Coach Tuesday Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Why even draft a guard in Round 2 if they are so easy to find and you're not gonna pay him if he turns out to be a top-tier guard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1B4IDie Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Why even draft a guard in Round 2 if they are so easy to find and you're not gonna pay him if he turns out to be a top-tier guard? Exactly! Plus you're sending a message to Wood and Glenn that the Bills aren't serious about building an NFL quality line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I agree with this. The legend of Levitre grows with every new thread. And I love how we tout the ProFootballFocus article that says runs behind him led the league in YPC or whatever that is. I guarantee his agent isn't talking that up. He's a good OLineman and the kind of guy you want on your team but he doesn't bring anything elite to the table that would justify more than that $6-7m price tag. Tops. If someone wants to overpay for him, good luck Andy and thanks for your time with us. GO BILLS!!! I agree with this right here. His fair market value is aroung $6 mil/yr give or take. $7 would be on the high end for him. Anything above that's getting a little ridiculous. The only way I see paying more than that would be if he was the next Alan Faneca, which he is not. Good player? yes. Elite difference maker? eh, not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Exactly! Plus you're sending a message to Wood and Glenn that the Bills aren't serious about building an NFL quality line. And I love the posters who are suggesting we replace him with a high draft pick. Why, so we can then decide that the high draft pick isn't worth the money if he lives up to his draft position? And if he doesn't live up to it, then we've just wasted another draft pick? This is an organization without a plan in place. It's adrift. Levitre is one of the rare draft picks who actually worked out, and frankly, he should've been locked up a year ago. Letting him walk because "guards are a dime a dozen" makes no sense given that we squandered a high draft pick on said guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 http://profootballta...ing-from-bills/ “I’m in limbo right now,” Levitre said. “I don’t know what their plan is. “Now that Jairus got his franchise tag, there’s a week and a half for them to work a deal out with me. But I haven’t been offered anything yet. We’re waiting around to see if something will pop up.” I don't know why or even if it is true that the Bills haven't talked to Levitre's agent but I will say that one aspect of negotiation is urgency. The agents and players know that the big money in free agency is spent very quickly. If you don't get inked pretty quick, the contracts awarded get smaller. Waiting until the last moment puts the pressure on the agent and his player to get a deal done quickly. That is to the advantage of management. That said, his agent has probably had at least preliminary discussions with other teams...and the Bills are likely doing the same with other teams free agents and waiting to see what the prospective free agents they want will cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Exactly! Plus you're sending a message to Wood and Glenn that the Bills aren't serious about building an NFL quality line. I have a hunch Wood is gone after next season. Just a gut feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1B4IDie Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 I have a hunch Wood is gone after next season. Just a gut feeling. Well Levite is a better guard than wood is a center. So it stands to reason that if you're planning to let Levitre walk, why would you sign Wood. Plus the time to sign Levitre was 2012 and the time to sign Wood is 2013. You don't wait until your studs are free agents. You sign your franchise p,ayers prior to them becoming free agents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Well Levite is a better guard than wood is a center. So it stands to reason that if you're planning to let Levitre walk, why would you sign Wood. Plus the time to sign Levitre was 2012 and the time to sign Wood is 2013. You don't wait until your studs are free agents. You sign your franchise p,ayers prior to them becoming free agents. I like Woods, but I'd argue he's replaceable. Would love to see the Bills draft Barett Jones this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 I don't know why or even if it is true that the Bills haven't talked to Levitre's agent but I will say that one aspect of negotiation is urgency. The agents and players know that the big money in free agency is spent very quickly. If you don't get inked pretty quick, the contracts awarded get smaller. Waiting until the last moment puts the pressure on the agent and his player to get a deal done quickly. That is to the advantage of management. That said, his agent has probably had at least preliminary discussions with other teams...and the Bills are likely doing the same with other teams free agents and waiting to see what the prospective free agents they want will cost. I don't see that there is really any question that his agent has talked to other teams. He's a very good player and the Bills seem content to play the role of farm team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Well Levite is a better guard than wood is a center. Just curious, what's your metric for saying that? I think Levitre is a good guard. But I think Wood is a very good center. My only knock on Wood (ha ha!) is that he's been snakebit by injuries. Unlucky. Given a choice between good and lucky..... I like Woods, but I'd argue he's replaceable. Would love to see the Bills draft Barett Jones this year. See this is where it drives me nuts. These are good players, undeniable NFL starting quality players. Why let them go and draft replacements? Why not keep them, and fill some holes where we DON'T have genuine NFL quality starters ie Linebacker, WR etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Well Levite is a better guard than wood is a center. So it stands to reason that if you're planning to let Levitre walk, why would you sign Wood. Plus the time to sign Levitre was 2012 and the time to sign Wood is 2013. You don't wait until your studs are free agents. You sign your franchise p,ayers prior to them becoming free agents. Maybe they are thinking a line of Urbik and Pears fringe NFL players will be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Plus the time to sign Levitre was 2012 and the time to sign Wood is 2013. You don't wait until your studs are free agents. You sign your franchise p,ayers prior to them becoming free agents. Well, you can try to - but the player may want to "test the waters" and refuse to be signed at the team's price. For all we know that happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Well, you can try to - but the player may want to "test the waters" and refuse to be signed at the team's price. For all we know that happened. It's true that you can't force a player to sign a second contract. On the other hand, a team should be willing to up the ante a little to keep their own. There is a lot of talk about "home town discounts" and trying to diffuse these situations by saying real players that the Bills develop aren't worth paying for, but all that accomplishes is more treading water. Develop one solid player, save a million or two, and try to fill the new hole for a few years. Nix seemed to understand the point and the Bills did pay some of their own well to keep them in recent years. Not negotiating with Levitre smacks of the days before Nix when they could only negotiate with one player at a time because they had to know the cash-to-cap parameters of each deal to the nickel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Supposing Levitre wants $7-8 mil, I'd rather use the money to make a run at one of the top RTs like Loadholt or Vollmer. Then, if G Smith & Barkley are off the board at 8, take the best LT, move Glenn to LG, & watch the O-line just physically dominate the competition. Can you imagine that line? L Johnson - Glenn - Wood - Urbik - Loadholt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Just curious, what's your metric for saying that? I think Levitre is a good guard. But I think Wood is a very good center. My only knock on Wood (ha ha!) is that he's been snakebit by injuries. Unlucky. Given a choice between good and lucky..... See this is where it drives me nuts. These are good players, undeniable NFL starting quality players. Why let them go and draft replacements? Why not keep them, and fill some holes where we DON'T have genuine NFL quality starters ie Linebacker, WR etc At least in Woods case,to see if you can get a guy less snakebitten by injuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 At least in Woods case,to see if you can get a guy less snakebitten by injuries. A valid point, but when he's not snake-hugging, he's a very good NFL center. Look, the whole argument about taking high picks is to increase the probability of success, right? It's most urgent to increase that probability when there are important holes to fill, right? Where you have capable players, you can afford to take a flier on some talented later round guys who might need a year or two to develop. If they don't develop as expected, throw them back in the pond and hook another fish until you get a keeper. That's how the good teams do it. I thought the whole thing about Nelson was over-the-top for a guy who contributed 1 year in a spread offense, but Levitre and Wood have been lynchpins of a much improved, finally-NFL-quality OL. Letting them go leaves a hole that must be filled immediately. That's been the classic Bills recipe for consistent mediocrity year after year. As well, having a poor OL is a recipe for failure when developing a young QB - just ask Sam Bradford. On the other hand who knows what they're thinking? Maybe they plan to draft Barrett Jones and move Wood to guard. Now that would be maulin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Supposing Levitre wants $7-8 mil, Suppose Levitre is telling the truth and they haven't approached his agent. How would they know what he wants? Crystal balls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Nix said he did speak to Levitre's agent at the combine. In any event, Levitre will be an Indiannapolis Colt by March 13 - book it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 They have someone nearly that good who won't have to learn the ropes in the NFL, and a gaping chasm at QB. This team has to stop creating its own holes. If Levitre positively won't sign here for competitive money, fine, but they sure as sh-- better be doing everything they can do to keep him. This Supposing Levitre wants $7-8 mil, I'd rather use the money to make a run at one of the top RTs like Loadholt or Vollmer. Then, if G Smith & Barkley are off the board at 8, take the best LT, move Glenn to LG, & watch the O-line just physically dominate the competition. Can you imagine that line? L Johnson - Glenn - Wood - Urbik - Loadholt Oh, boy. So we use significant FA-signing cap money as well as a high draft pick on our OL. I love a great OL, but while they're blocking their boots off, who's gonna be the passer they're protecting? Who's gonna catch his passes? And who's gonna stop the run after we score and the other team gets the ball? I think the zero-sum nature of the cap and the draft indicates we're not too likely to both sign a top-tier FA AND use the top pick on the OL. One or the other at most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Nix said he did speak to Levitre's agent at the combine. In any event, Levitre will be an Indiannapolis Colt by March 13 - book it. Yet Levitre's agent says they haven't negotiated. (Talking about the weather isn't getting down to business.) At any rate, we agree that just because this draft has OL talent, it is not making progress to let your best OL walk because you may be able to draft a guy that someday might be an NFL player to save a little money. To be competitive for a team at the bottom means, as Hopeful has said, to increase the overall level of talent by doing everything possible to keep your best players. Which quite simply means you must negotiate with their agents (assuming the title of this thread has any validity at all). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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