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Our last REAL free agent


maddenboy

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So OK, emulate the other perennial winners and sign your own draft picks to retain them so the Bills can build through the draft. You can either build through the draft or acquire quality free agents, but you can't do neither and field a winner. And really the winning teams do both. How many ex-Bills did we see in the playoffs?

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And, as we enter "there's always next year" season, I'm pretty run-down with the rinse-repeat cycle for 12-15 years.

 

I want this board to reflect some realism. A sober reality that, until the organization is committed to winning a championship, instead of committed to, within budget, fielding a "competitive" team, its just an emotional roller coaster every year.

 

Tired of it yet?

You seem pretty tired of it.

 

You don't even have the energy to research your own thread.

 

Maybe a hiatus is in order?

 

Personally I'm looking forward to year 3 of Nix/Gailey.

 

 

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This "Nobody wants to sign with Buffalo because it's a small poor city" thing is far less true than you think. Maybe there are a 1-2 FA's every year that would avoid us, but in general the Bills can get who they want if they offer the money. Players do not avoid this city as much as our collective inferiority complex thinks it does.

Edited by Picnic Table F'er
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Nick Barnett...there was lots of interest from other teams and he seems quite a catch.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/07/26/free-agency-2011-landing-spots-for-nick-barnett/

That article doesn't document "lots of interest from other teams" at all.

 

He came to see the Bills on Saturday night 7/30. The next morning the Lions signed Tulloch and Barnett cancelled his trip to Detroit. Hours later, he jumped on the Bills offer and signed.

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This "Nobody wants to sign with Buffalo because it's a small poor city" thing is far less true than you think. Maybe there are a 1-2 FA's every year that would avoid us, but in general the Bills can get who they want if they offer the money. Players do not avoid this city as much as our collective inferiority complex thinks it does.

Unfortunately what's really tough is that guys going into there primes never knew buffalo as a winner dating back to their earliest football memories. at best a 20-something guy remembers the music city miracle as the high water point, otherwise.... Just jokes, cold weather etc....

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Barnett is the correct answer to the OP.

 

Other options include:

 

- Dockery. Ralph shelled out $7M/year to (briefly) make him the highest paid interior OL in the NFL.

 

- Langston Walker came the same year at a hefty $5M/year - it's debatable how much competition they had for him.

 

- T.O. Frankly, signing him to only a 1-year deal was one of the smartest moves the Bills have ever made. That shrewd move forced him to behave.

 

 

I am betting the OP is practicing typically negative Bills-fan selective memory to be going all the way back to Doug Flutie.

 

The truth is, at times, Ralph has spent plenty to bring in a few seemingly important pieces.

 

That's why I take Buddy Nix completely seriously when he says he's going to add a big-time WR to Stevie, and add a 2nd if they lose Stevie, AND add a serious pass rusher.

 

Every few years this team makes a REAL push when they think they are close enough to justify it. Nix's press conference was making it clear that they believe this is one of those years and he absolutely expects playoffs in 2012.

 

hey guys, remember when we signed Jeff Posey at 12:01 AM because we wanted to beat the rush of teams that were going ot want him?

 

Main problem with Posey is they were ignoring the fact that the guy could only play 3-4 OLB and they tried to shoe-horn him into a 4-3 when he already had an NFL track record showing he was nothing at that position.

 

Reminds me of when the Ravens brought in Elvis Grbac, completely ignoring that Grbac's entire success camne playing the West Coast offense, and he was hopelessly wrong for the Ravens' deep ball scheme. Grbac was among the worst FA signings ever, and certainly the worst in the Ravens' history.

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Barnett is the correct answer to the OP.

 

Other options include:

 

- Dockery. Ralph shelled out $7M/year to (briefly) make him the highest paid interior OL in the NFL.

 

- Langston Walker came the same year at a hefty $5M/year - it's debatable how much competition they had for him.

 

- T.O. Frankly, signing him to only a 1-year deal was one of the smartest moves the Bills have ever made. That shrewd move forced him to behave.

 

 

I am betting the OP is practicing typically negative Bills-fan selective memory to be going all the way back to Doug Flutie.

 

The truth is, at times, Ralph has spent plenty to bring in a few seemingly important pieces.

 

That's why I take Buddy Nix completely seriously when he says he's going to add a big-time WR to Stevie, and add a 2nd if they lose Stevie, AND add a serious pass rusher.

 

Every few years this team makes a REAL push when they think they are close enough to justify it. Nix's press conference was making it clear that they believe this is one of those years and he absolutely expects playoffs in 2012.

 

 

 

Main problem with Posey is they were ignoring the fact that the guy could only play 3-4 OLB and they tried to shoe-horn him into a 4-3 when he already had an NFL track record showing he was nothing at that position.

 

Reminds me of when the Ravens brought in Elvis Grbac, completely ignoring that Grbac's entire success camne playing the West Coast offense, and he was hopelessly wrong for the Ravens' deep ball scheme. Grbac was among the worst FA signings ever, and certainly the worst in the Ravens' history.

As the OP, I'll give you Dockery.

 

And as to selective memory, I was not making a statement that we didnt have anyone. I was saying it doesnt seem like it, i'm too lazy to look it up, and someone feel free to chime in.

 

I guess it was assumed, correctly, that I didnt "feel" like there were many. Or any. And many have pointed out that Free Agency is not really the way to build a team.

 

My main point is that, at this time every year for more than a decade, Bills fans get all excited about what we're "going" to do in free agency, only to be disappointed every every every year. So please stop with the "after we sign Mario Williams and Vincent Jackson, then we can look at X, Y, and Z in the draft" chatter. Not only will it not happen, but its not good for our collective stress level.

 

We need hope, but thinking we're gonna be players in FA is just pie-in-the-sky.

Edited by maddenboy
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Who were the big free agent signees on New England, the Giants, Baltimore and Pittsburgh? I think all of those

teams have been very successful without signing many "big name" free agents.

 

For the most part, this is true, but NE built the beginning of its run with some critical mid-level FA's (Rodney Harrison, Vrabel) and they have spent money on guys who haven't worked out (Roosevelt Colvin, Adalieus Thomas). They also stole Corey Dillon and Randy Moss in trades.

 

There have also been teams very dependent on FA's for their success. Look at NO with Brees, Sproles, Vilma and Greer just to name few.

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Main problem with Posey is they were ignoring the fact that the guy could only play 3-4 OLB and they tried to shoe-horn him into a 4-3 when he already had an NFL track record showing he was nothing at that position.

 

Reminds me of when the Ravens brought in Elvis Grbac, completely ignoring that Grbac's entire success camne playing the West Coast offense, and he was hopelessly wrong for the Ravens' deep ball scheme. Grbac was among the worst FA signings ever, and certainly the worst in the Ravens' history.

They were playing a 46 under Gregg Williams, he was supposedly going to be a pass rushing OLB.

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