re-structuring 2014) Mark Anderson: Signed as an UFA to a 4 year 20M contract March 2012 (potential cut 2013) Fred Jackson: Re-signed to a 3 year 10.8M contract extension May 2012 (2013 primary backup) Kraig Urbik: Re-signed to a 4 year 13.3M contract extension December 2012 (2013 starter)

And Wood is going into the final year of his contract. Haven't heard anything about the Bills working on an extension, although there's time. Then again, Overdorf can only handle one negotiation at a time, which frees him up to work on Wood now that we know little to nothing is happening with Byrd.

Kirwan probably knows Brandon has Parker right where he wants him. Just like in 2009.

Teams are indeed taking TE's that can run by people and eschewing the slower footed types who are safety valve types like Chandler. Nothing against Chandler, but with teams playing more Cover 2, having a guy be able to run the seam and attack secondaries is important. The Bills haven't had that in forever and that won't change in 2013. He's coming off an ACL tear and will be inhibited early on, perhaps most of the season. Unfortunately, there's nothing behind him and definitely not anyone adept at catching passes. This is a position that hasn't been adequately addressed because they were too busy drafting defensive players to facilitate converting from a Cover-2 to a 30 front and back to a 40 front defense.

Is that what you think he'll run when he's recovered from his ACL surgery? Or are you going from combine results 6 years ago? I know most people like to quantify things with statistics or combine results, but when I watch games I see someone who isn't getting behind defenders. It's not his game and the current staff seems intent on improving team speed. Chandler's going to be even slower post-surgery than he was in 2011-12.

Well, for a HC and OC who want their receivers to be faster, Chandler doesn't exactly fit. He's a Buddy guy, not a Marrone/Hackett/Whaley guy. I wouldn't be surprised to see them feature him less in their offense between the 20s in favor of more WR's given his lack of speed.

Kinda like 2008 when the Brady-less Patriots proceeded to go 11-5 with Matt Cassel quarterbacking them?

This about sums it up. But what should be patently obvious is that in the NFL, you don't win 10 plus games 10 years straight without talent at all levels: front office, coaching, and of course, players. People who chalk success up to luck are looking for an out to excuse their team which does not succeed.

Why did TB hand out a huge contract to Dashon Goldson, formerly of the SF secondary that was torched in the SB? Or the contract Eric Weddle got in SD 2 years ago? Proven safeties are scoring large contracts, especially those who collect turnovers like Byrd. Byrd has more leverage, if only based on contracts handed out to other safeties in recent history. At the same time, I see the stories about Aaron Williams and his transition to playing safety, which seems a little optimistic. The Bills don't have a safety on the roster right now with more than 3 NFL starts at the position. You don't plug in inexperienced players, particularly when a new defense is introduced (the 4th in 5 seasons) and not expect growing pains. And just to compare, Aaron Williams has 2 FF and 1 INT in 20 NFL games. Byrd has 33 (10 FF, 5 FR, 18 INT) turnovers in 62 games.

Have to believe they'll go into camp with more than 3 arms, only one of which has thrown a NFL pass. Costs them 500k for less than 3 months or work.

You mean the team that does this to a guy 8 years into a NFL career that had missed 14 games in 2 seasons: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6951906/troy-polamalu-pittsburgh-steelers-agree-four-year-contract-extension

And this is the reason eternal homer-optimists cannot understand those they deem as "negative." It will never change, because fandom is different for all fans. But for people to lord over us what the definition a fan is, i.e. always being optimistic is the height of self-righteousness. I don't expect you to agree with me (ever) because I don't understand the insistence that people like me are branded negative for having a dubious take after all these years. I'm optimistic about a lot of things in life, because there is evidence things are better. With the Bills, it's the boy who cried wolf every year and that's precisely what's caused the backlash.

FYI...Allen hired Marv Levy as the NFL's first ST coach. I get that some want to get amped up over anything and everything relative to their favorite team. But as Code Money pointed out above, realism has led to rampant pessimism, particularly since Donahoe's departure. And who can blame people for taking that attitude considering the results?

Because Colin Brown has 12 career GP and 2 starts since being drafted in 2009. He's on his 4th team in 5 seasons, including his time in the UFL. If the Bills were confident in guys like Brown, they wouldn't be kicking the tires on two guys like those brought in today.