Bills, whitner talk extension

[FluffHead]

http://www.wgr550.com/Bills-and-Whitner-Have-Talked-Extension--Posluszny/8655814

[aristocrat]

i bet he becomes the highest paid safety in the league

[PromoTheRobot]

Cue the howler monkeys.

 

PTR

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Are you kidding? Wilson is a better safety than whitner who is expendable. I don't understand the front office, Poz and Kyle should be first in line.

[mrags]

I've hated Whitner since we drafted him until this year. I now truly believe with a better front 7 he could be a better than average safety. I don't think he desrves an overpaid (Chris Kelsey) type contract, but I think he could be somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as safties are concerned.

 

I think he is having his best year this season FWIW

[BuffaloBill]

I know this will not be the general drift around here but I see nothing wrong with the Bills discussing the situation with him. It is not his fault he was taken too high in the draft. The secondary has been a solid unit and Whitner has played well (though perhaos not brilliantly). The Bills can keep safety off the list of needs by securing him.

 

I very much agree with others that Poz should be on the list.

 

Williams renegotiated - two years ago I believe.

[Fitzmagic]

Despite being mediocre - the dude has heart and wants to be with the Bills.

[DrDawkinstein]

Are you kidding? Wilson is a better safety than whitner who is expendable. I don't understand the front office, Poz and Kyle should be first in line.

 

Williams has already been extended through 2012. Wilson doesnt even play the same position as Whitner. Whitner "filled in" at FS because of injuries, and the fact that a duo of Whitner at FS and Scott at SS was our best option. You can't compare the two. And this year, Whitner has played SS better than Scott, who I like.

 

I know this will not be the general drift around here but I see nothing wrong with the Bills discussing the situation with him. It is not his fault he was taken too high in the draft. The secondary has been a solid unit and Whitner has played well (though perhaos not brilliantly). The Bills can keep safety off the list of needs by securing him.

 

I very much agree with others that Poz should be on the list.

 

Williams renegotiated - two years ago I believe.

 

 

Agreed. To add on to my statement above, lock him down and then our Safeties are: Byrd, Wilson at FS and Whitner, Scott at SS. I like that a lot.

 

Put some semblance of a pass rush/Front 7 in front of them and watch what they do. It's tough to criticize any of them when QBs have 6 seconds to throw, and our Safeties are forced to play up in order to stop the run.

[JStranger76]

Really Void? I'm sure we'd all rather have Ngata but Whitner is a very solid safety and has produced. He's the best SS the Bills have had in the last 20 years and that includes Henry Jones and the past his prime Lawyer Milloy. Take away Jones 8 int year (when the Bills had a pass rush, remember that?) and Jones ain't even on the list.

[robertpaul49]

I guess it depends on the deal, meaning the $ and years. Guaranteed money; however, I have a feeling that we will all be screaming about the deal just like some OLB or is he a DE?

[DrDawkinstein]

Really Void? I'm sure we'd all rather have Ngata but Whitner is a very solid safety and has produced. He's the best SS the Bills have had in the last 20 years and that includes Henry Jones and the past his prime Lawyer Milloy. Take away Jones 8 int year (when the Bills had a pass rush, remember that?) and Jones ain't even on the list.

 

it amazes me the amount of bitterness people can hold onto, and for so long, just because they didnt recognize Whitner's name on draft day 5 years ago. still holding on to the past and the "what ifs".

 

you can look back on EVERY draft for EVERY team and say "They shouldve picked X instead of Y", but that gets you nowhere.

 

Whitner has been solid, and a leader. he has done everything the Bills have asked him with regards to playing out of position. theres no need to hate on the dude just because he was drafted when he was drafted.

[buffalomike]

If we only had a pass rush he would hold on to the ball when it hits him right in the hand.

[DrDawkinstein]

If we only had a pass rush he would hold on to the ball when it hits him right in the hand.

 

I dont expect a SS to have the hands of a WR, or even a FS. The fact that he's getting his hand on a ball at all says he's doing his job.

[JStranger76]

That's exactly it Dr., he was taken 8th. Sure, he's not the next Ronnie Lott, Atwater, or Pomahairlu, but guess what, he's only 25 years old with a lot a solid football left to be played. Sure, he can look bad at times against some bigger and physical TE's, but if I recall H Jones was a regular B word against a good TE as well. How about we bring in a nice swift LB for those assignments whose name ain't Keith Ellison?!?!

 

edit......or Chris Kelsay!!!!!!

[DrDawkinstein]

That's exactly it Dr., he was taken 8th. Sure, he's not the next Ronnie Lott, Atwater, or Pomahairlu, but guess what, he's only 25 years old with a lot a solid football left to be played. Sure, he can look bad at times against some bigger and physical TE's, but if I recall H Jones was a regular B word against a good TE as well. How about we bring in a nice swift LB for those assignments whose name ain't Keith Ellison?!?!

 

edit......or Chris Kelsay!!!!!!

 

your use of emoticons on that edit is Top Notch

[JStranger76]

Only Chris Kelsay could warrant such a outburst of emotion!

[tbonehawaii]

Are you kidding? Wilson is a better safety than whitner who is expendable. I don't understand the front office, Poz and Kyle should be first in line.

I assume you mean George. But if you meant Ralph, that may be accurate as well.

[purple haze]

it amazes me the amount of bitterness people can hold onto, and for so long, just because they didnt recognize Whitner's name on draft day 5 years ago. still holding on to the past and the "what ifs".

 

you can look back on EVERY draft for EVERY team and say "They shouldve picked X instead of Y", but that gets you nowhere.

 

Whitner has been solid, and a leader. he has done everything the Bills have asked him with regards to playing out of position. theres no need to hate on the dude just because he was drafted when he was drafted.

 

+1.

 

Everybody bangs on the guy, but he's a good player. Not great. But good. He's basically what most teams in the league put out on the field. Good players. Then a few superstars make the biggest differences. Teams that don't have the superstars get what the Bills have gotten the past several years. Whitner should stick around. What would they get to replace him with? Not an upgrade. Now they can draft a safety and start grooming that player, but in FA it ain't happening. They would just be trading one good player for another and overpaying them (based on market demand NOT because it's Buffalo). Like Nix said, they will keep players who perform and Whitner has done that this season. Just becuase he isn't Reed or Polomalu or Sanders doesn't make him bad. Most safeties aren't those players.

[VADC Bills]

I know this will not be the general drift around here but I see nothing wrong with the Bills discussing the situation with him. It is not his fault he was taken too high in the draft. The secondary has been a solid unit and Whitner has played well (though perhaos not brilliantly). The Bills can keep safety off the list of needs by securing him.

 

I very much agree with others that Poz should be on the list.

 

Williams renegotiated - two years ago I believe.

I'm in agreement. The secondary has been the best unit of the defense no need to break it up. I don't see the Bills breaking the bank on Whitner. I'm sure that Poz will be offered a contract, again the Bills should not break the bank on him. If I had to choose between the two I would have to go Whitner. He just plays with more heart than Poz and he hits harder and was leading the team in tackles as of last week. Poz constantly gets dragged 3-5 yard after the hit, but he has been getting better with reading the plays for the run, still a liability in the passing game. The LB's are the weakest unit on the defense so I would imagine they will under go more scrutiny when it comes to contract extensions.

I do feel that Wilson should be starting instead of Byrd. Wilson has been underrated for years.

Edited November 27, 2010 by VADC Bills

[1B4IDie]

I'm in agreement. The secondary has been the best unit of the defense no need to break it up. I don't see the Bills breaking the bank on Whitner. I'm sure that Poz will be offered a contract, again the Bills should not break the bank on him. If I had to choose between the two I would have to go Whitner. He just plays with more heart than Poz and he hits harder and was leading the team in tackles as of last week. Poz constantly gets dragged 3-5 yard after the hit, but he has been getting better with reading the plays for the run, still a liability in the passing game. The LB's are the weakest unit on the defense so I would imagine they will under go more scrutiny when it comes to contract extensions.

I do feel that Wilson should be starting instead of Byrd. Wilson has been underrated for years.

The problem is Scott and Wilson is arguably a better Safety Combo than Whitner and Byrd.

I'm OK with him being extended for middle of the road money, because he is a middle of the road to slightly above average Safety.

He plays well but he doesn't cause turnovers or make plays on the run or blitz behind the line of scrimmage. Those 3 types of plays are what makes a safety an elite safety and worth elite money.

Its not money though, no sense in losing depth if you can sign him for a reasonable price.

[AllDayADay]

Only Chris Kelsay could warrant such a outburst of emotion!

 

 

How he has been playing lately and the fact that all he got was an increase in salary this year, it was not that much of a big deal. I think Donte may be finally turning the corner. One of the final drives of the Bengals game, Donte have that big shot to Shipley in a critical time in the game. He might become that player we have always wanted him to be.

[VADC Bills]

The problem is Scott and Wilson is arguably a better Safety Combo than Whitner and Byrd.

I'm OK with him being extended for middle of the road money, because he is a middle of the road to slightly above average Safety.

He plays well but he doesn't cause turnovers or make plays on the run or blitz behind the line of scrimmage. Those 3 types of plays are what makes a safety an elite safety and worth elite money.

Its not money though, no sense in losing depth if you can sign him for a reasonable price.

I agree with your Scott and Wilson point although I think Whitner is the best hitter of the bunch. Thats why I think you lock all of them in with solid but not Kelsey type contracts.

Your point regarding turnovers can be extended to the whole defense.

Whitner is very solid against the run but he like the rest of our defense can look very foolish at times.

Blitzing behind the line is a DC call. Safeties don't usually blitz unless the call comes in from the sideline and I have no idea what those calls are so I can't fault him there.

I don't think we have anyone on our defense that can be considered elite. The question is how well can they assess mediocrity and translate it into a contract offer that is fair to the player and to the team.

[Sisyphean Bills]

The new sheriff said free agency starts in the home.

[lets_go_bills]

Whitner is good but not great. Nothing spectacular, but solid. I hope they don't overpay him like they did Kelsay.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Whitner is good but not great. Nothing spectacular, but solid. I hope they don't overpay him like they did Kelsay.

What? You don't like paying the good ambassador hometown premium?

[T master]

I wrote to Chris Brown of BB.com and he explained the free agents that are coming due for contracts, in the post i asked about Williams , Kyle Williams is signed through 2012 , in another he explained the players that will be free agents in one way or another depending on the CBA .

 

The players that are coming due at the end of the season are Poz, Whitner, Wilson, Youboty, Ellison, Brohm, Florence, Corto, Merrimen, Wrotto, McCargo, Ayodele, & Ganther .

 

Which out of this list i think there will be a few that won't be back ..

[HumbleAndHungry]

I think it is rather entertaining that fans expect every positional player on a team with a salary cap to be a super star. Whitner definitely needs to be extended. He is a consistent player and is ninth in the nfl in tackles. He may not be a pro bowl caliber Player. But he is solid and consistent. We have far too many other holes on defense to be concerned with donte.

[1B4IDie]

I wrote to Chris Brown of BB.com and he explained the free agents that are coming due for contracts, in the post i asked about Williams , Kyle Williams is signed through 2012 , in another he explained the players that will be free agents in one way or another depending on the CBA .

 

The players that are coming due at the end of the season are Poz, Whitner, Wilson, Youboty, Ellison, Brohm, Florence, Corto, Merrimen, Wrotto, McCargo, Ayodele, & Ganther .

 

Which out of this list i think there will be a few that won't be back ..

Whitner and or Wilson, Florence or Youboty but not both.

The rest can walk and wouldn't be a huge loss.

LBs are already a joke so signing Poz would make sense to not further weaken the group by losing the 1 functional LB we have.

I doubt any other team is liningup to sign him to big money so I hope it's not a 9 mil a year deal again.

[Coach Tuesday]

If we don't sign Poz we'll be heading into the offseason running a 3-4 that is really a 3-0.

[Bill from NYC]

Negotiating with Whitner before Poz is an exercise in stupidity.

[mob16151]

Negotiating with Whitner before Poz is an exercise in stupidity.

 

Disagree Poz has a seasons less of accrued playing time if I remember correctly. Thus making him less likely to be a UFA under any potential new CBA.

[Bill from NYC]

Disagree Poz has a seasons less of accrued playing time if I remember correctly. Thus making him less likely to be a UFA under any potential new CBA.

 

Cool, and thank you. I didn't know about this. If you are right, this is part of what makes this such a great site!

I was thinking in terms of who is clearly a better football player.

[Magox]

The players that are coming due at the end of the season are Poz, Whitner, Wilson, Youboty, Ellison, Brohm, Florence, Corto, Merrimen, Wrotto, McCargo, Ayodele, & Ganther .

 

Which out of this list i think there will be a few that won't be back ..

Out of this list, I'd like to see Poz, Whitner, Wilson, Brohm, Florence, Wrotto and Ayodele back.

[JStranger76]

100% agree with your list Magox. I'd add Merriman if they could get him a new achilles, but those injuries are career killers.....

[stony]

The problem is Scott and Wilson is arguably a better Safety Combo than Whitner and Byrd.

I'm OK with him being extended for middle of the road money, because he is a middle of the road to slightly above average Safety.

He plays well but he doesn't cause turnovers or make plays on the run or blitz behind the line of scrimmage. Those 3 types of plays are what makes a safety an elite safety and worth elite money.

Its not money though, no sense in losing depth if you can sign him for a reasonable price.

 

That's difficult to tell. They've all been mixed up so much over the past two seasons. Byrd has obviously been the weak link this year, but people are more prone to point to Donte being the problem despite improved play on his part. Our past two wins, Donte has deflected a pass that was intercepted (on a blitz), and had the big hit on Shipley that ended all hopes for a comeback. I'm interested to see how he plays the remaining games of the season considering he's been blitzing a lot more. Who knows, he might end up with a few sacks.

[BuffaloBill]

The problem is Scott and Wilson is arguably a better Safety Combo than Whitner and Byrd.

 

 

What a great problem to have. I actually wonder if byrd is truly healthy. I know he played hurt last year but he doesn't even seem to be near the ball this year. It is a steep drop off from his interception or ball hawking streak of last year. I hope the guy is not a "one hit wonder." Yes, I know this is a new scheme but the guy still has the opportunity to go after the ball.

[Thoner7]

Whitner is good but not great. Nothing spectacular, but solid. I hope they don't overpay him like they did Kelsay.

 

I can only imagine the precendent that has been set by throwing boatloads of cash at Kelsay. Now I am sure whitner and Poz - both are much much much better than Kelsay - are going to be expecting a lot of coin.

[steampunk]

The players that are coming due at the end of the season are Poz, Whitner, Wilson, Youboty, Ellison, Brohm, Florence, Corto, Merrimen, Wrotto, McCargo, Ayodele, & Ganther .

 

C.B. might've forgot to mention two others; Jon Stupar and David Martin.

 

For Whitner, it's a solid move to extend him now for 3-4 years. Don't club me with a frozen tofurkey leg, but I think a good deal would average just under 5 mil/year.

 

He's not in the top tier of NFL safeties. That tier would be LaRon Landry, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Adrian Wilson, Bob Sanders and Antrel Rolle, who are all averaging between 7 and 8 mil per year. Whitner would be in the second tier with guys like Chris Hope and Nick Collins. Like Jstranger mentioned in his post, Donte is just 25. Except for his thumb injury last season(6 games), he's rarely missed a game before or since. Balsawood Bob Sanders ain't earning his cheddar by missing over 50 games in his 7 year career. Durability is something to consider.

 

The other safety without a 2011 contract is George Wilson. Total pro, team leader, versatile enough to play multiple positions, and won't be too pricey. One Bills Drive seems to like the guy. He does side gigs with them, like interview shows and catalog work (the Bills' Xmas mini-catalog went out two weeks ago and GW is the model in it). I could see him being a good faith (on both sides) re-signing at some point in the offseason.

[mjohns85]

i bet he becomes the highest paid safety in the league

lmao