ChanOverChin Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Good points all around. Still, the NFL is a business and for the players, it's all about production. I would like to see the Bills keep both Kelsay and Merriman at their current salaries because it would mean that both are being highly productive. Even with all that the Bills have spent recently, they're still well under the cap. The one thing that I will say is that I think the Bills will think hard about keeping Kelsay at $5.75M if he's not a starter or at least a major contributor on defense. That's a lot of money to pay someone who's not a starter and/or not producing a whole lot. The same goes for Merriman. This is his last shot to show that he's healthy and ready to contribute for an entire season. He's certainly worth the risk (i.e the big salary) because he's one helluva player when he's completely healthy. let's hope and pray that he can play like he did when he was with the Chargers. Our defense will be sensational with Ma. Williams on one side and a dynamo like Merriman on the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Miner Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Because he's a fan and wants the best for this team. Locking up levitre and Byrd are in the best interests of the team. No, he's not going to be the one that cuts and signs people, but he cares about and thinks about it, just like a lot of people on this board. Why do you need to be a Debbie Downer? Yeah, the part I bolded about Need to make sure the $$ is going to the right guys Like any of us here can even remotely begin to determine that. Keep being good fans though and talking about which players you feel didn't live up to their salaries. Maybe if you see these guys on the street, you can show them how big of fans you are by discussing their value in relation to their salary with them. And if you take a look at the OP's post, no contract extensions are mentioned. It's solely about players that he perceives didn't live up to their salaries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlbillsfan1975 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Good points all around. Still, the NFL is a business and for the players, it's all about production. I would like to see the Bills keep both Kelsay and Merriman at their current salaries because it would mean that both are being highly productive. Even with all that the Bills have spent recently, they're still well under the cap. The one thing that I will say is that I think the Bills will think hard about keeping Kelsay at $5.75M if he's not a starter or at least a major contributor on defense. That's a lot of money to pay someone who's not a starter and/or not producing a whole lot. The same goes for Merriman. This is his last shot to show that he's healthy and ready to contribute for an entire season. He's certainly worth the risk (i.e the big salary) because he's one helluva player when he's completely healthy. let's hope and pray that he can play like he did when he was with the Chargers. Our defense will be sensational with Ma. Williams on one side and a dynamo like Merriman on the other. Think of Kelsay like your home or auto insurance. you hate paying for it, buy glad you have it when you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxy312 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap-hit/. Here are some guys whose salaries don't seeme to be commensurate with their production thus far: Kelsay $5.75M Merriman $5.75M D. Edwards $4.175M Sp. Johnson $4M B. Smith $3.75M T. Thigpen $3M C. McIntyre $1.1M T. Troup $942K L. Dotson $700K D. Clowney $700K K. Moore $615K J. Gilbert $615K From that list, there's no way that Thigpen stays for $3M when the Bills now have Young as their #2 QB. Expect him to be waived at some point. I can't believe Kelsay's $5.75M. Merriman's $5.75M and Edwards' $4.175M have been a rip off thus far. Sp. Johnson's $4M and B. Smith's $3.75M are surprises as well. However, in Wannstedt's 4-3 I think that Kelsay, Merriman, Edwards and Johnson could be revitalized. iI they are, nobody will care how much money they're making. Bills' current cap figure is $112,950,146. There's a couple of things to keep in mind about the numbers above. While that's the amount that they're getting paid, that may not be the amount that they save in cap space if they're cut. There has to be consideration for the amount of bonus money that was guaranteed when they first signed that would be prorated against the cap this season. Next and even more important than the first point is that the new CBA requires every team in the NFL to spend 95% of the salary cap or pay it as a penalty. I.e. Ralph can't be cheap. If the cap is $120 million, he has to spend $114 million or pay the difference as a penalty. With that being said, I think there's 3 guys on the list that aren't going anywhere. Kelsay played much better at DE with his hand down towards the end of last season. As another poster said, the organization does have some special kind of man-love for him none the less. I think they'll keep him and let him spell Mario as needed. Merriman isn't going anywhere either. He was a force as a pass rushing LB and that's exactly what he'll focus on this year. If healthy, his value is way way beyond his price tag. I don't see Brad Smith going anywhere either. They didn't really get to use him as the gadget guy they intended to due to injuries last year. Let's face it, the offense was a mess by mid-season. I would punt on all the remaining players though unless they have a very specific backup role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 There's a couple of things to keep in mind about the numbers above. While that's the amount that they're getting paid, that may not be the amount that they save in cap space if they're cut. There has to be consideration for the amount of bonus money that was guaranteed when they first signed that would be prorated against the cap this season. Next and even more important than the first point is that the new CBA requires every team in the NFL to spend 95% of the salary cap or pay it as a penalty. I.e. Ralph can't be cheap. If the cap is $120 million, he has to spend $114 million or pay the difference as a penalty. With that being said, I think there's 3 guys on the list that aren't going anywhere. Kelsay played much better at DE with his hand down towards the end of last season. As another poster said, the organization does have some special kind of man-love for him none the less. I think they'll keep him and let him spell Mario as needed. Merriman isn't going anywhere either. He was a force as a pass rushing LB and that's exactly what he'll focus on this year. If healthy, his value is way way beyond his price tag. I don't see Brad Smith going anywhere either. They didn't really get to use him as the gadget guy they intended to due to injuries last year. Let's face it, the offense was a mess by mid-season. I would punt on all the remaining players though unless they have a very specific backup role. Bingo! When you're looking at cutting a guy for financial reasons, that's the figure that counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section122 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 At this point in time cuts don't need to be made with cash considerations in mind. The Bills are not in salary cap trouble. With 7+ million available I don't understand why people are playing the bean counter role. The Bills have the luxury of fielding the best team possible regardless of salary. The extensions (and the money they add) shouldn't matter much at this point. Nix has shown he will pay for performance so the players don't need to worry about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maybe Someday Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 There's a couple of things to keep in mind about the numbers above. While that's the amount that they're getting paid, that may not be the amount that they save in cap space if they're cut. There has to be consideration for the amount of bonus money that was guaranteed when they first signed that would be prorated against the cap this season. Next and even more important than the first point is that the new CBA requires every team in the NFL to spend 95% of the salary cap or pay it as a penalty. I.e. Ralph can't be cheap. If the cap is $120 million, he has to spend $114 million or pay the difference as a penalty. This doesn’t apply as you stated until next season. There are some different rules in place for 2011 & 2012 but technically there is no salary floor this year. Here’s a link detailing the salary cap. http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/FAQ.aspx I do completely agree with your first point and do not mind if the team chooses to carry some of these higher salaries in anticipation for the new rules next year. My thoughts are why cut talent if you’re under the cap and don’t need to? If we cut Kelsay and then Mario goes down for the year, they’ll be a new thread on TSW calling Ralph cheap for not keeping veteran depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 At this point in time cuts don't need to be made with cash considerations in mind. The Bills are not in salary cap trouble. With 7+ million available I don't understand why people are playing the bean counter role. The Bills have the luxury of fielding the best team possible regardless of salary. The extensions (and the money they add) shouldn't matter much at this point. Nix has shown he will pay for performance so the players don't need to worry about that. This. Ralph is extravagant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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